suggestions on a good bullseye pistol

[Marksman]

Im gonna try shooting bullseye pistol this summer, however I do believe my Ruger 22/45 is lacking for that sort of thing, I was thinking of upgrading to the Ruger mk3, I find that the 6" bull feels best in my hand, but I was wondering what up grades I should do, other then a trigger job and upgrading the sights... Or if any one from Schuykill County knows of a good bullseye pistol smith to go to..

[aubie515]

Honestly,

if you truly want a good bullseye pistol you would be stepping up to one of the following pistols.

Pardini
http://www.pardini.it/home_ing.html

Hammerli

Benelli
MP95

Larry carries a lot of top end 22 pistols.
http://www.larrysguns.com/beneli.aspx?id=5

If you want a US made 22 pistol, I'd say your only choice would be the S&W 41.
Don't rule out the Russian IZH35M as well. They aren't being imported anymore, but you can still find them for sale. I have one and would recommend the IZH.

The Buckmark and MK series will be alright for an entry level bullseye, but if you want a serious competition pistol, I'd get one of the ones that I mentioned.

[PisnNapalm]

This is the website to goto for all things Ruger MK I, II, or III. http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/

I've got a MKIII myself. I enjoy it immensely.

[Frenchy]

As Aubie said, If you feel the need to upgrade from a MK ll dont go to a Mk lll it is essentially the same thing, go to a real target model. The words Free pistol come to mind, If you get real serious, it will be a Bolted pistol, and more serious then that, you would be looking at an electronic trigger Free pistol, dont get me wrong... When i say Free, it's not the price, but the system of pistol.

[Brick]

Your Ruger MK II 22/25 will do just fine to get you started. If it has adjustable sights, so much the better. You don't need a European ISSF sport pistol to shoot NRA Conventional Pistol. But if you can afford one and it's what you want, have at it! My dream pistol is a Hammerli 280 or the new SP 20. By the way, I wouldn't touch a IZH35M with a 10' pole unless it had been totally worked over by someone who really knew the trade. I had one and even after sending it back to EAA for repairs and adjustment it was the most unreliable POS I've ever owned. Some choices you might consider in either the new or used market are:

S&W Model 41
Browning Medalist or Nomad(used only)
Browning Buckmark
High Standard any Mod 107 original or military frame (do not buy a stainless steel Mitchell knock-off!)
Clark Custom or Volquartsen custom guns of any model.

A resource you can read at your leisure is www.bullseyepistol.com You'll find many tips for the new shooter and advise on selecting equipment

[aubie515]

I wouldn't touch a IZH35M with a 10' pole unless it had been totally worked over by someone who really knew the trade. I had one and even after sending it back to EAA for repairs and adjustment it was the most unreliable POS I've ever owned.

I hope that you sold the IZH for a premium because plenty of people want that POS. What year IZH did you own because some of the earlier models had some issues. Mine was worked on by an smith that was taught by the IZH people. I have had no complaints about my pistol.

[Pukindog]

If you want a serious Bullseye pistol get a Hi-Standard Victor, S&W 41 or 46, any Colt Woodsman, or Ruger MKII or MKIII. Send it to Jim Clark in Louisiana for a complete accuracy job and you will have a first class pistol for competion.
Once you earn Master or High Master class go get that European gun and maybe, just maybe, you may sqeeze another point or two for your score.
I don't recommmend the Browning Medalist because of the barrel rib. Real pain to mount an optical sight although it can be done. The Browning International Medalist is another story.
Jeff

[Brick]

I hope that you sold the IZH for a premium because plenty of people want that POS. What year IZH did you own because some of the earlier models had some issues. Mine was worked on by an smith that was taught by the IZH people. I have had no complaints about my pistol.

Good to hear you are having good results with yours! Basically, it is a very good design and it's built like a tank, even though it isn't a real thing of beauty. The pistol had an 01 date on it. Early on I had issues with doubling (a couple times it zipped off the entire magazine) and EAA was able to correct that. The biggest problem was failure to feed, the slide would strip off a cartridge and slam it nose first into the top edge of the chamber, often so forcefully it would bend the cartridge. EAA didn't correct that, I even tried new magazines (and fitted them myself to no avail). Being able to fire a full magazine during slow fire was an achievement, timed and rapid fire was nearly impossible. I just hate double alibis!

I gave the pistol to my son and went back to my old High Standard Tournament Mod. 107. That pistol is over 30 years old and has fired way over 100K rounds. The only time I've had trouble with it was because of a weak spring on the slide release and when the ejector loosened. The High Standard boys in Texas staked in a new ejector and it's been fine since. I have a Volquartsen barrel for it, which I rarely use now, because RWS Target is the only ammo that functions properly with it. So I am still using the original barrel.

For anyone interested Clark Custom Guns website is http://www.clarkcustomguns.com
The business is now run by Jim Clark Jr.

[aubie515]

The nice thing about 22 pisols is that you can shoot and shoot those things and still never wear out the barrel. I say the best bang for the buck in terms of pistols are any decent quality 22 pistol. Ammo is still inexpensive and recoil is light.

I must be odd because I actually like the looks of the IZH. I'm not normally a fan of wood stocks, but for some reason the IZH is appealing to me. What I like most about the IZH is that it's not picky about the ammo it uses.

I think those Pardini's are funky looking, but in an interesting way.

[LastManOut]

I just bought a S&W 22S with the bull-barrel, sight rail and a Millard Red Dot sight for shooting in the bullseye league I started with last season. It shoots fine and is easy as all-get-out to field strip and clean.
I had one problem when I first got it, the slide sometimes would not fully return to battery. I cleaned up some of the hard edges and a bit of flash on the frame and it works like a champ. I spent less than $300 for the complete set-up.
I look at it just like my golf game, I'm not any where near the level of expertise that a $2000 set of clubs or pistol will make any difference.