I need a suggestion on which 22 auto to buy.

[djturnz]

I want to get a 22lr Auto pistol. I currently have a 9mm and a 357. I also have a .25ACP.

My main reason is that I want to be able to teach my friends that don't shoot to shoot. The .25 is too small and the ammo costs too much for what it is.

I am looking for a suggestion and I have some stipulations.

1. Full size gun. Not a mouse gun.
2. Inexpensive. I don't need a bullseye gun, just a plinker. Maybe $200 or less.
3. I may eventually put a suppressor on it. I don't know what might limit a gun from being suppressor capable, but it needs to be.
4. not interested in a revolver at this time.

Used is ok too.

[billamj]

Man do you have a lot to pick from. You can go with a Ruger, mulitple variations on their basic theme, accurate, pretty much dependable and definitely should be able to find one in your price range. S&W might work for you, Baretta make some nice .22s. Personally I have a Ruger and a Baretta and they're both fine guns. Best bet is to just go to your local enabler and fondle to your heart's content then make your mind up.

[PisnNapalm]

I own a Ruger MarkIII 22/45. The gun, brand new, was $250. The red dot was $30.

It's very accurate and reliable. I've put about a 1000 rounds through it so far without any problems.




A friend of mine has a Walther P22. I have small hands and it fits me perfectly. It's also relatively inexpensive at about $280 brand new. The problem I had with it was it's accuracy. It has a 3.4 inch barrel. It's groups at 25 feet were easily twice as large as my Ruger's. My friend got frustrated with my groups being much tighter than his. So he ordered the 5 inch barrel for the P22. We'll see how it shoots when it gets here.

I would suggest that if you're going to get a Ruger, then you will also want to get something to help you load the clips. This dohickey easily doubled the amount of ammo I shoot now. http://zaliznockindustries.com/outdoors.htm

[Karys]

Definitely Ruger. If you've only got $200, a new one will likely be beyond your budget, but you may find a decent used one for that price.

Lots of guys have had good luck with Brownings and Smith & Wessons, but I've known quite a few that have had trouble with those brands. I've never heard anyone complain about Ruger's reliability. I own two myself and haven't had any serious problems. The trade off is they are a pain to get back together once you field strip them.

If you're absolutely limited to $200, you might want to consider a Walther P99. I believe they are easier and less expensive to supress than a Ruger.

[Rule10b5]

I have a Beretta Neos DLX (the "target" version with the nicer trigger). It's a decent gun, my only complaint is that the trigger is too heavy, in my opinion, for a plinker/target .22LR. It's accurate, light, & ergonomic, I just can't get in to the trigger. I wouldn't buy it again. And the trigger on the regular Neos (non-DLX) is horrible, horrible, horrible.

Personally, I'd go with the Ruger -- they're just plain good guns. Or, if I wanted to spend more money and get a damn near competition grade target gun for cheap, a Sig Trailside.

[LorDiego01]

Go with the Ruger. You will not be dissapointed. Get a MarkIII if you can.

[PA Dave]

rule hit the nail on the head.
I've got the ruger, buckmark, p-22, and mod 70 beretta. The ruger is the most solid IMHO. The others are great guns as well but they aren't as durable as the mk2. On the ave. we shoot a brick a week and finally after 5-6 yrs I broke an extractor and am having "some" difficulty. If you aren't shooting that much maybe it won't matter as much but I wouldn't put that many down range with the p-22, maybe the buckmark.

As for breaking down the ruger it is "NOT" that difficult.
1-Clear the weapon.
2-Pull the trigger to drop the hammer and take the pressure off the hammer spring.
3-Lift the takedown lever on the back of the grip pivoting it out and pulling it down at the same time.
4-Slide upper recv. forward to dissengage the lower/lift off.
5-Withdraw bolt.
6-Lift out recoil spring.
Assembly is in reverse order.
(Note that before putting the takedown lever assy in place pull the trigger and tip the gun forward to flop the hammer forward so you aren't fighting the hammer spring.

It "IS" easier than a 1911 and noone complains much about them. If you want to take down something miserable sometime try an erma ep-22 it is a major learning exp. Good Luck and may the force be with you.

[Tomcat088]

I would suggest buying the Ruger Mark pistol myself, they're great. My family owns some of the Mark I's and II's, and they're still in perfect running condition today. I can also tell you that they are probably the most accurate pistol ever made, much less .22 pistol ever made. I will vouche for the P22 though, it's a pretty nice little pistol that has a neat look. I own one and haven't really had any problems with it, I've shot about a brick a week through it for 2 years. The old magazines had some jamming problems, which if you use the newer ones, you won't have any problems. I have the 5" model that is compensated, and it shoots pretty accurate as well. I can tell you that it's not as accurate as the Ruger Mark pistol, but it's definately accurate enough for a plinker. The Walther P22 is on the small side, but if you try one out, try one with the pinkey extension on the magazines, it makes a world of difference. One benefit of that pistol is that it functions just like most of the other semi auto pistols on the market today, I know the beretta's and some of the other's do as well. The Ruger is gonna function a little differently, and could possibly be a little confusing when going from it to a different auto, but it still shouldn't be a problem. I'd advise you to go hold a couple, see which one is comfortable and then have some fun.

[John Fox]

I have two Ruger Mark II's and love them. They are bull barrels and shoot accurately. You could get one used for about $200.
Forgot to mention I also have a Mark I.

[KeithPA]

I have a P22 and love it. Some of the older models have issues, but I haven't heard much about the Smith and Wesson import ones.

Adding a suppressor involves taking the slide off then using the little wrench and unscrewing the muzzle cap and putting on one with a thread adapter ($25). Quite simple

It's fairly accurate for a 3.4 in barrel. Basically everything is subsonic out of it. With the exception of the hyper velocity rounds. It's very quiet supressor as the velocity is low enough with the short barrel.

1. You want to make sure converting to supressor isn't that hard. Some guns may require new barrels or having the barrel threaded.
2. Obviously you want a reliable gun.

Picture of my supressed P22