.22LR pistol recommendation

[Byrnezie]

I am getting a .22LR pistol to teach myself to shoot and then my kids.

Can someone make some recommendations as to which semi they'd recommend?

Price is a consideration but accuracy and reliability are more important.

I prefer to buy American made if possible.

[thelemite]

There are so many great pistols on the market however:

The Ruger MKIII (or 22/45) and the Browning buckmark stand apart.

They feed any ammo, have been around for decades, and if taken care of will outlive your kids.

[kel ruger man]

if you are using it to train, i suggest you dont get a revolver because of the heavy trigger pull. if its for a kid and your wife i would get something a little light like any of the ruger, walther, smith semi 22s. even the beretta neos is a bit spacey looking, but i have shot them and seem to be reliable and accurate. any of the top name guns will serve you well

[crazywolf]

browning buckmark gets my vote had one for years.eats anything and a real tack driver.crazywolf

[PaTom]

I'm a big fan of the Browning Buckmark as well.

[Remington788]

if you are using it to train, i suggest you dont get a revolver because of the heavy trigger pull.

I beg to differ.
I have a H&R model 922 and the trigger pull is not heavy at all.

OP, where do you shoot? If you are in a club, put out a message to your membership, someone will likely let you try theirs out. (one of the unwritten benefits of belonging to a club)

[Fujisawa-sensai]

The biggest thing, as always, is to pick a gun that feels good in your hand. In this case there are a lot of options.

I have a Smith & Wesson 22A and love it. Very accurate, easy to clean and reassemble, big grip. Made in the USA.

The Ruger 22/45-Mark III is a very accurate gun and American made but it has a reputation of being hard to reassemble after cleaning. I know someone's going to come along and say "just read the manual" but there has to be a reason the internet is littered with threads started by someone who got stuck trying to put their Mark III back together.

Beretta Neos is not American made. It has a smaller grip so if you have big hands it may not be ideal. I've never shot one but I know people who like it.

Ruger SR-22 is another American made gun a lot of people like, but it's more expensive and also has small grips, though they do include a larger grip which you can install yourself.

Smith & Wesson has a .22 version of their M&P series also which just came out last year. It's a little more expensive. I don't really know anything else about it.

Keep in mind that while 22LR is generally believed to be the best caliber to start with due to recoil and cost considerations, right now it's very hard to find 22LR ammo for purchase. The only handgun calibers I've seen usually available in the past couple of weeks are .38 Special and .40 S&W. unfortunately, I don't think either of those are a good idea for a new shooter to start with.

[paptini]

My son-in-law absolutely loves his walther p-22. We often shoot each other's weapons at the range and I've grown quite fond of it too. It has a mechanical safety and if I'm not mistaken will not fire with the magazine removed. Both great features for learning/teaching how to shoot. I also believe that walther name is owned by smith and wesson. ( I may be wrong on this) but son-in-law says the p22 is made by S&W. If you get a chance try one in your hands to see if you like the feel, because as fujisawa-sensai says this is an important consideration when selecting a firearm for purchase.

[XavierBK]

Smith & Wesson has a .22 version of their M&P series also which just came out last year. It's a little more expensive. I don't really know anything else about it.

I picked one of these up last year and it is fun to shoot. Out of the box I had some weird feeding issues with round nose lead bullets that would end up sticking primer up out of the ejection port, un-fired. That would happen once or twice per mag but hasn't done it on my more recent range trips.

I also had to detail strip the thing because it was so jam-packed with grease from the factory that I couldn't take it down without getting tools out. You're supposed to be able to just pop the take-down lever out with a finger but, as I said, it was so full of grease I actually had to pry on it which I obviously didn't like doing. Pops right open when I need it to now, though.

My biggest complaint is magazine availability. It apparently uses a special mag that is currently damn near impossible to find unless you're willing to pay $35+. And that was before all this Sandy Hook stuff.

[McKay]

I just started recently myself. After a lot of research, shooting rentals, and reading these boards, I settled on a Ruger Mark III, Target model, in stainless steel. I love this gun. No recoil. Easy to shoot. Cheap ammo - but the prior poster is right- good luck finding .22lr now. I may not know any better, but I'm not sure I could be happier with my first purchase. Good luck.