Are any .22lr semis worth it?

[kismet1113]

Okay...so I'm trying to introduce a friend of mine to handguns who has absolutely zero experience with them. The smallest handgun I have is my Bersa Thunder 380cc and per her request, she wanted to start smaller. I picked up a Walther P22 and thus far have not had a good time with it. We have about 400-500 rounds through it, but it is nothing but failure after failure. Yes, I know they are picky with ammo...even using CCI mini mags or Federal Auto Match 22lr there are still constant FTF and FTE issues. I've ran everything from CCI to WWB through it and it doesn't seem to like any of them. The P22 has been cleaned and oiled and just isn't worth the frustrations. I mean, right now I can put 10 CCI rounds in a mag and have 4-6 failures every mag, every time.

I've read that the Sig Mosquito is not much better. It seems like most of the .22lr semi-autos out there are almost hit or miss. Some people have nothing but troubles and others can fire off 800 rounds with no problems. So that said, is there a decent, reliable and functional .22lr semi out there that I should consider picking up?

[jthrelf]

I've heard great things about the Ruger SR22... I haven't shot one, only handled it, but it seemed like a great piece.

[LanceJ]

Okay...so I'm trying to introduce a friend of mine to handguns who has absolutely zero experience with them. The smallest handgun I have is my Bersa Thunder 380cc and per her request, she wanted to start smaller. I picked up a Walther P22 and thus far have not had a good time with it. We have about 400-500 rounds through it, but it is nothing but failure after failure. Yes, I know they are picky with ammo...even using CCI mini mags or Federal Auto Match 22lr there are still constant FTF and FTE issues. I've ran everything from CCI to WWB through it and it doesn't seem to like any of them. The P22 has been cleaned and oiled and just isn't worth the frustrations. I mean, right now I can put 10 CCI rounds in a mag and have 4-6 failures every mag, every time.

I've read that the Sig Mosquito is not much better. It seems like most of the .22lr semi-autos out there are almost hit or miss. Some people have nothing but troubles and others can fire off 800 rounds with no problems. So that said, is there a decent, reliable and functional .22lr semi out there that I should consider picking up?

Good question, both the ones I have do a lot of mis-feeding. (ramline resharch) and a S & W 22 ) the S & W does fire better ,not as many jams. I also tried different ammo without much difference . It really takes the fun out of it when you have to keep stopping to clear them. Good luck with your search.

[Dave_n]

Pick up any Ruger Mk I or Mk II and you will find a pistol that will feed just about any 0.22LR and even empty cases at times. Avoid the Mk III series simply because the take down is just a "trifle more complicated" than the Mk I or Mk II.

A lot of people will claim that the take down of the Mk I and II is an exercize in frustration, but in reality, it is quite easy once you learn to check the position of the hammer strut and make certain that the pistol is not cocked, and inserting the bolt pin with the gun inverted. Over 25 years ago, I taught my then 9 year old son to strip and clean an early Mk II; took all of 10 minutes to teach him.

My other 22's (ranging from early Hi-Standards to S&W M41s) are picky when it comes to ammunition, but the Rugers are not. Dave_n

[rodspade]

My Ruger 22/45 started working reliably after I replaced the extractor with a Volquartsen part. (I also upgraded trigger components and removed the magazine disconnect and bolt stop detent.) Both my 22/45 and 10/22 seem to prefer CCI/Blazer ammo over Federal/AmericanEagle.

[priell3]

Any Ruger semi-auto 22LR will usually work great.

I have an old Mark II and a new SR22.

[Bang]

The Ruger semi-autos are fantastic. Good balance, perfect grip angle (55 degrees, same as the Luger), simple mechanics, excellent trigger and accurate.
I've had a Mark I since I was 18. I had the same problems with ammo when it was new. s time went by and the learning curve rose, it turned out to be the ears on the magazine(s) needed tweaking. That is almost always the case with .22 semi-auto magazine-fed guns (it's usually the mag).

You might also want to look into the Browning Buckmark:

https://www.google.com/search?q=brow...sm=93&ie=UTF-8

note that my only knowledge of the Buckmark is from what a couple I know tell me. They love it.

Good luck

[caferacer]

one more vote for the Ruger standard, MK I, MK II, MK III, it is the best selling 22 auto pistol of all time for good reason, it works, and is the product that started the Sturm Ruger company,

[redeye202]

A friend that i go shooting with has a Ruger SR22 and a Beretta U22 Neos, both of these guns chew through everything he puts in them, plated, non plated, the Neos runs standard velocity ammo with no problem. either one would be a good gun to have.

[Pilot321]

The Ruger MK II, and Browning Buckmark are the gold standard of .22 semi-autos that are priced in a range that most people can afford. They are accurate, and reliable. Once in a while, you will need to replace a MK II extractor as others have said, but my four MK II's have been reliable out of the box for many, many years.