I think I've decided on the Walther P22 for the pistol, but I haven't found a rifle yet.  I refuse to buy a Ruger because of their participation in the magazine capacity portions of the 94 crime bill, so I'm up for suggestions.

I'm looking for a .22lr semi-auto rifle.  I prefer something with a composite stock and that'll deal with abuse well, but I'm open to other non-Ruger options as well.

God Bless Texas

You could try a Remington 597 with the synthetic stock. Doesn't have nearly as many customization options as the 10/22, but what does?

The new Beretta Neos .22 is supposed to be getting a 'carbine kit' made for it, killing two birds with one stone...

I have a Remington 597 and got a call from a gal at Remington saying she was sending me two of the new metal magazines designed to replace the polymer ones that had 'problems'.
I just got them today and haven't opened the box yet.
The 597 is a great .22 rifle.  If the metal mags work, it will be superb.

If you've made your mind up on the Walther, I can't really recommend a pistol.
If you haven't.  Getta Beretta!

I'll check back after I've tested the new metal mags in the 597.

Texas, Bill Ruger has retired, S&W is back in US hands, the HUD agreement is DOA, G.W. is in the Whitehouse, we have the house, we will have the Senate in a few months, the AW ban sunsets in 2 years, the NRA has over 4 million members, the lawsuits are being thrown out of court, the A.G. has changed the official US position that the second amendment is an individual right, gun sales are thru the roof, ammo sales out of sight, Rossie is off the air, K-Mart is bankrupt, Bushmaster is pumping out AR's and Wallmart sells ammo dirt cheap. Life is good and getting better. Enjoy, buy your self a 10-22 and have fun. You deserve it. MIKE  

well for rifles if you got money you could get an AR lower and a 22 upper and the conversion kit... You still have to remember that not all republicians are pro gun if you think rep controlling the house will make any difference. John McCain is republican and he's antigun, I heard a rumor about NRA support the brady act or something, I dont know about S/W and I personally dont really care since I am not even clear on the whole HUD thingie, and you dont have to contribute to Bill Ruger to buy a 10/22, you could simply get a tannery shop 70% 10/22 receiver and finish it and get aftermarket barrels and spend a whole lot of money on a 10/22 than if you were to just buy one...

If you want something other than a Ruger in semi auto, then I would have to recommend the Marlin Model 60. These are sweet rifles that feed from a front loading tubular magazine...at least the older ones did. There are zillions on the market and they can be bought cheaper than the 10/22 as well. Highly reliable, accurate and light, these rifles also don't feel so short when shooting. Now it may seem like a disadvantage to not have a detachable magazine fed rifle, but there is a device called a Spee-D-Loader that is a PVC cylinder with 8 chambers that hold 15 rds of .22 LR each! These just cap over the end of the tubular mag and dump in all the rounds at once! These are about 15" long and would fit well in your rucksack. There are smaller versions that hold 6 rds per chamber that fit into mag pouches rather well also. You can get these from The Sportsman's Guide, the item # is AX2A-34460.

Now, as far as .22 pistols, there are all sorts of choices. If you don't want a Ruger (which is a great pistol) there is still the Browning Buckmark which is pretty close in comparison if not better. I'm sure the Walther you mentioned is first rate. Taurus and Smith and Wesson have some nice .22 revolvers. And if you want something small there is of course the Beretta model 21 and the Phoenix Arms HP22. Though the Phoenix Arms is cheap and rather crude, they are extremely reliable. They have a 10 rd mag and are very accurate as well. And the best part is they can be bought for right around $100 brand new! They come in blue or satin finishes which seem to hold up well to carry. I had one of these for about a year and I could not make the damn thing jam. It was just a little crude and takes a bit of time to get used to. Other than that they are a great little pistol.

I agree with Charging Handle...

Get the Marlin M60..I have had mine for close to 10 yrs with no problems at all.

How about a Browning Buckmark and a Buckmark carbine?  The have a sporter tapered barrel with fiber optic sights or a heavy barrel with a weaver base.  The pistol comes in probably a dozen variations.  One set of magazines for pistol and rifle.