Posted: 11/15/2006 12:29:26 PM EDT
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Looking to get a .22 pistol. Want to keep it fairly cheap = $200-250 range. Have looked online and in the store at a few and am having a hard time deciding: Browning Buckmark Micro Bull - Really liked the weight and feel of this gun. Smith & Wesson 22A - Felt kinda cheap and lessor quality than the Browning. Walther P22 - Looks cool, feels cool, but have read of reliability issues on various forums. Salesman didnt have much bad to say, but he's a salesman. Ruger Mark III - Felt ok in my hands, but have read of the headaches of disassemble/reassemble, even the salesman remarked that it was more difficult to take a part than the others. So, that's it. If you have any recommendations from this list, or other guns of similar quality in the price range I'd appreciate it. |
| Do not get the P22!! I even had the "good" one. Considered a sig mosquito if you want that type of gun. Rugers have the accuracy, but ugly. Main point, don't get a P22. I had sent it in many times, my friend's P22 sucks, and you'll find dozens of gripes on the internet about them. |
Get teh Jimenez! It comes with a lifetime warranty!  ETA: I forgot to add my serious reply. I'd go for the Ruger. Great little guns. |
| can't comment on the MkIII but I have a MkII and have shot a buckmark and a S&W 22 fairly often. I like the buckmark; solid shooter, nice finish, excellent gun. I love my Mk II as well; yes it is hard to assemble and disassemble the first few times, but you get the hang of it and you rarely need to take it down past the bolt. I wouldn't buy a S&W, the one I had the opportunity to shoot about 300 rounds out of was a dog, choked on cartridges all the time, did not inspire confidence in me. |
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My recommendation would be the Buckmark. However, there is one irritating problem with them. They require the removal of two hex screws to field strip. These screws can sometimes work loose - plus it’s easy to strip the hex part of the screw if you’re not careful. |
When I worked in a gun store I used to take apart and put back together a Ruger MKII in under a minute to show people it could be done. I once did it behind my back too. I have 3 Rugers and they are not as difficult as many people claim. There are just a few quirks you need to know. Do it a couple of times and it'll make sense. I have a Buckmark too and it is pretty good. My S&W was ok but I sold it because it wasn't as good as the others. The Neos doesn't feel right to me. The Walther is more spotty and less of a target gun so it depends on what you want. I would go with the Ruger. |
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Ruger MkII Don't let the nightmare stories get to you. They are tougher to put back together, but it's not impossible and a complete teardown is not needed that often. I'd be willing to bet that my slab side "gubmint" MkII will out shoot any example of the others, no matter who's doing the shooting. For a .22, I can't think of anything more important than accuracy and the MkII has it. Buckmarks used to be pretty well thought of, but I don't know what people think of them now. The couple that I tried years ago were good shooters. I've heard good and bad about the Walther, but when it comes down to accuracy, I don't hear too much bragging. They are supposed to have "Lothar" barrels, which supposedly makes them the cat's ass, but I'll stick with my Ruger. Mostly people seem to want the Walthers for the "cool" looks. Same with the SIG Mosquitos. Not to say that either sucks, because they both seem to be pretty darn good, but IMO, the MkII has better "out of the box" accuracy (and potential for enhancement). And the S&W? I have no idea. Sorry. No experience. My $ .02 Good luck. |
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Hey I have a S&W 22s and have never had any problems with it. The only time I had a FTE was when a Remington wally world case split down the side. A few weeks ago my friend put 2-300 rounds through it when we went shooting. I have fed it Federal Lightning and value pack, Remington Thunderbolt and wally world stuff, Winchester whitebox. It has eaten everything so far. YMMV |
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I have shot the 22A, the P22 and own a Ruger MkI. With the 6" HB ruger with target sights I hit a 10" plate at 75yds, all the time. There are tons of aftermarket parts and many tweaks for the rugers. The P22 is very light and handy, but not a target gun, not a defensive gun; so I can't really figure it out. I think the trigger felt weird. The 22A that my friend has is a 4" and shoots very nice. Its just too light for a serious target gun and the shorter barrel hurts its accuracy (22's need about 8" to reach peak velocity). But it feels really good in the hand and looks better IMO than the Ruger. Buy the ruger if you want a real target gun. Buy the long barrel 22A and you will still have a nice gun. |
In my experience the S&W 22A/22S are great guns, and I own examples of all four you have listed. I would prefer the 22S (mine is SS, bull-bbl, with the fancy wood grips) but that might go beyond your stated price range. The only 22A I have is a special camo edition done for the FoNRA banquets a couple of years ago, but it's a champ IMHO -- on a par with my Rugers or my Buckmark (and better IMO than my P22), although I can't and won't say anything against the Browning or the Ruger. JMHO, YMMV.  ETA: My 22S (cropped from a group shot, thus the low rez  ):
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Go with a Buckmark. For the money, it's a great little .22. I've had one problem with mine, after many 10's of thousands of rounds, the tab on the slide release came off. The slide release still works, and it's not really an issue to me, so I haven't done anything about it yet, as I prefer to just manually rack the slide back when releasing the slide, rather than hit the slide release. The comment about the allen screws required for disassembly has always worried me too, but I've just been careful, and haven't had a problem with them yet in about 5 or 6 years now. You can use temporarily loc-tite on them to keep them from coming loose, but it's true, they do work loose after a certain amount of firing. I've never had one come all the way out though, just loose. |
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I'd suggest a Ruger Mark II. There are still plenty of them around. Skip the Mark III. It's just a mark II with some lawyer crap on it. They added a magazine safety and a internal keylock. They did relocate the magazine catch to American style (on the grip) rather than European style (on the butt). However, you can get a Mark II 22/45 if you are concerned about that. edited to add: Rugers are not all that difficult to take apart. They are not "glock easy" but they are not difficult at all. |
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The Ruger MKII is a proven design, but it is a straight up pain in the dick to field strip and reassemble...they are an excellent gun, though. I personally prefer the ergonomics of the Buckmark better and shoot one alot better than I did my Ruger. However...the Sig Trailside is an incredible gun for the money as well!!! It is made by Hammerli in Switzerland. Their triggers and accuracy are second to none on an affordable factory gun!!! The down side to them is the price of spare mags...$35-$50 a pop and they are plastic. For the money, I guess I would go with the Buckmark. As for all of you P22 haters...I bought one a year ago for my 11 year old son. We have put over 1,000 rounds of bulk 22 ammo through it without cleaning it and it runs just fine!! It is plenty accurate as well. The little shit is a great shot with his!! 
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