I guess what I'm looking for is a plinker. I've been thinking about three guns in particular: Browning Buckmark, Ruger mark III or Taurus wheel gun model 94.
Any opinions on any of these? I know many of you are going to say: "go rent them and see what you like", but what I'm really looking for is your first hand experiences with any of these three, particularly in the realm of ease of maintenance and reliability. I've read that the Ruger, and Buckmark are a pain to take down. Thanks.
I have to agree with Kerbouchard. After reading his torture test, and the success i have had with mine, the Neos is darn good gun. Pretty easy to take down and clean too.:hand10:
I will second the Neos recommendation. Great trigger, extremely accurate, the carbine option is nice, and it's just a sexy little gun. The one detriment is that mine doesn't like cheap ammo, Aguila specifically. Not that I really expected it to, but it would have been nice if it ate anything I put through it.
I do not believe you can get the carbine kit for them. The BATFE said they were illegal, so Beretta scrapped them. That was one of the reasons I had purchased mine.
Freedomofchoice, if you are set on one of those three, I would go with the Browning.
I have a Ruger Mark II Bull Barrel. I enjoy shooting it and it is accurate, but as you said Ruger 22 Semi's can ber a pain to breakdown and put together. I also found with mine when they get dirty they let you know it FTF/FTE.
+1 on the Ruger MKII being DIFFICULT for take down and putting back together.
Had one and it was a great shooter, but I later got rid of it as I was tired of struggling with takedown and reassembly.
+2 on the Ruger Mark II. I also have one with the bull barrel in SS with a Leupold scope. The Mrs. loves to shoot it! I have not had a problem with takedown, only with the last step swinging the main spring housing latch up into position. Once you learn it, it is easy. I also have a Walther P22. This is a much lighter and easier pistol to take down and reassemble. I have put around 1000 rounds thru it without a burp or hiccup.
Get a S&W 34. Everyone at some time owns a Smith snubby .38. Get a 2 inch model 34 and you now have a snubby .22. I have had many .22's, Ruger, Woodsman - the Smith is the most fun!!!
I like the rugers, they're built like tanks and I've had very few failures with em' as far as rimfires go. If it's anything it's a dud round with an obvious strike on the rim. However, I will confirm that they are in fact a pain in the arse to put back together, take-down isn't bad, but puttin' it back together is a pain. But in reality, how often do you need to take-down a .22, once a brick?
I love the Smith & Wesson Model 17 best of all .22 handguns. Very accurate, dependable, and so satisfying to use with its smooth action and wonderful trigger.
Go for a great not just good trigger on any .22 handgun you choose.
i've got the browning buckmark hunter (7 3/4" barrel) and i love the little gun. never had any failure what-so-ever (although i clean it religiously). great squirrel gun, too.
You have several good ones to choose from there. It may not be on your list but I have a SigSauer Mosquito that is very nice. Everyone told me, 'Pick the one that feels the best.' and the Mosquito fit the bill better than any others. I will say that is is a little picky on ammo so they give you two different springs. (white and black) I have a couple thousand rounds through mine. It is a fun gun, not a competition target pistol but you said you were looking for a plinking gun. Check it out.
One thing you may want to consider is to match the .22 to your preferred SD gun. If you carry a DA revolver, get a DA .22. If you carry a semi-auto, get the Ruger. That way, you can hone your SD skills while plinking.
Ditto on matching your .22 to your SD pistol. With the price of metals going up all the time that is a smart move when you have to buy centerfire ammo for practice.
I have and like a Ruger MkIII, but it is a PITA to clean. And, of course, being rimfire, it needs claning often... Just something to consider, as I have no idea if the other ones are any easier to care for.
I'm partial to the Rugers, and they are not that hard to take care of once you learn the trick to it.
I think everyone needs a good 22 revolver, they are a very handy item to have around the house.
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