22 Caliber Pistol Help

[RugerMike]

Now that I have all of my carry gear established I am ready to start saving for my next firearm purchase. I already have a 22 rifle (Marlin model 60), center fire rifle (Marlin 336 in 30-30), and a center fire handgun (Glock 19). I want my next purchase to be a 22 caliber pistol. I have seen with my rifle shooting how much a 22 caliber can add to practice time and skill development. So I am looking for a 22 caliber semiauto pistol to compliment my Glock 19.

The three pistols I am looking at are the S&W 22A, Ruger Mark III, and the Walther P22.

My first impression of the guns is that the Walther will probably be the most helpful since it seems most similar to my Glock. Although, the 22A is the one that catches my eye the most. And the Mark III is the only one of the three I have actually shot. I was personally pretty impressed with the trigger, but the one I shot had a red dot mounted on top so I did not get a good feel for the stock sights. I am looking for some input from some of you guys that own some of these guns. I know some 22s can be a huge pain to clean so any details on take down and cleaning for these guns would be great. I am really just looking for more information both good and bad about these three pistols.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[sgb]

My vote is for the S&W 22a - Best bang for your $$$

[SIXTO]

Of the three, the Ruger is the best IMO. The Walther may be most like you GLock in appearance, but thats about it. Its much smaller forcing you change grip drastically. S&W... Its a decent choice, but leaves a little to be desired in the quality and aftermarket support areas. Why are you not interested in the Buckmark?

[Maverickx50]

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I have these two would go with the Colt as it's more conventional in it's operation and shoots as well as any. Not sure tho if it's still in production but is available used

[jackson85746]

Ruger MK III.

[itschuck]

None of them..Go for a Browning Buck Mark, real easy to strip and clean, the sw22a if also easy to strip and clean..the mark III, I wouldn't try it, just hose it down with gun scrubber. My uncle tried to strip and clean a Mark II and it was a nightmare. I have shot all 3 and owned a SW22a and currently have a Buck Mark.. By far the Buck Mark is the best.

[Eaglebeak]

Obviously, pick the one you like best and feels best to you. Pesonally, I've owned all three; and while they were all very nice pistols, I ended up selling the Walther and S&W because the Ruger MK-III is the strongest built, most rugged, simplest in design, and never had a feed or eject boo-boo like the others did when using some of the el-crappo ammo I've ran through them.

My MK-III is the "Standard" model; and I've since bought the .22/45 in the "Target" model that has the straight bull-barrel. You might want to try the .22/45 before making a decision because it's generally the same gun with a polymer frame that's designed very close to the 1911 .45ACP for a "feel in the hand" that I prefer over the standard MK-III.

PS - I still have my trusty old MK-1 pistol which was my very first pistol that my dad bought for me as a Christmas present around 1958. Had about a zillion rounds though it and still works perfectly.

[mrm]

Out of the 3 I would opt for the ruger mark 3, but if you get the opportunity to check out the GSG 1911-22 or the Sig Sauer 1911-22 you wont be disappointed my son has one and I have the other and they are great guns. (just a thought)

[RugerMike]

Why are you not interested in the Buckmark?

I should have mentioned in my first post that I am open to suggestions as well. I had not even heard of the Buckmark until now. It looks to be pretty close to the Ruger. Are there any major differences?

[Richard58]

Beretta NEOS is the easiest to clean and break down barrel. Plus mine is a tack driver in accuracy. Love the grip feel in hand. Get the 4 1/2 inch barrel in stainless.

[10thmtn]

If you are trying to use the .22 pistol for cheap training for your Glock 19, then the best option is to get an Advantage Arms conversion kit, and convert your G19 from 9mm to .22. That way the controls and trigger are exactly the same. I have one - switching the upper takes seconds. Only issue is that mine will jam if I load more than 5-6 rounds into what is supposed to be a 10 round mag...not a big deal to me.

For general handgun shooting in .22, I really prefer revolvers, since rimfire ammo is prone to duds and jams, especially the cheaper stuff sold by the "brick." The revolver is just a more reliable platform for rimfire ammo.

Good luck, hope this helps.

[gasmitty]

My vote goes to the Ruger, with a strong preference for a used Mark II if you can find one (pretty common at show and the auction sites). The gun is close to indestructible and one heck of a training gun when it comes to managing sights and trigger. A little quirky to reassemble, but for heaven's sake, it's not like you need to tear the gun down after every range session! The parts that need cleaning are easily reached without disassembly.

Second place, IMO, is in line with 10thmtn's recommendation of a quality rimfire revolver. The Ruger Single Six with its single action and six shots will slow you down enough to make your shots count, plus it's just plain fun to shoot. Even nicer are the K-frame S&W rimfire revolvers, such as the 17 (K-22 Masterpiece) and the newer 617. A boatload of practice with those guns in double action will add a lot to your handgunning skills at minimal cost.

[archer51]

You might also want to look at the Ruger 22/45.

[RugerMike]

Thank you for all the input so far. I am going to head out to my local gun store today and see what they have on hand. I will add the Beretta NEOS, Ruger 22/45, and some .22 revolvers to the list of things I will be checking out. I think I should have a better idea today after handling a few guns.

Smitty,
I have shot a few DA revolvers in the past and really enjoyed it. I was thinking that a semiauto would be better since I am really using this to get better with my Glock, but I totally see the logic in what you are saying. If you can handle the long DA trigger pull of a revolver then the Glock trigger should feel much easier.

[SIXTO]

I should have mentioned in my first post that I am open to suggestions as well. I had not even heard of the Buckmark until now. It looks to be pretty close to the Ruger. Are there any major differences?

Yes... rimfire central will be able to answer that question much better than I can.