# Best 22 cal semi. auto pistol?



## Swampus (Sep 1, 2005)

Guys.................What is the best 22 semi. auto pistol out there?--needs to be a work horse as I want my boy to pass it down.......!


Thanks in advance for the input!!

Swamp for JJ............


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## coogerpop (Sep 3, 2009)

Ruger,mark 2 Govt. Target......5-1/2 HB....I've had numerous mark 1 and 2. haven't seen the need for a mark 3 ...yet.....years ago ,had a S & W m-41 ,5-1/2 HB...wonderful shooter but they go for BIG bucks today...Have an S&W m-17,a Colt officers model 22, a COLT Camp Perry model ,a couple of the rugers and various other 22's....shoot them all the time and when I go out....it's the old Mark 1 target,5-1/2 HB that rides with me....


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

Ruger..


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## mharris1 (May 29, 2010)

hands down, ruger mark 2


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## Fishtexx (Jun 29, 2004)

I have had a Ruger MK 2 for 20+ years and love it. I could not tell you how many thousands of rounds that have been thru it...awesome pistol. It is the standard tapered barrel and very accurate and fun to shoot. I still use the original magazine with very few jams. This is my go to pistol plinker...


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## stangfan93 (Aug 4, 2007)

Hands down Ruger. Worth every expensive penny. 

You can find them on sale if you look around.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Rugers are great I dont have one but I have an old Colt 22 and its been very reliable. Used to take it offshore in the saltwater too. It also has survived a house fire and still shootin

Charlie


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## dune2218 (Feb 7, 2010)

get the old style ruger,,,,,, not the new ones with composite grips


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

Another vote for the Ruger


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## M16 (May 28, 2008)

S&W Model 41.


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Ruger MKII. Get one in stainless and it will still probably be around in 100 years. Put a Volquartsen hammer, sear, and trigger in it if you want a match grade trigger.


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## dmwz71 (Feb 5, 2010)

*Ruger!*

Another vote here for the Ruger. I have had a Mark I since 1979 and it is still going strong. At least 7-8 thousand rounds through it. The only problem I have ever had with it was when I broke it down to clean it and couldn't put it back together...had to get a friend to do it for me. Since then, I just spray GunScrubber in it and clean the barrel, and it's good to go. There MIGHT be better .22 semi-autos out there, but for the price and quality, I think you just can't go wrong with the Ruger.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

I'd go with a Ruger if you want a modern pistol. But if you want to spend some more $$$ find a Colt Match Target and give him that. 

TH


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## Lezz Go (Jun 27, 2006)

I'm somewhat in the market for a .22 auto and have it narrowed down to the Browning Buckmark and the Ruger. I hear the Ruger is a booger to take down and re-assemble, and the Browning trigger is superior. 

I sort of like the Beretta Neos aka "ray gun" but the grip is too small for my paws. My step son has the Sig Mosquito and he hates it. In fact he's make someone a great deal on it.


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## TranTheMan (Aug 17, 2009)

*ruger*

Another vote for Ruger. I have a Ruger Mark II since 1984 and a Mark III Hunter 22/45. Both guns probably will outlast me. And yes, they are kind of difficult to be reassembled sometimes. YouTube has some video clips that are helpful.


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## Texas Jeweler (Nov 6, 2007)

I have dispatch many a pesky varmint with my Ruger Mark II and never had a round failure. No problem cleaning it. I have had that pistol for over 30 years now and probably over 10,000 round fired.


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## lonestarangler (Aug 3, 2009)

Another vote for Ruger also. I bought a Mark 3 target model a few months ago. It puts my Walther .22 to shame.


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## stangfan93 (Aug 4, 2007)

I want the ruger MKIII Hunter in a bad way.


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## Classic73Montauk (May 2, 2010)

I have a Ruger MK II KMK512....Stainless bull barrell


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

Lezz Go said:


> I'm somewhat in the market for a .22 auto and have it narrowed down to the Browning Buckmark and the Ruger. I hear the Ruger is a booger to take down and re-assemble, and the Browning trigger is superior.
> 
> I sort of like the Beretta Neos aka "ray gun" but the grip is too small for my paws. My step son has the Sig Mosquito and he hates it. In fact he's make someone a great deal on it.


There's a trick to putting the Ruger back together. When you click the main spring latch back into place, hold the gun up at about a 70 degree angle. The hammer strut will fall right into the pocket and the latch will catch it correctly as it snaps into place. Once you learn that, it's a piece of cake


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## West Bay Wader (Jul 8, 2008)

*Broken Record*

Same song different verse. I have a Ruger MkIII hunter in stainless. Beautiful gun and shoots very well.


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## brian02 (May 24, 2006)

*Browning*

I have a Browning Buckmark and have no complaints. it has never jammed and is very accurate. With the Bull barrel you can shoot it all day and it never gets hot.


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## troutslayer (Feb 7, 2006)

Well I like to think outside the box......Best ever if you can get your hands on one is an HD Military...made by High Standard.....good luck


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## Swampus (Sep 1, 2005)

troutslayer said:


> Well I like to think outside the box......Best ever if you can get your hands on one is an HD Military...made by High Standard.....good luck


Funny U said that---I have the High Standard revolver my Pappa left me with the pearl handle--love that 9 shot! Many a varment gone down with it..........

Thanks for all the input---

Anyone have a guess of how much the Ruger 2/3 would run---------JJ did good guideing this weekend and is gonna use his tips and pay for it!


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## jwreels (May 28, 2005)

I have both A Ruger MkIII and a Browning Buckmark (Stainless UDX?). I like them both but I have less problems with the Buckmark. It rarely jams while the ruger seems to be alittle picker when it comes to ammo. I like shooting the Buckmark more. 

I haven't used a Ruger MkII like most have mentioned here though, if you find one give it a shot.


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## deke (Oct 5, 2004)

Ruger. I have put thousands of rounds through rugers and I love them. Super accurate. Only thing I don't like is how hard it is on your thumbs to load some of the clips.


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## driftfish20 (May 13, 2006)

Ruger MarkII!!

With Crimson Trace Grips!!!!


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## kelley350x (Mar 4, 2010)

ouch, bunch of people here that like bad triggers ad a pain to reassemble.. lol j/k
I have had rugers and buckmarks. the worst trigger i have ever had on the buckmark is 10 times better than the best ruger i have had. Other than the assembly trick and bad triggers the rugers are great guns.
here is my buckmark pistol, buckmark rifle, and ruger charger








here is my walther p22, ruger 22/45 and other buckmark, the 22/45 breaks at .43" travel with 4lb 7oz pull. the buckmark breaks at .23" travel with 1lb 2oz.


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## kelley350x (Mar 4, 2010)

deke said:


> Ruger. I have put thousands of rounds through rugers and I love them. Super accurate. Only thing I don't like is how hard it is on your thumbs to load some of the clips.


you need one (or more) of these... cant beat them
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=132431


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## West Bay Wader (Jul 8, 2008)

Kelley is right, I have some of those and they will save your thumbs! A must have.


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## jimk (May 28, 2004)

Swampus said:


> Funny U said that---I have the High Standard revolver my Pappa left me with the pearl handle--love that 9 shot! Many a varment gone down with it..........


My Ruger MKII with 6 7/8" is great...old, accurate and consistent. But, my favorite is the first handgun I bought..in 1965..a High Standard 9 shot with 9 1/2 " bbl. I love that handgun.


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## magnumb (Apr 27, 2010)

I owned a mint Ruger Mark I years ago, bought it new, target model with the bull barrel. It was everything a guy could ask for in a semi-22lr......except, it didn't lock to the rear after the last round.

Now, it wasn't my CCW, but nonetheless, it just wasn't somethin' that I could live with, especially since my son and daughter would eventually be using it. My work in LE from which I retired from in '04 after 28 years, plus my time in the USMC and my one tour in SEA, had me fairly set in my ways in regards to such things. Old dog new tricks...........

I thought that I could get past my dislike of that one particular feature, but even if I had, my thinking was that it would be much safer to have the lock-back feature for my kids sake. To my way of thinkin', it just helps to maximize safety and minimize the oops factor. Sure, I taught them the proper ways to handle firearms, but one always seeks to do a bit more or as much as one can towards such ends. I was no exception.

So, I sold it and on the same day, I bought the exact same model in the Mark II. I never reduce my inventory, but I do oftentimes "upgrade". IMHO, that's what I did. It shoots just as well which is very well and the only difference is that she locks back real nice and I'm comfortable again. My kids learned how to shoot with that pistol and continue to use it in the field, but carry G27's, as do I, for the heavy work.

They know very well that every gun is loaded and I really don't expect that the Mark I would have been a deal breaker while bringing them along, but when we lose count of how many rounds went out the tube, it is more than a bit comforting to feel that lock-up take place just after that last round's report sounds just a tad distant.

My take anyway................


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## Procrastinator (Jun 30, 2008)

Ruger


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## TxDuSlayer (Jun 24, 2006)

I like the sig sauer/mosqito Academy had it on sale $379.00.


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## elpistolero45 (May 9, 2010)

My first .22 was an AMT LIGHTNING (Ruger Stnls Clone) There was a reason it was for sale. 
My next was an S&W 9 shot revolver with a 6 inch barrel. It was a decent shooter.

I broke down and bought a Ruger 5 years ago. It's a 2245 and it's Awful! the takedown pins don't stay seated and it's an hour chore and hit and miss re assembly

The Jonathan Ciener conversion for my .45 is my fave!


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## ReFlEcks (Jun 1, 2010)

Ruger Mark III is my favorite taret pistol. Stainless, Fluted barrell, with ood grips. It is amazingly acurate and goodlooking at that.


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## huntinguy (Aug 22, 2005)

Had my Mk II stolen a coupla years ago, I'd pay the original purchase price just to get it back. Write down your serial numbers boys! Or better still take pictures where the serial number is legible and upload em online.


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## Pecos (Feb 20, 2006)

*RUGER!!!!!!!!!*

Pecos


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## IceColdTexan (Jun 3, 2009)

Swampus said:


> Guys.................What is the best 22 semi. auto pistol out there?--needs to be a work horse as I want my boy to pass it down.......!
> 
> Thanks in advance for the input!!
> 
> Swamp for JJ............


Ruger MKII is the best.
Here is a picture of my target model.


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

The Rugers and the Brownings are good, serviceable pistols. They are not in the same universe as High Standard.


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## M16 (May 28, 2008)

I'm just curious how so many people could suggest that Ruger makes the best semi-auto .22 pistol. Is it because you own one and have never shot anything else? Have you owned other brands and had problems. 

I would estimate owning 20+ .22 semi-autos. The Ruger is a good gun that is reliable as any but I don't care for them. The grip doesn't fit my hand at all. Here's my rankings and I've owned and shot every one listed.
#1 Smith & Wesson Model 41
#2 High Standard
#3 Browning Buckmark
#4 Ruger MK


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## Moonpie (Jun 20, 2004)

If price(and time) isn't a consideration - Original High Standard or Colt's Woodsman.

Older S&W Model 41's are very very nice but can be finicky about ammo.

Ruger MkII if you're in a hurry and much lower price.


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

I think these guys are talking about plinkers. The HSs and the SW can be finicky, but they're defiinitely the cream of the crop. Beretta has a new target .22 I have not shot that is supposed to be right up there with them.


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## kim e cooper (Feb 18, 2006)

Ruger MKII GOV. BB. i have had mine for over 15 years it will be the gun i give my G.Son when he is old enough. One great hand gun!!!!


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## Gr8_Outdoorsman (Jun 2, 2007)

I had a Beretta Neos that was very reliable, felt great, but the accuracy left a lot to be desired.

I now shoot a Ruger Mark III Hunter that I did a Volquartsen trigger job on.... Also, put on a Aimpoint Mico site.... It's much cheaper to shoot than my larger calibers and is way more accurate than I am!

Similar gun.....


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## coachlaw (Oct 26, 2005)

High Standard. There is none finer. I have my grandfather's 1933 Model B. It outshoots my .22 rifle, and I'm usually much better with a rifle than I am a pistol.


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## uncle dave (Jul 27, 2008)

Got a colt targetsman I bought used in 1968, has been very reliable and accurate.


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## impulse (Mar 17, 2010)

I like my Ruger Mark 1, 6-7/8" target barrel with 3 caveats:

1) I've had magazines that worked great and others I threw away after the first time I used them once because they misfired way too often. The one that came with the pistol was fine, but genuine Ruger spares were hit and miss and I'm not qualified to tweak 'em. The stamped metal they're made of seems to bend during transit. Once I found a couple of good ones, they seem to last okay.

2) It's still picky about ammo- couldn't use truncated hi velocity bullets- that was 20 years ago so the ammo may have changed since then. I use standard bricks of the cheap stuff and they work great.

3) There's no indication whether there's a round in the chamber. I have learned that I like a hammer that can be manually worked and a decocking safety.

It's the only .22 pistol I own- the rest are .380 and 9mm. That being said, I can shoot the Ruger all I want for a few bucks. It's a lot more accurate than I'll ever be. Definitely get the little thumb thing for loading the mags or the skin on your thumb won't last very long. It was a booger to re-assemble, but once I learned the trick, it's not bad at all.


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

uncle dave said:


> Got a colt targetsman I bought used in 1968, has been very reliable and accurate.


Agree..got a Woodsman I've had for sixty years..and it still works smooth as glass...


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## Naterator (Dec 2, 2004)

I have shot quite a few and only owned one .22 semi auto pistol. Some people here talk about putting thousands of rounds through their 22 pistols...well, I put tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of rounds through my Buckmark between the ages of 16 and 32...it was stolen last year. Never owned a finer gun. It was deadly accurate and jammed once in never.


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