.22 handgun advice needed

[Country_Mike]

I would like to purchase one as a companion piece for my Marlin 60. I have no preference as to revolver or pistol. Anything I need to avoid or anything recommended? Thanks in advance for any help.

[rice paddy daddy]

I have a Ruger Single Six and a Ruger MkIII auto.
The Single Six I like cause I can keep the magnum cylinder in it loaded with snake shot. The auto is more accurate (6" barrel) and holds 10 rounds.
Used, either one should be available for $250 or so. I paid a little over $300 new for my auto.
You can't go wrong with either one, you may consider the Single a little more versatile since you can shoot 22 shorts, longs, long rifles, or by switching cylinders, 22 magnum.

[hunter63]

I have one of each also, and have been happy with them.
Both shoot well, and the verisatility of the Single Six is nice.

If I were to get one it would be the Ruger Single six first.

[High_Desert]

The most accurate .22 I own and my favorite .22 woods gun is a S&W K-22. A Ruger MK II is second and my single six third.

The nice thing about the Rugers is they are built like tanks.

HD

[flatwater]

I have the same Guns in Ruger but I also picked up a Walther p22 auto and it's the gun I usually carry with me.
flatwater

[macgeoghagen]

I got my wife a walther p22. its a bit complicated both in operation and maintenance. the magazine disconnecter adds an extra two steps to clearing it and dropping the hammer for transport. safety on, remove mag, lock slide to the rear, check chamber, send slide forward, try to release hammer, insert magazine, release hammer(without dry snapping it), remove magazine.
the barrel has FOUR separate parts. barrel, barrel nut, chamber, barrel sleeve. it requires a special wrench to take it apart. my XD's barrel has ONE part. it does not require tools to remove.

its a nice shooting pistol. good for small female hands.

[scanr]

Ruger MK II The only thing I don't like about my Ruger, is that it is a pain to clean. Taking the bolt out and putting it back is a bear.

[musicman]

Get a Ruger or S&W. If for hunting, at least a 6" barrel.

If you practice a lot with a 6" barrel you'll get fairly good in the 30-40 yard range with open sights (we're talking .22's).

If I could redo my life I'd get an 8" barrel revolver for hunting but thats just me.

[Lost_River]

I kind of have a weak spot for .22 handguns. I currently have autos from Ruger, Walther (PP) and Colt in Autos and have had a number of revolvers from S&W and Ruger as well. I Currently have 3 S&W .22lr wheelguns.

For a person who is intially intending to own only one .22 for all around use, there is no doubt which I would recommend. It would be a K frame S&W with either a 4 or a 6 inch barrel.

[flatwater]

I used to have a number of S&W (the older ones) but they never did fit my hand right. The rugers seemed to fit better. For my size (6'4") I don't have long fingers but I have a large palm. So when I shop for guns I look for the best hand fit.
flatwater

[Clem]

I also have a weak spot for .22 handguns. In revolvers, S&W 17, 617 and 63 are all good. The 17 and 617 are K frames, the 63 is a smaller J frame. While individual examples vary, they tend to be significantly more accurate than Ruger Single Sixes.

In autos, Ruger makes very accurate and cost effective autos in the older MK II and current MK III series. The main difference between them is the heal mag release on the MK II and Browning style button on the MK III. Either would work fine, just a matter of personal preference.

[tufhelp]

I have an H&R (Harrington and Richardson) 9 shot 22 revolver break top revolver. While out and about on the place I have this handy, first three snake shot, hollow points for the rest. never had a failure, and is accurate to a fault - hence its nickname "The Tack Driver"; been in the family since the 1950's.

The first gun I got for my wife was a Mark II in the late 60's while we were in school; an amazing and very accurate gun. She is deadly with it, but then she is with most guns...

Her next 22 was a Colt Frontier Scout (made in 1962) in 22 & 22 Mag. Having always wanted a "Fanner Fifty", she fell in love with it the minute she saw it; and as anticipated, deadly with it as well.

All are great working guns and fun shooting guns to boot. I like the H&R for its capacity and accuracy. The Mark II doesn't seem to handle the snake shot all that well.

[remington]

I have had bot the Ruger MKIII and Single-Six and to tell you the truth I like the Single-Six with the convertible cylinder the best. I really like the 22 mag caliber and it's a revolver.

[DM]

I had a gunshop for many years, so as you can imagine over those years, i had a lot of different 22's come in... I'm a big 22 fan, so i kept most of them for a time, selling them when something else caught my interest.

In all of that time, only one 22 handgun ever failed, and it was a Ruger single six. I shot it a lot, and it just quit one day. I "think" it was the fireing pin, but i forget forsure.

Of all the 22 semi auto handguns i've owned, the ones that jammed the most were Ruger semi auto's, also Rugers generally have terrible factory triggers...

Yeaaa, i know i'll take some flak for saying that, but it's the truth...

My two most favorite 22 handguns are: Revolver... S&W model 18. It's just a "K" frame 22 like many of the ones already mentioned. Mine has thousands and thousands of rounds put through it, and it still shoots like new, even though it's been refinished for being around salt water too much. I think S&W makes the most accurate easiest to shoot out of the box 22 revolvers.

For a semi auto: By far the most accurate semi auto 22 i've ever shot, is my High Standard Victor! I've won many many matches with it, and it's been on so many hunting trips with me it isn't even funny. I have no idea how much ammo has went through it, but it also still shoots just like new. On long fly in hunts, many times this was my "camp meat" gun...

On a rabbit hunt with a friend, i shot 32 rabbits with it that day... Here's some of them,

http://www.fototime.com/B7C4DFBECBA5851/standard.jpg

He got 8 or 9 with a shotgun... lol

Anyway, go to gunshops and look at 22 handguns. Buy the one that "feels" best for you, and practise, practise and practise some more!

DM

[fancyfowl]

Gotta agree that the Rugers needed some trigger work. That was the 1st order of business on any I was keeping. The best shooter in my .22 pistols was the slabside govt. model. It was a real shooter. I never had a real accurate SS except for a new model. Thing is with the .22 you need minimum of 6 inch bbls to get the most potential of the round.

By the way, that slab side .22 was where I got the idea to slab my Super Redhawk which set off a new line of work for my go to guy with his EDM.

[RangerRick]

I've been using a Ruger Mark I that I picked up new in 1980 and have probably put 10,000 rounds through it. It is a good gun and well worth the $80 I paid for it.

Rick

[Clem]

The dirty little secret is that every gun needs a little work to make it what I want. Ruger MK IIIs need their special trigger work. S&W revolvers get the special work they need. Ruger single action revos get work they need. You need to anticipate a little work with any new gun to dial it in to your specific requirements.

[fancyfowl]

You are right, for sure. But most gun buyers dont really know the difference, witness all the used guns out there with lousy triggers.
Newr guns are getting a lot netter, just tried a friends Savage, not too bad, not too bad at all right out of the box.

[Old_John]

I have a 6",Ruger Standard automatic, .22lr, that I bought in '62, I think. I gave $39.95 for it.
I have no idea how many bricks of shells have been through that old pistol.
We use to get DCM, *regular .22lr shells at Coon Hunters Lodge, in Indiana, Ripley Co. I think, for about $4.00 a brick. There were 4, of us farm boys, *that'd each get a brick or two, & get together on a Sunday *afternoon, for some shooting. That was, what, 45 yrs. ago?
One of the guys, died a couple years ago with a heart attack. I moved to the city & I'm retired out on a little place, in the country, where I c'n shoot, the other 2 guys, one still lives on his old Place, the other'n retired to Florida.
I still shoot that old Ruger .22lr, once in awhile. Good old gun.

[JeffColorado]

Ruger MK II *The only thing I don't like about my Ruger, is that it is a pain to clean. *Taking the bolt out and putting it back is a bear.

Got that right - I've said a lot of naughty words trying to get the gun at just the right angle to get it back together again. Can never keep it straight what position it needs to be in and if you don’t hold it right it ain’t going back together.

[remington]

Got that right - I've said a lot of naughty words trying to get the gun at just the right angle to get it back together again. Can never keep it straight what position it needs to be in and if you don’t hold it right it ain’t going back together.
That's the reason I sold mine. Couldn't stand that whole process.