Trying to decide which 22 target pistol is the best

[bw210]

Get your hands on a model 41 and shoot it bit, and you might understand the price. It's difficult to understand the value of something you know nothing about.

Then again, the used car will get you and the Mk II or III and the pallet of ammo to the range and back.....

There's a reason the 41 is the most popular American made .22 Bullseye pistol at the Nationals.

They also do very well in the Steel Challenge game.

Once you go Model 41 smith you won't go back,


You don't see too many winning bullseye shooters using the Ruger products, Don't take that the wrong way the Rugers are Great in thier own class but you comparing the rugers and the smith 41's is like comparing a chevy work truck to a Rolls Silver Cloud.

Both will take you down the road but the precision of which they do it is different

Points well taken. I like and own some very expensive sidearms as well - Just seems a bit excess to spend that much if looking to start shooting/investing in your first 22 handgun for fun. Can't comment on Bullseye competition though as I don't compete - if I did that could justify the cost. I guess I'm going to have to handle one if I can find one.

 

[x10]

Hey guys, I'm torn between the S&W M41 or something a little less expensive to help teach my wife and daughter good shooting techniques. So they are not intimidated by the gun and begin to learn good technique and skills that they can take with them to a lager caliber pistol. Any recommendations are appreciated.

The original question was the way I read it, meant that Arma was willing to Pop for the 41 but was it worth it? If you have the money or want the quality then you will only buy one gun, instead of buying a ruger then selling it and getting a browning and then selling it and getting a 41, which seems to be the reasonble progres from where I think from.

My is if you really want to one day compete or own an accurate shooting 22 pistol then you will end up with a 41,

Were also in the area of diminishing returns, your dollar/group size is much higher with 41 than the XXXXX so if you really think that your only going to push yourself to be a casual shooter then buy the browning and spend the rest on ammo, if your going to push yourself to your top skill limits then you go with a 41, (the highstandard is another thread and all I can do there is bash and I don't want to go there)

SO

To answer Arma's question, if you want to Be all you can be then 41, To enjoy many many days of casual shooting and have fun with it and teach the kids and friends that shooting is fun then other hardware is great. But the 41 will do both, you can shoot fun stuff and then one day when work and life allow you can start shooting serios with the gun that has become your friend over the years.

 

[Unit308]

Not sure what your budget allows, but my all time favorites are my two High Standards. They shoot rings around my Rugers group-wise. And unlike the Rugers, the Standards are very easy to dismantle, clean and put back together.
I cannot stand the hassle of trying to reassemble the Rugers and have often used the Lord's name in vain when doing so.

 

[singlesix]

I cannot stand the hassle of trying to reassemble the Rugers and have often used the Lord's name in vain when doing so.

Been there and done that. Yeah having to use a rubber mallet for disassemble is not the best design. However, they do shot great and have tons of after market parts.

 

[radical_pursuit]

I've got a Ruger MkII and a Browning Challenger. Enjoy them both.

 

[snapping turtle]

If you can find an old coltwoodsman they are good also. The High standard are great and very eay to shoot if they have the weights on them.

I still have to get a model 41 but never found the right deal to purchase one.

Here is the first handgun I ever bought.

it shoots offhand well enough but the front sights are to large for shooting it open sights for me. I need to upgrade the sights but got the scope instead.

Here is one that will outshoot the mark II government model by a bit.

Much smaller front sight and easier to use from a bench or prone.

Here is one I don't shoot.

No cylinder drag marks on that one,

I don't have photos of my woodsman. ( it belongs to dad) I still call it mine. Or my 3 screw ruger single six with 22 lr only cylinder no 22 mag on that old one. or a couple of old mark I or ruger automatic pistols.

Can't go wrong with just about any 22 pistol. Like potato chips you can eat just one. So buy a few.

 

[planedriver]

The model 41 is a top drawer gun as is a match target colt, browning medalist etc. If you are considering that class of gun your playing field is pretty open. Take a moment to consider a Smith K-22. Yeah I know in novice hands it wont spit as many rounds as an auto (a good thing) but it reduces the temptation to rapid fire and almost forces proper control and shot placement. When they are ready a revolver teaches proper double action trigger control and never jams. There is also no possibility of a youngster pointing the barrel in an unsafe direction or worst yet pointing it under their chin when they rack the slide back.

Once they become proficient with the wheel gun, the transition to auto loaders will come very easily. Think of it as learning to drive a stick shift before you get to have the automatic.

 

[Orsetto Lavatore]

I like my Ruger MKIII.... but i still dream of a 41.

 

[biggym6]

S&W

The S&W 22a has been a good plinking gun to me never really have had an issue with it.

 

[Cratchelow]

Although some people dont like them, the Beretta Neos is a great little target pistol. I shoot CCI Mini Mags out of mine and is very accurate and reliable. I have an extremely cheap red dot scope on mine and at 50 yds the dot covers an 8" shoot n see target. I am still getting a 6" group at 50 yds with this set up. Granted a S&W 41 is top dog, but for a good starting pistol and inexpensive ($250) plinker, Ithink this would be worth your while!!!!

I am going to agree with you.I swear the thing would eat rocks if you wanted to feed them to it.Makes no difference what brand,grain,hollow points,ball,you press the trigger and it goes bang.It is accurate,is easy to break down.I have a BSA red dot scope and the gun is silly accurate.

The only negative is that when i first purchased it,it sucked.I sent it back for repair and since then have put several thousand rounds through it with not one FTF,FTE.Beyond me why it couldn't have been like that out of the box,but it is a great little plinker now.

 

[Malaggar]

My opinion

I own a Beretta Neos and a friend owns a ruger mk II. Both guns shoot equally as well, the Neos feels better in my hand, was slightly cheaper, will feed some ammunition brands that the ruger will not in my friend's gun, and is much much much easier to take apart and clean. The Neos tends to jam less than the ruger as well. The only downside I have seen is the lack of "accessories" that are more available with the ruger. The Neos does look a bit like a futuristic space gun from some sci-fi novel...

 

[1donos]

I have sig mosquito. It seems to work pretty good. I have only put about 200-300 rounds through it. I like the way it feels! Shoots a pretty nice group too!

 

[Dog1]

I love my Model 17 K22 Masterpiece.

 

[singlesix]

I love my Model 17 K22 Masterpiece.

If I had one I'd love it too.

 

[Mr. Habib]

I have a S&W mod 41 and it is sweet! However, when my oldest daughter was ready to go shooting with me, I bought a Ruger 22/45 for her to learn with. The 41 was too heavy and the grips too large for her hands. Both are fine guns and will serve you well.

 

[daclamdvm]

The Model 41 has a very light trigger and is a bit fussy about ammunition. I don't know that it would be my first choice for a new shooter. Plus, it truly is a Cadillac. I'd go with the recommendations of the others. The Ruger and the Buckmark are both excellent guns. I have a Taurus 22 revolver. The Smith and Wesson 22s are also quite nice. There's nothing like a revolver for learning to shoot. I also have the Sig 22 and that is awfully nice. It has a very heavy trigger which makes it a bit hard to shoot if you're not experienced.

 

[n9znd]

I have had a couple of nice .22 pistols over the years. But I got to tell you that the latest one that I got has been by far the funnest and the one I shoot the best with. I had a Browning Buckmark Target 5.5 and shot it well but just always felt like I was working at it to make it shoot good. I have shot the Sig. and the Walther and they are very fun guns to shoot. The Ruger felt weird to me also and never really cared for it. The S&W 41 is very nice but also out of reach for most people. I think for evrything but full on Target Bullseye shooting you would do fine with without plunking the money for the S&W.
I bought the Chiappa 1911-22 and found what I wanted. I wanted a super fun gun like the Sig. and the Walther with a accuracy of the Browning and Ruger. I love the 1911 format and this Gun I can shoot better and more natural than the Browning that I seemed to have to work at it to shoot well. This thing points right for me and boy is it fun.
I read alot about this first and seen good and bad. I also looked at the GSG and it is really nice also. The GSG mags are metal and are $50 bucks if you can find them. The Chiappa's are $20 and are available everywhere. Thay are also made of Polamyr (sp?) and are very well made and will take a drop without hurting them. I have heard the GSG Mags get bent and broken when dropped. Alot of people say these guns are cheaply made and are junk. They have documented 25,000 round through this gun with no Breakage. I am totally impressed with this gun and am not disappointed that I do not have my Browning anymore.
The first range trip out I put 350 rounds of Remingtom cheap amo (I hate this stuff) that seems to get the gun dirty and has misfires all the time and that was in my Browning. I through in some CCI and some Federal mags from time to time just to see what worked and what didn't. I did not clean the gun on purpose to see how reliable it would be. In the Manual it stated that it would need about 150-200 rounds before it would be broke in and feed cheap amo just fine. The first 150 rounds I had the usual stove pipe here and there and of course a few misfires only from the cheap crappy Remington amo. The CCI and the Federal work perfect from round 1. But I will tell ya from about 150 rounds that gun would just plain spit the amo with no problems just like the Manual said and boy was the gun dirty. So from 150-350 was perfect with I think 2 Misfires only on the Remington amo. The gun is very accurate. It was shooting a little low and say you may have to file the front sight to get the shots up. Since then I have filed the front sight and made my own bright green dots and even polished the hood to make it look better. I think it will be more impressive on the next range trip.
I think you should try as many different .22 pistols as you can and see what fits you the best. You may get a S&W 41 and not like it as much as a Walther. I will say one thing, Do not over look the Chiappa 1911-22. I didn't and other people have looked at it and shot it and have been very impressed. Thanks JIM

 

[Dog1]

If I had one I'd love it too.

Yes you would..

 

[Ocelot]

Yeah I really want MK II or BUCKMARK, a guy at work ha the buckmark, an he won't sell it yet and he is almost retired.

 

[RichardR]

You really can't go wrong with a Ruger MKII.

Here is mine, I'd put it up against any other .22LR be it pistol or rifle - it is just that accurate.