I'm not sure about best, but I can show you the one that I enjoy shooting the most:







There's something about the action being so pleasing, and forcing me to slow down and take my time. With excellent balance, sights, stocks that fill the hand out perfectly, and of course a trigger to die for.

A friend of mine brought his Vietnam vet Army Ranger dad to the range when I brought this one time. He's a far better shooter then I will ever be. I didn't think I would get it back, he was loath to hand it back to me at all, after spending the rest of the range day with it. My buddy says he's been trying to find one to buy ever since.


Although, the truth is that this thing might actually be better;





But I bought it just before our baby came and I haven't had the opportunity to really spend much time with it. The trigger, balance, weight, hell everything, is out of this world. Every time I pull it out I marvel at how modern it is for a 120 year old gun.

It was years before I ever even saw one for sale after learning about it's existence from a cryptic line in one of Walter Roper's books praising it's perfection. Haven't seen one for sale since.


Of course, if we are just talking perfection, my K22/40 King Super target hits that mark too.





I was born 75 years too late...

I might as well edit this post, because now that I am thinking about 22s I should probably include my D.W. King Modified (sights, barrel weights) pre-war Colt Woodsman match target that was worked over by both A.E. Berdon and John Giles (who built and installed the rear sight).

The problem it is hard to say that this is the "best" 22 because it passed through the hands of so many master gunsmiths over the years. The original owner apparently used it at Camp Perry meets (according to his son who I bought it from) for many many years of shooting.





I should probably take some pictures of it with the right handed ropers that I eventually did find for it.