Need .22 semi-auto recommendations

[DWalt]

I've owned, at one time or other, two Ruger Standard Models and a MkII. The only one I now have is a ca. mid-1950s Standard Model which I bought in near-new condition for $150 nearly three years ago. When I first tried it out, I was amazed at how far off the sights were, over a foot at 15 yards. The rear sight (mounted in a dovetail) was extremely difficult to move to get the windage right and I had to do a lot of hammering on it. Fortunately, it was shooting fairly low also, so it wasn't too difficult to file down the front sight to get the proper elevation by cut and try after the windage was corrected. I surmised that the reason a 50+ year-old pistol was in such good condition was that the previous owner(s) got discouraged and didn't shoot it much because he couldn't hit anything. It had one of the old original magazines, but the follower spring was too weak for reliable functioning - it had probably been stored fully loaded for many years. I tried to locate a new magazine spring, but no luck. I ended up buying a pair of new Mec-Gar magazines instead, and they seem to work fine. I haven't done it yet, but one of these days I plan to buy one of the new oversized aftermarket magazine release latches which are much more easily manipulated than the factory original latch, which is too small.

 

[glenncal1]

I am surprised there are not more votes for the S&W Victory. Mine has been pretty much flawless and is very accurate. Thin grip probably good for a woman with smaller hands, very easy to fatten them up in a variety of ways.

 

[Rob613]

I've shot the Mark series and Victories but my favorite .22 plinking gun is the .22 Compact...just a fun gun to shoot.

Small, light weight, no cycling issues with mine, more accurate than me to 10 yards and I picked it up used for $250.

Yeah, not a gun you'll hand down but doesn't make it any less enjoyable for me.

 

[vipermd]

Ruger MK series- As Eric300 and others have stated work very well. I own MK I, II,III's but would suggest a threaded barrel MK IV since it is much easier to reassemble. Keep them clean, moderate maintenance and the will run forever. The heavier profile barrel seems to to balance the best. If you want a SW an old 2206, threaded, or a Model 41 if price is not a major factor. The reason for the threaded barrel is simple, she may never want a suppressor, but if she does you have save yourself a minimum of $ 125.00 down the road. If she would sell it it is just one more option to entice buyer, as are adjustable sights. Adjustable are not suggested for a hard use duty/combat/carry weapon, but on a plinker it is nice to be able to adjust for ammo and shooters hold. Enjoy. Be Safe,

 

[38SPL HV]

Hands down for me, Ruger MK series.

 

[MCorps0311]

Ruger Mark IV .22-45

 

[hittman77]

I've had good luck with my Ruger MKII's and a Walther P22.

Have also heard good reports about the newer Ruger MKIVs but don't own one.

 

[scoobysnacker]

I've got a few of the above mentioned choices (Ruger Mk II, High Standard, S&W 22a, an old revolver), ... these are big guns. The Beretta mentioned is a smaller pistol, in line with the PP.

Why not try a different approach (but still in the Beretta line)- a Beretta 21A Bobcat? Smaller, but still very light recoil. And a good, solid little gun

 

[Autonomous]

The SW22 Victory had problems especially with jamming early on and I did my share of complaining about it here.
I believe the simple remedy has been instituted as the complaints have pretty much stopped.
They are nice guns and easy enough to clean. Take a look at them.

 

[Sevens]

I love .22cal semiautomatic pistols and there are so many that can bring nearly endless smiles.

At the end of the day, I believe in one truth and I believe it in all my heart:

Nobody makes any .22 pistol today, nobody, that can compete with the pure quality and craftsmanship of days gone by.

Colt Woodsman or phenomenal Woodsman variant. (Challenger, Huntsman, Targetsman, Match Target)
High Standard
Ruger Mark I, Ruger Mark II
Browning Challenger, Medalist
S&W 41, 46, 2206, 622, 422
Walther GSP
Sig/Hammerli Trailside

There exists no semiauto .22 produced currently and offered new/now that brings to the table what any/all of the above will. And that is where I would direct them if I cared about ‘em.

 

[Big Cholla]

The OP has made his selection along with the final user. BUT, while I concur with the selection....... I have to say that the SW22 Victory is a very impressive 22 LR plinker and casual hunting handgun. My neighbor bought one new for his daughter and wanted me to 'check it out' before the gift. We took it apart, cleaned and lubed and went to the range. I was very impressed with the ergonomic, accuracy with many different ammos and reliability. Easy to field strip for a good cleaning and lubing. What more could one ask for in a relatively inexpensive handgun?

 

[Puller]

There are an untold number of Ruger MK variants to please just about anyone, the now discontinued MKII probably one of the best of the lot. They even introduced the MKIV for those otherwise incapable of acquiring a man card to enjoy the shooting sports too.

Don't dismiss the Ruger SR22 either, in fact, I think it fits the bill as described by the OP. Plenty accurate, very reliable with a variety of .22 LR ammo, and simple to maintain and easy to field strip. Mine has been been my wife's favorite plinker.

 

[Bronco89]

.......She had a Beretta 71, which was just about perfect, for her, but she had to give it back to her Dad. Eventually, she'll end up with it, so she doesn't want to "duplicate" that gun. ....

If my Dad had a Beretta 71, I would be buying him cigarettes, and I'd get him a new Deepfryer for his birthday.

BUt on a serious less dark note.... I love the Ruger Mark IV

 

[AUG]

I am not sure why all the fuss over disassembly issues on the Ruger MK series. A simple youtube video of a few minutes can fix this problem forever................. but........... why are yall taking them apart so much? My mk2 went about +/- 12k rds between cleaning sessions once without issue.

It is simply a non issue in a plinker which all 22lr pistols are.

 

[Sevens]

The OP has made his selection along with the final user. BUT, while I concur with the selection....... I have to say that the SW22 Victory is a very impressive 22 LR plinker and casual hunting handgun. My neighbor bought one new for his daughter and wanted me to 'check it out' before the gift. We took it apart, cleaned and lubed and went to the range. I was very impressed with the ergonomic, accuracy with many different ammos and reliability. Easy to field strip for a good cleaning and lubing. What more could one ask for in a relatively inexpensive handgun?

This forum is nearly bursting with reports of the new S&W Victory and it’s failures and troubles. One very common problem seems to be that they eject their ejector.

 

[Gene L]

I am not sure why all the fuss over disassembly issues on the Ruger MK series. A simple youtube video of a few minutes can fix this problem forever................. but........... why are yall taking them apart so much? My mk2 went about +/- 12k rds between cleaning sessions once without issue.

It is simply a non issue in a plinker which all 22lr pistols are.

I had a Ruger Mk I long before Al Gore invented the Internet and YouTube didn't exist. Discouraging to say the least when it came to disassembly. They're fine pistols but not noted for their fine triggers.

 

[GeoJelly]

Interesting, and entertaining, that the OP made his/her choice quite a few posts back. That said, another consideration is another hard-to-find: S&W 2213 or 2214. This is S&W Forum, after all. I have but one (2214) and have regretted selling my 2213 many years ago. They are compact and uber-reliable. Another possibility is one of the new Ruger LCP-II .22's ... after waiting another 6-8 months for them to work out any kinks. The Marks and BuckMarks are all very good, but a little 2213 or 2214 could also double as a carry pistol.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

She had a Beretta 71, which was just about perfect, for her, but she had to give it back to her Dad. Eventually, she'll end up with it, so she doesn't want to "duplicate" that gun. She had no problem racking the slide, on that one, and I enjoyed its ease of field stripping, for cleaning purposes.

Any gun worth owning is worth owning two of.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I am not sure why all the fuss over disassembly issues on the Ruger MK series. A simple youtube video of a few minutes can fix this problem forever................. but........... why are yall taking them apart so much? My mk2 went about +/- 12k rds between cleaning sessions once without issue.

It is simply a non issue in a plinker which all 22lr pistols are.

There are no credible disassembly issues on the Ruger. It's assembly that a few find challenging. As long as you hold the barrel 42 degrees from vertical, give or take a degree or two, you should have no problem. Field-expedient measures involve plastic protractors, or some compasses.

 

[.38SuperMan]

I purchased a new S&W Victory performance center model a couple of years ago it functioned perfectly straight out of the box for the first 700 or so rounds then became a jam-o-matic. I did my research and called Smith for new extractor parts which they sent. I replaced the parts in a couple of minutes and adjusted the ejector and several thousand rounds later it’s still running 100%. These are excellent guns and quite accurate with an excellent trigger. Only one screw has to be loosened to disassemble. It takes 5 seconds to disassemble and reassemble. Even the barrel can be removed in seconds with loosening one screw. I compare the Victory to my Jeep. They have many custom options and are serious fun machines.

Having said all that I just purchased a Ruger MKIV Standard 4-3/4 last Thursday. I owned a MKI standard back in the 70’s and have owned a MKII & SS MKIII Both heavy barrel Models. All were 100% reliable and very accurate. I bought my latest Standard just for its simplicity. My Victory has a CF barrel, compensator and red dot. The Ruger doesn’t even have adjustable sights so there’s nothing to think about other than having fun. I’m planning on taking it to the range in the morning and testing it out.

I also inherited a Browning Challenger II. Nice gun, accurate but I didn’t bond with it. I really liked the S&W and Rutgers better so I sold it. No point in owning it it was going to sit in the safe.

I also bought a new S&W 2206 when the came out in the late 80’s, I think it was. It had lots of issues with FTF & FTE’s. Last year I rediscovered it in the back of my safe and took it for a spin. Still jammed every three shots. I called Smith since it has a lifetime warranty and sent it to them. A couple of weeks later, new barrel and extractor it started working. Actually it worked 100%. I wound up trading it though for a nice Winchester 62A. The 2206 has a following now but I just never liked it like I thought I would.

My vote goes to either a Ruger MKIV or Smith Victory. Many configurations and both are easy to take down and reassemble. Both are very accurate and City easily customized. I’ve not used Rugers customer service but Smith has a lifetime warranty and backs up products that you didn’t even buy new if they were made after the lifetime warranty started.