Target pistol reccommendations?

[NozeMan]

To add to the slew of recent gun threads....

I'm looking into getting the most out of my range while not breaking the bank. Obviously, the solution is a .22 of some sort. Any reccommendations on what models to go with? I'm looking to spend in the area of $200 or so, definitely not over $300 for something that's just for practice and not competition. The two brands I can really think of right now (and find at my local academy) are the Walther P22 and various models of Ruger (22/45 comes to mind). I've also thrown around the idea of getting a conversion for my Glock 19, but it's like a 10 week wait and I can get an entirely new gun for about the same price.

I know you guys can give me tons of feedback, as many of your have lots of experience in this area. I want something I can beat up at the range and still get valuable practice with.

I think I read that the 22/45 is is modeled after the 1911 (at list the grip), any truth to this?

Thanks!!

 

[insanebikerboy]

My suggestion would be a Ruger Mark III Target. You get adjustable sights, a long barrel for a .22 pistol (almost 7 inches) and it's got a really reliable action. The 22/45 is nice because you still get a feel for holding a full size framed pistol but put .22 rounds down range.

When I shot pistol competitively I saw quite a few people using the Mark III and could hold their own quite nicely (as compared to dropping a few grand on a Pardini/Hammerli, etc).

I don't know anything about the Walther, but for a cheap, accurate .22 the Mark III is hard to beat.

http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAPro...famid=55&variation=Target&bct=Yes&type=Pistol

 

[scoober78]

I don't know anything about the Walther, but for a cheap, accurate .22 the Mark III is hard to beat.

Unless you have a compelling reason to get something else...like it being free or something...

That is all the information you need. Period.

 

[Capt Morgan's]

I like the Ruger as well, but in one my gunshow passings I couldn't resist this for some reason and have found it to be alot of fun.

Beretta Neos.

10.36 inch barrel

36.2 oz

about $250 (new)

 

[gaijin6423]

Or better yet, a Mk II Target, with a bull barrel. Absolutely one of the most accurate and fun to shoot pistols right out of the box. I've shot the Mk III's, and they just don't seem as nice to me. I even had a Ruger customer service guy offer to buy it from me during a little question and answer period with him when I first bought the pistol. My only complaint is that it can be a pain to take down, clean, and reassemble, but it's well worth the time and effort.

There are also some decent .22LR conversions for 1911's out there, and I think Kimber even makes one for .17 Mach2 now. More expensive than .22LR, but still fun to shoot.

 

[A4sForever]

Or better yet, a Mk II Target, with a bull barrel......... it can be a pain to take down, clean, and reassemble, but it's well worth the time and effort.....

Ditto on the Mk II .... plus it's an easy transition to a 1911 for big bore Bullseye matches ... grip angle and overall weight and balance .... on the Navy Reserve Rifle/Pistol team late in my USNR time of useful consciousness those were our two handguns that we used for the above stated reasons for practice and competition.

I still really hate to reassemble that Ruger, however ...

 

[gaijin6423]

^Great minds think alike, indeed. I still have to break out the damned manual to figure out how that retaining pin/cam/rear grip assembly thing goes back in.

I asked a good friend of mine (who's with recon and has about a dozen pistol instructor certifications) to teach the Mrs. some shooting fundamentals, and when I told him which firearms were available for him to use, he picked the Mk II.

 

[Flugelman]

Ditto on the Mk II .... plus it's an easy transition to a 1911 for big bore Bullseye matches ... grip angle and overall weight and balance .... on the Navy Reserve Rifle/Pistol team late in my USNR time of useful consciousness those were our two handguns that we used for the above stated reasons for practice and competition.

I still really hate to reassemble that Ruger, however ...

Yeah, the re-assembly is a real PITA. Volquartzen makes some nice upgrade kits (trigger, extractor, etc) that will make it a nicer gun to shoot. My personal preference for competition was the S&W Model 41. I had one built by Navy armorer Charlie Frazier out of Crane, IN with the BoMar full rib. Sweet shooter, even cleaned a couple of slow fires with it. I had to turn it in when I quit competing (deployments and career considerations) but I now have one in the safe back home. 41's are getting pricey tho, so it's probably not a great choice.

 

[pat]

I dig my 22/45. I bet I'm close to 15k rounds through it. Reassembly is only a pain until you figure out how and why it goes back together the way it does. I can take mine apart and put it back together in less time than it took me to type this... if you never take it apart and put it back together, then it gets tricky.

 

[tiger84]

I bought a Browning Buckmark a while back that I've been happy with. It's a bit of a pain to disassemble and clean since you have to take the rear sight base screws of to get it apart, but it shoots well and hasn't given me any problems to date. I was pretty close to getting a Ruger back when I was looking, but the Buckmark caught my eye at the moment so I went with that.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=006B&cat_id=051&type_id=409

 

[NozeMan]

made my decision!

Got my first 22 LR today from Academy in Pensacola. Cost $268 out the door. Can't beat that!

 

[Wanabe Jarhead]

Flugelman, my Grandfather worked as a civillian at Crane before 1959. My other Grandfather has a model 41 (stock) and it is indeed a sweet shooter. He has the shorter barrel (5 1/2" I think). The breakdown on the 41 is a piece of cake.

 

[nittany03]

I still really hate to reassemble that Ruger, however ...

This seems to be an issue for all Rugers.

 

[Flugelman]

Flugelman, my Grandfather worked as a civillian at Crane before 1959. My other Grandfather has a model 41 (stock) and it is indeed a sweet shooter. He has the shorter barrel (5 1/2" I think). The breakdown on the 41 is a piece of cake.

Crane was the home of the Navy Armorers. They supported the Navy Teams beginning at the Fleet Matches on up thru the National Matches every year. They brought a complete shop in the form of an 18 wheeler and 2 or 3 guys to work on the guns. Never knew I had it so good. All you had to do was ask for something and they would do whatever was within their power to get it done for you. Our guns were usually flawless. They would also work on civilian's guns as time allowed. It wasn't unusual to see 20 or 30 people lined up at the Navy van at Camp Perry to get a gun tweaked by the experts. If Charlie Frazier thought the line was too long he would pull out an old beat up frame and pound the hell out of it with a hammer. Some of the guys at the front of the line would see this and leave, not wanting their "Baby' to get that sort of treatment. It was fun to watch.

The Navy shooters always left their brass on the ground for the civilian shooters to pick up and reuse. I was in the middle of a slow fire string at a regional match in Maryland and looked down to see this hand reaching out between my feet to pick up a piece of .45 brass. Totally destroyed my concentration for the rest of that string.:icon_rage

 

[theduke]

check out an old High Standard, like a Duramatic or something. Some of their pistols are pricey, but others aren't too bad. My dad has a Duramatic--lots of fun to shoot.


I've always wanted to try a SIG Trailside, but I've never actually shot one.