[bconway52]

I'm in the market for a .22 Pistol to be used for target practice, fun shooting, etc. Which of these would you recommend?

Browning Buckmark
Ruger 22/45 Mark III
Walther P22

 

[satx40]

Personally I like the Ruger. There are a lot of aftermarket products that can enhance the accuracy and reliability.
Whichever on you decide to get you will have fun. .22's are a lot of fun and depending which ammo you select can be very inexpensive to shoot.
Good luck on choosing.

Art

 

[So Flo]

I've got a P22 and love it! It feeds any type of ammo (after break in with some 'hot' rounds) and is a very fun gun to shoot!

I have somewhere south of 10,000 rounds through it and should replace the springs in it, but it still keeps on going!

 

[Fred Birch]

p22 gets my vote

 

[ORD]

For a "plinker" and general fun...I'd go with the P22, however there have been some reports that the P22's are unreliable, prone to breaking, etc. I have NEVER seen one that didn't work as it should, but only passing along what I have read on various forums.

For a good "target" pistol...the P22 can't hold a candle to the 22/45 or the Buckmark. I almost picked up a Buckmark 5.5 Target model a month ago when another deal feel in my lap and I had to pass on the Buckmark. For me, the Buckmark and the Ruger are basically tied for first place, with the Ruger taking a slight advantage if you want to do any accessorizing/upgrading just by virtue of the Ruger aftermarket parts having a greater offering. Accuracy-wise...both are equal performers and with a little trigger tuning and a good shooter are capable of very competitive levels of accuracy!

 

[Tard]

S&w 422, s&w 622, s&w 41

 

[plant.one]

I'm biased because i own a P22. If you're looking for a nice little fun gun... i'll throw my vote in for it

 

[el_wad_de_carne]

I had an early model P22. Took some do-it-yourself gunsmithing to get it 100% reliable, but the newer ones seem to have the kinks worked out.

That said, I sold it and bought this instead:

 

[afmo]

LOVE LOVE LOVE my Ruger 22/45...chrews through anything i put in it, accurate, fun, cheap....definitely reccomend.

 

[drgonzo]

All three are good choices. Hard to go wrong with any of them.

I've got a P22 and a Ruger MkIII Hunter. Have fired both a 22/45 and a Buckmark in the past.

P22 is good practice if you have other SA/DA autos and is fun to shoot. Accuracy w/ 3.4" barrel is not so great. No experience with 5" barrel. I've got a laser on it and use it to dry fire and work on my DA trigger pull technique all the time.

MkII/III Hunter is very accurate and also fun to shoot. I put a red dot on it and my son likes it "...because it looks like a blaster from Star Wars." What can I say? Make sure you set aside plenty of time the first time you try to disassemble and clean it. A rubber mallet comes in handy and, if you're like me, you'll have some hesitation about using it to reassemble your gun but, in the end, you'll realize that yes, you do need it to get the <expletive deleted> gun back together.

 

[NDB_MN]

I like my Ruger MkII a lot. Ruger's 22s are very accurate. Hard to take apart. Really hard.

Buckmark is another popular choice, that I've seen perform well.

 

[ETexPops]

Ignored all bad reviews and bought a Sig Mosquito. Not a bad gun but picky about ammo and too high maintenace-has to be really clean. Great training gun due to the design and love that. Still thinking about turning it into a Buckmark or a Taurus 1911 and a .22 conversion kit. Don't think you could go wrong with either the Ruger or the Buckmark though.

 

[bprohs]

I went in to buy a Ruger and ended up leaving with Buckmark. It's a great gun! I've had Rugers in the past and you can't go wrong with them either, I just like the way the Buckmark feels in my hand.

 

[Kevin in TX]

I have no experience with the Browning or the Walther so I can't make much of a comparison. I love my 22/45, it is 100% stock, super accurate out of the box. The trigger is great and the grip angle is virtually the same as that of an XD.