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I think that my next gun purchase will be a .22 caliber pistol. I'm looking at 2 possibilities right now. One is the Ruger 22/45 line, the other is the Walther P22 line. This pistol would be used for plinking, and possibly for some DPC competitions. I can't afford a race gun, so whatever I choose has to have a "multi-role" capability. Also, I need to get in a lot more pistol practice than I've been getting lately, and .22LR ammunition is a lot more affordable and easier to find these days than any of my carry calibers (.45, .40, & 9mm).

I know the Rugers have been around forever, and they have a solid reputation. I know that HighVelocity swears by his, for instance. But I've never spoken to anybody who owns a P22. If you own one, what do you think about it? If you own both pistols, which do you prefer and why?

Lastly, do you have any other suggestions for a reliable and affordable .22 cal semi-auto pistol?

Thanks for your help.

I'd recommend checking out the Browning Buckmarks. I hadn't shot one and didn't know much about them until a few months ago, but I think that I'd take one over the Ruger. A friend of mine has a 5.5" version with the URX grips and a fiber optic front sight that I'm a huge fan of - in fact I'm on the lookout for one. They run about $320, but there are a wide variety of flavors to pick from.

I prefer the 22/45 just because it looks better to me.

Im in the process of finding one in stainless with a 5 or 6 inch bull barrel.

I have all three the Ruger, Buckmark, and the Walther P22. I like them all. The P22 is finicky about ammo but is a great gun to shoot and looks really cool. It is the one I would choose if doing any drawing from the holster activities. The Ruger is a tank. The Buckmark is my favorite. I have won enough Turkey shoots with it to pay for it and other stuff. The Buckmark and the Ruger are rather like a Timex watch they just keep on plinking! My Buckmark is very accurate. The Ruger is accurate but I don't think as good as my Buckmark.

I shot a friend's P22, and loved it. Shortly thereafter, I bought a Sig Mosquito for my wife. It has run almost flawlessly for me, and I got sub 2" groups at ~10 yards handheld/standing. I'm not a great shot, but that's pretty good accuracy in my book. It's also extremely comfortable to hold/shoot, and heavy enough that it feels like a "real" gun.

I have a friend who has 2 P22's and loves them, but doesn't shoot them much because of the cracking slides, but I think Walther addressed this and new ones are different, but I could be wrong.

http://home.cogeco.ca/~wayne_storage2/W ... SLIDE.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can't compare the two as I have never shot the Ruger but I do have a P22 and I absolutely love it. My son shoots it when we go to the range for "pistol" days (he's 13 and just starting with pistol shooting). I have never had a problem with mine, gun or ammo. I would recommend the P22 to anyone who wanted a .22 pistol. I even use it myself sometimes for fundamentals practice. It's a cheaper way to work on things and work through issues when they come up.

My $.02

My vote:

Thanks for the replies everyone. I hadn't thought about the Buckmark. Now I'll have to expand my search.

Have you considered the Beretta U22? It's ugly (IMHO) and weird looking, but the trigger is crisp, light and excellent; mine will print a nice one inch at 25yds from the rest. And it is very cheap, mine was $230 out the door at Academy, in the black color with four inch barrel. I'm a DPC member too, pm me if you want to meet me on one of my range visits and shoot it. I had a 22/45, it was nice and accurate, but not as much as the Beretta. I also had a P22, and to be honest I didn't like it. It was just too small for my hands and the trigger never felt right. The best .22 pistol I have ever shot though wasn't a .22 really, it was a Belgian P35 with a .22 conversion. It had no recoil whatsoever and was extremely accurate, plus it operated just as a P35 does. I know this just confuses things more If I had to choose the 22/45 vs P22, I'd take the ruger hands down.

I have a Sig Mosquito that has been a little less than reliable, my friend has a P22 and his runs flawlessly. I have heard of some P22's being a little picky about their diet too, but his was top notch. I don't like the Beretta NEOS or Buckmark b/c they do not look, act, and feel like a real gun. I have also heard the Buckmark was more complicated to strip and clean. Not hard by any means but more complicated than the Mosquito or the P22. Good luck on your search.

Actually, another possibility has occurred to me, and that is a .22 cal conversion kit for one of my 5" 1911s. Has anyone ever compared one of those to a "built from the ground up" .22 cal pistol?

The Annoyed Man wrote:Actually, another possibility has occurred to me, and that is a .22 cal conversion kit for one of my 5" 1911s. Has anyone ever compared one of those to a "built from the ground up" .22 cal pistol?

I have a 1911 conversion kit. It functions flawlessly. While the conversion is nice, it takes time to tear down your 1911 and install the .22 slide, then go back to the .45 slide. Just a hassle more than anything. For the price you will pay ($300+) plus the cost of magazines ($25 each), unless you just want the full 1911 frame, I would spend the money on a separate gun and buy the 22/45.

Tireshred wrote:I have a friend who has 2 P22's and loves them, but doesn't shoot them much because of the cracking slides, but I think Walther addressed this and new ones are different, but I could be wrong.

http://home.cogeco.ca/~wayne_storage2/W ... SLIDE.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's something you'll never happen to a Ruger .22 cal pistol.
JL

Get the 22/45 and you'll never regret it. I have handled at least a dozen Ruger Mark II's is various configurations and have been poa/poi right out of the box. All have cycled flawlessly with decent ammunition - with exception of the less than stellar Remington "Golden Bullets" of which 2-3% are seated about 10 degrees out of plumb. The 22/45 (my personal choice) has a very good hand feel, much similar to a 1911 (which the original design was to simulate). I have thousands of flawless rounds through mine.

surv