I'll be getting my pistol permit in the coming months and am already thinking about pistol options. In terms of personal priority I would first like to learn propper form and technique and then move onto something that packs a bigger punch. With that said, aside from your basic 9mm, are there 22lr pistols? I figured 9mm is "fair" priced to shoot, but 22lr is dirt cheap to shoot and you can spend the whole day learning for only a few bucks. Down the road i would get something bigger
Here's a thought: Do Both. Find a used 1911 Government in 45 ACP and buy a Wilson Combat .22 conversion. Shoot cheap and go big when you want. You will be training on the same grip, trigger etc. Total outlay would be close to a new 1911 and you get two guns in one!
That sounds like a good idea, but for over $300 for the kit..am I almost better off buying the P22 and let that handle the dirty 22lr round, maybe? I'm just basing this on the idea that converting a firearm like an AR15 into a 22lr is bad because of how dirty the round is..........I would guess the same concept might apply to pistols?
The conversion kits are fun- but IMHO, rather pricy. Yes, 22LR ammo is a bit dirty. For the money, why not go ahead and get a good Ruger 22 auto? I am still shooting a Standard Model that I bought in 1971. I could not lift all the ammo that one has digested, and still shoots well.
Does it have to be a semi-auto? Ever since I bought my S&W 617 my Ruger MKIII has been sitting in a drawer. That revolver is ridiculously accurate. It's a great way to practice double action trigger technique.
Being it's going to be my first pistol and one that I want to learn on by shooting lots and lots and lots of rounds, I think a semi-auto might be the right route in a 22lr. I don't know anything about revolvers so i'm always open to ideas.
I'm not a very experienced shooter, I've hunted for years but I only started to get seriously into handguns in the past four or five months, so take what I say with a grain of salt. The first pistol I bought was a Ruger Mark III (a 22/45 model), it was very accurate and felt great in my hands. However, cleaning it up was not something I enjoyed. I never really got used to the disassembly system. Most of my self defense weapons are revolvers, and semi-autos in which the first shot is double action (I've sold most of the semi-autos, though) so the trigger on the Mark III was not ideal for the kind of practice I needed. So I used all these nice excuses to get a .22 revolver. It suits my training needs better than the Mark III and I enjoy cleaning it. Don't get me wrong, the Ruger is an excellent pistol, it's just not what I needed.
I have 2 22 pistols. A Ruger MkII (Best of their line) and a Beretta Neos. The neos set me back $200 it is a bit futureistic looking but it is a blast to shoot and so simple a cave man can do it in the care and cleaning department. I love both of mine. When I bought the neos I looked at must have been 20 different pistols. I looked at the smith 22a didn't like the location of the mag release and was too small for my hand. Tried the ruger 22/45 MkIII that felt like a sharp cornered piece of wood in my hand. I love the feel of Brownings Buckmark but the one I liked was out of the price range for me at the time. I dislike the walthers because of the trigger on them. Look around and find one you like. To me the 22/45 didn't feel at all like my Kimber at all. If you want to go the revolver way I would look at a Smith Model 17 or 617 the 17 is older and has a partial underlug and is only 6 shots. The 617 is a full underlug and is 6 or 10 shots. My m 17 smith would out shoot many rifles at 50 yards.
I have a Taurus 9701 tracker revolver. very fun and very accurate. It has a long heavy barrel which helps accuracy. They are not to expensive either.
Around here .380 prices are absurdly lower than 9mm which is good for me cause I prefer the .380 over 9mm.
I have a Walther P22 and love it. Its great to train on because it has a slide, unlike other 22lr target pistols (nothing wrong with that though). It does take a couple hundred rounds to wear it in, but after that its very accurate. Simple take-down and easy to clean. Assembly is a little tricky but easy if you read the manual.
I've got the Ruger Mark III and it's an excellent gun. In a slightly lower price range, the SW 22A-1 is a good 22 pistol. My son has the Beretta NEOS and it's never failed to digest whatever he fed it. That one's the least expensive of the three.
I have a Walther PP in .22lr and it's fun to shoot and is useful to practice besides it's cheap P.D If any of you have or knows where to buy a Walther PP in .22lr mags please, I need one at least...
Try here: Walther Magazine Walther P22 22LR Magazine, Finger Rest, Blued, 10rd P22 Standard .22LR SS Magazine by Walther - Mfg # WAF22000 - Magazines & Loaders walther p22 22lr 10rd w/rest stsmag
Thanks Sorry Cane, those are Walther P22 mags, I need por Walther PP in .22lr... the Walther P22 it's the .22lr version of the modern P99, mine is the very older PP, a larger version of the PPK. Thanks anyway...
