Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 22 Trail Guns....

My buddy has the Hi-Viz front sight on his Ruger, and a shallow V-notch on the rear...it has a white line on it; I have the standard factory sights that came on my Buck Mark Micro Standard SS URX...I like them too.

Agreed on SP-101, looked up the company for Walther sights in past was MMC...

Back in the 1970s, a company called Michigan Machine Co. (MMC) made an adjustable sight for the PPK. The late, great gun writer Skeeter Skelton had one on his personal PPK.

I have several Woodsman pistols, most of them pre-war. If I were looking at a "sleeper" quality .22 semi-auto I would go for a Hi-Standard 104 Sport King or some similar model within the line. I have a 104 and like it extremely well plus it has the great added feature of push button barrel release. I think the quality is as good as the Woodsman pistols and much more affordable. Just my opinion though. thanks...Bill.

SIG Trailside shoots like a target pistol, because it it based on one.

A nice thing about the Browning Buckmark is the built-in bases for scope rings.

The S&W .22s have a Picattiny type rail on top of the barrel, from rear sight to front. They are very easy to field strip and clean, and don't have any small parts coming out in the process.

I believe that was Miniature Machine Company, in New Mexico. I bought several of their sights.

Back around 1980 or so, I spied a nickel Sport King, short barrel in the local store, and I was really interested, those original High S. were nice but price put me into a Ruger Mk II shortly after, the first year the Mark 2's came out.

Thanks for reminding me of the Sport King, keep an eye out..

Yeah, just looked up a 104 on auction site, that was the model I believe I remember but in nickel finish. That might be the ticket for what I was looking for, shame the old High Standard co. did not thrive.

My first new handgun was a Sport King, purchased on my 21st birthday. Then I got a Duramatic, an Olympic Citations, an ISU RapidFire...

I still hunt squirrels and rabbits with the Duramatic and Sport King. Great pistols.

The Challenger with the 4" target bbl or my favorite is the Model 63 Smith

I have narrowed my choice down to an older S&W Model 63, with a 4 inch barrel.
It does everything I need in a trail gun.

I've got a Ruger MK 11 with a 4" bull barrel. I've hit 9 out of 10 clay birds with it at 50 yards off hand. That being said, my favorite trail gun is a 3" S&W lightweight kit gun.
Good luck on your search!
Virgil B.

Sam,

+1 on the 63.I have an older model 63 that was my go-to trail and carry gun for years. But, my eyes started to require more detail, and a single sighting plane. Thus the scoped Buckmark, which has been terrific for squirrels and prairie dogs.

The only thing worse than getting older is the alternative.

Steve

I really like Smith revolvers, esp the Mod 17 and 617. The can be a bit bulky, but are accurate and fun to shoot. Really small and light 22's have always been hard for me to shoot. I had a Smith 317, and couldn't hit a barn with it.

Look around for an older Browning Nomad. These are built better than the Buckmarks, and are easy to find used for $350 or less. I've had a couple and all are shooters. Beretta 87's are about as small as I've gone and still had some accuracy.

I have had a lot of different 22 Pistols & revolvers. The ones that stand out were the High Std. Sport King, S&W K 22 6", Some of the Ruger MK 2 22 Automatic, Colt 22 Challenger, One I own now that I like is the Norinco copy of the Walther Olympian very accurate. I had a Walther 22 PPKS with the MMC sight to small for field accuracy for me. My favorites that I own now are the
S&W K 22 6", Colt Challenger 4", & the Norinco copy of the Walther Olympian around $130 new! I spent a lot of years looking for the ideal 22 pistol. Very subjective to persons grip
& balance and overall shootability.

sigguy, I have a 70S that does well, but the front sight needs to be higher, it shoots high, but NEVER misfires or fails to feed. More heft and sight radius would not be bad. My old HB 17 w/TT TH, was the right size/weight but the 617 was too much weight.....as you say KK, very subjective.

VB, is that Mark 2 4" bull the 45 grip, or old style? Blue/SS?

So Did COLT and BROWNING both make Challengers?

Not familiar with the Olympian, but do remember a Star with 2 bbl lengths it seems, decent weight bbl semi-auto, just looked up the walther O, looks similar to the Star.. which is Spanish I believe. Awhile back someone perhaps Daewood made a PP clone mfg. in China, in 22, but never seen one.

Not sure the USFA co. ever got around to mfg. the Woodsman in 'Oct. '07" as they planned.

Keep my eyes peeled for an older classic perhaps like a Nomad, Colt, or High Standard in 4 or 4.5" as they will be the right size/wt. and triggers likely crisp. Just being in the hot humid deep south, a stainless, or at least nickel would be preferable to minimize rust during adverse conditions. Keep my blued guns wiped down, but a SS you can forget and not get a 'surprise' a few days down the road.

The Smith 63 one gent stated may be a great packer, just recall I wanted a tad larger grip which is when I sold my 34 (blue J frame cousin) and got the 17. Old style 17 in SS would be JUST the ticket for a 22 LR revolver in 4" if they made one....

Wonder if the factory will still add a nickel finish to their blued guns, if you have some $$$ The double actions load/unload a bit quicker which helps if you are plinking and bent on burning a brick of ammo on an afternoon.

Yep, thought I remember seeing this:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=111356513

If a 4" and the price was right......be hard for me to resist. Like shorties for carry.

Looked and found....Smith did make a stainless 'kit gun' 22 mag cousin to 63...

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=110608226

For a jacketed bullet option, it would give deeper penetration on something if needed, seems Bob Milek used 22 mag Ruger Single Six on a mountain lion, brain shot w/ FMJ.

4" would be loud, but crank speeds to 1300 or better, big improvement, but I'm happy w/LR speeds for my use, and the costs of ammo trumps the mag for me.

65

My 329 dumps all my reloads of 240s into a ragged hole at 25 yards. Sights are not the best but fine for a handgun, It'll shoot my deer loads of 180 jhps minute of deer out to 100 yards, haven't tried it past there.
It shoots my bear load of hardcast 270s around 2 inches or a bit more at 25 and a bit high, but just fine there.

The 317 is a light 22, I've fondled them at shows before, but I refuse to pack more weight anymore. Its not that they aren't accurate, its that some can't learn to shoot a light rifle or pisotl.

Jeff

I don't think there is one bad gun recommendation from any of the guys above, and I'd be more than happy to own them all..
I was on a Smith Model 63 search a few years ago, but that faded. I could get back on that search in a heartbeat though...
Colt Woodsmans, the Sig Trailside, the Smith "K's", and all the rest are high up on my love list..

Get a Ruger MkII or MkIII and put a Pac-Lite assembly on top. Keep the Ruger balance, get rid of the weight, and improve on already very good accuracy.

Hard to not like that.

Right now, my go-to .22 for fishing, killing rats and pesty squirrels or pigeons around the sheds, is a Taurus 640 stainless revolver with adjustable sights, a S&W 63 clone.

Lee, another gunshow find, a Taurus SS 94 or 941, 9shot in a seldom seen no longer mfg. 3", my buddy w/me was interested, I recommended he buy it, a widow who's husband died and it was NIB or looked never fired, in box, he has been happy. Stopped making that high gloss in 3" IIRC. Nice piece. Does that 640 have the key lock, and is it a 4" bbl? Had a 425 in 41 mag that had the key lock, always concerned me, porting was loud too, but did keep down muzzle rise, overall decent build quality for money.

On the Pac-Lites I have read some strong reports by many so it would be a viable option, even perhaps a 5.5" to increase sight radius as I hear they lower gun wt. by 3/4 Lb based on this:

http://www.gunblast.com/TacticalSol-Realtree.htm

http://www.gunblast.com/Pac-Lite-22Barrels.htm

I may be re-kindling my interest in searching for the ideal...trail 22, so I may have to run through a few guns to decide. At least 22 ammo is currently a bargain, esp. in econ bulk brick form.