Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns You cannot get a decent 22 (non target model) for less than $600!

for a pistol the CZ Kadet, or the Beretta 87, for a revolver the Smith SS model 63 with 4 inch barrel. Not discounting the single six guns, the Ruger mark III or Browning buckmark they are single action guns not really focused on a gun you might give someone to keep in their house that fears recoil. I hate to spend that money but after this Bersa Thunder experiment I think I am done with cheap guns again for a while.

It doesn't take any less labor to make a 22 than a centerfire, and the materials costs aren't signifigantly different. I'd long wanted a bargain 22, then realized I needed to spend as much as I was willing to spend on a quality centerfire.

My Single six and Kel Tech PMR 30 are both excelent 22's, albeit one is a 22WMR, both sell for far less than $600.00 and I consider both to be top flight and terrific for thier intended purposes. Lots of Taurus and Charter Arms revolvers out there as well that are quite good and far less money. Used Smith & Wessons are oft found in the under $500.00 range as well.

Do you own a gun for which a 22lr conversion kit is made? There's a kit out there for most commonly encounter DA autos.

As for dedicated 22's, have you looked at the SIG Mosquito? It has a long-ish DA trigger pull and is priced well below $600.

A Ruger Bull Barrel .22lr pistol is well below 6oo. I can't count the number of squirrels and rabbits that have fallen to mine.

Dan

the bull barrel sporting 22's are pretty common, something like the Beretta Cheetah is not so common. Even the Smith 22 revolvers are out of sight.

I looked at the Walther p22, the sig mosquito is in about the same category. The Walther cast zinc slide and pop out front sight left me looking for another solution the Bersa which is made from different materials but is the same, a $300 gun is a $300 gun.

Taurus makes a line of .22 revolvers that are great little guns. Had a 941? I believe it was. (22mag)
Ruger are high but less than $600
Buckmarks too are good and less than $600
You need to visit Hot Springs...you're paying too much where you're at

Can't fathom what you're looking for, if you can't find it in a .22LR pistol for less than $600.

That is what I was thinking...... I don't know of any good 22 handguns that are OVER $600.00, outside of a few specialized target guns or maybe a Kimber 1911 style 22.

Yep.

I do not understand?? If you're going to give a person a 22lr handgun for home defense ... isn't reliability the #1 concern? $248 for a Mk III 4" std barrel 22/44 for a few bux more for a std MkIII.

WHY does a home defense handgun need to be a small-ish handgun? My carry gun is a Smith 642 .... HD guns are shotguns & an XD9.

good luck

Have you treid a GSG 1911 22. I picked one up new for $300, and have been very satisfied with it.

OK clarification. I can get a fine 22 pistol such as a browning buck mark or one of the Ruger's that will shoot just fine for $400 give or take a few. Its just tough to find a double action first shot 22 pistol for less than $600.00. I view the titanium/scandium/aluminum 22 long rifle S&W pistols as fine weapons but for contact use by a novice, I would estimate that double action pull is 7-10 pounds and the pistol weights about 10 ounces making it tough for a novice to shoot accurately. So a 2 pound smith 63 with a 4 inch barrel and a trigger job is a solution but at about $650 bucks new. In pistols the Beretta or the CZ is an answer for about the same price. The qualifier is a 5 foot tall 100 pound woman (my 21 year old daughter) that has little pistol experience, lives away from me, and has now moved to a "less desirable" neighborhood near her college.

I am simply lamenting the fact that I have to spend a bit of money on a decent double action first shot 22 pistol.

Despite Terry's love of the P22 I cannot get over the zinc of slide, and I think the SIG mosquito is in about the same category.

Taurus 22WMR revolver may fit the bill ... that should fill the bill.

it may at that, I will see if I can find one.

You're want/need of a .22 semi that is DA/SA puzzles me. Personally I find SA/DA semis a pain to shoot well, even more so in .22.

There are zero safety issues with standard SA semi .22's like the Rugers, Brownings, and S&W's even for a novice or HD/SD use. Their factory SA trigger pulls aren't a hair trigger. Safety isn't any different that shotguns and most rifles so why worry so much about it wit ha handgun. No way am I gonna pay extra for an equal quality gun to get a DA/SA semi, let alone extra for a gun that has less reliability, accuracy, etc like the Sigs, Walthers, etc.

I bought the Bersa for a smaller gun that packs easier and gets in the way less when sitting on the ground or in a truck. It was completely a size issue and I could care less for it's DA mode (which BTW is better than it's SA pull). BTW, your issue with the Bersa is the first function/reliability issue I've heard with them that wasn't ammo related. While I may have issues with the Bersa I don't think I'd be too hard on em for the issue you are having. Even high dollar guns have a bad one once in a awhile and more than likely it's an easy fix if you do a bit of lookin. I myself have never paid more than $309 for a handgun and I've only had to send one in for work. And that was my fault. Maybe you should stop passing up on quality guns well below your price point to get a feature that doesn't really do anything for you.

IMO, if you want DA get a revolver. Something with the same trigger pull every shot.

CB

Other than the revolver debate, if I wanted a decent 22 rimfire pistol for less than $600, I'd just buy two more MkIII 5.5" bull-barreled blue 22/45 Rugers?

the DA/SA or DA only makes sense for an ingenue.

The Bersa is off to be repaired. If it works when it gets back, for $300 I may buy another one.

I've got a basic Buckmark. Nice pistol... way less than 600