Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Best 22 semiauto handgun ?

My favorite is the Colt Woodsman.

The best looking target handgun ever is the Bullseye Match Target

Sucks! You wasted the whole year being good for just a semi-auto 22?

S&W Model 41

Of today's picks you really only have the 41 that's left and it can be hard to find and the ruger which is a great value but not a 41 IMHO, and I have one.

Not to hijack the thread but this sort of illustrates the down fall of the shooting sports to me. When I was a kid there was a local pistol club that met at the lumber co. And would shoot NRA bullseye matches at 50 ft. Today all anybody shoots is to stand at maybe 20-25 feet and bang away at a torso shaped target like hitting that is some feat of skill. Target shooting is so far gone all the manufacturers have quit making the fine pistols for the most part.Pretty sad.

I have owned a M41 Smith for years and see no reason at all to look elsewhere for "the best". That said, the Ruger 22/45 I bought from karnis is a very good shooter.

I'm surprised at the number of posters who favour the M41. In the early 60's when I was handgunning this was the pistol which was least reliable. A few people in our club had them and they were always being sent in for repairs. By far the High Standard was the most popular.

Jim

I had a M41. now I have Rugers.

When I shot competitive pistol, the High Standard Supermatic Citation or Trophy were the most popular. The Citation I had was absolutely trouble free for tens of thousands of rounds. There were also quite a few Rugers on the line.

I have a few Rugers, add the right VQ parts and there awesome. Mine are accurate and not picky eaters

Fifty years ago I had a Smith 41. They are great shooting guns. But I sold it while in college to have money for wine, women and song. I should have kept the 41! Now I am married, too old to drink and can�t hear much!

Now I have two Rugers. They are not as good as I remember the Smith was. But both shoot better than I can. One has a Volquartsen upper with a Leupold scope and it flat shoots.

For a serious target gun, pick the Smith 41. For everyday use and casual target shooting, the Ruger works.

Richard

I have a Model 41 with the 5 and 7 1/2" barrels.I also own a High Standard Military Victor.They are both more accurate than this old man can shoot now.I used them for years in Bullseye Matches.

I really dislike these "What's the best..." threads. Mostly because BEST is relative... As compared to WHAT ?

2ndly: Very few folks bother to buy representatives from all manufacturers and models... Most folks just buy what appeals to them and if works; they stick with it...

I'd think the best way is to find your local Bullseye Pistol Team and ask them. I'm sure they will be more than happy to tell you, and likely even let you try what they own...

When I shot on the local pistol team, Most of the guys used High Standards, if they could affort them. If they couldn't, they used Rugers.

Only one guy on my team used a S&W Mod: 41. He ended up buying a Ruger while his Mod 41 was either at the 'smiths or back to S&W... I regret to report that he shot the Ruger much more than the Smith... There are folks here whom I like and respect that endorsed the S&W Mod 41. My teammate's experience however, soured me on that pistol and I've never owned one.

I have, however, owned at least 5 High Standards, and still own two: A Supermatic Citation, and an older Flite-King . I have owned likely a half dozen Rugers, and found them to be a excellent value and more accurate than I am. My experience with the Rugers is limited to the Mark I and Mark II. I've not owned a Mark III, and don't intend to buy one. I still own a couple of the Rugers... I've owned a couple of Brownings , A Nomad and a Buckmark. Still own the Nomad ! However, I really don't care for the sights on the Brownings. To my eye, they are hard to get good definition. I've also owned a couple of Walthers. A PPK/s and a P-22. Loved them both. And the P-22 makes a GREAT Trail/Carry pistol - Light, comact and accurate.

I like the Ruger for it's rugged reliability. I like the High Standard for its ease of interchanging barrels, and it's great accuracy. And I like the Walther P-22 for it's portability.

So there you have it: The above is not meant to be a put-down of any brand. They all have their advantages. All I can offer is my experience. YMMV

GH

PS, I also own an ACE conversion for my Gold Cup .45. I like it because it feels like a 1911... (And it don't get any better than that!)

FINALLY!! Someone else has had this experience. The Golden Bullets and cheaper version Rems I tried to use in both a Ruger and a S&W M&P are guaranteed to jam. I measured them up to 0.228 and few were 0.224 or less.

I like the Ruger MKII Government Model.

Own a family pre war woodsman with a short barrel. Never shot matches, so only paused at the file card on the club for sale board that said S&W 41----- $700 last month.
You guys are making me think I should have.........esp since it was in the box with the 2 barrel ends and the tools.

OMG !!! Hurry up and get your butt back there.


Denny

High Standard, but since I am more interested in a small game / trail pistol than a pure range / match piece I want one just like my Dad's great old Model B rather than the match guns thus far listed.

small game/trail use demands a Woodsman Sport.....nothing else compares.

I have a Smith 41, HiStandard 106, Clark Ruger MKII all very accurate.
The most accurate is a Ruger MKII Gov't model with Volq, sear and trigger.

Coach

Probably the most practical choice, value for the dollar.

There can be a bunch of collector value in some of the other choices with no better accuracy or function.

IMHO,

DF