TexasCHLforum.com

BlackWidow wrote:Do you think these (Mosquito, P22) are reliable and capable of shooting several bricks like the Mark III? Or do they have issues often?

I don't know. I've only shot a few rounds at the range with borrowed .22 pistols.

The nice thing about buying used firearms is that you can get most of your money back if you don't like them. Modern-day Americans are conditioned to want new stuff. Firearms are a different story. Many have a higher price now than when they were new, and some are worth far more.

- Jim

Small handguns are harder to shoot accurately. The reasons are small grip, short sight radius, and lack of mass (weight). This leads to frustration.

Rimfire cartridges were never meant to be used in pistols, and the engineering compromises necessary to make a compact .22 pistol also make it somewhat less reliable. But you're shooting paper targets, not bears.

If you have a really good work ethic and want something like a Mosquito, go for it. Just be forewarned that it will take more concentrated practice to shoot well with it.

I should say that by "shoot well" I mean bullseyes at 15 yards. If you can hit the paper every time, you are on your way to good practical shooting.

I still recommend a full-size pistol for beginners. That is what serious competitors use. You are not going to be packing a .22 in your cargo shorts much.

- Jim

One other thing: It's not an either-or choice. You can buy two pistols now. You can buy a .22 now and a centerfire pistol in a couple of months. If you're going to get a CHL, it takes at least two months to get the plastic after you take the course.

$300-600 isn't pocket change to most people, but you can come up with it if you take a close look at your budget.

- Jim

I'm a .22 fan, so I will expand on the economics. You can buy a good used .22 for around $300, and years from now it will still be worth $300. A new piece will lose some value, but not much, not like a car or electronics.

As I said, you don't spend money on firearms, you invest.

Let's say you go to the range once a month and shoot 100 rounds each time. That's a low rate of practice for the people who frequent forums like this one, but it's much more than the typical handgun owner. That's 1,200 rounds a year, which would cost around $25-30.

Shooting 9 mm would cost around $250-350 for 1,200 rounds, depending upon how aggressively you shop.

Most enthusiasts shoot a lot more than 100 rounds a month. My wife and I were going through more than 500 rounds a month (before our range washed away).

We have a Dan Wesson .22 revolver, which IMHO is a fine handgun, but something of a collectors item these days.

You can't go wrong with a Ruger Mark III pistol. It has the advantage of giving you real-life failure-to-fire practice, since cheap .22 has a fairly high rate of misfire.

- Jim