Please Suggest A Dependable .22LR Auto Pistol

[CompVest]

The P22 is an excellent choice for small hands. I like mine because it is cute and yes it is a good shooting gun! However, if I am going to shoot a 22 I always pull out my Buckmark. I know I can always put the round in the X ring with it.

[NcongruNt]

Good job. I've got a 5" P22 and have found it to be very dependable. It's not picky on ammo at all, unless its just bad ammo *cough*RemingtonGoldenBullet*cough* with bad primers that won't ignite no matter how many times you hit them.

My P22 will feed and fire everything I give it, and I have nary a problem with light strikes. I compared the primer strikes against my Marlin 60 and found that the P22 pin striking surface is much narrower and "sharper" (for lack of a better word), which seems to account for its reliability in getting rounds to fire. I've never had a misfeed on mine, and It cycles anything from low power subsonic rounds up to the super-hot Aguila Supermaximum rounds (rated at 1750fps, but surely not out of my P22's 5" barrel) without a hiccup.

The trigger is a bit lacking, as it's quite gritty at the end of the pull, but is an OK starter .22LR pistol, especially for folks with small hands. The interchangeable backstrap is a nice touch, and lets you get adjust the grip to your liking. I have found it a good learning gun, as it tends to exaggerate any problems with technique without throwing things too far off, and aids new shooters in learning grip and trigger control.

[android]

Good job. I've got a 5" P22 and have found it to be very dependable. It's not picky on ammo at all, unless its just bad ammo *cough*RemingtonGoldenBullet*cough* with bad primers that won't ignite no matter how many times you hit them.

The trigger is a bit lacking, as it's quite gritty at the end of the pull, but is an OK starter.

That was pretty easy to fix. The trigger bar is a stamped, die-cut piece of metal. The edges are not clean up at all. The mfg grinds the bare minimum number of surfaces required to get it to work at all.

I filed off all the sharp edges and rounded and polished all the sides and edges. It made a huge difference and the trigger is very smooth now.

[The Annoyed Man]

1. Finicky-real finicky or will it eat Remington, Federal, and Winchesters ok?
2. How's the trigger pull?
3. How about dissassembly?

1. Medium finicky... seems to prefer a higher velocity load... haven't notice a brand preference.
2. Trigger pull is outstanding... very light... very crisp... like a good 1911.
3. Disassembly is not too hard... easier than on the Ruger... but not intuitive like on a 1911.

[Rawb77]

I would also agree with the Walther P22. It is a very well built handgun. The sister gun the P99 is also very well built. Good family of Guns the Walter "P's"

[Sigfan]

I wanted a .22 pistol as well and ended up going with a .22 conversion for my Sig 226. It was just under $300. I like it because I have the same trigger pull and feel for one of my self defense firearms, at a much lower cost to shoot. I am going to get one for my 220 as well. There is a lot to be said for consistancy across training.

[rangefinderII]

I have a Ruger Mark II and a 22/45. No problem with either. Also have a Taurus PT-22 - really a fun gun - pocket pistol.

[CDH]

+1 on the Buckmark. Mine is the Camper version with nice, grippy rubber grips. My only problem is the rear sight screws come loose when I don't torque them down enough. I always feel like the little hex screws shouldn't take that much force...but they do.

I had a buddy with a Walther P22 which had nothing but problems. Jamming was occasional, but accuracy was bad...very bad. He doesn't sell many guns, but he sent that one down the road.