Good .22LR Pistol for Training Classes

[amsgator]

I'm looking for a good .22LR pistol for my training classes. Naturally, using my .40 would make me go poor, so I calculated that I'd save money buying a new pistol and buying .22LR ammo.

First off, I dislike the Mark III and Ruger 22/45. I'm looking for more of a combat pistol, not target pistol. I've read reviews on the Walther P22 and the reviews seem to be good. Anyone have any suggestions on what to get?

 

[Corey J. Molinelli]

Walther

The walther is great I use it in my classes. Plus it can be a little less intimidating to some of the smaller frame students who have never shot because of its size. (of course we all know it wont kick or anything but they dont understand that all the time)

 

[Dave]

P 22 Assembly Trick

If you get a P 22 this little idea will save you some assembly grief.

Link Removed

I bought a P 22 for the same reasons you stated and it works very well.

 

[bwg1920]

Also check out a Smith and Wesson 22A. I have sold a few of them and all good reviews.

 

[6shootercarry]

I like the S&W 22A-1 (love mine), but it's not really a combat style pistol... The Walter P22 is a good choice to fit that requirement... My friend Steve has one and we took it to the range last week. I had no issue grouping shots at 50ft... It was flawless with a few ammo types... I liked it better than the Sig Mosquito... 2 Pennies...

 

[jtg452]

Why not a good DA .22 wheel gun? It ain't like Smith and Wesson, Colt, Taurus and the rest haven't made a couple (million) of them over the last 100 years. If you can find a nice one about K frame size, it would be quite versatile as far as fitting different size hands (such as small handed women or kids).

 

[Rabbitcreekok]

I have two Beretta Neos in different barrel lengths. They have been very reliable and accurate. I am also considering trying out a Buckmark.

By the way, if you buy a Neos, be sure you are getting the new firing pin. One of mine had the new and one had the old. They sent a pickup for the old one and repaired and returned it but it took a month or so.

 

[jelo45110]

I would check out the Taurus 9 shot revolver. A 4 inch barrel model would be really good for practice, and a lot of new shooters find the revolver less intimidating than the semi autos.

 

[scottbland247]

My friend has raved about his walther for years and he is a very critical gun owner, it's a solid industry standard

 

[amsgator]

The Walther is $300ish here but looks to be the best for what I'm looking for. The S&W 22A looks nice too, but I am leaning towards the P22 for the shear fact that it is more of the style people will CCW. As far as revolvers, I'm not a fan of them. Thanks for all the input!

 

[Deputy Dave]

How about a .22 conversion? I know they are not cheap, and they are not available for every centerfire semi-auto, but you may find an application that suits you. I had a fellow come through a recent CCW class with a Glock outfitted with a .22 conversion. It shot well and was reliable. Check out this link: Jonathan Arthur Ciener, Inc. Gun Conversions

We also make a couple of Taurus .22 revolvers available in our classes, which seems to work out well. Hard to beat a double-action revolver.

As for the Wathers, well...for one thing, the many we have had come through appeared to be a bit finicky, ammo-wise. CCI Mini-Mags seem to work best. When you find the ammo it likes, stay with it as they do shoot well. Another thing I do not like is the magazine release arrangement. Seems like way too much fumbling around near the trigger. I know, the weapon is supposed to be empty and the muzzle is supposed to be pointed downrange. And with practice a fellow can get pretty competent with the magazine change. I'm not trying to start a fuss match with those that like the Walthers, just throwing another opinion into the mix.

 

[TlWheatley]

Buckmark for target,,, we use Walthers and have to feed good ammo. but their good for CCDW classes

 

[BPStymiest]

I recommend the Walter P22 as well. I bought one last year before I took my concealed carry class. I looked at many .22 pistols before my CCW class because I was also looking for something my daughter could learn to shoot with as well. For the money NIB I could not beat it. I think it was $334 out the door.

 

[gunshrink]

I live and teach in Minnesota all year round. While the P22 is a good teaching gun in many ways, in the winter when it gets below 10 degrees they sometimes freeze up. My Mk III and Neos take the cold better. Still need to get 22 revolver.

 

[Booga]

Got both the Walther P22 and Browning Buckmark here.
I am far more accurate with the Buckmark, but the P22 would be my choice out of everything mentioned so far. It's compact and has just about every feature full-size pistols have, including ambidextrous controls in case someone is left-handed.

 

[Iteach4U]

amsgator,

I too ran into this problem and since the Ruger doesn't work like the typical defensive pistol (slide type and such), I found it difficult to use those in class for my comfort.

Since I carry Glocks and shoot them in competitions from time to time, that seemed to fit. So I picked up the appropriate Advantage Arms conversion kits for my Glock 17's. I also picked up a pair of Taurus Tracker heavy target 22's with 6 inch barrels.

I'm not a fan of Taurus at all and tend to steer folks away from them having had a 17 week nightmare and helping a few others through their own. However, the Tracker 22 heavy in 6 inch seems to have the right trigger feel DA and SA to meet the class needs as well as being inexpensive enough to buy more than one ($300 per roughly). Just make 100% sure you inspect them in person before you take them home. Just like everything else Taurus brings into the country it's chocked full of guns with problems. I went through 5 just to get 2 that would pass muster and they've been great thus far, I just wish I had gone stainless with them.

 

[pmb61]

For me I find the best 22 is the Sig Mosquito for training class. First you can find them fairly cheap in like new condition because they jam so much and are very selective on the ammo that they feed.It is basically a Sig 226 that is scaled down 10%.
Take down is like a traditional Sig. With the problem of jamming, that's the best part. I find after about 200 rounds of CCI Blazer it starts to jam, saves me from tapping students on the shoulder and telling them to show me what to do on a Misfire or Hangfire.This gun does it on its own.
As far as the Walther P22, I find that most women like the handgun because of the small grip radius , but most men feel it is too small for their large hands.

 

[OCCI]

After reading this thread you guys gave me some ideas so I went to our local gun shop and looked at most of what you guys suggested. So far, Ive looked at just about every semi-auto 22 and none seem to want to break down easy, im not sure I was satisfied with any of them. Our gun dealer suggested a conversion kit for either a 1911 or one of the glocks ... they run about 300-400 (cheaper if you can find used) Im seriously considering one of these, as the price is about the same amount as a 22 semi-auto.

 

[Iteach4U]

For me I find the best 22 is the Sig Mosquito for training class. First you can find them fairly cheap in like new condition because they jam so much and are very selective on the ammo that they feed.It is basically a Sig 226 that is scaled down 10%.
Take down is like a traditional Sig. With the problem of jamming, that's the best part. I find after about 200 rounds of CCI Blazer it starts to jam, saves me from tapping students on the shoulder and telling them to show me what to do on a Misfire or Hangfire.This gun does it on its own.
As far as the Walther P22, I find that most women like the handgun because of the small grip radius , but most men feel it is too small for their large hands.

I ran into an issue with the Mosquito at an 8 hour advanced course recently. A shooter MUST be cautious of his/her grip with the Mosquito. It's easy for a shooter to be pushing upwards on the slide lock which can result in a rearward locked slide during firing. I had to watch carefully to see that this was actually happening.

If you catch this and can identify it as such, it's best if they use it as a rest for the thumb, but that poses the problem of not having it lock rearward once empty. Hand size and grip-style can make this a non-issue.

 

[Phillip Gain]

Late post - but I have to put in a vote for the Ruger 22/45. I know you said you don't like them, but I think you ought to reconsider. Every gun shop I've spoken to says that they have better quality of construction than the "scaled down carry guns" being offered by just about all the other manufacturers. I managed to pick one up new for $250. I've been training students with it for several weeks now. Zero jams, tight patterns, and students "get the hang of it" very quickly.

For revolver training - I've been using an old H&R model 649. This one cost me $175 (SWEET deal), but I can find them all day for under $250-$300. The selection of available NEW .22LR DA revolvers in Massachusetts is pretty slim, with the few available decent models costing in the $700s, and I just can't justify that kind of expense for a rimfire trainng pistol. I mean GEEZ, my M&P 45 only cost about $500 all-in!