Need advice on which .22 auto

[oldsalt]

Greetings everyone! I'm new to this thread but not new to guns. I have and or do own semi autos and revolvers.
I'm looking at buying a .22 auto for plinking and backyard shooting, maybe a groundhog if it's in the garden.
I have been looking at the SR22, 22/45 MKIII and if it's worth the extra $100 a M&P 22 or any other ones I have failed to mention. I have a revolver S&W K-22 mod 17-3 but I would like an auto and need your advice (pro & con) on the .22.
Sorry if this has already been answered but I just joined the forum today and have not done a search. Glancing through the forums there seems to be a wealth of knowledge here.

 

[bofh]

Welcome to this forum. I have used this review comparison: Link Removed.

I went with the Ruger SR22 pistol. Just bought it two weeks ago for $300 at Academy Sports + Outdoors. I have put about 250 rounds of Federal Auto Match Target Ammo and Federal Premium Gold Medal through it with 3 failures to feed and 5 failures to extract. The gun is really easy to field-strip and clean.

 

[POP CHARLIE]

I like the ruger bull barrel 22s, I have a goverment MK II ,very accurate and fun to shoot. I got a walther p22 for my wife, she loves it. It fits her hand better ( smaller grip) Also very fun to shoot. If I was going to hunt with it I would go with the ruger.If you can, try several 22s before you buy. Good luck.

 

[mallardhunter]

Browning Buck Mark. I have owned both Ruger mkII and I now own a Browning buck Mark. The trigger out of the box is better on the buck Mark.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

 

[bofh]

I couldn't resist. I had to post this:

 

[9mm in Eugene]

I love my SR22, I don't think you could find a more fun gun for your stated needs.

 

[oldsalt]

I couldn't resist. I had to post this:

Thanks bofh, I like this forum already...thanks all

 

[oldsalt]

What Brand 22lr ammo will these pistols NOT fire?

 

[whodat2710]

If you're looking for a rifle the Ruger 10/22 is tried and true, and the new "takedown" is just as reliable but can break down into 2 pieces for storage/transport and comes with a handy backpack that holds it and all your ammo, mags etc.
Ruger® 10/22 Takedown® Autoloading Rifle Models
-
I have a S&W 22 Sport target pistol that my kids and I love. it has a 7" barrel and 10rd mags.

I looked at getting an "AR" style .22 rifle when I bought the 10/22 takedown, and if I had it would have been the S&W M&P. It was the only one with a functional charging handle instead of just a plastic thingy for looks.

 

[bofh]

whodat2710: Agree on the 22lr rifle choice. It's either the Ruger 10/22 takedown or the S&W M&P 15-22, or both. I am looking at the S&W M&P 15-22 as my next purchase.

 

[oldsalt]

Has anyone tried the Aquila High Vel. Super Extra 22lr ? will the SR22 have problems with it?

 

[bofh]

What Brand 22lr ammo will these pistols NOT fire?

Be aware of any 22lr ammo that is explicitly marked not to be used in semi-autos. It has not enough power to cycle the action. Other than that, many people have good experiences with the Ruger SR 22 pistol eating all kinds of ammo. I have seen recommendations to use high-velocity 22lr ammo to break a gun in. It has more power, thus will cycle the action more reliably.

 

[oldsalt]

22 ammo is hard to find. The Harrisburg Pa. gun show is next month and if I go Maybe I can pick up some good ammo.
Didn't realize some ammo says not for semi-autos... especially when looking on the internet.

 

[bofh]

Aguila Super Colibri, for example, is a special round that is powered by the rimfire primer only. It has not enough energy to cycle a semi-auto action.

For all the other 22lr ammo, I would recommend testing with 100-200 rounds first, before buying a larger bulk. What may work in someone else's gun may not work in yours, even though it is the same gun.

This may help in finding ammo: 22lr ammo rimfire

 

[whodat2710]

GunBot 22lr rimfire ammo
lets you sort by "in stock"

 

[mmracing]

My wife and I shoot an M&P 22 and absolutely love it! The reason we chose it was to use it as a practice pistol for our other M&P's. The pistols the others have suggested will do you just fine as well but I'll suggest you get one that will allow you to practice shooting for your other pistols. If you don't have any other pistols the I suggest you find a platform you like and try and stick to the brand. We have shot well over 1500 rounds through our M&P 22 with very few FTF or FTE. When it was new it had some problems with non-plated ammo but now it eats everything with the exception of Winchester Super X rounds. Lots of luck and enjoy shooting whatever you choose in the 22LR flavor.

 

[SR9]

Where I live your are lucky to find .22 LR ammo. I believe the demand has exceeded the supply due to so many high capacity automatic and semi- automatic weapons being used. It use to be you bought boxes of 50 or 100 rounds once in a while for target or hunting. Now people blow away hundreds of rounds in just seconds. You can't make them that fast. What a waste of ammo by "thrill seekers". I'm not against range time to practice marksmanship, but to stand there and blow away a 30 round mag (or bigger) for kicks is a waste. I guess it's just the way of "the entitled society" we have.

 

[BC1]

For target or plinking get a longer barrel... 5.25" perhaps. Browning Buckmark and Ruger are my favorites.

 

[oldsalt]

I was talking to my neighbor yesterday and he went shooting with some friends and everyone was shooting .22 autos except for his revolver. The autos were having jams (not sure what kind) on all kinds of ammo. One auto went through 4 different kinds of ammo before it would fire successfully. Possibly a new semi-auto that wasn't broke-in. The LGS recommends CCI Mini Mags on new autos or ammo with a velocity over 1200ft/sec because they have a few hundred round break-in period.

 

[bofh]

Just got back from the range. I am happy to report that I had 0 issues with my Ruger SR22 with:

- Aguila SuperExtra Standard Velocity Lead 22LR 40 Grain
- Aguila Copper Coated Round Nose High Velocity SuperExtra 22LR 40 Grain

After investigating further, it looks like I have some inconsistent/lower powder charges in my 1 box of 325 Federal Auto Match Target and 5 boxes of 50 Federal Premium Gold Medal ammo. Every time I got a FTF, the recoil was noticeably lower. I am through the Federal Premium Gold Medal anyway and I have probably only around 150 rounds of Federal Auto Match Target left. I bought both last summer at Gander Mountain. I bought the Aguila ammo at AmmoFast.com.