Thinking of purchasing a .22 pistol

[legion]

Originally Posted by Soukus

And I want one! That thing was fun to shoot.


May sneak one into the collection soon. What's the difference between a MK II and MK III?

What a fair price for a MKII?

Why would one choose a Ruger or the Walther .22? Pros. Cons.

I paid around $225 for my Mark II.

The Mark III has a magazine release in the conventional place (instead of on the bottom of the grip like on the Mark II). From what I understand, this necessitated a reworking of the trigger mechanism and some consider it not as smooth as the Mark II.

[gwood]

Whitney Wolverine
$291.20 MSRP

[targa911S]

$400-$500

[MotoSook]

Good to know. Thanks.

Quote de Soukus

And I want one! That thing was fun to shoot.





May sneak one into the collection soon. What's the difference between a MK II and MK III?



What a fair price for a MKII?



Why would one choose a Ruger or the Walther .22? Pros. Cons.

I paid around $225 for my Mark II.



The Mark III has a magazine release in the conventional place (instead of on the bottom of the grip like on the Mark II). From what I understand, this necessitated a reworking of the trigger mechanism and some consider it not as smooth as the Mark II.

[NavySailor47]

James Bond on a budget.

[stogie25]

My .22 Beretta is a fun little gun.

[Schumi]

I've put 500 rounds through a friend's Walther P22. Ridiculously fun. One of those guns that just fits in my hands and balances perfectly. Light, entertaining...

but not the most accurate thing in the world. I'm considering it's bigger brother, the P99, for a future purchase.

It bears to be said that I'm a fan of the plastics.

[MotoSook]

Dangit! You guys really suck. It's really because of this board that I got the gunbug...I already have a 22lr conversion for one of my pistols, and now I am shopping for a Ruger Mark II. Wonder if the varmint will stop invading my yard if I always have a magazine of CB longs in the Ruger at arms reach.

[m21sniper]

The Ruger Single Six is being totally ignored in this discussion.


Exquisite...and is available with an optional .22 magnum cylinder too.

It's legal for squirrel season too. Spring squirrel is my favorite kind of hunting.

[campbellcj]

Here is what I have (Ruger MKII). It's a joy and highly accurate.

[emcon5]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

The Ruger Single Six is being totally ignored in this discussion.

A buddy has a single six, excellent little revolver. It is kind of a PITA to shoot though, as the loading process is, well, archaic.

I have a Ruger Mk1 target i got used at a local shop for $150. Excellent little gun.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

The Ruger Single Six is being totally ignored in this discussion.


Exquisite...and is available with an optional .22 magnum cylinder too.

It's legal for squirrel season too. Spring squirrel is my favorite kind of hunting.

I bought one of these for myself on my 21st birthday, just because I could. Walked right into a Fred Meyer store, plunked my money down, and walked out with it and a brick of ammo on the same day. 28 years later, it's still going strong.

I go through at least four or five bricks a year in this gun alone, so it has now digested several tens of thousands of rounds in those past 28 years without a single malfunction of any kind. I still put at least a couple, maybe three boxes through it every week at the range. I've lost track of the grouse it has potted while out deer, elk, of bear hunting over the years. It has taught both of my sons, and my wife, to shoot handguns. When I'm "on", empty shotgun shells are in serious trouble out to 30-35 yards or so, offhand. It's as accurate as I can hold.

I can't think of a better, more useful, more fun .22 revolver or pistol. Especially as a first gun.

[jyl]

My Single-Six was stolen during the last move. Alas, it was my dad's and I'd had it most of my life. Taught me about handgun safety and dispatched rats and skunks when needed. I still have the .22 WMR cylinder, I think. If someone buys a Single-Six and needs that cylinder, let me know. I don't think it has to be "fitted" to the gun but could be wrong.

I never shot it as accurately as my other pistols. I think having to reposition the grip after reaching up and cocking the hammer, each shot, was my issue. I have read the convertibles (.22LR to .22WMR) can be more accurate with the Magnum due to the slightly larger bullet diameter fitting the barrel a bit better - don't know for sure if this is true? Still, it was plenty accurate.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by emcon5

A buddy has a single six, excellent little revolver. It is kind of a PITA to shoot though, as the loading process is, well, archaic.

I have a Ruger Mk1 target i got used at a local shop for $150. Excellent little gun.

I love the loading process! Makes me feel like a cowboy.

My uncle has one, i shoot it better than he does, which pleases me to no end. heheh

[BeyGon]

After reading this I am getting interested, there is a indoor range just a few mile from here but no gun shop for at least 25 miles. I may have to go look around this afternoon.

[rnln]

the indoor ranges usually have several for rent, not too expensive.

[Jeff Higgins]

I hear complaints about how difficult it is to load and shoot the old single actions all the time. What I have found, however, is that they force one to slow down and actually learn to shoot. Anyone can feed ammo through a gun and make it go "bang". Not many can really shoot, especially with the handgun.

It still amazes me how many folks I see at the range, or in the gravel pit, who have shot for years (or all of their lives) who still cannot shoot. Yeah, they can stuff magazine after magazine into their pistols (or black rifles) and create mounds of empty brass, but they still can't shoot. What they lack in accuracy, they try to make up for in sheer volume.

Maybe if they slowed down a bit, they would actually learn something. A single action is great for that - you have a lot more effort invested in those six shots, so you want to make them count. Your grip will shift when cocking it (or under recoil in the bigger calibers), so you have to pay attention to it. You have to load and unload one round at a time, so you become loathe to waste one. Most single action men that I know are far better shots than your average handgunner, and most will tell you it is because they learned on, and mastered, the single action.

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I hear complaints about how difficult it is to load and shoot the old single actions all the time. What I have found, however, is that they force one to slow down and actually learn to shoot. Anyone can feed ammo through a gun and make it go "bang". Not many can really shoot, especially with the handgun.

I agree. A perfect pistol to teach a person to shoot. Even taught my daughter to shoot it. (She was 7 at the time and my Ruger Single Six was a bit heavy for her).

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I hear complaints about how difficult it is to load and shoot the old single actions all the time. What I have found, however, is that they force one to slow down and actually learn to shoot. Anyone can feed ammo through a gun and make it go "bang". Not many can really shoot, especially with the handgun.

It still amazes me how many folks I see at the range, or in the gravel pit, who have shot for years (or all of their lives) who still cannot shoot. Yeah, they can stuff magazine after magazine into their pistols (or black rifles) and create mounds of empty brass, but they still can't shoot. What they lack in accuracy, they try to make up for in sheer volume.

Maybe if they slowed down a bit, they would actually learn something. A single action is great for that - you have a lot more effort invested in those six shots, so you want to make them count. Your grip will shift when cocking it (or under recoil in the bigger calibers), so you have to pay attention to it. You have to load and unload one round at a time, so you become loathe to waste one. Most single action men that I know are far better shots than your average handgunner, and most will tell you it is because they learned on, and mastered, the single action.

My dad was a wise man...the above is probably why my first rifle was a single shot Remington "Targetmaster" with iron sights. When you have only one shot, you learn to place it well.

I still have that old .22...and it still groups very well with it's iron sights..

[RPKESQ]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I hear complaints about how difficult it is to load and shoot the old single actions all the time. What I have found, however, is that they force one to slow down and actually learn to shoot. Anyone can feed ammo through a gun and make it go "bang". Not many can really shoot, especially with the handgun.

It still amazes me how many folks I see at the range, or in the gravel pit, who have shot for years (or all of their lives) who still cannot shoot. Yeah, they can stuff magazine after magazine into their pistols (or black rifles) and create mounds of empty brass, but they still can't shoot. What they lack in accuracy, they try to make up for in sheer volume.

Maybe if they slowed down a bit, they would actually learn something. A single action is great for that - you have a lot more effort invested in those six shots, so you want to make them count. Your grip will shift when cocking it (or under recoil in the bigger calibers), so you have to pay attention to it. You have to load and unload one round at a time, so you become loathe to waste one. Most single action men that I know are far better shots than your average handgunner, and most will tell you it is because they learned on, and mastered, the single action.

Exactly correct Jeff.
I have taught shooting to hundreds of people in civilian life and thousands in the military. It is always the same. Any semi-auto weapon will cause the vast majority of people to shoot poorly, due to the fact that people are inherently impatient and will resort to rapid fire (and it is fun!).

I usually tell people to practice no more than 30 minutes with handgun because muscles are not developed to hold a 1 - 3 pound piece of metal at arm’s length for any longer period of time. Fatigue sets in and accuracy drops (and then the rapid fire starts).

Practice should consist of making each shot count. Each shot being a totally separate event with every step taken with the care like it is the only shot you will have.

Also dry firing with a dime balanced on the barrel (if round) or front sight is fantastic to develop a proper trigger pull (if it is a square barrel use a nickel balanced on edge). Practice 30 minutes each day for a month and most people will see a dramatic improvement in their shooting.

Few people follow this advice.

It doesn't matter what kind of handgun shooting you want to do. The above practice will improve every genre of handgun use. Including the fast work. To be truly fast, you need to be smooth first.