The subject line pretty well says it all. I am looking for a reasonable pistol at a reasonable price. Something that I can feed Wal-Mart specials to . I need to develop my skills more with a handgun and already have a couple of larger bores. Besides , 22's are just fun.Thanks

Jim81147,

I have a Ruger Mark II - Govt. 678 that absolutely astounds me as to the accuracy it is capable of. It's fun, easy to handle, and reasonably priced. (Not exactly inexpensive though) :>

It feeds most ammo well, but is a little bit picky as to brand. I prefer copper plated bullets to avoid problems with wax build-up, although even the wax coated bullets feed pretty well.

Mine has a 2 power pistol scope on it because of older eyes. I also put aftermarket grips on it. Turbo

I have a Ruger 6-7/8 inch s-st slab side,will eat all bullets and very accurate.

I have the Ruger MkII 6 7/8" stainless Target model. I really like it and it shoots the federal bulk HP's from Walmart really well. I have shot a couple of Buckmarks and found that they are slightly more accurate then my Ruger. My buddy has the 10" MKII and it will easily outshoot both the Buckmarks. I have had ZERO trouble with the Ruger and would highly recommend a stainless one.

What is the difference between the Target and the Gov't Target? Also is the slab side the bull barrel? Thanks

I had a ruger mark II stainless 6 7/8 target model also and I loved it.

I sold it but I my next one will be a 6 7/8 slab side mark II.

The Ruger Gov't models have polymer grips that are shaped like the colt 1911.
I prefer the regular ruger mkII. The gov't models do not fit my hands as well. They were designed to give the colt 1911 shooters a practice pistol that had the same grip angle.

The ruger MkII are the best "new" 22 auto's on the market, however I like the old High Standard 22's. I have a High Standard Sport king and A 10" bull barrel ruger mkII and a 4 5/8" bull barrel ruger mkI. The high standard is my favorite.
You may be able to find a good used one for less than a ruger, but the ruger will be easier to find and will funtion flawlessly and give you great accuracy.
I guess i like High Standard for nostalgic reasons. Not sure if it is actually any better. Rugers are hard to beat.

David

The Rugers are all fine pistols and will serve you well, but you may also want to look into the Browning Buckmark. It "fits" my hand better than the Rugers. Be sure to handle all of the versions of the Ruger, the grip angle is slightly different on the 45 model.
It is just a slightly different feel in the hand not unlike the differences in the Bisley and Blackhawk grips!

LouisB

My vote would go to the Browning. Much closer to the old High Standards. The new S&W/Walter 22 looks and feels pretty nice, but seems a bit small for my hand.

Smith and Wesson model 22. Already milled for a red dot or scope sight, X ring accuracy at 25 yards.
Peter.

I like the new beretta .22 its got a neat feel and pretty accurate

S&W Model 41. You can shoot it with the 5" or 7" barrel.

Outshoots most everything mentioned here so far, even though I also like my HS Victor .

JMHO,

If you have a 1911 get a Ciener or Marvel 22lr conversion and you will never regret it they are accurate and trouble free and all I shootin mine is Remington golden bullet bonus packs from Walmart.w/regards

You mentioned honing your handgun skills so I am going to recommend something a bit off the wall. If you have a 1911, get the 22 adapter, as suggested above. If you don't, consider a new CZ 75 in 40 S&W with their Kadet 22 adapter.

I have the CZ 75 in 9MM and 40 AND finally got the Kadet adapter, and it changes me from a below average, slightly disinterested pistol shooter into an expert in one week...no BS, this is the real deal.

All I did was start plinking a 1 inch orange dots from 7 to 10 yards with the Kadet from a seated position. The goal quickly beacme to shoot out all of the orange, not just to hit it...much like the side show gallery games at county fairs. Its no big deal to run through a brick of 22 ammo in a couple of hours doing this, and a bore snake every box is all you need for cleaning while shooting.

Well, the CZ 75 is EXACTLY the same weight, grips, feel and trigger with 9MM or 40, and perceived recoil is actually LOWER after working with the Kadet. By this I mean the 40 seems to recoil much less than the 40 I remember after working with the 22s. In any event, I can do anything with the 40 that I did with the 22, and it transfers all the way out to 25 paces.

I have found the Browning Buckmark to be one of the best autos. It feed anything I have put in it. The only time it jamed was when I took it apart and didn't tighten the screw on the top strap. It was user defective that day.

I perfer it to the Ruger and the Smith. Pick them up at the gun shop and seee which brand fit your hand. That is key if it don't feel right no matter how cheap or expensive of a gun, you won't like it.

Hcliff