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I'm looking for a good cheap .22 auto for plinking and practice. If anyone has any suggestions the gun will be a range gun only for when I run out of real ammo and have time to kill. Thought about a pt22 and a sig mosquito

I'm assuming you are just talking handguns, not rifles.
The (current production) standards are

Browning Buckmark
Ruger Mk3 - Best quality/dollar IMHO
Beretta Neos - Futuristic styling, choice of colors
All these start at about $275 new, on sale.

Chiappa or Puma 1911-22 - Cheap 1911 that shoots .22s. Mostly positive reviews. $275
S&W 22A I didn't care for mine. , plastic receiver, full-length rail, grip like a 2x4. $199 on sale at Cabelas now

Revolvers are
S&W - expensive
Ruger Single Six - If you want a revolver, buy this one first.
Taurus $300 plus, some have quality issues with them
Charter? $200 plus
NAA Mini - get the 4" Minimaster with adjustable sights. Cool & fun $275

got a 1911? Get a .22 conversion slide, $200 & up

+1 on the Ruger Mk3. For the price, I don't think it can be beat.

I have no firsthand experience with the Buckmark, but I would buy one if I wanted another .22LR pistol.

I have had bad experiences with the Sig Mosquito. Problems with failure to feed.

That seems to be a common issue with the Sig. Lot of bad reviews out there.

The Buckmark appears to be at least the equal of the Ruger.
But it costs a little more, and there is much less aftermarket support for it.

Just bought a SIG Mosquito this weekend and took it to the range today. Tried out 5 different brands of ammo, after reading about the different issues it has.

All in all, I was actually pleased with the gun. I put 40 rounds of Wolf Match Grade with 5 FTE and the same amount of FTF. I'll save that for my rifle.

20 rounds of Fiocchi. Half FTE. Save for rifle.

20 rounds of Winchester, 5 FTE, 10 stove pipes and 3 FTF. Rifle ammo.

Remington (stingers? Had it loose in my can, it was for the rifle) Every single one failed to eject. Would only cycle the slide back 1/2 way. 10 rounds.

Federal bulk pack, 200 rounds. 20 (10%) either FTF or FTE.

Going to try the CCI next (recommended).

But, all together, the gun shot fine. From 3 yards, a little to the left. But not much . 7 yards, high and left. I did not adjust the rear sight or change the front sight. Still has the factory recoil spring. May change out the spring next go round and see how it does.

Fun gun to shoot, and cheap. And plenty of practice today with failures.

Oh, I got the sportsman model with 2 magazines and sight rail attachment for $325.

+1 Browing Buckmark.

I have a SIG Mosquito, and have been pleased with it. I've tried a few different types of ammo and generally use the recommended CCI MiniMags as they have never given me any trouble. Funny, when you follow the directions the thing works ; -) My son and I took the Mosquito to the range yesterday and had zero problems with about 200 rounds of CCI.

I found Remington Golden Bullets HV to be awful, Winchester HyperX HV to be poor, both had many FTE and FTF problems with Remingtons adding the occasional stove pipe to the fun. Federal Target Match is OK with very few problems if you really want to use a lower cost round. From what I have read as the round count goes up they get more likely to feed non-CCI ammo successfully. Mosquitos are shipped with two recoil springs, the lighter of which seems to be the better option in mine.

neilp wrote:Funny, when you follow the directions the thing works ; -)

This is true, but when there are many other alternatives, I wouldn't buy a gun that didn't digest most of the commonly available ammunition. Most of the time, if I stop by Wally World or Academy on my way to the range to buy a brick of .22LR, I don't have the luxury of having much of a choice in the brands of ammunition that they stock.

BTW, SigArms makes excellent firearms. I have a P239 that has never had a failure to feed or misfire with any brand of ammo that I have tried. I have had to fake a FTF for my malfunction drills.

neilp wrote:I have a SIG Mosquito, and have been pleased with it. I've tried a few different types of ammo and generally use the recommended CCI MiniMags as they have never given me any trouble. Funny, when you follow the directions the thing works ; -) My son and I took the Mosquito to the range yesterday and had zero problems with about 200 rounds of CCI.

I found Remington Golden Bullets HV to be awful, Winchester HyperX HV to be poor, both had many FTE and FTF problems with Remingtons adding the occasional stove pipe to the fun. Federal Target Match is OK with very few problems if you really want to use a lower cost round. From what I have read as the round count goes up they get more likely to feed non-CCI ammo successfully. Mosquitos are shipped with two recoil springs, the lighter of which seems to be the better option in mine.

I'm going to need you to post some targets.

I have a walther P22 and the only times I've had a problem with it cycling correctly is when it's been very dirty. And I don't think I've had a FTF. I have the 5" model but I'd recommend the 3.5". The 5" one is a pain to take apart.

ETA: I think the only ammo I've ever shot out of it is the 550 round bricks of Federal I get at Walmart.

I've got the Buckmark, never had a problem with it. It came down to that and the Ruger when I made the purchase and I liked the feel of the Browning a lot more.

I've tried the Ruger, the Browning, and the Sig. I was raised on Ruger, so it's not for nothing that I like the Buck Mark best. It has a much nicer trigger pull. I love the Sig 22_ series, so I got all excited about the Mosquito, until I tried one. It worked fine, but it didn't have the quality and accuracy was expecting.

For me, the bricks of Federal ammo from Walmart worked best in all of the above.

I have a Ruger 22/45 and love it. It's nice having the same controls as a 1911.

The only bad thing about the Ruger line, in my opinion, is the disassembly and reassembly. It seems far more complicated than necessary and I'm constantly referring to the manual when cleaning it.

>The only bad thing about the Ruger line, in my opinion, is the disassembly and reassembly. It seems far
>more complicated than necessary and I'm constantly referring to the manual when cleaning it.

I agree. Its not so bad once you get used to it, but it is rather involved.

My first choice would be a 22 conversion on a 1911, second choice would be a Browning buckmark.

Maybe an auto ain't the only choice for you. My Browning Buckmark was a solid piece of hardware for the money, but the shape, size, operation, and feel just didn't fit my personal definition of a "gun". I had heard negative things about the Mosquito and p22, so I decided to fulfill a childhood dream of owning a snub nose revolver like my old "red ring" cap gun. Sooo I went went the Taurus 2" model 94 and couldn't be more satisfied; jams, stovepipes, and failures to feed aren't an issue with revolvers, so cheap Federal works jussst fine. I just wish they could make a .22 louder.

Embalmo