Input requested - 22LR semiauto carry gun - The Frontier Sixshooter Community Message Board

Friend insists on a 22LR carry gun, recoil shy. I don't own a small 22LR. The only one I know anything about is the SR22 which I understand has good reviews. Would appreciate any sugestions, experience that I could pass along.

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many high quality .22LR [pocket models are made...32 and 380 are more popular in these little guns...better than nothing...

--
Of the Troops & For the Troops

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The Walther is well made and nifty, but suffers (or suffered) from the traditional Walther plagues of hammer bite and sharp slide edges, making for an uncomfortable shooting experience.

The Beretta is smaller, but the "sights" are rudimentary, at best, the trigger feels like a screen door latch, and the barrel required Q-tip swabbing after every other magazine of shooting to avoid FTE/FTC. The tip-up barrel is a neat feature though.

Both weapons were particularly ammo sensitive with regard to proper functioning. Neither was what I would consider target accurate, by any stretch, nor reliable in terms of cycling.

Either would be a fine "kit gun" for casual use. The Beretta, being smaller and round-ish-er, is better for concealment, assuming one feels comfortable with such an arrangement.

I sold both in a deal for an S&W M63. The buyer was delighted, mumbling stories about the Mossad and the mob etc etc. Meanwhile, the M63 started me down a path that led me to Keith/Skelton/Taffin/Quinns :-D

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I have had more malfunctions with .22LR than with factory or handloaded centerfire cartridges. If I wanted to carry a .22 for SD, it would be one of the Smith and Wesson J frames. To clear a malfunction, unless you get a squib, all you need to do is press the trigger again.

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Beretta 21 or a Beretta 21 and if you don't like them get a Beretta 21. J.Michael

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I have a couple of thousand rounds through mine with no issues with high velocity ammo.

Terry Murbach has one that I sent him that I think has 7K or 8K through it, without cleaning, and no malfunctions, at least through Shootists Holiday this year, when we last discussed it.

They are extremely handy, light, and accurate.

Rob Leahy makes a great belt holster for it as well...

Just my $0.02

BB45C

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Mine has not been so troublefree, though ANY gun deserves to be cleaned every once in a great while ...

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Have had this little autopistol for 30 years or so. As long as the round went off it functions everytime. Bulk pack lr so a fairly high level of duds...CCI Minimags have never failed.

Tiny usable pistol...very handy and surprising accurate....lots of fun...

But then again there is that .22 rf issue for self defense....

"Let me think, I want to pick the absolutly least effective caliber available to save my life with".

Byron

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carried the Iver Johnson version for many years. Stuffed the mag with the old style CCI SGB loads, then rated as best for mouse guns in a defense role. It also worked on grouse!

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Like Bob, I had the Iver Johnson version. It ran like a champ, but my big meaty hands would rub on the slide and cause it to jam. If I took my time and got a good grip, it was ok. I figured if I ever HAD to use it, I'd be in a hurry and may not get the best grip, leaving me with a single shot .22.

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I have the RX22, the slightly larger version that's a clone of the PPK. Bought new in 1985 and used hard. Looks like hammered hell now, but it still works as long as it's kept clean and oiled sparingly so none gets on the ammo.

For that matter, I have a Jennings J22 that I "rescued" from a gun buyback. Guy who had it was going to turn it in for a $35 gift card because it wouldn't work. I gave him $35 cash, stripped it and cleaned it good, which he had apparently never done- gun felt like it was full of sand. Hasn't missed a beat since as long as it's fed good ammo and cleaned every 50 rounds. .22s are nasty at best, and the shorter the barrel the quicker they get full of primer residue and unburned powder crud. That stuff will stop one in short order.

The new Walther PPK/S .22 looks interesting.

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Mini Mags and Stingers though. It's not tiny (same size as their 380) but I think you run into serious reliability issues with the baby 22 autos and they are hard to hit with.

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She qualified at CCW class with a full size Ruger 22LR auto so she can it something at 21 ft. Being new to all this, she is leary of anything more than a 22rf - and it is better than nothing. I think the SR22 looks real good so far.

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Walter has announced they are introducing their PPKS in 22LR in Stainless steel. It ought to be a nice little carrying piece with good workmanship. Of course I will have to get one to keep in my PPKS, PP and others. I doubt it will be inexpensive either. Good Luck

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No problem with recoil, and easier to operate for an inexperienced person. Plus likely more reliable than a small automatic.

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I agree with all of your points, but the rim fire J frames usually have a pretty heavy trigger.

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move up to a more effective caliber, if possible. Otherwise maybe a good lwt but larger reliable .22 or the PMR30 (A real fireball at night) I dealt with this with several of our friends and relatives some of the gals can move up to .38 specials in K frames some are just more comfortable with a .22LR and that is that.

--
Of the Troops & For the Troops

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I am convinced that there is no such thing as a reliable .22 semiauto pistol, and the problem is not so much the guns as the ammo. .22 rimfire is a cartridge that was designed in the 1850s, and is long since obsolete. The rimfire priming system is unreliable, the heeled bullet is subject to oil contamination, etc. The cartridge has survived only because it is cheap to shoot (or was, until recently).

I bought my wife a Beretta 950 BS in .25 ACP years ago because I didn't want her carrying a .22. I have one as well, and both have been super reliable. I qualified with mine when I got my carry permit (AFTER I had qualified with my 9mm Commander and two .38 snubbies). Shot a 48 on a 50-point qualification course. With Hornady 35 grain XTPs, it's the best little-bitty non-gun you can have when you're not gonna carry a real gun. Kicks more than a .22, but not much more.

See if you can convince your friend to try a J-frame .38 with 125 grain cowboy loads. That's what my wife carries now, and she also does not handle recoil well due to an old injury to her shooting hand. Heck, a .32 S&W long wouldn't be difficult to handle either, and more reliable and effective than a .22.

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I have the opportunity to see if I can get her into a centerfire. Someone elses daughter so I can only advise, suggest, etc.

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I talked to a young mom who got her carry permit and had an SP101 in 22. She was complaing that she was getting misfires. I immediately asked if she was using Remington ammo and she was. I don't think it is generally quite as bad in revolvers but in semi autos the cheap bulk stuff turns my Bersa into a single shot and sometimes is an issue with my 1022. You can even tell a difference in the sound of a shot. You might push her toward a 22 magnum revolver. I don't think there is as much a reliability issue with the magnum. Ruger makes the LCR and Taurus makes a decent one as well.

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Input requested - 22LR semiauto carry gun

Walther TPH, BERETTA 21A, ...There is a reason not

I owned both and recommend neither