Most reliable .22 pistol?

[farscott]

Since the need is two or three of them and that rules out most out-of-production pistols, Ruger Mark IV is the "easy button" answer with Standard, Mark II, and Mark III also being good choices.

My workhouse rimfire is a Ruger Standard RST-6 that was made in 1964. The original finish was worn to the metal from handling, and it was Cerakoted back in 2017. This pistol still sees about fifty rounds per week and has been totally reliable with a wide variety of ammo from 36-grain high-velocity HP to 40-grain standard velocity offerings. The only functional change I made was to add a Volquartsen extended magazine release to allow easier removal of the newer ten-round magazines.

The good news is shooter-grade samples are available as people trade them for the easier to field strip and assemble Mark IV pistols. The benefit of the Mark IV is that Volquartsen sells discarded uppers (they use the lowers for their custom offerings) dirt cheap on the clearance page of the website. For example, pencil uppers for $35 delivered to FFL and Lite uppers with sights and the optics rail in the box for $110 delivered to FFL. Bolts and other spare parts are often available on Volquartsen's eBay store at https://www.ebay.com/sch/volquartsen...1&_ipg=&_from=

Hard to go wrong with the Ruger Standard/Mark pistols.

[WobblyPossum]

What do you guys know about the Taurus TX22? I haven’t seen any glaring negative reviews and it comes with a threaded barrel from the factory. I’m also in the market for a .22 pistol and have been debating between one of these and a G44.

[Clusterfrack]

"Most reliable .22LR" is like asking who is the most honest politician. If you want to shoot Steel Challenge, look at what Steel shooters use. At my club, that's a Ruger Mark 2/3/4 (standard or 22/45) with Volquartsen parts and a pack of 10+ tuned magazines. My Mark 3 has about 40k through it with no major issues.

I think the Glock 44 may be the best .22LR ever made, but I doubt it's the best choice for steel challenge. I'm especially impressed by the Glock 44 magazines. Apparently you don't need to do anything to them to make them work, and that's a huge win in my book.

Having just received my .22 Victory back from S&W for the second time to fix problems with it, I once again have been thinking, what are the most reliable moderately priced .22 semi auto pistol on the market currently? By reliable I mean a pistol that will not jam, Fail to feed, or fail to extract, if it is properly maintained and cleaned (ie cleaned and oiled after every range session)?

Ever since I shot my old Ruger Mark II into the ground (shot it so much the barrel wore out and the frame cracked), I've not found a pistol I could rely on to shoot without quite a few jams. I have had great luck with non .22 pistols, but with .22s I have an inordinate number of unreliable ones. Once the prices get reasonable again, I'd like a decently reliable pistol for the range and just to have at steel challenge type matches (as a hack, not trying to actually be extremely competitive).

Why would anyone buy a Taurus when you could buy a Glock?

What do you guys know about the Taurus TX22? I haven’t seen any glaring negative reviews and it comes with a threaded barrel from the factory. I’m also in the market for a .22 pistol and have been debating between one of these and a G44.

[gato naranja]

Based on seeing a crapload of .22 handguns that had to work for a living out here in Flyover U.S.A., my recommendations would be as follows...

Semiauto: pre-Mark IV Ruger standard or target in blue or stainless
Revolver: blued Ruger Single-Six.

I may sound like a Ruger fancat there, but I am as ambivalent about them as I am any other manufacturer.

[msstate56]

It’s not the internet popular answer- but my Glock 44 has been fantastic. The only issue I’ve had was with an old brick of Federal .22 that may have gotten wet at some point (lots of failures to fire). With known good ammo, it chugs along with whatever I put in it. It will not cycle subs reliably, but no semi auto will that isn’t tuned for them. Just load the magazines correctly (i.e. don’t just dump the rounds in the mag, but slide each one back keeping the rim in front of the rim of the bottom cartridge). I also have a threaded barrel, and it works well with a .22 can. I haven’t used it in a Steel Challenge match yet, but I have seen others use one.

Funny story at a Steel Challenge match last year, a guy in my squad had a G44. He starts at low ready, and the MD is next to me and says “what is he doing at low ready?” I said “that’s a .22.” MD says “no he’s got a Glock.” To which I reply again “yeah, but it’s a .22.” 🤣

[Zincwarrior]

It’s not the internet popular answer- but my Glock 44 has been fantastic. The only issue I’ve had was with an old brick of Federal .22 that may have gotten wet at some point (lots of failures to fire). With known good ammo, it chugs along with whatever I put in it. It will not cycle subs reliably, but no semi auto will that isn’t tuned for them. Just load the magazines correctly (i.e. don’t just dump the rounds in the mag, but slide each one back keeping the rim in front of the rim of the bottom cartridge). I also have a threaded barrel, and it works well with a .22 can. I haven’t used it in a Steel Challenge match yet, but I have seen others use one.

Funny story at a Steel Challenge match last year, a guy in my squad had a G44. He starts at low ready, and the MD is next to me and says “what is he doing at low ready?” I said “that’s a .22.” MD says “no he’s got a Glock.” To which I reply again “yeah, but it’s a .22.” 🤣

Thats the third recommendation about this Glock by the way. If I can get a fiber optic sight for it, I will look into that. Looking at the website, does it have an adjustable sight? I t looks like its at least adjustable for windage.

[WobblyPossum]

Why would anyone buy a Taurus when you could buy a Glock?

The big draw for me is the thread barrel. For others it might be reportedly reliable 16-round magazines. All of that would be moot though if the gun actually sucks, which is why I was asking if anyone had experiences with it.

[farscott]

What do you guys know about the Taurus TX22? I haven’t seen any glaring negative reviews and it comes with a threaded barrel from the factory. I’m also in the market for a .22 pistol and have been debating between one of these and a G44.

My personal experience is limited, but a shooting buddy has one and has been very pleased with it. The original models had an issue with the barrel, but that has supposably been resolved. The only reason I do not have one is my Taurus experience has not been the best; as such, I am more inclined to try something else. Objectively I am probably missing out on a good pistol, but bad experiences tend to change behavior.

[Clusterfrack]

The big draw for me is the thread barrel. For others it might be reportedly reliable 16-round magazines. All of that would be moot though if the gun actually sucks, which is why I was asking if anyone had experiences with it.

I would say that any one or two people’s experience is irrelevant. The gun is made by Taurus, well known for unreliable centerfire guns. .22s are even more challenging to design, so that would be a hard pass for me.

[OlongJohnson]

What do you do to the Buckmark detail wise?

Everything.

Seriously, there really aren't any parts I don't check and touch. Mostly deburring and smoothing so they operate smoothly without wearing/destroying themselves prematurely. Shims on the trigger to get rid of the lateral slop. Set the firing pin length so it doesn't peen the breech. Knock down tool marks so the slide isn't a file on the aluminum frame. Fit the safety feature on the sear. Dress out roughness on the underside of the top strap where the firing pin housing rides. Clean up the crown if needed. They come out nicely. I might remember to take photos and do a writeup on the next one.