Good choice for good reasons.
There are a ton of fantastic .22's out there that shoot incredibly well and are reliable.
The .22 will teach you trigger control and target acquisition.

Before you settle on any one, read. Read a lot.
Each brand has it's good points and bad ones. Talk to people but remember the answer you usually get is "buy what I have"

Also in .22's think used. It's hard to shoot out or break a .22.

Good luck in the search and enjoy it.

AFS

I shoot 22's and 9mm's 99% of the time.

i have a walther p22 and after about 600 rounds it has never FTF or FTE with CCI minimags
it is a great looking gun
it is a bit small so i have to concentrate where my finger is placed on the trigger
I didn't buy the Ruger MkIII because I used to own a Ruger a long long time ago and wanted something different -
This would be my second choice for a 22
For 9mm I have a glock 26 because I wanted a small ccw type
For my second choice for 9mm would be the glock 19 - it fits the hand exceptionally well - no wonder it is very very popular

If it will never be used for defense, just plinking, look into a P22, a Browning Buckmark (my fav), or a Ruger Mark III. There are lots of them used around, and I agree, you can't wear it out.

If it's used, buy it at a range, and insist on shooting a few mags though it before you leave, for function testing.

A few decent boxes of 22s will run you $20 per 1000!!!
A few decent boxes of 9mm will run you $20 per 100!!!

I might add a P22 to my collection soon, as a plinker that feels more like my 9mm and 45, with similar sights. My Buckmark is now more "race-gun" with custom barrel, scope, trigger, etc.

Enjoy!

JW

Yep. Get a .22 if it's not going to be used for fighting.

.22s are great. not expensive to shoot and hell not expensive to buy. others have covered the good brands but left out the sig mosquito. this one feels like a full size pistol with a fraction of the cost to shoot.

jeff ward
where do you buy your ammo?
$20 for 1,000 ?
is this for high velocity or std 22's?

i think the p22 is to take high velocity 22's so that is all i have ever shot

Bulk 22 ammo is pretty cheap. you start getting into wanting to make a ragged hole at 75 yards it starts to get a little higher. Still a 22 is a great range toy. I have a Buckmark, Mark III and a 10-22 and AMT 22 rifles.

Well thanks for all the positive responses guys! Im feeling very confident about the purchase. Im still looking for a 22 rifle as well. i forgot the kind a friend of mine was going ape shit over. an SKS i believe? Anyways, thanks again all. Hope to familiarize myself with everyone here shortly

a 22 rifle that was like a SKS? Hell..I don't know..they make a lot of different 22 rifles.

I'm a huge Ruger 10-22 fan. You can get them pretty cheap and there's a ton of after market stuff for them. I just found an old AMT (They made a 10-22 copy one year) at a gun shop I haunt. I'm going to use the SS receiver to make a custom rifle.

that was it, the 10/22. Just did some ooking. Ya im obviously not a real genius with guns. yet...

But a 10/22 with both the .22 and .17 barrels would be alot of fun for more range shooting and small game. That will be next

So ive narrowed it down after reading. Still looking at the P22, the Ruger Mk3, and the Ruger P95.

I like the look of the P22, but want to hold it, feel it, shoot it before i make a decision on looks. The Mk3 reviews like an excellent target gun, but looks just don't get my jollys off dammit. And the P95, thats a nice looking tacticl gun thats reasonably priced, but im still asking myself, do i need a 9mm? maybe later in life, but for now...... Tough call

I have a 17 HMR and find it to be more of a toy than a useful rifle. The 17 Mach II (which I think you are talking about) I haven't owned but I would really like to check out. I've read the ballistics and it actually looks like it would be a really neat gun to have.

Man, you can get a 10-22 about anywhere used and get it cheap. any shop that sells used guns or a pawn shop you can find one of those for about 100 bucks for one in great shape.

.22 is a good choice if all you are going to do is some rangework. .22 caliber is also useful for solving rodent and snake problems.

Rather than going solely by reviews, most ranges have a variety of guns for rent. Not a bad idea to spend a few bucks narrowing down your choice than spending hundreds on something you might not like.

You might want to add Browning Buckmark and Beretta Neos to your list to consider.

BBD:
you are starting on the correct path
rifle - get the ruger 10/22 - 5million of them sold can't be a bad thing
i have owned one - sold it - bought another - sold it and now thinking of the CHARGER
i also have the walther p22 because of the looks -- looks great -
thought my wife would yell at me when i got home and she like it!!! whew

so since i have a 22 auto i want to complete the entire line with a
22 S&W revolver in stainless (or the alumnimun model 317) and a
22 Ruger single action in stainless

I'd consider a Ruger 22/45 as it approximates the feel of a 1911 with the safety placement and bolt/slide release and is a hoot to shoot. The only drawback with these is the cost of spare magazines. I tried the last two gun shows and they were more there than locally. So much for a deal. The .22 will teach you as well since you can shoot the stew out of it and not go broke. It will also prepare you for a 9mm or other when you decide to graduate. Enjoy the world of plinkin' for fun. By the way the sights are great and it is dead accurate.

Go with a 22 first.....

great guns to learn on and cheap to shoot......22s I have a fondness for and are sorta my pet guns.

For a pistol a buckmark or a Ruger Mark __ will be a great gun and will probably out live you if taken care of.

For a rifle either a 10/22 or a Marlin 60.