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Semi auto 22's

69K views 116 replies 74 participants last post by  Javbike 
#1 ·
Advice for 22 owners, this also works for other guns.

After you buy your 22 and take it home. Read the manual and then field strip, clean and lube it. Learn how to clean your gun, not just run a patch down the barrel.

Before you go shooting, pick up 4, 5 or more different brands/types of ammo. Try each brand and find the one YOUR gun likes best. Don't keep trying to get one brand to work because it's cheaper, your buddy or the guy at the store recommended it. If it doesn't work, jams, won't feed or group move on.

When you're shooting for the first time, use factory magazines. There are a ton of aftermarket mags out there to try later.

If you have a problem pay attention to what it is.

Is the safety off?
Is the mag fully seated in the gun?
Is the slide or bolt all the way forward?
Is the gun (chamber, bolt, slide) clean?
Is it a specific brand of ammo?
Is it a specific type of ammo (ie solids, hollow points)?
Is it one magazine or all of them?
Are the feed lips bent or damaged on the mag?
Are the spring and follower good in the mag?
Does it happen when the gun is in a different position?

Now if you have a problem it's easier to pinpoint and solve.
 
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#52 ·
Other than racking the slide repeatedly, do you think using graphite lube would make any difference over a period of time. Being very careful not to over do it, using a dremel tool, would do the trick quicker. Being an ex Dental Lab Tech. regular old black board chalk is a good but mild abrasive at a moderately slow speed. This of course would be used on the rails of the slide and receiver slide contact areas. I'm not at the point of doing anything to my Phoenix PA22, just asking members that have one for an opinion.
JT
 
#53 ·
As far as good solid and fun 22s go I would recommend the ruger sr22.
I bought one a few months ago and it has been great. No ammo tolerance issues like many other 22 semi auto pistols have. It feels nice in my large hands and is a lot of fun.
Easy to disassemble and reassemble.
The only time this weapon has malfunctioned was when it hadn't been cleaned for 500-1000 rnds and I had a friends 8 year old kid shooting it. The kid was holding it with a weak grip and bent arms and was taking too much recoil out so there were frequent FTEs. After I got him to keep his arms straight the probelm went away.
I have fired all of the cheapest types of ammo that I can find through this pistol with no problems and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a super fun plinker 22.
As a note, its design is taken from modern tactical pistols and it looks like a cut down modern pistol, it is not as accurate as a ruger mk1-3 or a other 22s like that.
It is pretty comparable to a walther22 or a sig mosquito, but without the ammo issues.
 
#54 ·
Unless you're an exceptional markmans, using a .22LR pistol, your target for a head shot, better be no more than 25 yards away, up to point blank. Now with my Winchester model 72 bolt action, 100 year old rifle. I could probably shoot you in the eye at 50-75 yards in the head at 100-125 yards. A chest shot with a 22LR pistol round, just about took Reagan out due to they couldn't find the the lead and the spot of bleeding. Using a .22 rifle, really speeds up the round. If you really had a good place to shoot and practice 25,50,75,100 yards, practicing 3 times a week or so, would really help a lot. Not much reason to go past 50 yards with pistol but you may learn a few things, you didn't know, which would help go from a marginal shooter to a good shooter with your 22LR pistol.
JT
 
#55 ·
Well Surprise surprise, this man has just what I'm looking for.
I've located one at a local gunshop but it was at the gun smiths.
I'm hoping it will be ready soon. I dread trying to buy one online
and since I'm looking to trade this is about my only chance to get one
in my area.
I have spent a ton of time reading reviews and watching amateur videos about them.
Most by young guys with little experience with firearms.
I did find a couple that seemed to know what to look for in a gun.
Anyway most of the folks really liked theirs so I'm looking forward to getting my own.
I'm cutting way back on the big bore stuff, it is just too expensive on a SS pension,
Still have a couple that handle 38 / 357, & 44Spl. for serious shooting.
But I'm mostly shooting 22LR for fun and to keep my eye in.
And I want a fun to shoot and easy to carry little gun.
Any comments or recommendations about the Phoenix are appreciated.
Get R Done! LOL
Gabby
 
#56 ·
I bought a Firestorm (Bersa) 22lr about two months ago, have nearly 1000 rounds thru it with just a few fail to fire's. All but one of those fired on the next try. Great little gun![/QUOTE

I had a Bersa 380 before they started calling them "Thunder" or any other fancy names.
It is a Walther PPK Clone. Bersa made them for the war effort in the 1940's with the original blueprints.
And were later able to put their own name on them. I bought it for my wife but she is mechanically challenged and likes my snubbie so I traded it to my brother. It was a very good operating gun and very well built, I was amazed at the fit and finish. The double action pull is pretty heavy but pretty smooth
single action was quite good with very little creep and broke crisply. Main reason I traded it is I've been removing guns that require me to buy another caliber ammo. Sticking to 38 /357 for serious with a backup gun in 44 spl. I want the little Phoenix as a plinker first and as a pocket mouse last.
I'm very fortunate that I can walk out my front door to my picnic table and bang away to my hearts desire.
Usually have invited my neighbor and my Bro and maybe his buddy will tag along.
Then the rest of the neighbors crawl into their bunkers be cause it starts to sound like a war zone, or at least an active shooting range. LOL Don't have to worry about the law because everyone else around here shoots too. Gets a bit noisy at times. :mrgreen:
The upshot of Gabby's ramble is that Bersa makes a good firearm and you should get great service from it after you find which ammo it likes best. I never had any trouble with the 380 but didn't shoot it a whole lot do to expensive ammo.
I hope this helps.
Gabby
 
#57 ·
Every since I've read some articles on the Phoenix 22LR pistol,out of curiosity, I've been looking around trying to locate a retailer, so I could hold one and check it out. I've still not found one or anyone that carries this pistol. Any major retailer carry this pistol? I know Academy doesn't. I'm sure not going to order one unless I can check it out first. Also will this pistol accept HP ammo? Thanks!
JT
Almost any licensed dealer will order one for you. Here in Oregon we can order one from the internet and have it deilvered to the dealer for a handling fee and background check fee, I just don't wabt to go that route since I'm often doing a trade.
Gabby
 
#59 ·
I've got the Browning URX Contour. I got the one with the 7.25" barrel because I liked the additional weight. Open sights at 10 yards is child's play netting bullseyes; you can do it all day long. It took some time to become fairly accurate at 25 yards, at least for me, anyways. By fairly accurate I mean I can land the rounds, open sights (with my eyes, no less lol) in a 6" diameter circle. For me, at that range, it's good. Eventually I'll get better. I love the thing. I can shoot it all day long and it costs me more in gas to get to the range than it does to fire it. I might put a sscope or something on it at a later date, but I'm having too much fun with it now.

Cannon
 
#60 ·
I have a Colt Service Ace, bought it about 30 years ago new, I love that weapon. It's so fun to shoot. Have run lots of different ammo through it, and can only remember a couple times in all these years when the slide didn't lock back on the last shot. The action is so fast it feels like it goes full auto, it doesn't of course, but it sure is fun to blow up a bunch of rounds at a can really fast.
 
#62 ·
Unless you're an exceptional markmans, using a .22LR pistol, your target for a head shot, better be no more than 25 yards away, up to point blank. Now with my Winchester model 72 bolt action, 100 year old rifle. I could probably shoot you in the eye at 50-75 yards in the head at 100-125 yards. A chest shot with a 22LR pistol round, just about took Reagan out due to they couldn't find the the lead and the spot of bleeding. Using a .22 rifle, really speeds up the round. If you really had a good place to shoot and practice 25,50,75,100 yards, practicing 3 times a week or so, would really help a lot. Not much reason to go past 50 yards with pistol but you may learn a few things, you didn't know, which would help go from a marginal shooter to a good shooter with your 22LR pistol.
JT
Jtex, This thread was about 22lr pistols, not rifles. So, I don't think we are talking about "head shots" mostly having fun. I have a Ruger 22/45 with bull barrel and FO front site it is very "fun" to shoot and still helps me relax when shooting and concentrate on the front site when i rapid fire at 3 different targets at varying distances.
 
#63 ·
I am looking for another pistol ,probably a 9mm. So this is a 2 part reply. One ,if there is anyone who can suggest a 9mm "house gun" I would apprecite it and the 2nd part is this:if you are looking for a 22 pistol avoid Browning. I have a Buckmark and I am sorry I bought it. Its picky as to ammo and more important Browning customer service is horrible. When I got the gun I noticed that the front sight blade was warped. I called Browning's customer service and explained that while you could use the gun the sight was defective and needed to be replaced . I asked if they would send be a replacement (since its a screw- on part) so I could use the gun in the interim) and I would send back the defected part when I got the new blade. I was told in a VERY rude manner that my word would not be accepted and if I wished to claim that there was a defect I must mail them the entire gun to them at my expense. I repeated that my suggestion would allow me use and possession of the gun(at least for home defense purposes) and sending the entire firearm to them meant no shooting at the range(even with defected sight ) and no possibility of home defense and said that going along with my suggesting would be a show of good will and encourage me to continue as a customer. To this the representative replied that Browning had plenty of customers and that if I wished to make my next purchase from another company I should feel free to do so. In sum .Browning did not care in the least that they sold me a defective product and did not care about keeping me as a customer. It is clear that they are too big to give a darn about an individual buyer. I wish I was warned about their terrible attitude and rude customer service representative. I say representativeS because I called back ,got another representative but,the same "we don't care about the little person" attitude. I'll never buy from Browning again . Sooner or latter you need customer service and Browning's is virtually non-existent. There are plenty of other makers and as the saying goes,"fool me twice shame on me". Anyway,as to 9mm ..If you have a suggestion,especially if you dealt with the company's service department and they were helpful,please let me know what you think. So far I'm considering ,CZ,Springfield,S&W ,Sig and Ruger.
 
#65 ·
I was at my local LGS today, and they had a brand new Phoenix .22 there for $200. What a piece of junk... magazine didn't fit the gun properly, slide didn't slide properly, trigger was like a plastic toy. I know there are some posters on this thread that are happy with them for the price, but there is no way that I would own one of those things at any price. To compare, the Walther PPK .22 felt and worked like a real gun, and was only around $350. Trigger pull was heavy, but otherwise a very nice gun.
 
#66 ·
My 1st .22 handgun was an H&R 686 revolver, looked like a single action but was double. Trigger pull was VERY heavy & gritty & I could hardly hit anything past 20 ft with it but for $129 new I was happy. Later got a 6" Dan Wesson. Loved it. Very accurate & great trigger. Then got a used Ivor Johnson pocket .22 cheap, looked like a Walther PPK, fun to shoot. Jammed a lot until I polished the feed ramp. Then a Browning Buckmark, decent trigger & quite accurate. Now have a Ruger 22/45 I recently posted about in the Ruger section. This one's a keeper for sure.
 
#67 ·
Started with a Ruger Mk1 4", went to a Mk II 5.5 BBl target. It ate anything. If it jammed it was because of too many rounds-crud and not enough cleaning - because it was a bear to reassemble.

Was lucky enough to get a Beretta 87 Target. Just beautiful is all I can say.
And since the 87b .22 was not in production/could not be found, I traded the Ruger for a Mosquito.
A little frustrating but after some TLC, its a nice shooter. Then I nabbed a Beretta 71. Another fine pistol. In all - the pistols did fine with quality ammo.
Cheap usually bought problems as my HK MP5 can attest. (had a slam fire that blew the extractor out.)
 
#68 ·
For a 9mm "house gun" any of the better American manufacturers will do but try and find the one that suites you best, I'm thinking along the line of Ruger or S&W, another option is the Glock. I especially like the ability to shoot without having to fumble for a safety, that's the beauty of those striker fired guns that are made along those lines. I carry my SR9C with the safety off because it is redundant be cause of the trigger safety. I know there are tons of good imports but I personally would rather support our own people than some other country. We need the jobs and the businesses here!
Gabby
 
#69 ·
I'm new also. I bought 4 guns in the last 6 months. A full size 9mm, a subcompact .40, an ATI 1911 in .22 and a Heritage colt in .22. The 9mm is great and very accurate but the subcompact .40 shoots all over the place. I would never use it as a CCW, which is why I bought it.
What I've learned is that the .22 and .22magnum are the most accurate by far! I can group to 3" at 20 yards with them. I'm not completely new shooting, I was military many years ago and was quite good with a Colt and a Thompson. So I have to look at this way; do I want to carry a .40 that is too powerful for it's size or a .22 that could place 10 rounds any where I want to put them? I'm 64 years old, I'm not going to chase or hunt anyone. Contrary to what most people say, in my case a .22 hollow point well placed, will bring anyone down.
I may buy a compact 9mm but I really don't care to carry anything on my belt. If I can't find one that will slip into a nylon pocket holster, I'll settle for a small caliber pocket rocket!
 
#71 ·
I had a huge problems with my Sig Mosquito. It jammed and failed to eject with everything I tried: Federal, Remington, CCI-mini mags, and a couple of others. I finally wrote to Sig, they sent directions to send it in. When i got it back, it would shoot anything and everything. You could mix up ammo in the same mag and it would still flawlessly shoot. I love the way it fits my hand, and I put a red laser sight on it. Even better.
 
#72 · (Edited)
Machine gun Air gun Trigger Shotgun Gun barrel
I just kept buying them until I found one that worked. Seriously, I am the worlds biggest sucker for .22 handguns. Not pictured are a Bersa T22, 2 Ruger SR22's, AA Conversion for a Glock21, and conversion kit for CZ's, a Kadet Kit. . 22's are the most finicky by far. I generally stick to Remington Golden Bullet's or CCI Mini-Mags. Blazer works in most, bit I have found if your .22 ammunition is getting muzzle velocity of 1200+ it's generally reliable. Trigger Wood Gun barrel Auto part Gun accessory
 
#74 ·
Pistol wise I have a Ruger Standard, MK III 22/45 Lite, and SR-22. While I have owned them all at least four years, the Standard since '78 or so, I have never fired the 22/45. The SR-22 has had a little outing, and a few missteps, but all fired the second time. I must be hoarding 22 ammo as I have not been shooting it in anything.
 
#76 ·
Had bought a used SR22 which would eject the casings all over the place. Got a captured spring guide rod from Tandemkross that was about 4.5 pounds of strength and they got consistent ejections. (replaced the flexible plastic guide rod that came with it with the captured spring rod.
Love it.
 
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