First Post, new Bullseye Shooter!

[jeremiahm]

Ok, so I'm going to my first match in a couple of weeks. I'm in the market for a new 22. I'm looking for some suggestions. Since I am so new to Bullseye, I really don't know what is available. I know the Ruger Mk I,II,III's are popular (even though I really don't know if one series is favored over the other two?). The other players out there I know of are of course the 41's, and trailsides, marvel conversion units, browning buckmarks, and the mega bucks hammerlis and pardini's.

So what should I be looking at? I like the price of the rugers, but I don't want to shoot something that is going to negatively influence my experience!

I have shot some competitive 22's before, but in IHMSA metallic silhouetee shooting. We always measured accuracy of those 22's at 100 yards instead of this 50 yard game (or, heaven forbid, 50 feet, ha ha). But, I wasn't shooting those guns one handed standing either. :)

Which of the above are going to have the best triggers out of the box, and/or most easily made better by aftermarket parts or smoothing of existing parts?

I'm planning on shooting easily found ammo, so the gun should match accordingly. CCI green tag is probably the most "exotic" stuff locally available.

This is my first post, and I just found the board recently. If someone knows of a few good posts that I can track down, that would be great.

Jeremiah

[Spencer]

heading in the right direction, but not necessarily asking the right questions...
there is not one 'best' pistol for everybody - but there will be a number of good starting points for each individual shooter.

Reliability - almost all the pistols you will see on the line (including the non-bulleye competitions!) will give reliability with good ammunition. The brands/models that are not around were usually unreliable...

Fit - if you have a 'big' hand, any pistol can normally be made to fit you - if you have a small hand, the magazine-in-front-of-the-trigger designs will normally be the way to go

[jackh]

I would go Ruger in a heartbeat. MkII will be the consensus first pick, but nothing wrong with MkIII. Since MkI slide does not lock back, I would not choose MkI. Bull barrel in 5.5" might be the best all around choice. But I really like the 6 3/4" heavy tapered barrel for iron sights.

Things to add. Volquartsen extractor, rear sight if shooting irons, and the oversize slide stop lever. Also the Volquartsen sear alone will make a pretty decent trigger. Since you indicate a coming match, there is no time to send it to someone like Roddy Toyota for a real trigger job. RT can tap it for dot sight if need be and stipple the grip. Meantime skateboard tape or better the 3M tread tape from a paint/hardware store on the front and back straps will do fine.

The Ruger is totally reliable and maintainable, AND affordable. One other thing is to fix the magazines rear lip edge as described here.
http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/stovepipe.htm

Apply the fundamentals and a Ruger will take you to high Expert/low Master. I don't know about above that. I am not there even with an Hammerli. :)

[Philadelphia]

The Rugers using decent ammo will definitely shoot 10s and Xs and are very reliable :)

If I were starting over, I'd go with a Ruger Mk II or MkIII with a quality set of grips. The more expensive guns have many adjustments to tailor the gun to you, but it takes a while before you know what you want and need to adjust anyway. The Rugers are popular and hold resale value well enough so you have little to lose by starting out with the Ruger.

[Isabel1130]

Jeremiah, Where are you shooting your first match? You will find that Bullseye shooters are a very helpful lot. Ruger would be a very good choice for a starting bullseye gun as long as you have a trigger job. Once you start shooting and go to some matches you will probably have the opportunity to meet people and try some different guns. It might also be helpful to get on the Bullseye-L list. Used guns come up for sale there quite often and there is lots of good advice when you start shooting Center Fire and .45.
http://www.lava.net/~perrone/bullseye/

Also try the Brian Zins web site for a list of matches.
http://www.brianzins.com/

[jeremiahm]

I'll be shooting my first match with a buddy at the Cincinnati Revolver Club sometime next month. I'm hoping to have a ruger 22/45 by then. I found one locally, but I can't get to Columbus until Monday. I hope they still have it then. It's got the 5.5 inch barrel. From what I'm reading, that is a popular length for one handed standing since it's not that heavy. If I don't have one of these by the match, I'll probably borrow a buddies 45 auto and shoot it. The matches are only one gun matches, so we won't shoot all three guns at once. I can't wait to get a match under my belt so I can start figuring out what I want and need for the future.

On a side note, I know a guy that has a M41 that he keeps in his truck as a day to day "when I need it" gun! I can think of about a thousand other models that would do that much better, but whatever. He won't budge on selling it.

[little_doodie]

Just a FYI...
a 22/45 is a good fun gun but its not a Mark II or III
I have a 22/45 and you could use it for bullseye but the upgrade options are not there for the 22/45.
Its just as accurate as a Mark but the grips are fixed and they can't be changed.
If i had a choice between a Mark and the 22/45 I would go with the Mark hands down.
IMO the 22/45 will limit you in bullseye.

[jeremiahm]

I thought that the 22/45 would further a shooter in bullseye since it's the same platform as the 1911?? I've read about several guys that grind off the hard plastic grips in order to facilite the same grips that they have on their 1911's, so wouldn't that allow you to shoot it as well as a 1911?

Besides the grips, is there something else out there that is available for the Mk's that isn't available for the 22/45? I think I'm missing something?

[little_doodie]

Its not really the same platform, its basically the same grip angle and button location.
You could grind down the current grips.
It would be easier said than done.
If you have access to a milling machine and have a machining background you could modify the grips.
it all depends on what your time is worth.
I shoot in a bullseye league with alot of Marks with special grips but no one spent the time to modify a 22/45 it just alot easier and cheaper to get the Mark.
I have seen a few new shooters with 22/45 but they usually upgrade it as they progress.
There are alot of aftermarket stuff for Marks but I don't think the parts are interchangable with the 22/45.

I currently use a 30+year old high standard that puts my 22/45 to shame.
If you find a used High standard for a good price do not hesitate on it they are that good...

[Isabel1130]

Jeramiah, if you live in Ohio, you should sign up for Canton. Really nice match and in some ways even more fun than Perry.
http://www.cantonmckinleyriflepistol.or ... gional.htm

[jeremiahm]

I look around for a high standard, but for an entry level gun that will get me into the sport, you think that is a better way to go than a $249 22/45?

I do live in Ohio, but Ohio is a big place. I'm about 45 minutes from Cincinnati. That puts me a bunch of minutes from Canton. ha ha Thanks for the link though.

[Isabel1130]

Jeremiah, I live 1340 miles from Canton Ohio. It will take me roughly 20 hours of driving to get there. I will be there along with four other people that I shoot with. I wish that I only had to go across Wyoming on a diagonal to get to a great match like Canton. Cheyenne WY to Jackson Wy in the far northwest corner is 6 1/2 hours for me. Ohio is not a big place. :-) Isabel

[jeremiahm]

Ok, so you got me. My measley little 3.5 hour drive to Canton pales in comparison to your trek! :)

So besides the ruger (either Mk or 22/45), what are other options in the same general price range (say under $400)? What do people think about the buckmarks or the trailside? I'm not a cheapskate when it comes to firearms, but I do want good value since this isn't my primary sport. Most of my fun money goes towards competitive archery. A M41 looks like a real bargain compared to my competition bow! haha

[Dogchaser]

Ok, so you got me. My measley little 3.5 hour drive to Canton pales in comparison to your trek! :)

So besides the ruger (either Mk or 22/45), what are other options in the same general price range (say under $400)? What do people think about the buckmarks or the trailside? I'm not a cheapskate when it comes to firearms, but I do want good value since this isn't my primary sport. Most of my fun money goes towards competitive archery. A M41 looks like a real bargain compared to my competition bow! haha

I have a Buckmark for general shooting and hunting and love it.

I have shot it before on league night and it will shoot 100s. All I did to mine is the sear spring flip mod that you can read about on Rinfire central and the trigger weighs right at 2.5 now. I also mounted a spare Millet dot on a Wiegand rail.

I find the control location and grip angle the same as a 1911 .45 and the reliability to be awesome. I would not get a Ruger even though they have quite a following.

BTW I shoot Model 41s in competition and have loved shooting them since my Dad bought one when I was 8.

[little_doodie]

So besides the ruger (either Mk or 22/45), what are other options in the same general price range (say under $400)? What do people think about the buckmarks or the trailside? I'm not a cheapskate when it comes to firearms, but I do want good value since this isn't my primary sport. Most of my fun money goes towards competitive archery. A M41 looks like a real bargain compared to my competition bow! haha

Buckmarks are pretty good along with S&W 22A
They are basically high standard clones that have the basic look and feel of a high standard.
They shoot pretty well and with minor trigger work that will compete very well.
I think they would be a pretty good choice.
I had a 22A before my HS and it shot very well but it was a little fussy on ammo it liked.
I don't know alot about the trailside other than I heard their hard to come by.

[solomon grundy]

I don't know alot about the trailside other than I heard their hard to come by.

Trailsides are not longer sold under that model name. But you can get the Euro version of this pistol ( the Xesse ) through Larry's guns - http://www.larrysguns.com/Departments/N ... BFont.aspx

I'd had a Trailside, and it was a very accurate pistol, though I never took a shine to it. But they're worth considering IMO.

[jackh]

Just to add support for Ruger, today at practice I shot significantly better with the MkII in timed and rapid than with the Hammerli 208s.

[2650 Plus]

Very important that you try as many pistols as you can before you decide. Start out taking the most comfortable grip you can manage, then raise the pistol to eye level and checl to see if the sights will allign naturally. Keep trying until you find a grip on the pistol that provides natural sight allignment. And that is where you should start. Next check the position of you trigger finger and make sure that you can position it so as to apply pressure straight to the rear alligned with the long axis of the barrel. And now your training should start. Most important is to be able to cause the pistol to fire without disturbing sight allignment or causing the stillness to be disturbed. Some where along the training you must learn to focus you shooting eye on the front sight and only the front sight. Ignore the target because it is the only thing that dosen't move. Accept the movement you can't control and let the pistol fire itself.There is a lot more to developing a winning technique but this should get you started on the right direction. Good Shooting Bill Horton