Best .22 Pistol

[gbs52]

What are some of the most accurate .22 bulleye pistols out there?

[plinker]

My daddy's High Standard Supermatic Trophy (Hamden) is one of the most accurate .22's I've ever fired!

I'm currently shooting it right now - but having some misfires with it (failing to feed, some trigger issues too). I've been advised that I probably need the recoil and trigger springs replaced.

Since this was his tournament gun, I'm sure that many thousands of rounds have been fired through it, so it doesn't surprise me that it needs new springs. The problem is finding the right ones!

If I was going to try to find a replacement gun for it, I'd probably search Gunbroker for another old High Standard! I've also been shooting a friend's .22 CZ, but I don't think it is on equal ground with the HS!

[jackh]

What is your definition of accuracy? A gun that will group 1/2" at 50 yards, or one that will clean the 50 yard target from your hand?

On the machine rest, many pistols are impressive. Shooting from the hand, the trigger, ergonomics, personal preference, and mental-physical skill level, each play large roll in accuracy.

I was about to throw away a Hammerli, but the inaccuracy was ME. I settled down and shot a following match with a Bob Marvel Custom Pro 22. Much better. From a machine rest, both these guns group well under 1".

Continuing. You will find most "accurate" 22 pistols will group 1.5" or better with a good choice of ammo. Old High Standard, Target Ruger, 41, Good conversion units, all can do this. Ammo choice is sometimes critical. In a 22 conversion I shot from the Ransom rest, the groups varied from 1" to 4" by ammo brand.

[Isabel1130]

If you are talkng about shooting bullseye, most .22 pistols are accurate enough from a ransom rest unless they have been damaged or shot out in which case they may need some work and to be rebarreled. The issues with how accurately you shoot them are the fundamental ones. You need a gun that you can absolutely depend on that won't give you trouble on the firing line and you don't have to constantly be tinkering with so you can focus on your shooting. You also need a trigger and a sight that works well for you. This for most people is a process of experimentation and familiarlity. Some guns have issues with their magazines. Others are ammo picky. Some are clean freaks. Some are hard to take down. One of the reasons that the Hammerli 208's are popular is that they are like the proverbial energizer bunny. They keep going and going, and rarely have any kind of an issue. They also shoot anything. I have never had an alabi with a Hammerli if I cleaned it kind of semi often and also the gun originally came with a Knapp mount which caused a few problems. They are simple guns with great triggers and will always shoot better than you do. I started out with one of these when I got back into bullseye and still have it. I now use a Feinwerkbau AW-93 as my main gun. Does it have more issues than the 208? Yes, but for me, and this is a personal preference, I shoot it better for a couple of reasons. The first is that I am a left handed shooter and the Feinwerkbau can be set up as a truely left handed pistol. The second is that I seem to do better with the trigger on the AW-93. I am not saying that in most respects the Hammerli could not be tweaked to be very close to the Feinwerkbau, it could, with weights and a different scope set up. I would probably shoot is just as well ( and I have). It is just that right now I seem to have more confidence in my abilities with the Feinwerkbau. Isabel

[paulo]

FWB AW93 with Wrink grips and good ammo, would be my choice.

[JamesH]

Pretty well every .22 pistol in good condition will easily outshoot the shooter so its barely worth worrying about.
Its the 7s and 8s which stuff you up, not the outer tens.

[Guest]

Walther GSP's have to be included in the list of one of the best .22's made. They are built like a tank, ultra reliable, will feed any ammo, and world class accurate.

[Misny]

I never understood why one rarely sees the Walther GSP on the line. They do seem like very good pistols.

[Isabel1130]

I never understood why one rarely sees the Walther GSP on the line. They do seem like very good pistols.

I had one at one time. I bought it in Germany through the Rod and Gun Club in 1983. I never really liked it and if I had to get down to the reasons why, it would be because I don't like the magazine forward and the very heavy barrel. I felt that for me the balance was just wrong. Reliability was great though. Isabel.

[ssauer2004]

At my club we have about five pistol team members using gsp's and gsp experts. I've had my gsp expert for about three months and have only had one failure to fire that was ammo related. I've used several brands of ammo without a problem. I love the gun and can't recommend it enough.

[golfer47]

I shoot the Walther GSP Expert and the Hamden High Standard and I like the Gsp best for feel and accuracy.

[xeye]

the best one is the one you shoot best.

I shoot my Pardini better, but it is more fun to shoot my High Standard.

I like shooting an antique...I'm weird...also with an Al. barrel it's lighter and I get tired holding guns up.

[stipo]

Hi, I'm a long time HS user myself. I am not truly a bullseye shooter, and I've never shot the complete match. I have used mine at the Master's every year since '89 and it's a really tough course of fire there.
If you have a problem with a Trophy and would like someone who knows about them to look at it, I'm gonna give you a name and addy. I don't know if Bill will look at your or no, but he redid mine a year ago...he has springs and other parts available.
Bill is an automotive engineer in Michigan, a GM guy.
Bill Shope william.shope@gm.com

If you don't hear from him, ping me at coach@flashback-theband.com
Stipo

[Da fool]

Just waiting for the recommendations of the MG2 to reappear.
Save mye soul from that gun...

[plinker]

Hi, I'm a long time HS user myself. I am not truly a bullseye shooter, and I've never shot the complete match. I have used mine at the Master's every year since '89 and it's a really tough course of fire there.
If you have a problem with a Trophy and would like someone who knows about them to look at it, I'm gonna give you a name and addy. I don't know if Bill will look at your or no, but he redid mine a year ago...he has springs and other parts available.
Bill is an automotive engineer in Michigan, a GM guy.
Bill Shope william.shope@gm.com

If you don't hear from him, ping me at coach@flashback-theband.com
Stipo

stipo,

Thanks for the info about the High Standard gunsmith!

I think I might have found someone here locally, which would be ideal because I wouldn't have to worry about shipping my pistol. I plan on having a long discussion with him about target guns anyway, since I am a little picky about who handles them. Thanks again!

[jchristensen1]

I'm trying to decide between the FWB AW-93 and the Pardini SP.... I've shot both, and the Pardini just felt like butter. I'm used to a 6-7/8" barrel on my Ruger, and it seemed like the short-barrel length (less time for me to screw up) on the Pardini turned my poorly executed shots from 7's to 8's and 9's.

Has anyone else had a simlar experience?

What is the reliability like between the Pardini and FWB?

What sort of dot (match dot? micro dot?) have people put on their Pardinis?

[K38]

I like my Pardini SP. The barrel is already grooved for rings. You have to have some special rings altered for the Pardini rail. Try

www.larrysguns.com

I use a 30mm UltraDot with two rings on the front. This puts the back of the sight about even with the original iron sight and the balance is just right for me. My SP likes RWS ammo just like Don Nygord said it would. It is also very easy to take apart to clean, 1 captive allan bolt under the muzzle.

Dwight

[Wiley-X]

As others have said, just about any quality .22 is capable of incredible accuracy right out of the box. The problem is the shooter/trigger interface. For example, I know a fellow who shoots high master with a Ruger Mk II that has only had the trigger smoothed out.

I'm really happy with my IZH-35M. It's a shame that they are no longer imported.

When you're looking for the most shootable .22 out there, you need to look at you own situation. What fits your hand? What balances well for you? What fits your current budget?

[krutial]

hi

Bullseye specifies three classes of pistol; a .22 caliber rimfire, a centerfire pistol of .32 caliber or larger; and a .45 ACP pistol. Since the format includes a rapid fire stage, a semi-automatic pistol or revolver with a capacity of 5 rounds is needed.

Cheers!

White Goose Pillow

[hill987]

Hi, I have three of the military style high standards. And shoot them exclusively. I've tried Hammerlies Smith and Wesson 41's and the Rugers. But, I've always went back to the High standards. Just received expert card with a trophy model in the 2700 outdoor conventional. But, I'm already shooting masters scores with it. The only problem the high standard had is that they get a little finicky with target ammo. The fix is to remove the hammer spring, cut one coil off and then test. You may have to cut two depending on the spring. After that, all is great again. No alibis, no misfunctions. Mine works flawlessly and I cut one coil off. My problem with the 41's was they had too many working parts. Hard to take apart and clean. I didn't like the grip of the Hammerlie. It was just too much work to refine a Ruger, when you can buy the high standard straight to go out of the box. These are old model high standards, made back in the 70's. Good luck with your experimentation. That's all part of the fun.