Starting to consider 1st Hand Gun purchase

[analog_kidd]

I have the Ruger Mark III, and it is a beast to disassemble. There are a few very helpful websites that will walk you through every step. If you can follow the directions, you'll have no problems.

I'd recommend getting the .22 first, and before your class if possible. The State does not care which gun or what caliber you qualify with on the test. Having a .22 to take the test over your .38 is going to be a slam dunk. You'll easily score close to if not exactly 100%.

My Ruger is very accurate. One of my favorite thigs to do at the range is chase a golf ball with it. I can easily hit it out to 30 yards with this pistol.

[Dolomite_supafly]

The Ruger's are STEEL!, not aluminum, not plastic (unless you get the 22/45). They will last a lifetime and will be something your great grandkids will be shooting.

Look at all the "classic" 22's. They are all steel guns. Like the High Standards, Colt Woodsman, etc.

Aluminum wears faster than steel, its a fact. All the guns mentioned are good reliable guns but I don't think any will outlast a all steel Ruger.

Dolomite

[vontar]

I am going to take the test with my Dad's Mark 1 Ruger, 35 year old that I have been practicing with. Not going to change now right before my class.

The 38, I just got a few weeks ago, I have never fired it. I know it works though and Yes I do know how to load it. I know which way the revolver turns. I know it turns before firing, (while the trigger is pulled or the hammer is pulled back). I have used other revolvers, just not this one yet.

[USMCJG]

Are the Sig Mosquitos worth looking at?

I have a Sig Mosquito and love it. It's not as accurate as my Mark III, it's picky about what ammo it likes(although it gets less picky the more I shoot it), and the DA trigger pull is terrible. Having said all that, it is tons of fun to shoot. I rarely leave it at home when I go to the range.

[Guest JMB]

Vontar, I bought my first handgun in 1971. It was a Ruger Mark 1. Because I was young and dumb and it was a PITA to break down I cleaned it once in 1973, and while I stopped shooting it much I didn't clean it again until this year. It STILL was perfectly reliable, even abused .

When I finally got my wife to try shooting this winter I bought her the Ruger 22/45 and she took to it like a duck to water. She can control it well and enjoyed it more because she could hit the 10 ring with it.

If you plan on ever getting a 1911 (and you will, it just happens) the 22/45 is set up to be a training gun for the 1911. Angle of grip, placement of controls etc. Just stepped my wife up to a 1911 in 9mm, and now she loves it, and it seems familiar to her.

Researched .22's considerably when I was looking over the winter. None seemed to stack up againt the reliability of a Ruger. (well maybe the Browning)

Taurus P22 are a little small to be a range gun, and as such the recoil may be stronger and more intimidating to a new shooter.

Walthers 22 are picky about ammo, and have had some frame cracks.

Rimfires are notorious for misfires, so a round here or there than doesn't go bang is probable particularly with the bulk buy range ammo. That does however give you experience in clearing a misfire, which can be helpful if you plan to carry.

Good luck, and be safe with whatever you choose!

[wjh2657]

I am more picky about my .22s than I am my other guns. A .22, pistol or rifle is a weapon you will usually hold onto long after you have traded your other guns around. One of my grandsons has my Marlin 15 Single Shot that was my first "real" gun. I am sure that my Henry, Ruger 10/22 and Marlin 60s (notice plural!) will be in the hands of my great-grandkids someday.

That said, I have a Ruger MKI and a MKII. They will be the last pistols I will let go of. They too will find yeoman service with descendents long after I am gone.

BTW, the .22s , my H&R .410s and my Mossberg .410 are the only guns the kids/grandkids have ever asked about as to future ownership! These are family guns!

Point to be made: Buy the best .22s you can afford and buy sturdy. They are lifelong and after investments.

[Shima]

Are the Sig Mosquitos worth looking at?

No. If you want to pay a lot for junk, go ahead. My wife has one and it is junk. It shouldnt carry the Sig name. The trigger is horrible. Its mechanism that should lock the slide back on an empty mag doesn't work. The frame has places where the frame is being chipped away by the slide. It jams at least once in every magazine. The thing costed about $400 IIRC. Very disappointed.

[crashgordan]

ok... all good feedback. i'll play:

IF you stumble across a Sig Trailside, give it a look.

it is made by Hammerli

Pros:

sweet sweet gun to shoot. one of the sweetest .22 triggers i've ever run.

deadly accurate. Perhaps the most accurate .22 pistol i've ever run.

easy to strip and clean.

about a 5 out of 10 on the "picky" about ammo scale, and get's better with time.

feels amazing in my hands... excellent ergonomics.

Cons:

Spendy. between $350-400. but i'd snap one up for $350.

not "bet you ass reliable" Pretty good, but it's no Glock.

Mags are spendy and hard to find

There's some out there that have found theirs not as reliable as others.

This example is very good.

and truly is the sweetest .22 handgun i've ever run...

[maddog909]

Are you considering using a .22 for conceal carry? If so I would reconsider the caliber. A .22 is great for target shooting and plinking but they certainly aren't what you need in a self-defense situation.

[vontar]

Thanks for the good suggestions.

I am going to go to the shop, put a couple in my hand. Sitting here, I think I am going to go with the Ruger still if for on other reason I know a little more about them then the others.

If it is a bit harder to clean, well maybe I will just Learn more about it.

Someone ask back a bit about my 38. It is an old one that was just passed down to me. It was my Great aunts before she died a few month back at 98. (I swear if any one ask how, I will say her parachute failed to open). But seriously at 94/95, she brought a 4 wheeler and made my Dad take her back in the mountains to show her places she had always heard about that she wanted to see before she died.

I will try to post a picture of the gun if I can find a way.

The gun I already checked, it dates back to about 45-47, based on the SN I believe 45-46. I might get S&W one day to actually check the SN and tell me what day it left the factory and if it had those pearl handles or not or find out if they are after market.

[vontar]

[vontar]

Ok, besides the Ruger.

I as I am starting to look and learn about other guns.

I have to ask and sorry if this is a dumb question, but when I keep seeing everyone's 1911's. I get it that there are 1911's that are for .22 and .45, probably others as well

My big question is, are all 1911s made by Colt or to other gun makers also product 1911s? I am wondering if I see a 1911 if I can assume it is a Colt or not.

Reason, I am keeping in this thread, I am adding Colt to my list I am considering, perhaps above the Ruger.

[eapking]

Colt made the original 1911. Today there's plenty of 1911 "pattern" makers. Don't think that if it's not a Colt it's not good. There's plenty of folks who think there's many better 1911 options that Colt (me for one). Here's a 1911 site that I cut my teeth on for about 3 months before I got my first one. Good luck.

1911Forum - Powered by vBulletin

[midtennchip]

Ok, besides the Ruger.

I as I am starting to look and learn about other guns.

I have to ask and sorry if this is a dumb question, but when I keep seeing everyone's 1911's. I get it that there are 1911's that are for .22 and .45, probably others as well

My big question is, are all 1911s made by Colt or to other gun makers also product 1911s? I am wondering if I see a 1911 if I can assume it is a Colt or not.

Reason, I am keeping in this thread, I am adding Colt to my list I am considering, perhaps above the Ruger.

No, there are a ton of manufacturers making 1911s. If you are considering a 1911, there is a huge range (probably bigger range than any other handgun) of options. If you are looking only for a 22, there are fewer options, but certainly more than just a Colt. You might want to look into a handgun that has a good 22 conversion kit available.

Edited July 14, 2010 by midtennchip

[vontar]

I know I will get a Mark 3 Ruger at one point, that is a given.

I will be taking my test this Saturday with my Dad's Mark 1 Ruger. Actually if I don't make my wife made with gun talk, I will try to post a picture of it in a few. It looks as if it has been though a war, but everything works prefect on it. I know he will never sell it.

But I am considering a 1911 maybe.

[mav]

I bought a Ruger Mark III Hunter this year for the same reason you stated, cheap ammo costs. A lot of people have mentioned the difficulty in the takedown of the Mark III. They are correct. It took me about 5 minutes on my first disassembly, and about 30 minutes to figure out how to reassemble it. However, once you do it a couple of times, it is a piece of cake. You can do it in a matter of seconds. I bought a Volquartsen Accurizing kit for my Mark III. Really nice, but a pain to install the first time. That is one of the nice things about the Mark II and IIIs, there are bunch of custom parts out there for them. While I really like my Ruger, if I could do it over, I would have went with the S&W Model 41. I got to shoot one of those and they are sweet, but expensive.

[vontar]

ok, something with with the flash/lighting made the gun look far worse then it does in person.

In person it does not have that brown rusty color, but like I said it is ruff. In the past year I have put about 1,000 rounds though it.

Edited July 14, 2010 by vontar