# .22 pistol for target/squirrels



## sparta391 (Dec 21, 2011)

My dad is wanting a .22 pistol that we can mount a scope on for shooting and squirrels. Does anyone have experience with the Beretta U22 Neos or whatever it's called?? if not what others can you recommend?


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## ASH556 (Dec 21, 2011)

sparta391 said:


> My dad is wanting a .22 pistol that we can mount a scope on for shooting and squirrels. Does anyone have experience with the Beretta U22 Neos or whatever it's called?? if not what others can you recommend?



Browning Buckmark or Ruger MK III.  I prefer the Browning.


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## ATLRoach (Dec 21, 2011)

I have an Mark III Comp Target with a 2x Leupold that I shoot squirrels with. I'll post pics of it when I get home.

Edited: 






It has Volquartsen target grips, VQ Bolt Tune and VQ Mark II trigger with bushing. I can nail 12oz cans with this setup at 150 yards with a improvised rest.


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## fishtail (Dec 21, 2011)

Had the pleasure of seein' the Ruger 22/45 threaded barrel in action this weekend with my nephews at hand. I'm impressed.


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 21, 2011)

Ruger Mark III .22/45 is a great pistol for the money. Mine came with scope mounts, but I don't really want a scope on a pistol.


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## Richard P (Dec 21, 2011)

Once you get used to seeing where you want to place the bullet you will probably learn to like the scoped pistol.


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## spaz1 (Dec 21, 2011)

My wife has a neos in 22 with tasco red dot scope on it.not a squirrel in any tree will live with it very good little gun for the money...


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## Ellis Prairie (Dec 21, 2011)

Scoped is the only way to go for squirrel hunting, IMHO.


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## sandhillmike (Dec 21, 2011)

I have a Neos and a Buck Mark, if I had to choose one it would be the Browning, but the Neos is a great gun also.


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## Dr. Strangelove (Dec 22, 2011)

Ruger MKII is what I have, but the MKIII isn't bad. 

Buy what tickles your fancy and practice, practice, practice.


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## farm7729 (Dec 22, 2011)

I have the ruger with the target barrel and love it. Never had a scope or red dot on it, but I can see where that would be fun. What type of scope/red dot works best without spending $500?


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## spaz1 (Dec 22, 2011)

the red dot on her neos is a tasco from walmart , think they sell for around 70 bucks and uses weaver mounts ,the red dot shows up good !


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## ASH556 (Dec 22, 2011)

farm7729 said:


> I have the ruger with the target barrel and love it. Never had a scope or red dot on it, but I can see where that would be fun. What type of scope/red dot works best without spending $500?



Those little Burris Fastfire units seem to work pretty well on 22 pistols.  My buddy has one on his suppressed 22/45.


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## BDD (Dec 22, 2011)

The TC Contender is a great gun, and after getting use to shooting squirrels, he may
Decide to change barrels and go after something bigger.


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## sparta391 (Dec 22, 2011)

how much are the Rugers and Brownings?


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## pacecars (Dec 22, 2011)

Ruger 22/45 with a Pac-Lite upper. Extremely lightweight. I have a dot sight on mine but you can scope it just as easily.


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## 93yj242 (Dec 22, 2011)

i have a old smith and wesson 48-4 with a 6inch barrel that i use. the extra umpth of  the magnum is a plus for hunting and not so for the cost on plinking.


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## Etter2 (Dec 23, 2011)

I'm a real big fan of the mark II.  Mine is misfiring at the moment.  Think it needs a new pin spring as its shot many many thousands of rounds.  I put a scope on it but I don't like it.  It's coming off when I get it fixed shortly.  With open sights, it's really no big deal to hit cans out to 100 yards.


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## golffreak (Dec 30, 2011)

Ruger Mark III Hunter

Browning Buckmark


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## bowtie (Jan 2, 2012)

i've got a target smith and wesson....never tried it....but now the thought is there...lol


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## JWCAMO (Jan 3, 2012)

I like the Kel-tech .22 magnum . 30 round magazine. maybe more fire power than you are looking for great little gun.
http://www.gunblast.com/KelTec-PMR30-2.htm


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## Old Coach (Jan 10, 2012)

Ruger MKII Comp-Target with a T/C 2x scope.
Ck on graybeardoutdoors for used pistol scopes, also E-Bay.
A 2x Burris for less than $150 or a 2x Leup for under $175, both really good pistol scopes.
A Swift 2x new is about $125 also good.
The Ruger should come with the base, you have to add rings.
I have 4 Rugers, different bbl lengths, all set up with scopes.


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## Washington95 (Jan 11, 2012)

I have the Ruger Mk III Hunter, but suspect that any of the drilled/tapped Rugers would probably shoot as well for less $$$.  Saw the other day that the Mk listed at about $650.  Ouch.

And as for scopes, just check them out for parallax.  I called every pistol scope mfgr a little while back, and all are set for 80-90 yds, not the 20-30 you'd need for squirrel heads.  

It took a lot of head scratching to figure our when one of the scopes I had on a pistol would shoot great one day, then be off a couple of inches the next time I shot it.  When I did figure it out, shooting off bags, I realized that with scope still, but sighted in on a bulls eye target, moving my head (not the gun/scope) you could see the cross hairs move.  Not good.  And that was one of the more expensive scopes, not a cheapie.  That's when I called the various mfgrs to find one that had close range parallax set.  None did.
There WAS one adjustable objective (to set parallax at various shooting ranges) scope, but it is no longer available I don't think.
Think it was a Burris, but again the only AO handgun scope out there.

So what to do.  Unfortunately you just have to live with it I guess.
But one thing you can do is go to a large supplier store that has several different hand gun scopes.  Set yourself up somehow where scope is lying on counter or something, sight it on something about squirrel shooting distance, and move your head/eye around checking to see how much parallax you have.  Some are much better than others, and $$$ don't mean better.  Better optics maybe, but that +/- 1.5 inches (some have 2) at squirrel shooting range will equate to lots of misses that aren't the shooter's fault.
Also, I would recommend shooting sticks or rests on trees in order to get a dead on solid hold.  

Good luck, and don't give up, just be aware.


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## fourwinds (Jan 12, 2012)

I've got a MKIII 22 45 threaded barrel that came with rails on it. Although, the standard 22 45 will come with a scope mount too. I mounted a Primary Arms MD-07 (clone of Bushnell TRS-25) micro red dot on it. It'll work fine on squirrels if I do my part.


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## GunnSmokeer (Jan 12, 2012)

*Three Suggestions*

1:   Any of the Ruger MKIII pistols that come with a factory-tapped receiver and a Weaver scope base. But get one with the longer 5" to 7" barrel. I had one with a 4" bull barrel and it never grouped as tight as other .22s, even with a couple different scopes, across sandbags, with a variety of ammo including Wolf Match Target.

2:    Browning Buck Mark.  Again, get the longer-barreled one that comes ready to mount a scope on.  This will be more expensive.  Think $500 range instead of $300 range. But it will have a nicer trigger, right out of the box. If you buy the Ruger, you'll probably want to do a trigger job on it.

3:   S&W  22A.   The 5.5" barrel would be O.K., but they make one with a 7" barrel.  I saw one at a gun store in Jasper, GA a few months ago, used but perfect condition, for $239.  This gun will have a better trigger than the Ruger, and it will be a lot easier to clean (easy to take apart). It should be lighter weight, too.  But the grip will be fatter/ thicker.

OPTICS:  For any of them, I suggest a wide-screen red dot sight.  That's what all the bullseye target shooters use, and most action pistol shooters too, if the game they play allows optics under the rules.   My .22 target pistol (a High Standard Victor worth about $600) currently wears a $79 Tasco red dot, and it groups about as well as some .22 rifles I've used with 4X crosshair scopes!


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## GunnSmokeer (Jan 12, 2012)

*sight-in distance*

Oh, keep in mind that if you use a scope, the center of the scope (your line-of-aim) will be a couple inches higher than your bore.  So if you sight in at close range (50 feet) but then take a longer shot that puts the bullet at the top of its arc in relation to your line-of-sight, that bullet could be a couple inches high.  

At least with iron sights, they are usually mounted closer to the bore and therefore this arc is smaller and the trajectory "seems" flatter, with less bullet movement on paper for a certain change in distance-to-target.


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## poolecw (Jan 13, 2012)

JWCAMO said:


> I like the Kel-tech .22 magnum . 30 round magazine. maybe more fire power than you are looking for great little gun.
> http://www.gunblast.com/KelTec-PMR30-2.htm



Did Kel Tec ever work out the kinks on the PMR 30?  I've been drooling over one ever since they started previewing it on their website a couple years ago.  After they released it, they started getting a lot of serious issues reported to them.  So they stopped production and pulled them off the market.  

I hope they got the bugs workd out cause I want one in a bad way


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## Mars (Jan 25, 2012)

Ive got the Buck Mark and a Ruger SBH in .22/.22 mag and both are good guns. If you dont mind single action, I would recommend the Ruger. Ive got a 6.5" barrel and its dead on at 20-25 yards.


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## luv2drum (Jan 25, 2012)

I have a Ruger Mark II with a 6"bbl.  It is a little tack driver.  I have shot the Berretta neos, the buck mark, and the S&W 22A and 41 are all excellent choices.  I used to own a 22/45 it had feed problems, the bullet kept hanging on the leading eadge of the feed ramp.  Most of what I had read about it, people fixed the problem by modifing their magazine slightly.  I never tried it...   I would say go to a couple of ranges that have guns you can rent, most will have one or more of the above mentioned models that you can try out for yourself and choose what you like the best.


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## markland (Jan 25, 2012)

Browning Buck Mark here as well and with my Tasco Pro Point there is not a squirrel within 50yds safe of me, in fact I usually just take it instead of a rifle when walking and hunting and have no hesistation with hunting with it.  Fun little gun and great trigger!


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## tv_racin_fan (Jan 25, 2012)

Dr. Strangelove said:


> Ruger MKII is what I have, but the MKIII isn't bad.
> 
> Buy what tickles your fancy and practice, practice, practice.


 
I prefer the MK II myself. Talking to a dealer the other day he informed me that Ruger is either making the MK II again or plans to make a MK II anniversary model in the very near furture.

He told me that as I was looking at a couple of very nice MK IIs he happened to have for sale.

ON the scope issue. People need to understand how paralax works and how that makes a handgun scope much harder to use than a rifle scope. IMO anyway. I have a Ruger GP 100 I had a mount installed on it and got a 2-6x32 scope for it. I really haven't messed with it enough to really learn how to use it but I sure did see how difficult it can be... I got a 2 power red dot that is a piece of cake to use since it is more or less paralax free and my head aint gotta be just right for me to hit what I want.. course I still need to play with it more.

I have been seriously contemplating a Burris Fast Fire or similar to mount on my MK II (already got a mount to go on it).


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## Joe_Atlanta (Jan 26, 2012)

tv_racin_fan said:


> I prefer the MK II myself. Talking to a dealer the other day he informed me that Ruger is either making the MK II again or plans to make a MK II anniversary model in the very near furture.


 30 years ago I shot thousands of rounds out of an old MKI and wasn't aware there was any huge change beyond the lawyer instructions stamped on all Rugers. 

I've been eyeing the new 22/45s recently. Why the preference for the MKII? Is there a big difference between it and the MKIII?


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## tv_racin_fan (Jan 26, 2012)

Big difference? Umm not a BIG difference the MK III has an LCI mag disconnect and take down is more difficult IF that is possible at least I believe that is it.

I like some of the MK III models over some others tho so it really is a toss up. The MAG disconnect is something I really don't like but I understand it is easy to remedy that issue. PLUS the take down is fixable if you want to spend the money.

I honestly just got my MK II recently and until then wasn't aware of the take down mess. AND it aint all that big a deal to me tho it seems to be to others.


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## Alan in GA (Jan 27, 2012)

*might have to......*

...it's been a while since I've had squirrel, fried or dumpings. Your posts might have gotten me to the 'gonna do it' mode....right after the extended deer archery season is over Tuesday!
here's my project.....got a scope but have not mounted it..yet.
Had a Mark I Target [6 7/8"] years ago with a Leupold 2X and it was extremly accurate!


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## markland (Jan 27, 2012)

tv_racin_fan said:


> Big difference? Umm not a BIG difference the MK III has an LCI mag disconnect and take down is more difficult IF that is possible at least I believe that is it.
> 
> I like some of the MK III models over some others tho so it really is a toss up. The MAG disconnect is something I really don't like but I understand it is easy to remedy that issue. PLUS the take down is fixable if you want to spend the money.
> 
> I honestly just got my MK II recently and until then wasn't aware of the take down mess. AND it aint all that big a deal to me tho it seems to be to others.



We use to shoot and loved those Ruger pistols until it came down to cleaning time and the aggravation and time spent trying to get the upper back together was just not worth the frustration, so we sold ours and got Buck Marks and have been very happy with them.


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## tv_racin_fan (Jan 27, 2012)

markland said:


> We use to shoot and loved those Ruger pistols until it came down to cleaning time and the aggravation and time spent trying to get the upper back together was just not worth the frustration, so we sold ours and got Buck Marks and have been very happy with them.


 
I didn't find it that aggravating BUT then I have the MK II which is supposed to be better at that. I bought the MK II because it is supposed to be better, there are MK III models I would have rather had and I may get anyway since I see take down aint all that bad.

IF you really have issue with it there is a remedy.

Ok so I understand IF you have issue with the LCI you can remedy that as well only you gon have that hole it was in.

Supposedly the mag disconnect can be remedied as well.

Even then it don't bother me so much it is a 22 and many people do not clean a 22 until it stops running so you aint taking it down every range trip.. And the convoluted method to take it down aint so difficult it just has to be done a certain way. AND you need a "tool" to do it, maybe a couple of them. I use a paper clip and a rubber mallet. For some needing a tool aint nothing for others it is. Some grew up with a 1911 that you don't need a tool or other firearms that carry the tool with them.

My Ruger Old Army came with the tool but it don't carry with or on the handgun it goes in my cleaning kit. That is all well and good BUT if I am stuck in the wild with my ROA and need to take it down I aint got the tool with me. In the case of the ROA I can make do with something else.. other firearms that aint so easy to do. HHMM Maybe I need to put a paper clip in my wallet..


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## Stroker (Jan 27, 2012)

Ruger MarkII or MarkIII. Get one with a bull barrel and put a red dot on it. Bass Pro sell a 30mm one with rings for Weaver bases for around $60. I haven't broke my Goverment model Mark II down in years and have probably run 3-4000 rounds through it. Remove the grips and a through flush with Gun Scrubber, follow up with your favorite gun oil/lube for the action. Hoppes #9 and brass brush for the barrel. Mine feeds any of the "bricks" with no problem and is more accurate than I ever hope to be.


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## tv_racin_fan (Jan 27, 2012)

Wish my MK II was drilled n tapped... I gotta take it to a smith.


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## tv_racin_fan (Feb 6, 2012)

I already purchased a mount. I prefer to have it drilled n tapped.


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## Etter2 (Feb 23, 2012)

Etter2 said:


> I'm a real big fan of the mark II.  Mine is misfiring at the moment.  Think it needs a new pin spring as its shot many many thousands of rounds.  I put a scope on it but I don't like it.  It's coming off when I get it fixed shortly.  With open sights, it's really no big deal to hit cans out to 100 yards.



Switched to CCI stingers.  Nothing was wrong with the gun.


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## Etter2 (Feb 23, 2012)

By the way, I thought the same of the rugers being a pain to clean, but it really isn't that bad.  Just watch a youtube video a couple of times and you can do it without issue.


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## JoeyWommack (Feb 24, 2012)

ATLRoach said:


> I have an Mark III Comp Target with a 2x Leupold that I shoot squirrels with. I'll post pics of it when I get home.
> 
> Edited:
> 
> ...




That's an awesome looking rig you got there.  Can you really shoot out to 150 with that rig?


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## iowa-boy (Feb 25, 2012)

Josh Vibert said:


> Browning Buckmark or Ruger MK III.  I prefer the Browning.


 X2 on the Buck mark. i have a red dot on mine and it great for any level of shooter


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## markland (Feb 26, 2012)

I have no trouble at 100yds with my Buckmark and red dot sight shooting just about anything off a rest, just about as accurate as any of my rifles, offhand it's a little tougher, but doable.


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## wbwright (Feb 26, 2012)

Love my Browning Buckmark!


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## sparta391 (Feb 26, 2012)

Alright list top 5 and we'll make a poll


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## crackerdave (Feb 26, 2012)

When I used to deer hunt,I'd take my Ruger Single Six with the 7 1/2" barrel and pick off squirrels and rabbits while sitting in my stand.A .22 doesn't seem to spook the deer,unless they've been hunted hard.

When you're hunting to eat,squirrels and rabbits are better than nothing!


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## ATLRoach (Feb 27, 2012)

JoeyWommack said:


> That's an awesome looking rig you got there.  Can you really shoot out to 150 with that rig?



Yes I aim at the bottom of the duplex post and can hit 12oz cans no issue unless the wind gets a bit gusty.


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## Old Texan (Mar 7, 2012)

poolecw said:


> Did Kel Tec ever work out the kinks on the PMR 30?  I've been drooling over one ever since they started previewing it on their website a couple years ago.  After they released it, they started getting a lot of serious issues reported to them.  So they stopped production and pulled them off the market.
> 
> I hope they got the bugs workd out cause I want one in a bad way



They've worked things out fine. I have a couple friends that have them and no issues. But they're way backed up and it's a long wait to get one.

Carter Country here in Houston gets 1 or 2 a month for all 4 stores and it's a 2 year waiting list plus you pay up front to keep your place.

Be wary of anything used, if you find one, as I've been told the warranty doesn't extend past the original owner .


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## 1022 (Apr 24, 2012)

I like the old Ruger MKIIs


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## knifenut (Aug 5, 2012)

Anschutz Exemplar with 3x9 Burris.
 TC Contender .22 WMR(will out shoot there .22LR match chamber)
 Smith and Wesson model 41 with 2x7 Burris
 Ruger Mark II with a red dot or scope.


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