About This Site
Best .22 LR Caliber Handguns is a place for information and reviews of handguns — both semiautomatic pistols and revolvers — chambered for the .22 LR (Long Rifle) cartridge. With the recent and drastic increase in prices for ammunition, the .22 LR cartridge is seeing a lot of attention due to its vastly less expensive ammo compared to the larger calibers like 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP.
Many gun owners have already added or are considering to add a .22 LR handgun to their collection in order to continue regularly practicing at the range without breaking the bank. However, the number of handguns available chambered in .22 LR is larger than ever, and with so many models it is difficult to make the right choice for someone’s specific needs.
Best .22 LR Caliber Handguns will help you with this decision. Here you will find reviews, specifications, photos, and more for all of the commonly available .22 LR handguns, such as the Walther P22, Ruger Mark III, Beretta U22 NEOS, and Sig Sauer Mosquito. Armed with this information, you will be able to make an informed decision on where to spend your hard-earned money on the Best .22 LR Caliber Handgun.
More information on other .22 LR handguns will be added soon. I haven’t submitted this site to any search engines yet (as it is not yet complete, and like you said, there are only a couple of guns so far), so I’m pretty surprised that people are already finding http://www.best22cal.com.
I found it but I don’t remember how I got here.
I found this site by typing “what’s a good .22LR semi-automatic pistol for practice” into google. Looks like a good place – I’ll be keeping an eye on it!
Hey everyone I need all your opinions so am think about getting a semi-automatic, my first (I own a collection of 7 revolvers so far but no semi-autos) and I am going to get a 22. I know in revolvers the two best brands are ruger and S&W. Anyways Only concerning accuracy and target practice at the range what would be the best gun or brand?
Jordan,
Check out the latest Ruger’s. The hunter variant is a beauty with nice barrel fluting and comes with a scope mount. Also if you can get past the unconventional looks the Beretta Neos is a pretty sweet shooter out of the box. If you are looking for something that is more like a conventional larger caliber auto for practice then the P22 is outstanding.
Found this site from google. heading to san francisco from ireland in sep 2010. trying out a range so wanted to see what a .22lr handgun looks like…. Thanks!
Hey guys this one if from India. The Best .22lr pistol has to be a) very good looking b) very very accurate and c) extremely reliable. In 1978 Ragnar Skanaker set a world record in Standard Pistol using a Hammerli 208. In 1984 Eric Buljung of the USAMU bettered this by one single point, using a Hammerli 208. This pistol has stood the test of time for over40 years. It is still the best made, best in the looks dept an honest to goodness steel and wood grips pistol. Pity Hammerli stopped making them. If you can have only one pistol in your collection then this is IT
What is that first gun on the very left in the picture of all guns, in the banner.
Hi my name is Tiger and I have a big Tiger in my pants. I have a hot wife but I have a sex addition.
Will this site look at or review the Sig P229 classic 22? Anybody else have anything to say about it? Thanks.
rofl at “big tiger in my pants” (see his comment below)
I’m ready to pick up a .22 pistol this week. Milford is a drive for me….will it be worth it?
Thanks ( ;
Is there a 22 Caliber Pistol the same size as the Sig 3.80 Caliber,that has at a magazine w.
with at least 7 rounds and is the same size as the 3.80 Pistol
John Candido
, I’m hoping they go the tiny gun route. Single-stack pelymor framed 9mm. I’m not too impressed with Kel-Tec in this area (I’m put off by the trigger) and the Walther PPS looks nice, haven’t held one, but the MSRP alone makes me cringe. Ruger could make a solid entry into that market, doing it better than Kel-Tec (sorry guys!) and cheaper than Walther.
@ John,
The sub-compact Bersa Thunder appears to be about the same size and is available in .22, .32 and .380 and holds 10 round in .22. Most other .22’s of this design philosophy appear to go for the ultra compact.
i think that guns are good and the government should no try to take them away… that is all…………….. I THINK YOU SHOULD BUY A .22
Any new addition to a gun collection is a good thing. However , when buying a 22 handgun you need to consider what you will mainly use it for. I have a revolver that I bought first. It is accurate and simple to use and load. Rugers, S&W , Taurus ,Charter arms , and many others all make great revolvers. A longer barrel is usually a good idea since most people dont use 22s for concealed carry self defense and longer barreled handguns are easier to shoot. I also have a ruger mark III auto for plinking and target shooting, very nice trigger and grips and very accurate out of the box but they are built to tight match grade tolerances so they are kind of picky on which ammo works well for them .I have a few range buddies who also shoot these and you just need to find what ammo they like and stick with it, usually it varies from gun to gun. I would like to get a 1911 style 22 auto or a 22 slide conversion for my 1911 to practice shooting with the type of gun I carry , a 1911 45 . This would give me the ergonomics and function of a gun I like to train with but don’t want to spend the $ on 45 ammo. Its the same idea as the M&P 22 rifle that has the same operating features as an AR rifle. You get proficeint with the platform without buying expensive ammo. I guess I would recommend a long barreled 4 inch or longer revolver as a first 22 handgun. It is easy to use, doesn’t care what kind of cheap ammo you feed it and usually you can shoot them single or double action. A well cared for revolver will last forever and can be passed on to future generations to enjoy. Hope this helps guys.
Dharma…did you say the Bersa is available in .22lr…?
Right…try and find one for sale or even the Bersa .22lr firestorm.
Dealers get a dumb look on their faces when you ask for the Bersa .22.
YOU can not get this great little handgun…ANY OR NO WHERE!
I want a 22lr Concealed Carry Semi-Auto Pistol. Yes, I know 22lr is a light round. I have other guns. I have always love 22lr’s and I really want a excellent quality small pocket pistol or as close as I can get to it.
I have a Berretta 21a but it’s FTF’s and FTE’s make it a good plinking gun but not a good CC gun. I would like to find something with a barrel <= 4.0 inches. Any Suggestions?
@Duane. 22’s sometimes take a long break in period. Try taking it to a gunsmith and ask him to polish the breech very well and to check the extractor to see if it is aligned properly. :3))
I personally like the colt woodsman i have owned one for over 30 years and its the one gun that goes out every time I shoot when i was a teenager i would shoot a box of 500 rounds thru it in a day and now my teenagers still shoot it acurate and dependable reasonably priced doesnt get any better
I’ve done alot of research and personal use and I decided on the walther P22. The action on the Walther is quite a bit smoother than the Bersa, Sig, Ruger, and Browning. The Walther Laser which is made for the pistol is just a $130 dollar addition, and there are 3 or 4 good holsters that are made for the laser optioned P22. A 5″ extra barrel can be had for $140 dollars as well. I bought this pistol for my wife. She likes the handiness of the laser and the compactness for her purse. The 3 safety systems to prevent accidental discharge is a plus too. The Walther P22 is just what you would expect from a German engineered piece of utilitarian equipment. It is an ergonomic, elegant piece of personal protection THAT WORKS.
I just purchased a Walther P22 as well. My fiancee loves it and shoots well with it at varied ranges. I strongly recommend this one.
Get a Firestorm 22lr while you can if you can find one! Same as the Bersa 22lr, except you get the rubber finger groove grip for the same $$$$$ A WINNER for 22LR lovers.Only comes with 1 mag. so order an extra 1 [$26?] Lifetime warranty by Bersa so no worries. Mag. pull down button for easy loading, a snap.Teach a LOVED one to shoot with this ,then move’em on up[9mm-40sw-45acp] to defensive caliber’s. Be alert and be safe.
I have read most all of the posts. In that there are several good 22 cal. pistols on the market most brand names (Ruger, S&W, Browning) are good bets for reliability and accuracy. With this being said, I prefer my Hi-Standard Victors and my Colt Woodsman Match Target the best. Not to say the others aren’t very good! One must take in consideration when buying a vintage quality pistol the price may be more for the quality and finish, but I feel it is worth the money. Most newly produced 22 cal. pistols today are flat black or polymer. I prefer the blued and well-polished finish. This does nothing for the accuracy, but does add esthetic pleasure while using and handling your gun. The S&W Model 41 is a quality pistol in 22 cal. is made in the USA, has a good finish but is on the high end in price. Browning has a nice 22 cal. make in the 1911 style for a medium price, as does Colt save it is made in Germany. From $200.00 to $1100.00 a good to excellent 22 cal. pistol can be bought and enjoyed!
Firestorm/Bersa 22lr is a wonderful way to learn to shoot! Very reliable [1000+] not a PROB!!! My Wife asked if someone makes a PINK!!!!!!!– pistol???? Got Her a Taurus 22lr, opens like a cigarette lighter from the 1960’s but the darn thing shoots all black at 15′. Be alert and be safe.
So I was looking for a .22LR handgun:
– for my wife’s ccw
– to save money for my own target shooting
– to have a backup home defense option
I decided on the Walther P22 LSR.
At first I was a little wary about internet posting that claimed frequent FTE/FTL, but it seemed like people were using low powered or cheap-n-dirty ammo.
So I did some research and selected
– CCI Velocitor 40gr 1435fps hollow-point to try for HD
– CCI Mini-Mag 40gr 1235fps copper plated round nose to try for accuracy
– CCO Blazer 40gr 1235fps lead round nose to try something cheaper
After waiting ten days to pick it up, I didnt have the patience to take it home and strip-clean it. The action seemed ready out of the box so I went straight to the range.
Started with the Velocitor… sweet little cartridges with lots of pop and pretty accurate, although I wasn’t doing any formal sighting, just shooting. Barely any smoke and very clean. No issues at all with FTE or FTL through 50-60 rounds.
The muzzle flash is more white than yellow-orange.
Moved to the Mini-Mag… also a nice consistent pop through 60 rounds with obviously high-grade propellant and very little smoke. The muzzle flash is also white. Great accuracy as well.
Finally started shooting the Blazer. Comparably these have much more smoke, black, and really sooty residue. There is a gritty lubricant on the cartridges caused an FTE on the second round of mag 4 and susbequent mags.
After about 60 rounds of Blazer I went back to Mini-Mag and had another FTE, and clearly the gun was gunked up from the Blazer rounds.
The P22 is so much fun. It is indeed just what I was looking and hoping for. My hands are way too big for the P22 so I had to adjust my trigger pressure point from normal full size semi-auto handgun but it didn’t spoil the fun at all.
I can’t wait to get my wife out to the range and work on SD, HD and CC scenarios with the P22. I’m sure after she gets used to it she’ll be ready for her own 9mm or .40.
LCP? Bodyguard? Walther PPS? The P22 is a great trainer, practice gun, and with the right ammo and training, I don’t think it suffers much as an SD or CCW handgun.
But the Walther P22 with confidence, and use the right ammo. The CCI ammo is a bit more expensive than Remington or Winchester bulk bricks, but still >5 times less than 9mm per round.
This is for those of you looking for a .22 LR handgun. I purchased a Ruger 22/45 Hunter a few months ago. I got the basic stainless model for $380.00. Went to the indoor range with it. First hundred rounds it had some little hickups, after that I became a big time fan. It’s one of my favorite hand guns. Not only because it’s cheap to practice with but it’s so acurate!
If you buy a new hand gun of whatever caliber it is suggested to shoot a least 150 rounds threw it just to break it in.
Good luck my friends on your next purchase!
If you want a quality .22lr handgun look no further.. the GSG 1911 is a high quality and beautiful gun! It has the same weight and feel of the Colt .45 acp 1911 the only downside on my opinion, is the cost of the magazine/clips for around 40 dlls. each. So far i shoot 500 rounds of cci blazer and no problems at all. not even a single FTE or FTF
Are you planning to add/review the Umarex/Colt Government 1911 .22lr pistol to this list of .22lr handguns? I am considering the purchase of one.
@Anansi Certainly. Thank you for the suggestion.
Right now I have 2 in my personal battery. I have a highly modified S&W M&P 15-22 as well as a GSG 1911-22. In the gun locker we also have a Ruger Mk3, another Smith m&p and a Henry Golden Boy.
They are all great guns. The GSG has the feel of a 1911 and I can shoot it all day. The Ruger Mk3 feels good and is amazingly accurate. Both S&W rifles are well built and are great test platforms for a .223 AR15. The Henry is just fun to shoot and is accurate as can be.
The best part a none or these were over $400 in stock trimming. I have about $700 in my m&p
do you have a shop where I can see these guns – and others
HOW TO GET .22 PISTOL OR REVOLVER IN INDIA?
PLZ HELP ME…
I have a JA22LR that I carry. Small, lightweight and accurate. Purists out the there will say it is a POS but they are wrong. I have fired at least 600 rounds thru this weapon with no problems at all. Like all 22LR’s, it likes certain ammo better than others. I have fired all the brands with good results.For defense carring I load with CCI mini-mags. Less grain but more stopping power at close range. My wife shoots this weapon and likes it for its size, recoil and ease of shooting and reloading. My personal favorite is the Colt woodsman match target.
I am looking to buy a 22 cal pistol, either automatic or revolver. I’m sure someone has one they want to sell, but I do not know who. Let me know and we’ll talk.
What kind of gun can a 14 year old boy can get for the firing range
picked up a Chiappa 1911 for my mom at a gunshow.
cause it reminded me of the old military days.
after about a month started having problems with sent it back to the company, who knows what they did but I got it back worked fine after about a month it would fire kick back eject shell stay open.
if not it would close the shell half way in the port.
so I thought you know alot of times the mag would not be all the way in which would cause it to lock open.
always have to hit the mag up in the gun, so went back to gunshow got extra mags..
plastic, cause they don’t make metal ones
Same thing, now I may take it out once ever 3 months you know it is just not worth messing with.
so it’s christmas and I want to know if anybody knows of a nice Sub-Compact 22lr that I can look for her at the gunshow?
They’re all pretty much pieces of shit with platic slides except for the Chiappa and the Rugers…
I got in trouble once about 35 years ago for shooting off hand guns in a land fill in the Pacific Northwest. There was a shooting range next to where we were and the gun range dink called the cops on us. After we got reprimanded for our actions the cop told me “son…if you’re gonna own a gun, get a big one!” “If you ever need to defend yourself a 22 will most likely just piss them off.” “Get something that will stop them.” He suggested a 357 mag bottom line. I never bought the weapon but sure thought about his advice. So much so that I still remember what he said and I am looking at possibly buying a hand gun for home protection. Looked at a 44 mag today. A lot of power…..We’ll see. DR
@JV If you like the Walther P22 then you will also like the Walther PK380. I got my girlfriend into shooting with a PK380 and she loves it. Its basically the same gun in a larger bore. It has low recoil and is a good size for women with small hands. Never had a single problem with mine no matter what ammo I use.
Have a brand new Kimber 22LR Target Pistol. Quite expensive pistol with a cheap ass plastic magazine. No side button for loading mag and slide doesn’t stay open after the last round. Love the pistol but cutting corners/cheaping out on the mag, in my opinion, is unacceptable.
Can anyone give me feedback on the Colt Junior .22 short? you cant use LR on it right? does using a short .22 shell cause problems with the loading of a new round in the chamber?
how about overall performance? any serious problems i should look out for in case i buy a used 22 Colt Junior?
feedback/suggestions please.
Thanks
Great site! I’ve always been a huge fan of 22 pistols, I just have a thing for them. Can’t kill anybody but they can tear a soda can to shreds for a lower price than any other caliber 😀
Just replying to “best22pistol”. I too am a huge fan of the .22, but they do kill. .22 bullets kill more people in the united states every year than any other. Be safe and keep killin’ cans!
Slo318….. I cant seem to find a 22/45 Hunter model…… in face I cant find any 22/45 in stainless…. please confirm your model? Thanks….
slo318 says:
April 14, 2011 at 3:08 pm
This is for those of you looking for a .22 LR handgun. I purchased a Ruger 22/45 Hunter a few months ago. I got the basic stainless model for $380.00. Went to the indoor range with it. First hundred rounds it had some little hickups, after that I became a big time fan. It’s one of my favorite hand guns. Not only because it’s cheap to practice with but it’s so acurate!
If you buy a new hand gun of whatever caliber it is suggested to shoot a least 150 rounds threw it just to break it in.
Good luck my friends on your next purchase!
We need the new Ruger SR22 on here!!!
I have a Browning Camper .22 in SS. Great looks, very reliable and accurate
Does anyone know where I can get a metal mag complete with mag pull down button for my Kimber Rimfire Target 22LR. I’ve tried a number of gunshops but no luck yet. Polymer mags are supposed to be good but I’m an old school practitioner. Thanks. Dave.
anyone can tell me where i can get an extra magazine for my colt junior 22 short in the US?