Target pistol

[pixelperfect]

What is a good pistol for serious target practice? What is the best target ammo for .22 shooting.

[moosebox76]

best ammo is whatever your gun shoots best with try them all. every gun has its own appetite. i have best luck with wolf match target

[OBrien]

What is your price range? I have herd very good about S&W model 41 but its quite pricey ruger MKIII is a pretty good one for target shooting at a better price IMO.

[Claude Clay]

if you can find a (used) Sig/Hammerli Trailside ~$400 grab it.
fixed or adjustable sights, 4 or 6"

find which ammo is best and what is cheaper & still good.

mine and most i have seen shoot very well--perhaps not as good as a m41 but for the $ it is great value

[raydcarter]

What's your experience level? It might be worthwhile to get an inexpensive gun to start with - when you're as good as it is, then go looking for a serious target pistol. Who knows, you might not like it as well as you think.

[mrkirker]

If possible, try several different offerings. Target pistols are very 'hand sensitive'. A good starting point is the Ruger MK I or II (no experience with the Mk III, yet). There are certain older High Standard models that perform well.

[pawn]

+1 for Ruger MK Series Pistols

[jrg]

I 3rd the Ruger MK II series, but Buckmark Camper also has some very good points.





Scope is great over a rest, but pretty challenging if shot offhand, fwiw. Also a pita to holster w/ scope. Just sayin' is all.

Good luck with your choice.

[pixelperfect]

I have good experience pistol shooting. The last two years I have be hooked on the 1911 format. I have a Les Bear .45 & a Kimber target 1911 in .9mn. I shoot about 400 rounds of .45 & .9 every month. The cost keeps oning up. I have had a Ruger mrk 11 for twenty years and shoot over 10000 rounds thru it. I shoot a S&W 41 at the range yesterday and I loved it. I am thinking about a Ruger mrk 111 with a long slab barrel, S&W 41 or a ruger revoler with a long barrel.

[raydcarter]

Those sound like good choices. I have a S&W 41-1 and a High Standard Supermatic Citation my father in law left - love them both. If I were looking for a serious target pistol, personally, I'd go for the 41. Have you considered a .22 conversion for one of the 1911's? There was an article, as I recall, in the latest Handloader magazine which was somewhat favorable.

[LDBennett]

pixelperfect:

If you have the bucks then go for the S&W Model 41. It is near perfect out of the box. The Ruger is OK but could use a trigger job. The Rugers are tough to disassemble/reassemble for cleaning (doable but just fiddly to get back together... have to hold you mouth just right).

If you like 1911's and have trigger system parts that make your 1911 trigger to die for, then geting a 22LR conversion unit is an option. There are two styles readily available: tactical and target. The tactical ones have the sights mounted to the slide which moves in recoil. The target ones have the sights mounted to a rib that extends to the rear of the gun and a small bolt moves in recoil under the rib to feed ammo. The tactical ones are the Kimber, the Ciener, and the Marvel 22 Conversion Unit No. 2. There are others but if the sights move in recoil their accuracy is affected.

For the Target Conversion variety there is the Marvel 22 Conversion Unit No. 1. The sights are fixed to the rib which is fixed to the barrel. The conversion unit is made purely for accuracy and is tested at 50 YARDS! They include the test target in the box. There are others and you'll have to do research but I can personally attest to the accuracy of the Marvel Unit No. 1. It is spectacular for accuracy and the only target pistol I have seen that shoots more accurately is a Bullberry barreled Thompson Contender single shot pistol that my friend owns.

If you are willing to exceed $1200 then there are the Olympic style rapid fire pistols. The bottom of that series is the Benelli MP90S. It has a fully adjustable two stage trigger (can be adjusted to make it a single stage if you want), is superbly made in a European style, and probably more accurate than a S&W Model 41. The Benelli MP95 is the same pistol but without he adjustable trigger and without the ergonomic grips. I recommend the MP90S over the MP95 as the trigger alone is worth the extra money but the grips do help accuracy.

I have or have shot all the pistol listed above (except the Benelli MP95). For accuracy I rate the Ruger MK II 678 Government Model on the bottom increasing in accuracy with the S&W Model 41, the Benelli MP90S, the Marvel Conversion Unit No. 1, and my friends Thompson Contender. The Buckmark target guns fit in at the Ruger level, which is no slouch level, by the way. The Tactical Conversion units fit below the Ruger, in my opinion.

LDBennett

[pixelperfect]

Thanks for all the good info. I just orded a Marvel #1. Thanks.

[raydcarter]

That's cool - where did you order it and how much?

[LDBennett]

pixelperfect:

Congratulations. You will enjoy this unit.

LDBennett