.22 Bullseye Pistol Help

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I just started shooting .22 bullseye/target pistol at my club (Holbrook) about 4 weeks ago. Not having my own gun, a couple of guys on the team were nice enough to let me shoot their Target pistols. Pardini, Walther ssp, and ruger

Suggestions? Now that I need to buy my own gun, I look to NES for advice.[wink]

Is anyone shooting the Walther sp22 m4 with the ergonomic wood grip? how do you like it?
I was at M&M this weekend and they had one there in my price range.
walther_sp22_m4.jpg


Anyone have a target pistol for sale in the $800 range?
 
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A ruger MkIII + VQ internals + an ultradot matchdot is pretty good gun that you won't outgrow for a while. It also won't break the bank.
 
For $800 there are a lot of used S&W model 41 guns available. They hold their value so if you decide you want to sell it you won't lose a lot of dough.
 
Do you own a 1911 ? I suggest a Marvel Conversion for the 1911 unbelievable accuracy and not to much money . I like mine so much i built a dedicated lower just for the conversion. $430 and you get to use a tried and true lower . Awesome conversion and once you find the ammo it likes it will outshoot just about any .22 costing twice as much .
 
I wouldn't bother with an ergonomic grip until you've been shooting long enough to know how to properly carve it so it matches your natural point of aim.

If you prefer a heavy gun, Ruger. If you have big hands, a Smith 41. If you prefer a smaller grip, lighter gun, go for an old High Standard. The High Standard will have a great trigger.
 
+1 on the the High Standard plenty of used ones around, I have shot in the 290's with one I paid less than $200 for...(Ok admittedly I purchased it 20 years ago)...

A better gun will not necessarily make a better shooter, better off buying a cheaper gun and learning to shoot Bullseye well, then make the investment when you are at a point where you can shoot better groups than the gun will when benched. Always remember what my daddy told me when I wanted a Williy Mays baseball glove, when I told him I needed it so I could play like him.....Dad said quite matter of factly "Son, do you really think if I gave Willy your glove he would play like you, now what makes you think you could play like him with his glove..." So ended my major league dreams......
 
it depends on how you shoot, if you are shooting + 260 then a 41 or a Pardini

are good bets. if your shooting a 220 or somewhere in that neighborhood

get a MKIII witht eh volquartzen upgreades (or do them yurself) and an ultr

red dot, best value for the money... when you get much better at it,

the above 260 score then look.
 
it depends on how you shoot, if you are shooting + 260 then a 41 or a Pardini

are good bets. if your shooting a 220 or somewhere in that neighborhood

get a MKIII witht eh volquartzen upgreades (or do them yurself) and an ultr

red dot, best value for the money... when you get much better at it,

the above 260 score then look.

I shot a 271 average, with a 281-4x high this year with my ruger mkIII with nothing more than VQ sear, VQ grips, and a 20-year old aimpoint dot. The gun is not the limiting factor, I am. 41's, walthers and Paridini's are great guns, but not necessary to shoot well or be competitive.
 
I agree that the Ruger is a great gun to start if it fits your hand. I shoot in a league in central CT, where the top shooter (average 290+) shoots a MKII. Having said that I shoot a Pardini, but there are probably equal numbers of Rugers, High Standards, SW41's, and Pardini or other imports. When I bought mine it was just slightly more expensive than a SW41 (now its over twice the cost). The Rugers are just too heavy for me, and too short of a reach for the trigger. The best shooter on our team shoots a 30 y old High Standard (average high 270's and shot a 290 earlier this season). Definitely find a gun that fits your hand comfortably, and you can get a great Ruger/High standard for well below your budget, and a used SW41 for about your budget.
 
Starting to shoot bullseye 4 weeks ago, my average is 257.

So thats why I was looking at the walther. is there any other intermediate guns between the Ruger and the Pardini?
 
I have an NRA Expert Classification and shoot Walther GSPs. I think you've already received some very good advice in this thread. The top shooter on our team a couple years ago shot a Ruger with VQ innards, and Rugers are being used to win matches every day. That said, personally I'd spring for a good used 41 (which might strain your budget just a bit) because it'll always be worth what you pay for it if not more. But you can't go wrong either way.

There really aren't too many other options in your price range - you could do the High Standard thing, and there's no question that the guns are solid shooters, but I'm not sure about the availability of parts. I do see that Thomas Rink is making grips for them, which is a good sign. You might come across a used IZH-35M - my wife shoots a Walther KSP, which is the same gun finished a bit more nicely - but parts and even magazines are just about unobtainable now. Or possibly a Morini; I don't know too much about them. And of course, there's the EOPS list issue once you get away from the more common brands (but there are ways around that which I won't get into).
 
I can tell your for a fact you DO NOT want that sp22 even in the M4 configuration. That trigger is just awful and although adjustable it is not enough. Also there is no real trigger kits for it and you will be very unhappy in the long run. I started with a MKII, then went to a High Standard and now have a GSP expert. I just ordered a Pardini SP1 because I prefer the ergonomics of that grip better than my GSP. I really loved my High Standard and they are great guns but you have to be very careful with getting factory mags and not aftermarket junk. Feeding issues can be a major problem with the HS if the mags aren't just right. Lots of good advice with the Model 41 too but plan on a trigger job since the stock trigger pretty much blows. A nice MKIII, with VQ trigger kit, VQ grips (or better), and a good UltraDot Matchdot scope with give you a very good intermediate gun that will pretty much shoot almost any ammo. The nice thing is when you decide you outgrow it you can move that scope to whatever gun you buy and still have a nice MKIII backup gun. Lots of good advice here and I also have seen a bunch of shooters put up very good numbers with the Rugers.
 
+1 on the Ruger. I shoot a Mk3 with VQ innards, VQ grip, and Ultradot Matchdot. I have a 96 slow hanging on my office door that I shot with it last week. It'll be a long time before you can outshoot it. The lone 8 I called immediately, as it was 100% my fault. Mine loves the Aguila SVSE that the CMP sells, which is great target ammo for the price. The only thing I'm changing is ordering a custom grip, as the VQ doesn't fit my small hands that well.
 
Wow Guys,

Thank you for input that really helped.. As I do more research I think I am leaning towards the ruger.. maybe I can find one set up with the vq parts already installed, and i will still be below budget ..
 
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