Most reliably cycling 22LR auto

My aunt wants to buy a handgun for home defense, but so far she has only shot .22lr. Taking her to the range tomorrow to try 9mm. Maybe see about renting a heavy pistol for 9mm like the 92. But it may be that she is only comfortable with 22LR.

...Which brings me to the dilemma.
I think .22 autos are garbage. Through and through. Ive had a marlin 795 that fails to eject and stove pipes ATLEAST once a mag. I had a mossberg 715T that had similar problem. Today I shot my friends ruger 10/22. SAME PROBLEM. I dont know whether all 22lr autos are horrible but i do know that every one ive handled was horrible. The wife has a .22 lever and I have a .22 single action revolver. Both are a delight. It is my belief that 22lr just isnt powerful enough to cycle a weapon reliably. Does anyone know of a 22lr semiautomatic pistol that will cycle with the same reliability as most centerfire pistols?

a reply to: Whoisjohngalt

Back a few years ago when I was digging into .22LR of varying makes the conclusion I got from most articles and reviews were that stovepiping was an ammo issue and not necessarily a todo with the action.

a reply to: Whoisjohngalt

I have a Ruger MK2 I have had for decades and shot thousands and thousands of rounds through. Hunted with it, target shooting and just plinking and never one malfunction even after shooting extensively without cleaning.

Just my experience of course, but it is the one survival item that is always on my list.

S&W, M&P .22c my favorite carry weapon. Very reliable.

I advocate .22s for light duty/home defense for several reasons.

1.Just the sight/sound of a gun will deter most people.

2. You can shoot a .22 in an impromptu situation without hearing protection and still be able to hear.

3. SHOT PLACEMENT, easier and much safer for the "layman" who hasn't taken a combat firearms course.

4. Better than a can of MACE or pepper spray for arming elderly, females, inexperienced shooters.

5. If you hit 10 out of 15 shots in your magazine (pretty easy with a .22) you've done the equivalent damage of stabbing your attacker 10 times with a hot screwdriver. If your assailant does continue his attack, that's going to take a lot of the fight out of him.

My 2 cents.

originally posted by: JinMI
a reply to: Whoisjohngalt

Back a few years ago when I was digging into .22LR of varying makes the conclusion I got from most articles and reviews were that stovepiping was an ammo issue and not necessarily a todo with the action.

I have had a problem with all 22lr from CCI stinger down to the lowly thunderbolt ammo in my 22 autos.

.22lr for home defense is not great but better than nothing. Most .22 revolvers work after years in a drawer with no care and no oil.. Also a .38 while still not great beats the heck out of a .22 unless your are Israeli Mossad and are always going for a head shot. 9mm might be to much for her and if it is try the .38 in a revolver which is center fire, easy to load even for dummies, and more reliable ammo wise.

I love my S&W M&P15-22 SPORT AR rifle. I Can fire 35 rounds as fast as I can pull the trigger.

I will see if they have a mk2 or the M&P 22 to rent.

I think she may have had. .38 revolver decades ago, but i dont know if she ever shot it. That may be another avenue.

I second the .38 revolver they’re harder to shoot good but at general self defense ranges it shouldn’t be a problem. Another option if you want to go halfway you could always get a KelTec PM30 .22 mag pistol with 30 round capacity. As far as .22LR annoy I tend to stick to CCI-minimags.

I have a Ruger SR22, and it's amazing. I have shot some garbage rounds through it, with no issues.

You should check out the Smith and Wesson Shield .380 EZ. Specifically built for those that have trouble with slide racking, magazine loading. I’ve been working with the wife on racking my 9mm pistols, but she has never been able to comfortably or safely do it (obviously practice unloaded).

We looked at an EZ last range trip and she racked its slide like it was a SEAL racking a .45. Plus you would get the added oomph of a .380 round.

MSRP 399. $30-$50 less if you shop around.

Use Federal Automatch ammo and very light lube. .22lr is very dirty ammo, so adding too much lube in the mix causes it to gum up and slow down the action, causing malfs.

I like to use a spray graphite lube on my .22lrs, especially my Marlin Model 60.

i wouldn't recommend semi auto .22 for the sake of reliability.
she should try some revolvers.
and after buying one practice, practice, practice.

(imo .22 is no caliber for self defense purposes but rather for plinking or assassinations)

originally posted by: semperfortis
a reply to: Whoisjohngalt

I have a Ruger MK2 I have had for decades and shot thousands and thousands of rounds through. Hunted with it, target shooting and just plinking and never one malfunction even after shooting extensively without cleaning.

Just my experience of course, but it is the one survival item that is always on my list.

I have a mark 3, my brother has a mark 2. Both have lots of rounds through them with the same results as you, excellent pistols

Many .22 semi's are very ammo dependent. One brand may work fine in an identical model and not work well in the same one. Try different ammo. Also the .22 doesn't have a more pronounced rim for the extractor to grab onto like centerfire ammo, plus they are tiny and dirty quicker so reliability isn;t as good but most modern .22's will cycle better than you describe.

I have the 795 and never had a malfunction yet. (only a couple hundred rounds. But I have only shot cci through it, which marlin recommends with this rifle.

Unless you find a used Ruger MK2 you will have a hard time buying one. Current model is MK4 which is infinitely easier to break down and clean. If money is no object, I have heard good things about the FN 5.7 and the best endorsement is that the Secret Service carries them. You can watch a Hickok45 video on them and should be able to rent one. I was a little scared to rent one due to wanting to buy one if I really liked it.

Ammo seems to be the main culprit on 22 autos as charges and age of round come into play. Manual actions such as lever or revolver or even pump work better. I have fired many old rounds that the lead was turning white out of a lever action with no problem other than fail to fire or fail to feed from a dinged or swollen case.

A good local gun shop that deals in used guns might be able to find a Walther PPK 22. I have never had a problem with any Walther. Beretta also has 92’s in 22 or you can buy their 22 conversion kit and have it shipped to your door. If you can break down and clean a 92, you can swap the barrel and recoil spring just fine on your own.

But I will back Semper on the MK2 recommendation 100% and add that it was the first auto handgun I ever fired and it is scary accurate. I drew a line on a playing card at about 10-12 feet while emptying the mag and I am not that good of a shot. That was all on the gun.

a reply to: Whoisjohngalt

Im not sure if someones already mentioned this but if so, I apologize. It seems to me that most .22s being fed with a clip tend to jam a bit. I had a brand new ruger 10 years or so ago that jammed from day one even with different clips. I traded it though for a Marlin Model 60 with the inner barrel mag and havent had a problem since. I also seem to be able to shoot better with the Marlin. So if youre looking for less jam Id say try one with the inner barrel mag. I think itll serve you well.

People sleep on .22’s but one round can richochet and bounce around tearing up your insides. Also if am attacker is armed with a knife or melee weapon you can dump the mag into their pelvis which will make walking very difficult for them maybe even hit the phenomenal artery and they bleed out in minutes even faster if they are exerting themself. Also has the psychological effect on men because no man wants to have his boys or tool blown off.Now that being said I certainly wouldn’t want to be engaged in a firefight with a .22 but if you get the drop on them then it’s still a decent deterrent. Nobody wants to get shot even by a small caliber.

originally posted by: RainbowPhoenix
People sleep on .22’s but one round can richochet and bounce around tearing up your insides. Also if am attacker is armed with a knife or melee weapon you can dump the mag into their pelvis which will make walking very difficult for them maybe even hit the phenomenal artery and they bleed out in minutes even faster if they are exerting themself. Also has the psychological effect on men because no man wants to have his boys or tool blown off.Now that being said I certainly wouldn’t want to be engaged in a firefight with a .22 but if you get the drop on them then it’s still a decent deterrent. Nobody wants to get shot even by a small caliber.

While engaging a threat, your ability to aim for specific body parts is severely limited by the dump of adrenaline in your system, the time you have to react, and what the situation allows. This is why you train to hit center of mass; it's big, and its packed full of important stuff.

If you are really set on a 22, try for a 22 magnum, even in a wheelgun. if 22LR is all you can get, for whatever reason, the GSG Firefly is a fantastic fun little shooter.

Please try to talk a step up, even to a .380. While the 22 can be deadly, there are things to gain by carrying a heavier load.

And remember, TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN.

originally posted by: feedmemore
a reply to: Whoisjohngalt

Im not sure if someones already mentioned this but if so, I apologize. It seems to me that most .22s being fed with a clip tend to jam a bit. I had a brand new ruger 10 years or so ago that jammed from day one even with different clips. I traded it though for a Marlin Model 60 with the inner barrel mag and havent had a problem since. I also seem to be able to shoot better with the Marlin. So if youre looking for less jam Id say try one with the inner barrel mag. I think itll serve you well.

My experience with clip-fed .22 auto is that the clips with plastic feed lips are junk. I went so far as to buy two clips with METAL feed lips, and they were not cheap. It did a lot for reliable feeding of ammo.