I have a S&W 22A which I bought with a 4" barrel as a "tackle box" gun. I have since added a 7" barrel, which I keep on it most of the time. It's accurate and dependable, and it lives in my car along with 500 or so rounds of ammunition.
If I were to change, it would probably be a Buckmark.

 

My 3 favorites are, Browning Buckmark, Ruger [standared, mark I II or III], or S&W 22a are all good semi autos IMO.



JB

 

.22wmr pmr30

 

I am with you on the single action six shooter except mine is a bottom of the barrel FIE 15. I like my ruger mark ii 22/45 for it is too ammo finicky and every time I got to field strip it I get anxiety attacks about getting it back together right. Accurate as all out but a weird gun.

 

I have an old H&R 9-shot, DA revolver. Bare bones and plain jane, but accurate and reliable.

 

There's a few I like, all revolvers so you can tote just about any ammo - shorts, cbs, snakeshot. The Single Six/Ten is a great choice, the Ruger Bearcat is a little lighter. EAA makes a small single action 22 as well that's very inexpensive. I'd also suggest the Taurus 94 stainless with a 5" barrel, which runs under $300.

 

Wheel guns are way more tolerent of ammo. My fav is my Model 53 S&W. It can shoot 22 lr or the much more powerful 22 Rem Center Fire Mag aka 22 Jet (you need to load for that though). I had a H&R double nine that shot very well but you had to pull the cylinder to punch out the empties. I had a High Standard Sport King with a 14 in bbl that shot very well. I have a High Standard HD-Military that is a very, very good shooter. I have a bull bbl Ruger MK2 in stainless that is ok. I have shot Buckmarks and the S&W 22A and liked them. I don't buy the bulk pack ammo as none of my autoloaders function well with that stuff. I tune my magazines to work correctly with CCI minimags. 22's are fun but I can shoot my 45, 44 and 38 for about the same cost because I load my own.

 

I like my buckmark but I also have a ruger single six three screw that my hand is used to.

 

Get a revolver with the 22 mag cylinder also.

 

The only 22LR pistol I own is a Walther P22 so a Walther P22

 

I guess for me it would be the Ruger Single Six with the .22mag cylinder and .22lr cylinder.

 

Probably get some crap for this, but I really like my U22 Neos. Picked it up based on positive reviews for accuracy/reliability, ease of take down, and price. The availability of the somewhat overpriced carbine conversion kit was also a plus.

Probably not ideal for wilderness, but I'm curious about the new Ruger SR22. Smaller and more convenient, super easy to field strip, and apparently not picky about ammo. I think accuracy may be an issue with the 3.5" barrel though.

 

I have two problems with the neos. 1 is the mag release location and the second is the safety digs into my hand when in the on position. I owned one for a few weeks just so I could compare it to the ruger, S&W and browning that I own and while it shot well thos 2 items made me sell it.



JB

 

I love my single six. But I have been taking a serious look at the Bearcat. Need to shoot a few more until I finally decide to get one or not.

 

Skeptic i second the u22 neos... put two red squirrels down with it last weekend... weight prbly isnt ideal but its what i have and its grown on me

 

I've shot an old H&R 9 shot that was my grandfather's, its super light, but the front post sight is bent. It's the one where the cylinder has to come out and use a stick to poke the spent shells out.

What's the difference between the Bearcat and the Single Six?

 

The Beatcat is a smaller single action .22lr. Holds 6 shots and no .22 mag option. The barrel is 4.2 and weighs in at 29 ounces compared to the 40 ounces of the stainless single six.

It is also proportionately smaller. You also load it as if it were the "old style" rugers at half cock.

Here is a good photo of them side by side.

Advantages seem to be lightweight and portable. The downsides is that it has a different point of aim, smaller so harder for large hands, and shorter sight radius making longer shots harder.

 

That front sight can be fixed and the cylinder pin is used to punch out the empties.

 

Yeah I know that's what you're supposed to use I just forgot to type that.

 

Love the single six - have two. Fires everytime, and is easy to maintain. What more could one ask. Have always worried a bit about the .22 autos. Just seems like a light round to operate the slide.

 

Ruger Mark III hands down. Loved that pistol.

 

Ruger Bearcat in stainless...

http://www.gunblast.com/Stainless_Bearcat.htm

 

I love my Single-Six with extra .22 Mag cylinder. It lets me have options and I like that. I've had it since the mid '60s and it's a good friend I'm comfortable with.
You may also consider the Taurus .22 revolvers. They're double action 9-shot, and they recently started marketing one with interchangeable .22 mag cylinder. Had I to do it over again, I'd go with the double action instead of the SA.
I prefer wheelguns over the semi-autos since they permit the use of Shorts and Longs in addition to Long Rifles, and the Mag with extra cylinder. No Semi-auto will allow that versatility. I shoot many more squirrels and rabbits with Shorts than Long Rifles, and have also taken animals as large as fox, coyote and raccoon with them, all without disturbing the neighbors.
I have a Ruger MKI bull barrel that is just as accurate as my 10/22s are, but it only functions and feeds LRs. So my SingleSix goes with me most of the time.

 

Ruger SP101 in 22. One of the old ones. They just started making them again. Can double as a hammer. And, just got a Ruger SP22 pistol on Saturday. Shot it Sunday. Carry it now. Still needs to be broken in more, but reviews say it is reliable with standard velocity ammo.

 

Call me either old-fashioned or modern, but I'll stick with my ancient Colt Sport Woodsman.

Light, trim, accurate, reliable and tucks away almost anywhere.

When the Woodsman came out, .22 wheelguns became obsolete overnight.
As far as being able to shoot other .22's, I've never needed more than one CB cap at a time and I can operate the slide quite fast when more than one shotshell is needed.

I'll stick with LR's for the most part.
If I need a magnum round, I'll dig out another handgun.

 

Smith mod 34 with a 4in barrel. Just found an extra cylinder for it and I am have it fitted to take 22 mag.

 

The S&W 22A is a nice pistol for the woods. The nice thing about the gun is the Weaver rail on the top. Put a cheap scope on it and you have a nice gun for hunting small game in the woods.