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.22 Handgun Suggestions

NCBobD

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National Forest regs. limit handgun carry outside of hunting seasons to a .22 with a barrel of less than 7 inches. Since I spend a good bit of time deep in the National Forest pursuing nature photography and would prefer to have some kind of personal protection I'm thinking of a .22 semi-auto purchase in the near future. Don't want to spend a bloody fortune but definately needs to be reliable. Interested in hearing what suggestions others might have.
 

dng

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Walther P22: without laser about $320; add another $100 for the Walther laser attachment.
 

erichonda30

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NCBobD wrote:
National Forest regs. limit handgun carry outside of hunting seasons to a .22 with a barrel of less than 7 inches. Since I spend a good bit of time deep in the National Forest pursuing nature photography and would prefer to have some kind of personal protection I'm thinking of a .22 semi-auto purchase in the near future. Don't want to spend a bloody fortune but definately needs to be reliable. Interested in hearing what suggestions others might have.
where did you read this?
 

Don Barnett

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1st Question: Personal Protection from what? I suppose a .22 is better than nothing.

2nd Question: Why does it have to be a semi-auto? There are lots of .22 cal revolvers on the market that are superb! The double action revolvers hold nine shots.

I have a Ruger Single Six that came with a second cylinder chambered for the .22 Magnum. It is a nice gun.
 

NCBobD

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1st Question: Personal Protection from what? I suppose a .22 is better than nothing.
Lets see, I'm a few miles in a forest with a few thousand dollars worth of photography gear... use your imagination. ;) I don't write the rules, just trying to stay within them while still execising my 2A rights.
2nd Question: Why does it have to be a semi-auto? There are lots of .22 cal revolvers on the market that are superb! The double action revolvers hold nine shots
I tend to prefer semi-autos. I've owned my share of wheel guns in the past though.
I have a Ruger Single Six that came with a second cylinder chambered for the .22 Magnum. It is a nice gun.
Nice gun. Had one several years ago. The .22 mag would be unusable for this application... regs specify .22 short or .22 long rifle only.
 

ecocks

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NCBobD wrote:
1st Question: Personal Protection from what? I suppose a .22 is better than nothing.
Lets see, I'm a few miles in a forest with a few thousand dollars worth of photography gear... use your imagination. ;) I don't write the rules, just trying to stay within them while still execising my 2A rights.
2nd Question: Why does it have to be a semi-auto? There are lots of .22 cal revolvers on the market that are superb! The double action revolvers hold nine shots
I tend to prefer semi-autos. I've owned my share of wheel guns in the past though.
I have a Ruger Single Six that came with a second cylinder chambered for the .22 Magnum. It is a nice gun.
Nice gun. Had one several years ago. The .22 mag would be unusable for this application... regs specify .22 short or .22 long rifle only.

I also don't see where you are getting these "National Forest regs" you are citing. State laws tend to be the determining factor in the NF's as far as I know. Federal regsthat I am aware of do not appear to restrict carry as you cite.

ThereIS astate law in NC concerning designated "game lands" which prohibit carry of anything larger than a 7.5", .22 caliber short/long/long rifle handguns during off-season time periods in those designated areas. Even this does not apply to camp grounds to allow for personal defense of property and person though. It also prohibits even .22's in the field during the bow & arrow or muzzleloading seasons.

If you are on these designated game lands then I'd look for the Browning Buckmark. Ruger Mk III or S&W 22/42 models with appropriatebarrel lengths.

Oh, citation for the legal-minded: http://www.ncwildlife.org/NewsReleases/041410_Concealed_Carry_Permit_for_Firearms_Prompts_Questions.htm
 

NCBobD

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I also don't see where you are getting these "National Forest regs" you are citing. State laws tend to be the determining factor in the NF's as far as I know. Federal regsthat I am aware of do not appear to restrict carry
Correct.

ThereIS astate law in NC concerning designated "game lands" which prohibit carry of anything larger than a 7.5", .22 caliber short/long/long rifle handguns during off-season time periods in those designated areas. Even this does not apply to camp grounds to allow for personal defense of property and person though. It also prohibits even .22's in the field during the bow & arrow or muzzleloading

And the majority of the NF land I'm on is designated as "game lands." Bow/muzzleloading season being... shall we say... additionally problematic.
 

dcmdon

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ecocks wrote:
If you can find one, look at the PMR-30 from Kel-Tec. Aluminum frame, steel slide/bbl., 4.3" barrel, 30 rounds of WMR and a more than reasonable price point.

http://cheaperthandirt.com/blog/?p=842

It this thing proves to be reliable and accurate, I would have to classify it as the ultimate .22 caliber rimfire defensive handgun.

30 rounds of .22 mag is tough to beat. If only it had a tri-burst setting.

Don

p.s. if the reg just says ".22 caliber", then the FN 57 would be legal, that would seem to be the ultimate, if its legal.
 

dcmdon

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I just read the second half of the post. I guess it needs to be .22 LR.

Ramline made a .22 handgun that held 20 rounds many years ago.

Other than that, I'd stand withthe others on either a Ruger or a Browning.
 

tcmech

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hard to go wrong with the ruger or the browning. S&W model 41 (I think) is also a good one. There are others, but I am most familiar with these.
 

The Wolfhound

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Sig Mosquito once it is broken in is not bad. The Ruger MKIII (hard to find the older models) and the Browning Buckmark are both tack drivers that eat almost anything .22LR ammo wise. TheBuckmark is a tad lighter anda bit more comfortableIMO.
 

ecocks

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Shame the Buckmark doesn't come in a .22 Mag version.
 

Cavalryman

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Just a thought...What do you already have? It might be possible to get a .22 conversion for a pistol you have. For example, CZ makes a .22 conversion for their 75/85 9mm pistols and there are several conversion kits for M1911 pistols. That would probably be the best option because you keep the grip and trigger you already like and the cost of a conversion is typically less than the cost of a complete pistol. I'm kind of a nut for .22 versions of full-caliber weapons; for example, I have matched sets of .22/.357 (Smith and Wesson M17/M19), .22/9mm/.40 S&W (CZ75Kadet/CZ85 9mm/CZ75 .40 cal), .22/5.56x45 NATO (Rock River Arms AR15 carbine with switchable uppers), and .22/.45 ACP (Wilson CQB Elite M1911 pistol with Wilson conversion kit). If I were going to a place where I could only carry .22 LR, I'd go with the Wilson and just change out the slide, barrel, and magazine so I'd have almost the same pistol I'm already so familiar with.

(If you don't already own a pistol which can be converted, just disregard the above. I sometimes forget that most people don't own a truckload of guns. Still, if you're looking at a new purchase, you might keep it in mind.)
 

NCBobD

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Found a great deal on a new P22 and went with that. Put 40 rnds through it yesterday. Reasonbly accurate little gun. I may decide to add something more along the lines of a target pistol somewhere along the line. The Mark II & III and Buck Mark looks like the ticket, though I did see some S&W semi-auto 22s that looked interesting.

Thanks all.
 
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