Training Gun???
Have you, or are you looking at .22 caliber pistols for training? With the cost of ammo these days, and the crowds at the more popular ranges, we have less ‘time’ to adequately train ourselves or maintain currency with our carry pistols.
Another thing a ‘trainer’ does for you is it will show you any flaws in your shooting, especially in the flinch reaction, and also lack of grip continuity. Also, it allows you to concentrate on sight picture, trigger press, and back on target; rather than recoil mitigation and trying to remember everything else too.
Both Smith & Wesson and Colt have built fine .22 cal revolvers that support most of their lines of more powerful revolvers. Taurus seems to only build one .22 revolver and it’s in a compact size, but it’s the same grip angle, etc.
When you move into the semi- auto category, you have roughly the same sets of choices by manufacturer, everything from Sig’s almost perfect matches of .22 cal pistols to their larger caliber ones; to the 1911 slide replacements (and a REAL Colt one can run $600!!!), to slide replacements for Glock, and many others.
One specific one I’d like to address is the Ruger MkIII, 22/45. Ruger came out with this pistol to mimic the 1911 grip angle precisely, and the controls are in ‘similar’ places to the actual 1911.
http://www.ruger.com/products/2245/index.html
At roughly $340, I spent the $$ to pick one up, as I really didn’t want to start changing slides out on my 1911s (and didn’t have the $600 for a real Colt one). I took it a step further though, in that I also wanted to match the trigger pull, and the sight picture (white dot front, plain rear notch), so I spent an additional $130 for a Volquartsen trigger and a new front sight.
https://www.volquartsen.com/products/281-accurizing-kit-for-ruger-mkii-mkiii
For rifles, you have similar options, but they are much more varied, and just about every manufacturer makes a .22 rifle. Of note, is the proliferation of .22s in the AR platform, and the colors…
Saw a PINK tiger striped S&W M&P .22 trainer today… sigh…
Old NFO is a retired Naval Flight Officer still out mucking about in the job market to put food on the table. A shooter for over 50 years, he can usually hit what he’s aiming at; but he’s always willing to learn new things. His pistol of preference is the old 1911A1…