Bullseye Competitions... Pistol recommendation?

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n3twrkm4n

New member
I was wondering if someone could recommend me a good .22 pistol that is eligible for the bullseye pistol competition and also if you have any good websites about bullseye pistol that would be great as well.

I posted this in the semiauto forum because first and foremost I'm asking for a good .22 semi auto, I'd like to keep the price somewhat reasonable, and I'm a newbie when it comes to .22 cause I haven't honestly fired one really since I was a little squirt... :D, but I was asked to join the bullseye team and it sounded fun and stressful (the fun kinda stresS)

I appreciate recommendations and any more information (moderators if you need to move this... sorry!)

My price range: $0 - $750 (prefer around $500 range) I'd also assume I need a scope or reddot to compete successfully although I generally prefer iron sights but that is why I'm asking questions!

Thanks in advance!
 
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7.62

New member
I don't participate in the sport(Yet) but this will help get you started. Here is a great link about getting started.
Bullseye Link

Since you have a decent price range, I would go with the Smith and Wesson Model 41? .22 target pistol. It is often thought of as the best American made target pistol. Will run around $700-$800. Any UltraDot re dot sight will be great to start off with. They start around $130 I think.

Good luck
 
H

HighValleyRanch

New member
HEY, That's my territory!
Bulleye shooter for many years.
Here's a link to my site:
http://funggrip.jnb.com
Go to the link page and you can find some great resources.
Check out John Dreyers bullseye page there, and be sure to subscribe to the Bullseye-L mailing list. It is an email type mail list, and you can subscribe to the digest version and ask any questions you want about the bullseye game. Welcome to the club! Hardest game in town.
As far as recommended .22's
First off, buy something that will hold it's value, as you probably might want to trade up later in the game. I've stayed with the Ruger Mark I as it shoots way better than I can hold, so I see no reason investing a ton of money for something I would not be able to wring out. But that's just me. KISS!

sw 41, Ruger Mk II, Sig trailside....This is one of the best for the price. I think in the range you are quoting, about 6-700, but someone just won one of the national champion ships this year with one! Larry Carter (look him up on Google) sells upgraded versions of these that shoot under 1" at 50 yards!
You won't need anything that accurate in the beginning, and a ruger can easily get you up to Master class. If you could find a Mark I, they have better triggers. Buckmarks are Okay. The Baikal IZH needs some fiddling and is not for newbies, because of its two stage trigger and finicky nature.

Stay away from the 22/45, because you cannot add aftermarket grips to it.
Forget revolvers, stay with semi autos. Stay with iron sights in the beginning. The .22 berettas are nice guns, but not in the league as above. Stay away from the sig mosquito, it is more a plinker type, the berreta neos? Stay away from the smith 22A, Ok but not as good as the above. A very cheap entry level gun.
All the top level shooters have gone to the Hammerli's, walthers, pardinis, and now there are a few going back to .22 conversions like the Marvel.
Hope that helps somewhat.
 
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CarbineCaleb

New member
HighValleyRanch

Forget revolvers, stay with semi autos
Click to expand...
So, I am not some bullseye ace, and am wondering why revolvers should be avoided for bullseye? I would have thought that something like a S&W K-frame in .22LR and 6" barrel would work well? Why not? :confused:
 
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n3twrkm4n

New member
I definately like the styling of the rugers my father owned a Mark I previous but he no longer has it :( But I can always buy a new one... trigger pull isn't necessarily an issue with me, I know some people are picky over it but I actually prefer the 'two-stage' type like on my Springfield XD 40 Tactical, I seemed to have controlled my jerking so pull isn't so much of an issue.

I'll have to wait till next paycheck until I purchase a new toy though since I just bought my other XD... being unmarried is great, I figured I'd aquire my toys now! :D

[EDIT]

Can someone explain to me the benefits of the barrel types? Slab Bull? Fluted? Which is better why do they have different types? For heat dissipation? Weight benefits?
 
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dgludwig

New member
I agree with most everything High Vally Ranch had to say with a couple of (very personal) exceptions.First of all, there's no real reason to stay away from revolvers if you like them. As time goes on and your skills become more developed, you may want to switch to autos in order to remain competitive with better shooters (revolvers can hold their own in the slow and timed fire events but it takes an awful lot of practice to do as well as autos in the rapid fire stage-most can't).

HVR recommended starting out with open sights. I too am an old time Bullseye shooter but I have never accepted the (now not so) new rules permitting scopes , red dots and what not. I still like shooting irons and, sometimes, revolvers but, when I was at Camp Perry last year, I couldn't help noticing that almost everybody was shooting with autos and scopes.

So I guess if you want to win at any cost, HVR's advice is good: get a Ruger Mark II and a 1911 in 45 ACP set up with adjustable sights, do your initial shooting with irons and "step up" later to red dots or what ever. But if you really want to experience what Bullseye shooting was really all about, stick with those irons and try some slow fire stages with a nice Colt Officers Match or a S&W K22/38 Masterpiece. Then you'll understand what HVR meant when he described Bullseye shooting as the "hardest game in town." It's supposed to be!
 
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Powderman

New member
If you have a 1911 frame or lower half, consider the Marvel conversion--Unit 1, not 2.

These things are rifle accurate, but can be picky about ammunition.

If you're on a budget, then get a Ruger Mark II, heavy barrel. I recommend a good set of grips, like Fungs. A Mark II Ruger, unmodified except for a red dot sight, helped me to win First Sharpshooter in the WA State Championships in 2002, and earned me my Expert card.

As far as revolvers go, you have the K22 Masterpiece, which IMHO is one of the most accurate .22's on the planet, rivaling some of the higher dollar pistols. The only place where you might be at a disadvantage is during rapid fire--and that can be overcome with practice.
 
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HighValleyRanch

New member
Right, Actually revolvers have made somewhat of a comeback with the Distinguished revolver matches at perry and the Harry Reeves match.

But for someone getting into Bullseye, it's going to put them at a great disadvantage. You are going to lose some points in Rapid fire.Timed fire, no problem. But without good grips, the revolver is going to tend to move around more with all the cocking. I't all the master class shooters who are so bored with their high scores that have taken up the revolver as more of a challenge.
For a few years I shot with a k-22, 586, and 25-2 as my three revolvers. It was pretty tough. Rapid fire-5 shots in ten seconds. First shot has to go right off, and the fifth shot will go off right as the target turns-I'm guessng i had 1/2 second to aim after cocking and coming down.
Just talked to my father who shot revolvers back in the 1950's competitively. He showed me his rosewood grips. I looked on the inside and said, these aren't SW's. He said,no, he shot a Colt Officers Model, with a short action....Hammer modified to single action only, shorter cock. In all my years I have never seen one like this, but this was the way the old time revolver shooters used to do it.
There even was a guy that we use to shoot with that had a set of single six and blackhawk single actions! Brave soul with that long cocking action. He was only marksman though.

Right ,although most everyone has gone the way of optics, I always suggest that the new shooter use irons. It's to learn the basic principles of good pistol shooting....FOCUS ON THE FRONT SIGHT AND SIGHT ALIGNMENT, NOT ON THE TARGET. That will give the shooter the best basics for other disciplines as well as defense. You're not going to have a dot on your CCW.
But if someone starts off with Dots, and focuses on the target (as you do with scopes and dots), they will have a hard time coming back to the basics. Sort of like learning to drive a stick shift. and then going to an automatic. People that learned on automatic cars, have a hard time going back to stick shifts! Plus a dot tends to jump around a lot, and you have to get used to area of movement for the surprise shot, but a dot in the beginning can lead to "snatching" the trigger.
The match that I was at a few weeks ago had no revolvers, and only about five people out of say 30 using iron sights. But last year I was shooting at the same match and a guy down the line was blasting the center out of the target. He was shooting a .45 1911 with iron sight. He was also complaining to my buddy that he was shooting some 9's (instead of all 10's andX's). I found out later it was Steve Reiter!
 
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sig-it

New member
+1 for M41....i use M41 with an ultradot for my .22 and a cz 97b with irons for both other categories....

i started all irons, and i am just now getting accustomed to the new dot....
 
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