TargetTalk

I am a air pistol shooter and would like to start in .22 pistol. I can't decide between the walther p22 and the ruger markII, i've heard of some problems with the p22 compensator not fitting very good, turning on the barrel. Are there any pros or cons to the ruger?? Thanks for any input -- Cord

If it's only between those two, I'd go for the Ruger. Used ones are pretty cheap and offer little to no benefit over new ones. Lots more customization options to get a better trigger pull, better grips, better sights, etc. Another gun I'd consider would be the Hammerli Trailside (costs a little more).

If I was going to focus on competitive target shooting, I'd look into used Pardini SPs and IZH-35s (but they're significantly more than the Ruger MkIIs).

Thanks for the info, the IZH-35 was the first pistol I wanted to get but I couldn't find it for sale anywhere--do you know of any dealers?

Cord B wrote:Thanks for the info, the IZH-35 was the first pistol I wanted to get but I couldn't find it for sale anywhere--do you know of any dealers?

Nope. EAA is the importer, but EAA is probably the worst importer of firearms I've ever seen. It's a shame, because they import some nice firearms. For some reason, they're not currently importing the IZH-35.

Between the Walther P22 and the Ruger Mark II, as a target gun (and this is a target shooting forum, right?), the Ruger wins hands down, in my experience.
The P22 is a great-looking gun, it has a wealth of safety features, but a target gun it is not! It is too light. The grip is too small for all but the smallest of hands (even with the thickest backstrap fitted). While the rear sight is adjustable for windage, the adjusting screw does not have detents. Elevation changes can only be done by swapping out the front sight (hardly conducive to adjusting your POI during or between a 5-shot series - you will have to hold "Kentucky elevation"). The trigger action is long, very long, and is not particularly smooth. The sight radius, at 171 mm, is on the short side. The "compensator" is only a dress-up item. It is non-functional. It does rotate slightly about the axis of the bore. Since the front sight mounts on this piece, there is the likelyhood that the sight will move between shots (not conducive to accuracy).
The Ruger, on the other hand, with the 5 1/2 inch bull barrel and the "target" rear sight (click-adjustable for windage and elevation) is, at the very least, out of the box, a decent "starter" gun for bullseye work - both Standard Pistol and Sport Pistol (and even, dare I say it, Conventional Pistol).
The IZH-35 is better still, but, as pointed out, hard to find right now.
I own both a P22 and an IZH-35 (well, KSP200, actually, but it is the same gun) and I have fired, on a number of occasions, Ruger Mk IIs equipped with bull barrel and target sight.
If you haven't gathered by now, I recommend that you forget the P22 if you are looking for a target gun.
Mike T.

I own an IZH35M and when the import sources dried up I emailed EAA about the problem. The return email that I got stated that it's not that they aren't importing them, but that the Russians wern't exporting them! The guy said they would love it if they could get more, but there wasn't any "to get".. Too bad, they are a good lower priced, accurate, pistol. Don't give up looking I have seen them for sale online, both new and moreso used pieces.
CraigJS