TargetTalk

Hi everyone I am new to bullseye and just doing the startup reasearch. I was wondering does anyone shoot the beretta neos for the .22 phase, I have had a neos before and the even come with the rail to mount the red dot. The other choice would be the Ruger Mark III. I don't have the budget for the really high end guns right now. so need advice on where to start.
thanks
George

You can go crazy trying to figure out which gun to buy for a start. My advice would be to buy the least expensive one you can find then shoot it for a few months to see if you are as good as the pistol. Most any .22 target pistol will be more accurate than a new shooter.

Some guys at our club tried the Neos when they were starting out. They didn't like them.

My advice is to get the best gun you can afford because if you don't like it or you want to upgrade, it is much easier to get your money back from a good gun.

I have the u22 Neos and I was dissapointed with how sloppy it was at 25 feet, much less 25 or 50 yards. I would not encourage anyone to try to shoot bullseye with it, unless there are some easy things to do to tighten it up and accurize it a bit. It is a great handgun for entry level NRA qualifications or plinking cans, but not a bullseye quality gun from what I've seen.

x2 on what Freepistol advises. Also on a better qualilty pistol you will have better functioning, trigger and accuracy. I hate to see a new shooter be disappointed and not want to continue in the sport. Having a nice weapon is also something to behold and like has been said, you can get your money back out of.

Greg

so I guess the ruger mark 3 would be the affordable and accurate choice

What i would do is talk to some people at your local range. There is always someone looking to upgrade and willing to sell there current pistol. I would recommend an older High Standard Citation or Victor or a SW 41 as good starter pistols. I am not familiar with the Ruger but know that the smith and HS have pretty good triggers out of the box as well as good accuracy.

Greg

gwa2003 wrote:so I guess the ruger mark 3 would be the affordable and accurate choice

Yes, of the two you listed, the Ruger would be the better choice. Trigger upgrades are available and necessary. Inherent accuracy is generally excellent with the Ruger.

Buy a USED Ruger Mark I or II with the short, fat barrel (you can use it for Olympic Pistol). Get a trigger job and a case of ammo.

If you upgrade from that you can always use it for plinking, hunting, and as a loaner or spare.

Ruger Mark III and get a Volquartsen trigger, hammer and sear. It gives it a crisp 2.2 pound trigger.

I also have a Volquartsen barrel on mine.



I can get a ragged 10 shot hole at 25 yards if I bench rest the gun.

Doc,
I am curious about the Volquartsen LLV barrel as I have a 22/45 and am thinking about a barrel upgrade. The LLV accuracy sounds good. Did you happen to test the Ruger barrel before you installed the LLV? Also how does the action on the LLV compare. I am having some FTE and FTF issues currently and wondered if the LLV was an improvement in that area.

TCNTN wrote:Doc,
I am curious about the Volquartsen LLV barrel as I have a 22/45 and am thinking about a barrel upgrade. The LLV accuracy sounds good. Did you happen to test the Ruger barrel before you installed the LLV? Also how does the action on the LLV compare. I am having some FTE and FTF issues currently and wondered if the LLV was an improvement in that area.

I also upgraded the internals ( trigger, sear, hammer, extractor) and removed the magazine disconnect and also have some rink grips with an ultradot scope. The gun has functioned flawlessly. No failures to extract. The Ruger barrel was not quite as good. The Ruger trigger sucked. I did not try the original barrel with the Volquartsen internals.

Overall very happy with the gun.

gwa2003 wrote:Hi everyone I am new to bullseye and just doing the startup reasearch. I was wondering does anyone shoot the beretta neos for the .22 phase, I have had a neos before and the even come with the rail to mount the red dot. The other choice would be the Ruger Mark III. ...
thanks
George

Hi George

The Rugers will usually hold the ten ring at 50 yards with decent ammunition. The slab side barrel or bull barrel models are better than the short thin barrels, mainly because the weight seems to steady the gun.

I suggest that you get the Ruger out, and try a box of whatever .22LR standard velocity and high velocity ammo that your local stores have in stock. Buy a few bricks of what shoots the best group. I don't know anyone who uses the hyper velocity stuff, but I don't know why.

Hope this helps

Mike
Wichita KS

Buy a Buck Mark Camper (standard NOT URX grip) with Weigand base (or get the Buck Mark Hunter), choose your favorite red dot (Hawke makes a nice cheap one which comes with weaver rings - around $50 shipped). Put a strip of skateboading tape (sandpaper on one side, sticky on the other) in the front and rear of the grip. Total investment < $450. Shoot CCI SV in it - 25 yard 5-shot groups off of bags around 0.7". Practice, practice, practice. If you did not like BE shooting, use the gun for plinking / squirls. If you liked it, get it accurized with trigger work at Heffron Firearm Classics (<$200 shipping included) groups around 0.35" trigger crisp at 2.2 lbs. Like it even more? Spend money on grips. Remember, have fun.

Run screaming away from the NEO ......

Almost any other small 22 will do better ... Ruger, Buckmark, Old Hi-Standard Sport Pistol etc ....

I have yet to find anyone who bought a Neo to actually like it.

My $.02 worth ....

I have a U22 that I use for bullseye. I use a red dot. I have had no ftf -that wasn't ammo related. I think it is a good entry level gun. I have out shot people with MKIII - & I have been outshot by people with rugers. Same thing with model 41's.
It is possible,however, that I got one of the "good ones."
The MORE important think is how it feels in your hand. They are not for everyone. They are also a bit heavy with the 6" barrel.

I have a Neos. It is good for plinking but not for bullseye. Tough to get a good trigger job done. The Neos may be good for small hands. Go with the Ruger. You will have better resale on the Ruger if you ever want to move it along. Expert level shooters are still shooting Rugers!

Very true about the grip size. Great point. I do not have very large hands & I STILL needed to build up the grip to prevent cramping on the grip. As for a trigger job- I did mine myself. It strips very easily.

The neos has a poor trigger and the grip for me is terrible, especially shooting with one hand. I shoot a buckmark with a 7" barrel for NRA and a 5.5" for International events. Id say find a used ruger or browning with good sights and get it, itll be worth the money.

HB