pocket gun

[watkins1988]

I'm looking for a pocket sized gun for around $200. Chambered in 22lr. Maybe 380. Do you guys have any suggestions? I have been looking at a Taurus PT22. Is there anyone here that has one of these that could give me a little review on it. I've seen many mixed reviews on youtube/google, but i trust you guys more.

I know about the debates on 22lr but I have other guns to carry too. This will be my taking out the trash/ going out to smoke gun. One I can just throw in my front pocket. And also just a cheap plinker.

What do you guys think? Even with trading something toward it i would say my max price is $250.

 

[Gunaria]

I have some 25acp's for half that price.

 

[watkins1988]

I'm not really interested in 25 acp. I've just never heard anything good about them.

 

[BlueEagle]

I have a PT22.....or rather, my fiancee has one that was a gift from me.

Its fairly solid. Picky about ammo, but once we found what ours liked, (Remington Thunderbolts,) its been fairly well flawless. It did need about a 200 round break in, and during the break in it needed cleaning often, but since then, its been quite reliable.

Might look at the Beretta 21's as well; similar design. And I've heard a lot of good things about the Phoenix Arms HP22's; and if you get the range kit with those, it comes with a swappable 6 inch barrel for the range.

 

[watkins1988]

Thanks. I'm probably gonna go with the taurus. I saw them today for 200 new and its got the flip up barrel so my girlfriend can use it. She cant rack the slide on anything. Thats mostly what ive heard that they are ammo picky. but then there is the few that just say they are junk with no reasons.

 

[JohnP82]

The Taurus pt22 is a pretty cool little gun. I have fired a few and they worked fine. I do think the Beretta is a little nicer, but the Taurus models have always worked for me as well. I agree in my experience with them they can be a little picky on ammo, so hit the range hard with it and with several different types of ammo and find what it likes best. The tip up barrel is a nice feature as well for those that have trouble with slides on semiautos.

Someone mentioned the Phoenix Arms hp22. You will hear many mixed reviews on these, and many people saying they are junk. I had one and it was amazing. I personally put over 10,000 rounds through it with no real issues. I had the occasional failure to fire which I see in most rimfire handguns and there was one kind of ammo it didn't like. It was some type of Winchester ammo and it would not cycle the action. It was a great little handgun, reliable as a .22 can be, and very accurate! It did have too many safties, but they don't all have to be used.

I paid somewhere around $120 for my Phoenix back when I bought it and usually see them at shops around the $150 mark these days.

 

[gunman41mag]

I have a BERETTA 950 25 acp. with a tip up barrel, never had a jam

 

[jamstutz]

I have a Taurus PT-22 PLY, the polymer frame version of the PT-22. So far it has fed everything I've tried in it, much better than other PT-22's I've had in the past which were generally kind of picky about what they liked.

 

[rcg5960]

If you are thinking cheap and small the .32 smith and wesson long has about the same ballistics as a .380 and there are some very affordable models. - I do not know if I would bet my llife on .22 or .380 or the one above. There are some good 9mm guns for not much more -- check out the ruger sr9c

 

[APB]

I have a Ruger 380 LCP which can be found on sale for about $300. Great little gun that will fit in your pocket and weighs around 10 oz. Gander Mountain sells a 380 Hellcat made by I.O. that sells for $229. The Hellcat looks just like the Ruger LCP and it is made in the USA. 9.4 oz with an empty magazine. It is listed on their website.

 

[biggen]

I've got 2 of the Taurus TCP 380's and am quite happy with them. If you shop around you can find the plain black one for right at 200$ I gave 203.26 for each of mine, with tax.

 

[Barua]

LCP, you can't beat it. Best little pocket gun out there.

 

[BlueEagle]

Thanks. I'm probably gonna go with the taurus. I saw them today for 200 new and its got the flip up barrel so my girlfriend can use it. She cant rack the slide on anything. Thats mostly what ive heard that they are ammo picky. but then there is the few that just say they are junk with no reasons.

As for being operated by someone who has a hard time with slides, its good for the range, but not so much for carrying, (if thats what you were looking for.) The tiny slide on it that you can rack to chamber a round is DIFFICULT. I even have problems with, and my fiancee simply can't do it, not a chance.

But yes, the tip up barrel is nice; however if its for carrying, that means you have to either have a loose round rolling around to drop in it, or you drop your mag, strip one out, re-insert mag, tip the barrel, load the round, then drop the barrel back down. Its a bit of a process. As far as I recall, these are NOT drop-safe, so I don't think I'd want to carry it with a round in.

On the positive side, malfunction clearance has always been a breeze when anything happened; drop the mag, tip the barrel. Problem solved. Occasionally, if it hadn't been cleaned enough, I'd get a casing jammed in the chamber after firing. With the tip-up, you just tip it and use a finger nail or pocket knife to pry on the casing rim, right over the feed ramp. Doesn't get any easier than that.

 

[watkins1988]

As for being operated by someone who has a hard time with slides, its good for the range, but not so much for carrying, (if thats what you were looking for.) The tiny slide on it that you can rack to chamber a round is DIFFICULT. I even have problems with, and my fiancee simply can't do it, not a chance.

But yes, the tip up barrel is nice; however if its for carrying, that means you have to either have a loose round rolling around to drop in it, or you drop your mag, strip one out, re-insert mag, tip the barrel, load the round, then drop the barrel back down. Its a bit of a process. As far as I recall, these are NOT drop-safe, so I don't think I'd want to carry it with a round in.

On the positive side, malfunction clearance has always been a breeze when anything happened; drop the mag, tip the barrel. Problem solved. Occasionally, if it hadn't been cleaned enough, I'd get a casing jammed in the chamber after firing. With the tip-up, you just tip it and use a finger nail or pocket knife to pry on the casing rim, right over the feed ramp. Doesn't get any easier than that.

i want it for me but i figured she could use it at the range because its closer to the size of a normal gun that she may get. more than the s&w 22a i have now. and i think i can ease her into guns better with a 22. i think thats what im gonna get. i figured the beretta might be a bit better but its over a $100 more than the taurus

 

[sanmanjon]

I have a Phoenix Arms 22 Great little gun for the money and the range kit is worth having to shoot target with. GUN TEST magazine gave it a very good rating

 

[badmac183]

I'm not really interested in 25 acp. I've just never heard anything good about them.

A .32 is better then a .22

 

[LP1]

I have a Ruger 380 LCP which can be found on sale for about $300. Great little gun that will fit in your pocket and weighs around 10 oz. Gander Mountain sells a 380 Hellcat made by I.O. that sells for $229. The Hellcat looks just like the Ruger LCP and it is made in the USA. 9.4 oz with an empty magazine. It is listed on their website.

I also recommend the LCP. Saw one at PSS on Monday; it was described as "used, never fired" and priced around $230 or $240. Looked like a great deal. I would have jumped on it, but I already have one.

 

[dweezil]

i want it for me but i figured she could use it at the range because its closer to the size of a normal gun that she may get. more than the s&w 22a i have now. and i think i can ease her into guns better with a 22. i think thats what im gonna get. i figured the beretta might be a bit better but its over a $100 more than the taurus

I have had a pt-22 for a couple of years and generally like it.

I'll pass along some of my observations:
Mine originally had plastic grips instead of the wood ones - those cracked within a couple of hundred rounds. So I would recommend getting one with wood grips(assuming your not looking at the newer polymer model).

Taurus recommends against hyper-velocity ammo. I didn't realize that when I first got it and pistol definitely like it. However, my particular pistol likes bulk federal copper washed stuff so I'm quite happy about that.

If I don't keep it clean - I'll get FTEs.

 

[gunman41mag]

my other mouse gun is a FN 1910 7.65(32acp)

 

[mbaza3]

In my opinion the Keltec .32ACP is a much better option than the PT-22.