Strativarius

I'm usually not a fan of the "which gun should i buy" threads, but i find myself pretty torn, so here goes. A local FFL has an SR22 for a great price and I'm leaning in that direction. Previously i had been leaning more towards the 22/45, which is available at a couple LGS for roughly the same price.

This will be a fun/plinking gun. No more than that. I know it will come down to personal feel and individual preference, but I've got the day off of work and I'm bored, so humor me. What are your thoughts/experiences with the two?

WvDave

I have both the SR22 and a MKIII 22/45. They are both fun to shoot but they are totally different.
If absolute accuracy is important to you then the 22/45 would be the one to get.

The trigger pull and feel on the SR is not as good as the 22/45 - in my opinion anyway. About 5lb12oz vs 4lb

I also prefer the feel of the larger 22/45.

I don't know which model 22/45 you are looking at. Mine is the model 10143 slabside 4 1/2" barrel model with removable grips.

I know what you mean by the "which gun to buy" question, but it never hurts to get some opinions.

SafetyFirst

If it’s a tossup then get the one that more closely matches your other handguns for cheap practice.

computerdynamics

If Mama will be involved I think the SR22 would be the better choice. Cleaning the SR22 is a dream. I find mine quite accurate? I've put a hole in hole? It will fit in a man's pocket for ccw. It just looks so space age too. JMHO
Tony

mk34techrep

I'm partial to the SR22.

heymatthew

I've handled the SR22 (never shot it) and I own a 22/45 Hunter model. Personally, I don't care for the grip on the SR22, nor do I care much for the size. If I were looking for a farm gun to keep in a truck or tractor in case I came across a snake or something, the SR22 would be it. Heck, even for a small caliber "bump in the night gun" the SR22 might be my pick. But for general range plinking and fun, I'd go with a 22/45 hands down. They're more accurate, have a better trigger, are easily customized and have a reputation for reliability. Being a fairly new gun, the SR22 has had its fair share of issues right out the gate and I'd rather buy something tried and true when it comes to firearms.

My vote is for the 22/45. Especially if it's a similar price.

One thing to keep in mind... DO NOT let people discourage you from the MK series or 22/45 series because of the hassle of cleaning them. Sure, the SR22 is easier, but with practice and patience, you can field strip a 22/45 or MK series pistol in under a minute. I do it all the time.

Strativarius

After thinking it over, listening to some feedback and playing around with both guns, I think I'm leaning back in the direction of the 22/45. I'm looking at getting the P512MKIII, which is the 5.5 inch bull barrel version. For what I will be using it for (fun/plinking/accuracy shootouts) I think it fits the intended use a little better than the SR22. The 22/45 having a better trigger is definitely a huge plus too.


My biggest problem with the 22/45 is the sights. I think they're terrible. I'm definitely more of a fan of the SR22 style 3-dot high contrast style sites.

What are the options for putting new sights on the 22/45?

I will probably stick with iron or after market sights, but are there options for adding a rail for optics and lasers and whatnot?

Thanks for all the responses, fellas.

SafetyJoe

I was stuck between making the same decision. In the end I went with the 22/45 because it's been around longer and wont have any design flaws that need to be ironed out. My friend bought the SR22 and I've shot it plenty of times, but I still like my 22/45 more so I'm happy I picked it over the SR22. My friend's SR22 has also had some reliability issues with the pistol just like many other people have been having so my hunch was right. Go with what is a proven design. You'll never regret it.

I added some bright orange paint to my front sight and it makes it a lot better. The tiny jar of Krylon Short Cuts Hobby & Craft Enamel SCB-022 Glow Orange paint was only $2.79 at my local hardware store.



I even used a toothpick to add a tiny drop to my front dot sight in my Ruger P95 and it worked great too.

heymatthew

I think it will be a good choice from you. You'll have a lot of options to expand should you choose to do so.

I have the hunter model with the V-Notch rear and Hi-Viz front. It's a great sight picture once you get used to it. I'd highly recommend it. You can buy the kit to do it directly from Ruger here: V-Notch Sight Setup or you can go with the more traditional kit here: Hi Viz Sights.

If you buy the gun new it should come with one of these: Weaver Rail. If not, you can buy it there. This will allow you to attach any number of scopes and red dots that use the picatinny or weaver mount. Any scope that uses traditional rings will attach using weaver style rings bought just about anywhere.

As for red dots, I'd recommend the Bushnell TRS-25 or any of the UltraDot lineup. I've heard that Tasco makes decent scopes in the sub-$50 range, but I've not had any first-hand experience with them.

Hope this helps you out some.

I'm sure there are third party vendors for sights as well (Williams, Tech Sights, etc.).

Let me know if you need anything else.

EYAKER

I have owned both. I did have some issues with my SR22 causing it to be returned twice and replaced, but I'm just calling that bad luck as many many people have had great success with it. I also enjoyed it when I had it and found the accuracy acceptable and loved that it liked the cheap ammo! I had a spring issue and abnormal slide wear, twice. Due to not wanting to wait for a replacement to be manufactured I opted for the 2245 lite. Having never even held one I was very pleasantly surprised when I received it. I like the fact that you can customize the grips and I'm sure a hi-viz sight will be available soon. So with all that being said I simply prefer the 2245 now having had both and shot thousands through both. Acceptable performance with the SR22 and exceptional performance with the 2245. For me, I didn't really know what I wanted. Totally happy with the 2245 and was satisfied with the SR22. I don't think you could really go wrong with both. The SR22 is definitely smaller framed than the 2245. The take down isn't at all bad on the 2245, yes it takes a little longer but not bad. Don't let that weigh too heavy in your decision.

So a little eye candy for you in your pursuit of a Ruger.

SR22




2245 LITE


Ruger 2245 Lite Range Day 1 (22/45) 22 45 - YouTube

Good luck and let us know what you get!

Duane

I posted this same response on another forum:

I have had my Ruger SR22P for "about" 3 months now, and I like it lot. I guess that I have about 1,500 rounds thru it. It's a fun little shooter. I won't get rid of it. However, I'm not as accurate with it as I wish that I was... Though I am getting better.

But I've been drooling over the Ruger Mark III 22/45 Lite since it was introduced. I finally ordered one last week. Just got a call from my FFL this afternoon that it had arrived. It's probably going to be Saturday before I pick it up though.

I have a Bushnell TRS-25 sight to put on it. I can hardly wait to try it out.

Duane

EYAKER

Nice! You will love it.

SafetyJoe

The other good thing about the 22/45 is you can used one of these to reload the mags. It doesn't work for the SR22 though.

arg0naut22

i've been having the same questions in the past few weeks because even though i just picked up my first shotgun last weekend i haven't had it to the range yet, and so i've still been daydreaming about my "next purchase short list". i, too, was looking at the sr22 and the 22/45 (22/45 lite in my case). have fondled both at my favorite store, and shot the sr22 awhile back with friends (but not really enough or recently enough to make a fair judgment). i'm leaning toward the 22/45 lite, as my main purpose would also be plinking/paper-shooting. i had my head all muddled up a week or two ago about it thinking i could make one a dual purpose handgun, but having now handled the ruger lc9, i think that makes my decision for me about the 22/45 vs. the sr22. sr22 would make an ok ccw weapon (which would be the other main purpose of my next handgun purchase) whereas the lc9 would make a much better ccw weapon, and only a little bigger. for plinking and paper, i've only heard awesome things about the 22/45 lite, great accuracy, etc. (ie., used for serious competition, if one ever decided to get serious about it). sr22, on the other hand, while a fine little gun, doesn't have the accuracy for plinking or targets, and doesn't have the wallop for ccw (though as we all know, a well-placed 22 round can kill, but if i seriously wanted to get my ccw i think i'd lean toward 9mm or 380. if it were me (and it might soon be) i think i'd personally go for the 22/45 for your purposes, imho.

p.s. don't neglect to check out the 22/45 lite. it is really significantly lighter, and i like the grips a lot.

SafetyFirst

I put the Williams Fire Sights on mine and like them very much.

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