.22 rimfire pistols for bullseye and cmp

I have been searching for an upgrade pistol for .22 lr to replace my Buckmark Contour. The Hammerlie 208s is out of production so that is not a choice. From my research the leaves S&W 41, Pardini Bulleyes edition and  Walther. Can anyone make a recommendation for my next .22lr?
Thank you
AGG

You can still find decent used 208 pistols out there but parts are becoming a bit scarce.  Pardini is a great choice as is the S&W41.  One you didn’t mention was a 1911 conversion.  Buy a dedicated lower and with 6months to work any kinks out (if any) you’d have a top drawer Bullseye 22.

Google "FCW" (Frerking Custom Works) for Marvel 1911 conversions, Travis sells complete guns, which are excellent, uppers and all of the parts.

Larry Nelson in Phoenix produces similar Marvel style conversions (Nelson Custom Guns - I think).

The two brands each have their followers, but, overall, both seem to get good results.

Another popular choice in a similar price range is the Hammerli Xesse (also sold previously as the Trailside, I think). Red Feather Outfitters in Ohio sell them, amongst others.

https://www.champchoice.com/disc-hammerli-x-esse-sport-sf-22lr-pistol-right-ha-2870266us

They have reduced the price. It's a good gun I recommend it, for whatever that's worth. 

Best, 
Arthur

The 208, though discontinued, is still a very good target arm. Parts are scarce but they are being reproduced by a couple individuals on a small scale. Not like a company would mass produce and market them. I believe Jon Shue is making some parts that are likely to break for a 208. Maybe an extractor.. maybe a firing pin..?? Don’t quote me on that part. Call him to find out.

The Xesses, or pistols of the like are more of a modern affordable choice over the 208. “Poor man’s 208” is a term that is often used but really they’re good guns in their own right. Like pretty much any option you’ll want the trigger done over by a professional.

A Ruger is a great gun once the trigger is overhauled by someone who knows what they’re doing. Ruger MKI and amKII shoot pretty good. MKIII I would rebarrel or reline, and I don’t know much about the newer MKIV

An older High Standard can be a good choice. Just have a trigger job done and track down some magazines that work. I would not buy the Texas built model… that’s just me.

A S&W is a formidable target arm. Newer ones might be okay. Older ones are great but they will need a tune up. For example my old one, it’s bolt finally shot loose and I replaced it which requires a little fit work.

A pardini is an excellent pistol but the angle of the grip is something very different.

If you shoot 22 only there are plenty of options but if you shoot 45 too then a .22 conversion unit is (in my humble opinion) a very wise choice. You get a lot of trigger time on the 1911 frame without the cost of 45 ammo. And they’re accurate to compete with and they work when the lower and upper is sprung up for your ammo.

This is a niche sport and we require a gun that is accurate and reliable and one that feels pleasing to the user for a good interface between shooter and equipment. Your choice will likely (or should) be one based on personal preference. There are others too that I did not list but realistically pistol manufacturers aren’t making rimfire guns for bullseye so we as shooters have to weed out what works and doesn’t.

I have an S&W model 41 and am quite happy with it, mine has a decent trigger and is reliable.  There are a lot of comments on forums regarding the Model 41's and they seem to come in two versions. The first version is like mine and works well and is very accurate.  The second version is finicky and does not always function well. I think most of the time the model 41's that have issues the problem is either the extractor, old recoil spring or a rough chamber.  Good luck with your search

A newly manufactured "X-Series" High Standard made at the Houston TX plant or a CT High Standard that is in good serviceable condition will out perform ALL of the afore mentioned pistols !!! It amazes me that no one mentioned one of the MOST widely used Bullseye Pistols. I observed BUT did NOT count the actual numbers of High Standard Pistols being used on the line at Camp Perry this year. I estimate that they were in the largest percentages !!!- Alan Aronstein

Oberle has the Hammerli's on sale too:

https://oberleenterprises.com/product-category/firearms/target-pistol/

alaronstein wrote:A newly manufactured "X-Series" High Standard made at the Houston TX plant or a CT High Standard that is in good serviceable condition will out perform ALL of the afore mentioned pistols !!! It amazes me that no one mentioned one of the MOST widely used Bullseye Pistols. I observed BUT did NOT count the actual numbers of High Standard Pistols being used on the line at Camp Perry this year. I estimate that they were in the largest percentages !!!- Alan Aronstein

From what I could tell.. the Hammerli 208/Exesse, Pardini , and a .22 1911 conversion were the most popular pistols amongst most shooters with 41’s and High Standards sprinkled in. The most widely used entry level gun out there was some sort of Ruger. But again this is just what I noticed at Perry myself. And it’s what I regularly notice at the other matches I travel to.

In regards to the typical suspects of options, all that really needs to be said has been. Lots of good options are available. My recommendation would be to try different options before you buy. I have shot almost all the options mentioned in this thread, they each have their own thing that may be appealing to you. 

I strongly would recommend something that is in current production.

Another excellent choice to consider is the Feinwerkbau Aw93. Very precise and accurate as well as extremely reliable. You can also dry-fire without worry. Still in production.

I currently own an older 41, a CT High Standard, a Nelson conversion on a dedicated frame and an older  Ruger pre Mk I (mid 60’s). Off the rest, they all perform equally with the proper ammo but I can shoot the 41 better so that’s what I use.

Fotomaniac wrote:Another excellent choice to consider is the Feinwerkbau Aw93. Very precise and accurate as well as extremely reliable. You can also dry-fire without worry. Still in production.

The AW93 is a nice pistol, but they are very expensive (almost $2700).  Because the magazine is in the grip, they also do not allow nearly the flexibility of grip size & trigger reach that you can get with pistols that have the magazine outside the grip.  If you have "average" sized hands, it its probably not an issue.  Especially if you have small hands, you definitely want to try handling one before you put that much money down.

If you're looking in that $1K price range, then your best bet is a used 208 or 215 and there isn't even a question about it in my mind.

I agree with the Hammerli suggestion.  I have Ruger Volq. trigger, Marvel conversion, SW 41,  and the Hammerli is the only one I have that to this
date NEVER jams, no matter what I feed it, and that is about everything
you would commonly buy for target.  That and it came with a test target showing a less than one inch group.

The best research is going to large matches and major matches and focusing on what people in the top 10 or 20% (and the better shooters on the military and reserve military teams) are shooting.

Lots of 208s/215s (despite being discontinued), 1911 conversions, and some Pardinis.

Conversions are extremely popular because they’re in current production and cost-effective. You lose a few benefits compared to guns purpose-built for shooting .22 (trigger adjustability and ergonomic grip options are limited with a frame and fire control group engineered around duty use .45). But, they’re still extremely capable. A good gunsmith can get real close to a “proper” .22 trigger in a 1911.

You ever heard the joke that evolution converges towards crabs? It’s sort of like that with match guns. There might be a lot of options VISIBLE on the line at Perry, but the variety goes down as scores go up.