If for basic marksmanship and fundamentals, a ruger mk3 or mk4 are fantastic options Especially in the 1911 style handgrip, easy resell if wanting a upgrade, easily customizable and dirt cheap to buy parts and accessories for. If your wanting something for more of a familiarization training, try to get a pistol close to your primary carry-if possible, or opt for a umarex Co2 pistol in your particular model. They offer a lot of options and chances are they have a pistol in a model compatible to your carry.
Besides that, nothing beats training that you do with the weapon your going to use, especially with regards to accuracy and advanced shooting fundamentals.
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Ruger Mark I, II, III, IV all are good places to start. Easy to operate and pretty accurate out of the box. I have a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 and really enjoy shooting it at the plate range
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Thats crazy. 500 rounds? No warrant (I would say this for any amount, but to follow your lead). Whats wrong with Mass.? If there were a neighborhood like mine in Mass they would have NORAD flying overhead 24/7 while they were rounding up the entire Marine Core to swoop in.
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If you like “target” type pistols, Ruger Mark II or IV, Browning Buckmark, and S&W Victory are all great and wont break the bank.
Taurus TX22 is a Glock 19-ish size .22LR which has a 16rnd mag.
Almost all of the manufacturers have a 22lr version of some of their most common handguns. S&W, Glock, Walther come to mind.
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Yes, 550 rounds minium of Federal every day for around 5 years until the 22’s disappeared off of the market the first time that was just me. I kept a back up of 12 cases at the time, if you cannot count that is 66,000 rounds as back of 22 caliber. I did not want to run out. On Sunday’s with the group of 5 to 6 shooting, we probably shot 5,000 rounds of just 22’s not counting the 9 mm - 40 - and the 45’s. Did I forget to say that I now have a shooting range in my back yard for the last 5 years.
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Choice #1, Ruger LCPII.
I have a GSG Firefly (formerly Sig Mosquito), totally satisfied with it. It’s a bigger gun, so not easy to conceal, but very comfortable in the hand, easy to shoot, almost no recoil, and mine gobbles up Remington Thunderbolts reliably. It’s a DA/SA gun with a safety. In DA mode the first trigger pull is HEAVY … 13 lbs. However after the initial pull, or by manually cocking the hammer, the rest of the pulls are a feathery light 4 lbs. In my mind a perfect gun for a healing wife.
I also taught my daughter to shoot with this gun. She fell into the “Guns are bad” and “I’m terrified” category until she spent an afternoon on the range with the Firefly. I couldn’t wipe the smile off her face once she quickly mastered it. It’s very welcoming to someone without shooting experience.
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I only know 2 people who bought them, myself and a good friend of mine. Both are paperweights.
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That is so weird @Erik10. Could be the California air. 
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I swear by mine the LCP 2 in 380 in my pocket, extra mag in my pocket.
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Hey Justin, I’ve always been a little leery of the PA’s, however I have a good friend whose experience has mirrored yours. He loves his, and it’s been reliable for him. For me, the show-stopper is three safeties. That’s not only ridiculous, it’s redonkulous. Even for a plinker.
I’m an aficionado of budget firearms (SCCY CPX-2, Taurus G2C), and my budget guns get exercised often and are reliable. But they’re also both well-engineered.
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Well @Paul1, the three safeties is why I like it for a beginner gun. My wife, my son and 3 others learned on that gun. When your teaching someone the basics, it’s a good gun.
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@Justin47, I hope I didn’t come across as snarky … that certainly wasn’t my intent. I think you and I just have different philosophies, that doesn’t make either one of us wrong! I just think multiple safeties can be confusing for new shooters, or for a person who has to deploy a firearm in self-defense.
And I certainly don’t have a bias against budget firearms, mine have served me well and reliably cycled thousands of rounds.
Happy shooting!
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@Paul1 you didn’t come across “snarky”. The Phoenix arms HB 22 is not for carrying if you ask me. I like it as a training gun only ( and it’s just plain fun to shoot ). To me the safeties teach you awareness of your weapon. My son for example: started with the hp 22 and after mastering it, I put a 9 mm in his hands. The first thing he noticed was the missing safeties. His first words was " ok no safeties, no messing around" . Now for the record he never messed around anyway, but the fact that he noticed and took it serious right away was important.
I would never trust a 22 to defend myself. Me personally I prefer my 40 cal:grin:. This is a thread of options. I get it. No “snarky” taken…
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You can’t go wrong with a Walther. Several models available in 22. All quality pistols
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I’ve had my Ruger 10/22 for a long time. Most dependable 22 rifle I’ve ever shot.
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You just can’t go wrong with a Ruger 10/22
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Thanks guys for so much info on 22lr suggestions.
The only 22 I own is the Taurus TX22. It came with 2 - 16 round mags and I added 2 additional mags. Makes time at the range so much fun!
It is also the 1st pistol several friends have shot. Everyone who has fired it likes the full sized feel and very little recoil.
Like most firearms, keep it clean and it will last for years. Mine has been in use for almost a year and has over 6,000 rounds through it. So far no issues with the pistol itself.
For the $ the Taurus TX22 is well worth the investment and although Taurus has had some reliability issues in the past, this pistol is 1 of the best I have owned.
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Totally agree with Ruger Mark IV, Browning Buckmark. Look at the Browning 1911 in 22lr. Don’t forget the Ruger single six or bear cat single actions.
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That sounds awesome. Did it have a red dot sight? Cause that would be the bomb diggety!!! 
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I use to hunt squirrels with a Browning Buckmark, but a Ruger with a can would be really sweet!
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