3 Best 22LR Pistols for Under $500!

Due to popular demand, more of our readers have shown their support for learning about .22 Long Rifle (LR) Pistols, than on any other topic right now. I’d like to think I’m a man of the people, so I’m going to give you the top 22 LR pistols that are on sale right now.

For this blog, we’re including a few 22LR pistols that can be used for varmint control, plinking on the range, or using it to train your family to shoot. I want to point out that I’d never recommend someone carrying a .22LR as a CCW over really any caliber you can buy. A .22LR can still kill if the shot placement is right, but a 9mm, .38 Special, .45 ACP, or .40 S&W will provide better stopping power and more damage upon impact.

Regardless, I love shooting .22 pistols because there is such low recoil that I can shoot my .22 all day and never really get tired. I think people like a .22 so much because if you’re just into shooting and practicing, the bullets are cheaper, the guns are cheaper, and they’re more fun to shoot than the heavier calibers.

What’s The Best .22 Handgun?

Here is a quick list of our top 5 22LR pistols, but we go into more detail below for our top 3 and why we picked them. 

Walther P22 Q

The Walther P22 Q in Tungsten Grey is on sale at the Kentucky gun Club for less than $300 right now. For the number 1 selling .22LR pistol in the world, this is a great deal that you shouldn’t pass up if you’re in the market for a .22LR. The Walther P22 Q series made the P22 more ergonomic and versatile with an ambidextrous thumb safety lever and interchangeable backstraps. The Walther P22 Q series is a nod to the 10th anniversary of the P22 being released. Like any Walther I’ve shot, the P22 Q is incredibly durable, accurate, and most importantly, reliable. 

The P22 Q comes with an adjustable windage rear sight, captured recoil spring, and a threaded barrel to allow a silencer. Many people may not think it’s important to have a silencer on a .22 pistol, but it’s all about your personal experience. The P22 comes with a double/single-action trigger to add another safety in the trigger, but I’m not a huge fan. I think we’re all at the point where we don’t want a double-action pistol. An 11 lb trigger pull on any handheld gun is too much to control if you have to shoot more than 15 yards. Once the P22 is in single-action, the trigger pull drops to below 4 lbs. In single-action, this pistol is so much fun to shoot and work on your fundamentals. This is such a great pistol to teach your family how to shoot as well. 

Specs

• Ambidextrous Safety and magazine release
• The grip is interchangeable to provide 3 different sized backstraps
• 11 rounds in overall capacity is more than enough to get the job done
• 6.5" in overall length allows this pistol to be carried as a CCW anywhere
• Under $300 right now at Kentucky Gun Club
• Barely over 1 lb in overall weight allows you to shoot this pistol all day without getting tired

Cons

• Double-Action is 11 lbs for the first trigger pull. This is too much to accurately shoot unless you’re expertly trained or have been shooting your whole life
• The 3.4" barrel length is great if you ever wanted to carry this pistol, but it doesn’t give you much distance
• .22LR pistols are normally rim-fired, which means they will not be as accurate over distance as a center-fired pistol

Ruger Lite Rack LCP II

The Ruger Lite Rack LCP II is chambered in .22LR and is one of the smallest guns on the market. I’m not a huge fan of pistols this size because normally they’re too snappy and more difficult to control than a longer barrel. The LCP II features a magazine disconnect as an added safety feature to prevent anyone from accidentally discharging their pistol with one in the pipe. Most of us just clear our pistols out the responsible way, but I know many lifetime gun owners who have had an accidental discharge due to complacency or laziness. The grip is probably the best feature of this pistol with a glass-filled nylon high-performance handle. 

The barrel of a gun is always important when considering accuracy and performance and the Ruger LCP II is made of stainless steel to provide better durability and performance. I’d be careful to use this as your CCW with such a small pistol and chambered in .22 LR. This pistol is perfect for training with your family because the recoil is very light and can be carried in your pocket, purse, tackle box, or backpack. 

Specs

• Under 1 lb in overall weight allows you to carry this pistol anywhere you’d like and conceal it 
• One of the most compact pistols on the market
• The trigger is much smoother than you’d expect for a .22 LR
• Ruger is a great company and the LCP II is reliable as a rim-fired pistol can be

Cons

• The magazine is not shaped well, will cut your thumb if you have bigger hands
• The 2.75" barrel length is only accurate to about 20 yards tops
• .22LR pistols are normally rim-fired, which means they will not be as accurate over distance as a center-fired pistol
• Shooters with bigger hands will have trouble with the slide catching their hand (hurts after a few times)

KelTec P17

We’ve recently seen several new 22LR pistols arrive on the market, many of which are competing at around the $300 price point.

Kel-Tec undercut that competition with the P17, a compact semi-automatic that doesn’t skimp on features while rocking an eye-catching MSRP of $199.

Although you’re going to be hard-pressed to find the KelTec P17 for sale at that price point nowadays, it’s still worth the $300 to $400  price range that you’ll find it available in.

The KelTec P17 is a blowback-operated semi-auto 22 pistol that uses a hammer-fired system and weighs in at 11 ounces. The P17 designation is derived from its 16+1 round capacity.

Overall, its design has been simplified with the extensive use of polymer components to reduce both weight and production costs.

Specs

To read our full review of the Kel Tec P17, check out this blog!

We can’t talk about 22LR pistols and not mention suppressing them.

Best 22 Suppressor

The Maxim Defense DRF-22 is one of the best 22 suppressors on the market right now. Although new to the game, it boasts some features not seen on other options. With an integrated carbon scraper, user maintenance is a breeze with this thing, but the one feature that really takes the cake is the first round pop or should we say lack thereof. That’s right! Maxim Defense has figured out how to eliminate the first-round pop from a 22LR can.

For more information on this can, check out our Maxim Defense DRF-22 product highlight. 

Conclusion

We’re fully aware that there are around 3 billion other options out there for 22LR pistols, but these 3 are our favorites. 

Whether you are looking to get rid of some unwanted varmints, do some plinking in the backyard, or just polish your shooting fundamentals, these are a great options to get you started in .22 LR.

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