.22 pistol accuracy for small game...

[TaperPin]

I'm very new to shooting .22 pistols and I'm wondering about what I should be looking for as far as practical accuracy for small game hunting with irons.

I'm just looking for a general rule(s) for what is "good" accuracy. from a .22 pistol. Similar to saying a centerfire rifle and shooter is good enough if they can shoot a 1" 3 shot group or keep all their shots under a couple inches at 100 yards. Or saying an inch per 10 yards for a bow. Or and 1" at 50 for a .22. Obviously, these rules of thumb can be debated all day (and often are, but that isn't what I'm looking for).

Not having a history shooting pistols at small game I'm just wondering what I'm shooting for. Knowing what the potential for good hunting accuracy vs excellent would be nice.

Since I know someone will ask, I'm currently shooting a Glock 44 suppressed.

The range of accuracy in 22 hunting pistols is all over the place. Many that are popular, seem to be popular despite bad accuracy. I’ve had a number of Ruger semi autos and single six revolvers that never shot well, with the best doing golf-ball groups at 25 yards while a friend has an older single six and high standard semi auto that make golf-ball size groups at 50 yards. Maybe bad luck, but it reminds me of a typical Ruger 10-22 which is hugely popular even though one off the rack leaves a lot to be desired.

I’ve heard of one Glock 44 shooting baseball-size 25 yard groups, but I have no idea how accurate the shooter was. If I were to guess, that’s not uncommon for many/most 22 semi autos.

If you get into really accurate pistol hunting, 22 silhouette forums will have a lot of information on the models and years that do better than others accuracy wise. A TC Contender is often as accurate as most 22 rifles in the same price range.

 

[elkguide]

Having a "FEW" .22 pistols, they can be very temperamental and some definitely know what they like to eat.
The pair of Ruger Mark target pistols that I have are not fussy at all and both will do golf ball sized groups at 50. I have a standard Ruger Mark that definitely is fussy. All of the Glock 44s that I have owned, were very temperamental and fussy. The Buckmasters are generally quite accurate and not overly fussy on what they like to eat. I like the Sig 322 and have found most of the ones that I have handled to be very accurate.

To the OP, if I could only have 1 pistol and planned on using it on small game, I would definitely go with a Ruger Mark Target model.