Ive never really been into .22s so i honestly dont know alot about them. With ammo being so expensive anymore and not interested in reloading my own i thought about getting a .22 pistol to go out and target shoot and basically play around with when we go out and shoot with friends.
Do this and don't let people scare you with their stories of how difficult it is to strip these for cleaning. The first time I did it, it took me less than 10 minutes to strip it down and put it back together. It is not difficult if you have been around firearms for any length of time cleaning them.
Oh, and you will get everyone's preference on what they like, not necessarily the "best" .22 for you.
I have had a Buckmark and now I have a Ruger MK II. I really like the MKII. I didn't really like the 22/45. The grip angle was good(I shoot a 1911), but the balance did not feel as good as the MkII due to the polymer frame on the 22/45.
My MKII is currently stock, but I plan on adding a Volquartsen trigger when I catch a good sale on one.
Depends on what you want to spend and whether you like a SA pistol or a revolver. I think the Browning Buckmark or Ruger Mk are great pistols that you will get a lot of enjoyment out of for many years to come.
Why stop with one? I've got three and who knows what I'll get next. S&W 41? S&W M&P22? An old High Standard? I just shot a friend's S&W 422 or 622, I'm not sure. Anyway, he caught me before I could make off with it. Maybe a Sig Mosquito. Quien sabe?
I think there are a lot of .22s that are fun to shoot, my first choice would be S&W revolvers.
I have others and have had several Ruger Mk series, never had any problems with any of the Rugers. Ruger Chargers are a lot of fun to shoot and can be bought fairly cheap.
I bought this Benelli several years ago, it's way more accurate than I can shoot and a lot of fun to shoot.
No matter what you buy, .22s are a lot of fun and you probably get the most bang for your buck with one.