If you're looking for absolute cheapness, why not also look at airguns? Ammo is insanely cheap, and you may also be able to find some casts for ammo. If you can collect even a little bit of used ammo, you could melt it and recast it.
More on topic, I'd agree with anything said above. If you could find a Mateba, you'd never want another .22 semi-auto for target/plinking purposes. Those absorb what little recoil .22's have like nothing else.
I second the High Standard. I have a Citation and it's the mos accurate hand gun I have. Once I have the needed 50 posts (only a hand full to go) I will offer it for sale. Getting rid of some of the arsenal, no room in the safe.
Bill
Remember that 22 pistols can sometimes be finicky on ammo.
I usually bring 3 types of ammo, so that I can switch.
Most of my problems seem to come from American Eagle 22.
They work fine in rifles, not so good in the pistols.
I'm biased, but my grandpa's H&R Sportsman topbreak is my favorite 22. It was the first gun I ever shot, and with mini-mags, I rarely miss a can within 50yds.
Don't pass up the old 22s, especially those High-Standards.
Not enough info to say what YOU should get. Are you wanting a .22 to practice with instead of shooting center-fire ammo through your carry pistol, or just a .22 for recreational shooting and "trigger time"?
If you're looking to practice with your carry pistol on the cheap, you might want to consider a .22 'upper' for your glock, 1911, or whatever. Kimber and Ceiner make them and I bet there are others too.
Otherwise, quality+features=choice.
I have a Browning 'buckmark' and a Ruger single-six, and they're both keepers. Browse some catalogs.
I just picked up a Sig/Hammerli Trailside. I've heard great things about them, hoping to to get out to the range in the very near future to take a look at how it feels. I'll get back to you! Always worth a look.
That's pretty darn good! I have a MKII, but haven't shot it a lot so far. I really like it though.
Have you changed the trigger out or done any mods to it? A lot of people talk about installing the Volquartsen trigger, but my stock trigger seems to be fine. But then again, I have nothing to compare to it.
This has my personal vote and is what i went with as well. Replace the hammer bushing so the mags fall free, add volquartsen trigger kit and you have the perfect .22lr.
As you have seen, you get everyone's opinion(mine too) on the "best" .22 for "plinking and playing around".
High Standards are very nice, but do you really want to spend that kind of money for your intended purpose? Don't get me wrong, my motto is; "The best is just good enough for me", but at some point, my wallet does speak to me.
We have all thrown around a lot of options, mostly semi-autos. I love my Ruger MKII, but I also have a S&W 617 and that is the sweetest shooting, most accurate .22 handgun I have ever shot. It's only 6 shots though.
"Best" is a subjective term which is how companies can advertise their product to be the "best". It is not a quantifiable feature. You won't go wrong with any of the major manufacturers of .22's.
Personally, I favor S&W for SA/DA revolvers and Ruger or Browning for semi-autos and Ruger for SA only revolvers.
I've owned a buckmark, single six, mark III's and they are all good. The next one I purchase will likely be a S&W 22 because it holds 12 instead of 10.
Single six, they hold their value really well or Browning Buckmark. Had a 22/45 mark III sold it because after about 150 rds or so it would jam and was very difficult to disassemble/assemble to clean, even with video to guide along. Have heard the Mark 1 and 2's were not like that.