Conundrum...

I'm still dithering over my Buy A Gun Day purchase. I'd mentioned wanting a new .22LR semi-automatic pistol for new shooters, as my trusty S&W 422 is a little on the finicky side; there have been a handful of "ooh, that would be nice to have" guns I've come across in the past couple of months; there's a couple holes left in the armory (long distance rifles come to mind); basically, I'm just not sure what I want to get right now.

Y'see, living in the Volksrepublik, it pains me greatly to just walk into a gun store and buy a new gun (handgun) off the shelf. There's no sport in that. I'd much rather stake out the perfect acquisition, then put out WTB requests, scour gun shop websites, and hit the local online forums looking for private sales. It's a good way to find "off list" firearms of interest (like my P3AT) or stumbling across a killer deal (like the S&W Model 19). Kinda the whole "thrill of the chase" thing, with the added bonus of honing my haggling skills when I do find something of interest.

So, as you might imagine, buying a new gun off the shelf at a gun store holds about as much appeal to me as watching a Rosie O'Donnell porno.

[pause to let that image percolate. You're welcome]

Looking back, I can only remember a handful of guns that I've ever bought new - the Snubbie from Hell™ being one of them - most of my firearms are used, and well-worn and loved at that. I'd wager I'm hardly the third, fourth, or even fifth owner on some of the guns in the G. armory at this point; I think if I were to research my guns I'd find the majority are older than I am; I'd wager a significant number are older than my dad (considering that a large percentage of my armory came from my grandfather that's not a wild stretch, actually).

I don't see much point in buying a new gun. A properly constructed firearm should last centuries; even modern firearms with polymer frames and MIM parts should be robust enough to hand down to one's grandchildren after a lifetime of hard labor. There's no shame in owning a Lorcin, Bryco, Jennings, or Cobra - everyone needs at least one gun that makes them appreciate SigSauers, Smith & Wessons, and Colts - but that's not what I'm looking for now.

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I told you all that so I can ask your opinion on this:

It looks like I'm going to have to bite the bullet (ha! gun pun!) and actually buy a new gun for BAG Day. What's troubling me is not that I'm buying a new gun, but that if I am actually going to break down and buy a new gun, which one to get? I've got it narrowed down to two firearms, both rimfires:

1. Ruger Mark III - I can't decide between the Target, Competition, or Hunter models. A good point was made about the fiber optic sight of the Hunter not being ideal for precision target work, and there's a fair bit to that - not that my shooting would be able to discern the difference, mind you; however that fluted stainless barrel is just drop-dead sexy. The blued, bull-barreled Target is the least expensive of the group (MSRP $430, on shelves for low $300s); the Hunter or Competition are within a few dollars of each other ($638 vs. $625 MSRP; I've seen the Hunter in a local gun store for $480).

2. Smith & Wesson M&P15-22. What can I say? I got bit by the AR bug pretty hard. My Bushmaster covers the centerfire needs pretty well, but boy would it be nice to have a dedicated .22LR for plinking, training, and trying out accessories before putting them on the Bushmaster. Heck, this could even be the rifle I bring to an Appleseed shoot... It would be nice to have a magazine-fed .22LR semi-automatic rifle in the armory (that doesn't take long-discontinued mags); having one that's a trainer for a centerfire rifle is a definite selling point. The hardest part about getting an M&P15-22 would be keeping myself from putting so much crap on it that I can't lift it...

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So those are the two finalists. A lot will depend on what's actually in the shop when I walk through the door - I know they've been having a hard time keeping the M&P15-22 on the shelves, so if I happen to walk in and one's there I might snap it up just because. I might also wind up with a Ruger pistol because that's all that's available. Then again, I might get a 22/45 and a 10/22 for the same money... Heh.

Which of the two would you choose?

That is all.