In a Nutshell
Though all the models listed below are good target pistols, the standout during our testing went to the Ruger Mark IV. With a tried and true design and plenty of aftermarket support, the Ruger Mark IV has proven to be a good marriage of features and value.
What the heck is a target pistol? Can’t every pistol be a target pistol?
Though all pistols should hit paper, target pistols are guns specifically designed to punch paper. And with the market expanding, there’s a lot to choose from.
For that reason, we’re going to explore the concept of target pistols. We’ll look at what they are and the best models you should consider if a target pistol is on your wish list.
Keep reading!
THE QUICK LIST
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Editor’s Pick
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Best for Action Shooting
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ost Versatile Target Pistol
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Best Budget-Friendly
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Best Rimfire Target Pistol
Table of Contents
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How We Tested the Best Target Pistols
Input for this article came from the writing and editorial staff at Pew Pew Tactical. Every pistol on this list has spent hands-on time with someone on our staff, undergoing 500+ rounds of testing at 3, 5 and 7 yards with FMJ and JHP ammunition.
The models listed below have been evaluated based on their ergonomics, features, accuracy, reliability, and value. And we’ve included links to individual reviews for each of our recommendations so you can dive deeper if you want!
Further, our team comprises former military and law enforcement, competition shooters, and concealed carry instructors.
What’s a Target Pistol?
A target pistol is designed from the ground up to precisely and consistently hit targets. They range greatly in both design and price.
Prices range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the style. The intention of a target pistol is to make the gun as accurate and controllable as possible.
These firearms fit inside painfully enforced rules that require conforming. Common restrictions include caliber, ammunition power, barrel length, magazine size, sighting systems, and so many other rules.
Though most target pistols conjure up images of competition, that’s not always the case. You’ll find target pistols used in Olympic shooting sports, plinking or more casual competition, and even action shooting sports.
On the subject of action shooting, you’ll often see practical pistols repurposed. Yes, those technically count as target pistols, but they’re not quite the same as dedicated models.
Best Target Pistols
1. Dan Wesson DWX – Editor’s Pick
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Excellent trigger
- Accurate
- Very flat-shooting
Cons
- Not optics-ready
- Only two magazines
Another pistol the PPT editors think is deserving of a spot on this list is the Dan Wesson DWX.
The DWX is a target pistol that delivers a fast, flat shooting experience that lends itself to accuracy. It’s like they took the feel of a CZ Shadow 2 and paired it with the trigger, slide, and safety of a Staccato.
The combination of this gun’s weight, fantastic trigger, and soft recoil had us shooting fast splits. We even went so far as to take our shot at a 12-inch steel target set to 100 yards to see what would happen. We hit three out of five shots. Not bad!
Using the universally praised grip of the CZ-75 platform, the DWX is a very comfortable pistol to shoot. Gentle palm swells and an undercut trigger guard paired with a generous beavertail feel very natural in hand.
This is a gun you can run all day and never get tired of. Though it shines in the shooting performance and ergonomics departments, it does lose some points when it comes customization. Namely, there’s no optics cut for red dots and the holster market is pretty limited.
If you prefer to ditch the red dot and run irons, though, this is the sweet spot!
For more details, check out the review of the Dan Wesson DWX!
2. Staccato XL – Best Target Pistol for Action Shooting
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- 2.5-pound trigger
- Low recoil
- Extremely accurate
- Optics plates included
Cons
- High MSRP
Staccato XL
Specs
Features
The Staccato XL was designed with Limited Competition (the division where you don’t use red dots) in mind. Available in both 9mm and .40 S&W, the XL boasts a steel design with a serrated slide on the front and rear. A High-Vis Fiber Optic front sight sits on top and is super easy to see while shooting – a bonus if you’re competing.
The XL brings a very smooth and light operation to the slide, making it easy to manipulate. Not to mention, it cycles very quickly – to the point it will probably out-pace the average shooter’s ability to pull the trigger.
Accuracy wise, it was a nail driver – we got excellent results largely due to how flat this gun shoots. To say we were impressed is an understatement.
The only real negative we encountered worth noting is that sometimes the slide would not lock back to the rear. Not a complete deal breaker, but an annoyance all the same.
All in all, the Staccato XL is a very smooth, very fast, high-performance pistol designed for competition. If you can stomach the price ($3,500+), you won’t be disappointed with its performance on the range.
We have even more details on the Staccato XL (and its shorter sibling the XC) in our full review. Or you can skip down to the video to see it in action!
3. CZ TS 2 – Most Versatile Target Pistol
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Reduces muzzle flip
- Large mag release
- Lightweight trigger
Cons
- Shoots better when cleaned and oiled up
- Heavy
CZ TS 2
Specs
Features
The TS 2 (short for Tactical Sport) is a gun designed to take the CZ 75 series to the absolute next level of competition.
The TS 2 series are built from the ground up to be top-tier competitive pistols. One of the big leaps from the TS to the TS 2 was the Shadow slide profile. This reduces the slide’s weight and reciprocating weight, which reduces recoil.
Factor in the metal frame and the fact the gun weighs almost 50 ounces, and you get a soft-shooting, easy-to-manipulate handgun. Driving it from target to target is easy, and you’ll be able to hit quickly, move quickly, and hopefully win quickly.
If you want accuracy, the TS2 will give it to you. The gun comes with a super crisp single-action trigger that is utterly addicting to pull. It’s short, and it helps not only with accuracy but also with speed. A short, light trigger pull is easier and faster to pull than the alternative.
With the CZ TS 2, shooters get a set of ultra-high-visibility sights that capture your eye and pull them to the gun. This makes placing those rapid shots on target easy and accurate. The front sight is easy to see but also small, which helps prevent the sight from obscuring the target. This makes those long-range shots possible even with just iron sights.
The CZ TS 2 is a canvas on which to build a pistol on. It’s ready for whatever upgrades you want to add and gives you an outstanding platform for a wide variety of shooting competitions.
We have even more info over in our CZ TS 2 review, or you can watch the video below.
4. Ruger Mark IV – Best Best Budget-Friendly Target Pistol
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Reliable
- Great ergonomics
- Customizable
Cons
- Lower capacity
Ruger Mark IV 22/45
Specs
Features
Ruger is the all-American manufacturer of rimfire target pistols, producing the Mark series since 1949. The Mark IV is another example of a precision-made, competition target pistols. Even new shooters will find themselves creating teeny tiny groups with a Ruger MK IV.
A fixed barrel, an outstanding trigger, nonmoving sights, and the tiny recoil created by the .22 LR round results in a gun everyone loves. Unlike previous MK series guns, this one is easy to take apart and field strip.
There are several incarnations with various barrel lengths, accessory rails, and frame types.
Users can also add an optics rail and their choice of red dot or long eye relief scope. Either optic will increase accuracy, speed, and effective range, making this target pistol quite efficient.
The Mark IV is a popular pistol at an affordable price point from a company that knows its rimfire pistols. Get more deets in our Ruger Mark IV review!
5. KelTec CP33 – Best Rimfire Target Pistol
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Shoots very smooth
- high-capacity and adequate accuracy
- Affordable
Cons
- Not great for duty or CCW
- Not so great trigger and the heel magazine release
Keltec CP33
Specs
KelTec’s engineers are my all-time favorite madmen when it comes to gun design. They make fun stuff, and the CP33 is one of the more unique designs.
A semi-auto .22 LR, it utilizes a quad stacked magazine to hold 33-rounds — certainly unique! Conformity is not why people choose the CP33. It’s one of the coolest target pistols on the market, designed specifically for rimfire competition.
CP stands for Competition Pistol, and while not your everyday competition pistol, it fits the bill. Like the previous two models, the slide and sights stay put for easy sight tracking and fast follow-up shots.
A green high-visibility front sight is nice and easy to see, and the adjustable sights make precision easy without the ole Kentucky windage.
KelTec also includes a close to full-length Picatinny rail across the top for easy optic attachment. The barrel comes threaded for muzzle devices, and the handguard features M-LOK slots for additional accessories. Lots of modularity here for those who like to tinker.
Accuracy is impressive, and for the price, it’s probably the best bang for your buck.
That said, the trigger feels a little rougher than most, but not bad by any means. And the CP33 doesn’t have tons of aftermarket support like trigger or barrel upgrades but give it time.
A space-age blaster like this performs better than you’d expect with a relatively small price tag.
To dive more into the KelTec CP33 design, check out our written review or the video review below!
Honorable Mentions
The pistols mentioned are just as great as the ones above; we just haven’t had the chance to test them in hand yet – but they still deserve some attention.
6. Smith & Wesson 686 Performance Center Competitor – Best Revolver
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Tuned and customized
- Weighted barrel reduces recoil
- Fantastic trigger
Cons
- Pricey
Specs
Features
The Smith & Wesson 686 is one of the premier double-action .357 Magnum revolvers. S&W sent that famed hand cannon to the Performance Center shop and developed the Competitor. The Competitor is a tuned and customized revolver designed to appeal to the action sport shooting enthusiast.
The Competitor looks like something out of the future. The gun comes ready with every little feature you could ever want from a target revolver. This includes a Picatinny rail for optics, adjustable iron sights, and a big beefy weight barrel.
A weighted barrel design cuts recoil, and muzzle flip like a champ. It makes even the mighty .357 Magnum a kitten. The 686 PC Competitor is one of the few books you can judge from its cover, but you should still read it.
Inside, we have a PC-tuned action, which delivers a wonderful trigger. It’s smooth and deceptively light for a double action. You’ll wonder why you ever used anything but a PC-tuned gun.
The trigger comes with a stop that prevents unnecessary travel and decreases those split times. If you want quick and capable, then the 686 Performance Center Competitor is for you. Add in the flat-shooting .357 Magnum, and you get one helluva-accurate option.
7. Atlas Gunworks Chaos V2 9mm – Most High-End Target Pistol
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Custom-built
- Amazing accuracy
- Well known reputation for quality
Cons
- Super expensive
- Only released in small batches
Let’s end the show with one of the most expensive automatic handguns on the market. Atlas Gunworks might not be a name familiar to most men and women in the gun community, but it gathers a ton of respect within the competitive world. These double-stack 2011 designs capture everything great about the 1911 without the downsides.
These guns are custom-built, pricey things that cost a small fortune. They cost about the same as a good used car, and if you find one for less than eight grand, snatch it up because it’s a bargain. What does nearly nine grand get you?
It gets you a custom-built pistol with a 5-inch, two-port bull barrel. This gives consistent accuracy even as the round counts get higher and higher. Control is never an issue as the big, hefty guns eat up recoil without much of a fight.
As long as you can do your part, the Chaos V2 will be downright boring when it comes to accuracy. You’ll be making small, ragged holes at a variety of ranges. The gun is a true tack driver.
That bull barrel, trigger, and custom work from Atlas make it so. At the same time, the gun finds a way to be ultra-reliable, even with the tight tolerances that lead to awesome accuracy. Shooters can customize the gun to turn it into the race gun of their dreams.
Of course, expect the price to inflate when we add custom grips, optics, mounts, and more.
8. Pardini HP/HPE – Best Olympic-Style Target Pistol
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Pros
- Amazing accuracy
- Low recoil
Cons
- Pricey
- Odd caliber
Specs
Features
Finally, we climb our way into the world of extremely accurate precision pistols designed for Olympic-style shooting sports. The Pardini HP/HPE is a very popular pistol with those in Olympic sports, a well-known brand in those circles producing some outstanding target pistols.
Bizarre guns come in quasi-bizarre calibers, and the HP/HPE proves no different. It ships in .32 S&W. However, rimfire .22 LR variants are available under the SP/SP RF banner.
Fun fact, this is one of the few target pistols that can be considered an assault weapon! To preserve the extremely ergonomic grip, the magazine sits forward of the trigger. Some states use that feature as a qualifier for so-called “assault weapons.”
Accuracy and low recoil are the primary traits of these pistols; both are readily available here. Olympic shooters hit a target the size of the period at the end of this sentence. They can’t use a weapon that compromises accuracy.
The operation does not involve a traditional slide, and the action does move the slide or sights.
Worth noting, its grip is interchangeable with models made for various hand sizes. You may also choose to go the customized grips route, opting for ones made to fit your hand.
A multi-weight system cuts recoil, and shooters can utilize up to six weights to get the right balance for them.
The Pardini HP/HPE exemplifies individualism to the extreme.
What Are the Different Styles of Target Shooting?
Olympic Pistols
When you say target pistol, this is what most people picture.
Olympic pistols are often painfully constructed and built for extreme accuracy. These often small-bore pistols may feature a magazine forward of the trigger, tuned triggers, and compensators.
Olympic pistols are easy to spot by their large grips. Grips like this are made for one-handed shooting and come customized for an individual’s grip.
These guns rarely occupy gun stores and are often bought and sold by specialized dealers.
Informal Plinking Pistols
Informal competition pistols are often what we call plinkers. You’ll usually see them pop up at local bullseye competitions, bowling pins, and various other informal matches.
These are often small-caliber semi-autos with an affordable price point and quasi-conventional stylings.
Action Shooting Pistols
Most forms of action shooting sports have what’s known as an open category. This category shuns practicality like I would a red-headed child.
Adorned with various feature enhancements, these guns perform at a crazy degree of controllability and accuracy.
Action shooting handguns are far from practical but do wring out high levels of performance in match conditions.
Final Thoughts
Target pistols are a broad category of guns but also one that is surprisingly specific. Price, performance, and design range widely, making them a very interesting group of firearms.
From Olympic level shooting down to bowling pin competitions, the above models have you covered.
What is your preferred target pistol? Let us know in the comments below. Want some more competition shooting in your life? Check out our Competition Shooting Guide for all the deets.
Latest Updates
June 30, 2024: Removed the Beretta 87, Walther GSP, Sig Sauer P320 Max, and TOZ 53 Free Pistol. Added the CZ TS 2, Smith & Wesson 686 Performance Center Competitor, Atlas Gunworks Chaos V2 9mm, Dan Wesson DWX, and Staccato XL. Included supplemental data and media for each product, as well as a section on how we tested and chose the models listed.
16 Leave a Reply
I have a Volquartsen Black Mamba pistol that should be included with high end accurate handguns.
Which of these, if any, are available in California?
You can just look up what handguns are available for purchase by looking up "California handgun roster"; the CA DOJ makes the list available online.
You stated that optics aren't an option on GSP expert. But there are mounts available for red dot sights. Everyone in the two leagues I shot in for 8 years had a red dot if they had a GSP. (I used mine to get to league champion one year.)
S&W model 52, those full-wadcutters will trip you out when you see the holes in the paper
The 52 SW is almost extinct now, and parts are hard to find magazines are crazy expensive, but they shoot!
High Standard supermatic Trophy or Citation. Find one, buy it, keep it forever.
Cool to see this. I have a hi standard not sure of the model, but I believe it's from the 70s it's been in my family since it was new and I still shoot it almost every day. It's the only target pistol i have and it's great, reliable super comfortable and quite heavy. .22 lr
S&W model 41 not on list, list cannot be taken seriously
Hi Tim, as a young adult 50 years ago shot a lot of competition with this great pistol, you are correct. Only negative point was that it’s difficult to field strip and clean, at least for me.
Also had a Hammerli .22 pistol which was excellent as well.
.....and how .bout the S&W Victory .22 ? Another worth mentioning
Sig P320? Really? As "dsutton" said above...MANY other excellent choices for a target pistol before you get to a damn Sig P320....just say'in.
S and w 41 of course or walther sp22 has its place.
I really cannot believe you didn't include the S&W model 41. You can buy a more expensive target 22, but you can't buy a better one.
How do you not list the Smith & Wesson Model 41, the various Hi Standards, Hammerli 208s, and even the Browning Buckmark in an article about target pistols?
The triggers on a high standard is the best, as compared to all 22 target guns. I own many and prefer the high standard above all.