Do you know what else there's a market niche for?

A good-quality, reasonably priced .22LR self-loading pistol.

Smith & Wesson offers either the very nice and very expensive Model 41, or the extremely shoddily constructed Model 22. Don't get me wrong, the Model 22 is very accurate for the price, and is a common entry-level rimfire target pistol, but they just don't hold up well over the long run.

In an effort to remain price-competitive, Browning has cheapened up the Buckmark so much over the years that I have a hard time recommending current ones. Plus, the idea of a gun whose grip panels are used to retain important mechanical components doesn't jibe well with me; especially in a budget deuce-deuce autoloader that might spend time under truck seats and in tackle boxes.

The various little "clone guns" like the P-22 and the Mosquito and suchlike? The zamak-and-plastic construction gives me serious worries about life expectancy. When I say "good-quality", I mean a pistol you can shoot every weekend for your entire shooting career, and then your grandkid can shoot every weekend over theirs. Similarly, I haven't run into too many really high-mileage Beretta Neos's.

Bill Ruger built his entire business from this market niche, but with the replacement of the Mk.II by the Mk.III, the whole concept of "good-quality and inexpensive" took a hit. I mean, by the time you've fixed the atrocious trigger by junking the magazine safety, you've got time and effort in the gun that could have been as easily spent on shopping for a used Mk.II. Or a Colt Woodsman, for all that.

Now, mind you, this isn't some kind of codgerette-like pining for glorious blued steel and walnut; I'm talking about something that could be retailed in the $300-$400 range, so aluminum, and possibly a polymer gripframe, would obviously have to come into play. I just want something that has a decent trigger and no internal components that give up the ghost in 5,000 rounds or less; something that fits in the price niche between the budget autos from Browning, Smith, and Beretta and the serious .22 target pistols.

Y'know, or Ruger could just fix the trigger on the Mk.III by ditching that magazine disconnect. And monkeys might fly outta my butt.

Oh, and speaking of .22's, you know what always got on my last nerve when I was slinging guns across the glass? Seth & Jared (or Jethro & Cletus) would be standing in front of the revolver case and one would point at the S&W 617 and say "Lookit that! It costs just as much as the .357 Magnum next to it! They must think we're stupid!"

"Sir, it's pretty much the same gun..."

"Yebbut, it's just a .22!"

Because, you know, if you drill a smaller hole in the barrel, you can shave hundreds off the price tag. Hey, it's got more metal in it; by that logic it should cost more!