Which Pardini?

I'm interested in upgrading to a Pardini, but am confused by the various models shown on the Pardini site.

Pardini SP Bullseye 5" Barrel, Cal.22LR $2,450.00
Pardini SP Bullseye 6" barrel $2,550.00
Pardini SP Bullseye 6" with gas compensator $2,650.00

And their package deal with an UltraDot MatchDot II
Pardini SP Bullseye, Champion Set MD2, 5" Barrel Cal.22LR $2,800.00 


Several threads state that the factory Pardini scope mounts creep (I guess mostly only with the 32 versions), so am I right in thinking that the MD2 set is not a good idea?


5" or 6"?


Compensator, or not?


If I'm gonna spend this kind of money I want to try to get the best one I can.

I went with the 6" Bullseye edition no compensator.  I also went with an Aimpoint H1 and the Kodiak base.  It is a fantastic target pistol.  
- Dave

I would personally recommend a shorter barrel, especially for a marksman. 

It has been my experience that a longer barrel magnifies all the imperfections in trigger pull/shot delivery.  

When pardini first came out with the longer barreled models, a couple of my competitors in my league ordered them, both with and without the compensators.  

We took a afternoon and shot them side by side over and over again.  All three of us came to the conclusion that the shorter barrel was better whereas my old SP new bullseye edition would throw a particular shot into the eight ring, whereas the longer barrel threw it into the 6 or the 7 ring.  

We shared our findings with a couple of the high masters in our league.  they asked what advantages the longer barrel brought to the table and I have not heard a good answer to that question.  More accuracy?  don't think so.  Higher velocity?  Ok,maybe a bit more fps but how many points is that worth?

As for the compensator, that's just something that makes it less convenient to clean and it throws a bunch of debris on the objective of your red dot.  If you do not keep it clean it will build up and effect accuracy.  

Now I am sure that there will be a couple people disagree with me and I personally am looking forward to hearing what they have to say.  Perhaps they have found something that I have overlooked?

Regards, 
Crankster

What I have heard is the 6” barrel is more ‘accurate’ not because the bullet is in the barrel for an additional inch, but because there is an additional inch of sight radius.  But that only applies if you are using iron sights.  So, if you use a scope, iron sight radius is not relevant.  I have shot my match personal best (877, more than once) with my 5” Pardini and red dot scope.  And I have cleaned slow fire in matches using 5" barreled .22 conversions.  So for me, the 5" barrel is not holding me back.

I agree with Crankster.  I'd go with the shorter gun.  Also less weight out front.  
For those who might raise sight radius as a consideration for .22 EIC matches, the max allowed sight radius is 10".  The Pardini SP's stock radius is about 8.7" to the highest point, which is well short of the muzzle.  You could easily get the full 10" max with a 5" gun by just getting a custom front sight made.  This might be a business opportunity for an enterprising gunsmith or maybe Andrew Berryhill (IIRC, he's 3D printing sights as well as grips now).

My only problem with my 22 was the rings not staying put in the dovetail. I went with warne rings and problem solved! Other than that, it has become my favorite gun to shoot of all I have owned in over 45 years.

OK, all excellent responses.

I have a problem with more weight out front (weak muscles I guess) and so was not inclined towards the 6" models anyhow. You guys have confirmed that 5" is better for me.

The premium asked for the MD2 does not seem to be a good idea. Better to order a sight separately and those Warne rings mentioned by neal77. Or possibly an Aimpoint and a Kodiak mount - but I need to investigate that further - a lot more expensive and hard to know whether I'll gain any real benefit.

OK, great, thanks for the good comments.

I think the package deal includes a couple of extra magazines as well as the MD2 and magazines aren’t cheap.

Go with the standard 5". I really like the steep angle Rink grips too.

I shot a 6" Pardini the other day, to compare to my 5".. I was able to switch out the barrel, so I retained my grips, trigger setting, dot etc.. Personally I liked the 6" better. I shot it indoors (50') so I do not know how it would do at 50 yds. I like a pistol that is a bit muzzle heavy anyway. I did not find it exaggerated a poor shot. My perception was in sustained fire it recovered better. My overall score was about the same. So I am now considering buying a 6" barrel or selling mine to buy a new 6" model.

If you haven’t already, I’d call Pardini USA and talk with Vladimir. I’m sure he would give you his honest and informed views, based on your experience and long term goals. I have found him most helpful.