RE: what is better for a first time .22 buyer?
When I was young, my father made all the kids learn to shoot on a single shot .22. That way we learned to hit what we were shooting at (that was the original gun control) with the first shot. Since you have stated that you have been shooting for a while, I would probably go with something like the Ruger 10/22. It is inexpensive, accurate, fun to shoot and you can get any number of accessories and upgrades for it if you wish.