Smith & Wesson 22A

[dragonbait1a]

In my on-going quest for an inexpensive .22LR pistol that fits the hand it looks like the S&W 22A may fit the bill. But I haven't heard anything about it. With a little research I see that the Sig Mosquito and Walther P22 have issues sometimes, but NOTHING about the S&W.

So, is it worth it? I already know all about Ruger and Browning .22s both have a grip that is unnaturally long for me, Considering a 22/45 if the reviews of the 22a are overwhelmingly bad, but it looks as if it too will be too long a grip.

Note to future gun designers: Pistols of ALL KINDS should be Ambidextrous! Think CZ and Browning High Power. Just because its "only a 22" doesn't mean that It won't be shot lefty.

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[Paratus et Vigilans]

I own one, and I like it. I'm a lefty, and have no particular ergonomic issues with it. Solid gun, has no FTF or FTE issues, easy to field strip and clean.

It's your basic .22LR target pistol. I like the way it feels in my hand. I chose it over the Ruger Mark III 22/45 for two reasons. One, political issues with Ruger. Two, the Ruger is way more expensive than the S&W and not worth the extra amount of money, IMHO.

[spencerhut]

From personal experience I can say that reliability on our S&W 22A has dropped as usage increases. This has sent us on a quest for an uber reliable rimfire pistol now. Need something that will take an optic and go ~1000 rounds between non ammo related failures. I posted about this on THR this morning. CZ-75 Kadet looks like it is in the lead as far as reliability is concerned.

[Gshock]

I own a 22A and I like it, it's not too expensive, fun to shoot, accurate, and you can mount an optic on the top.
I've put abot 1200 rounds through it so far, with maybe 2 jams, whick I think is pretty good for a .22

[spencerhut]

I've put ~7000 rounds though mine with an unknown, but large, number of jams. Getting worse as it gets older.

[Paratus et Vigilans]

I've put ~7000 rounds though mine with an unknown, but large, number of jams. Getting worse as it gets older.

Have you changed out that little plastic doohickey that's some kind of buffer? Mine came with two extras in a little manila envelope. Someone told me that they go through them every 1500 rounds or so.

[oghl888]

I have an older S&W 422 that worked very well. I used to warm up a range session by shooting out a small circle I draw on a corner of the paper target. It's accurate enough that I can shoot the circle off by shooting just the drawn line.

It's the predecessor to the one you are looking at, and has an aluminum frame and stainless steel barrel. I've put about 5k through it before getting the .22 conversion kits for my CZ's and 1911's. 5k is nothing for a .22, as I am sure they can last well over 100k.

If all you want is an inexpensive .22 that shoots well, this may be a good model to look for on the used market. It should be pretty cheap compared to a new gun.

[AS45-70]

I have one and i am not to fond of it. I wanted a .22 but couldnt afford the one i wanted at the time. I ended up putting the over sized ergo wood grips on mine and swapping the barrel to the bull barrel. All that and i am still not thrilled with it. The one thing i did notice is the feed ramp, it is so rough i was shocked. Even the new bull barrel has the same rough feed ramp. It works fine for 50-60 rounds then its FTF all the time... and this is after i polished the heck out of it. I cant say i like mine but i do enjoy shooting it until it starts FTF. I have about 500 rounds through both barrels.

[rmeyer]

I have an older S&W 422 that worked very well. I used to warm up a range session by shooting out a small circle I draw on a corner of the paper target. It's accurate enough that I can shoot the circle off by shooting just the drawn line.

It's the predecessor to the one you are looking at, and has an aluminum frame and stainless steel barrel. I've put about 5k through it before getting the .22 conversion kits for my CZ's and 1911's. 5k is nothing for a .22, as I am sure they can last well over 100k.

If all you want is an inexpensive .22 that shoots well, this may be a good model to look for on the used market. It should be pretty cheap compared to a new gun.

+1
I have the 422 for my kids. Sweet little plinker.

[spencerhut]

Have you changed out that little plastic doohickey that's some kind of buffer? Mine came with two extras in a little manila envelope. Someone told me that they go through them every 1500 rounds or so.

Yes.

It's been well maintained. Thinking about switching to Remington Dry Lube.

[BSlacker]

When looking for a red dot for the 22A use caution and look at the mount system of the red dot. The cheap BSA type you might find at a Wal-Mart with the built in rail mount may not fit the rail of the 22A. Take a look at the mounting bolts as well there may not be a slot where it needs to go. It can be fixed with a little dremel work but is not a direct bolt on. Scope rings for scopes work fine.
Some of the early ones had the frame break. Mine broke above the trigger pin hole. S&W replaced it and the barrel free even though I purchased it used.
FTF may be the recoil spring. I had a lot of FTF at first then replaced the recoil spring along with the buffer and didn't have another until the frame broke. They are cheap from Brownells.
The 22A is a good value.

[rg_1111@yahoo.com]

I had one, It shot accurate. The magazine release is in the wrong place for me.

[wellfedirishman]

Consider a Ruger Mk I or Mk 2

Consider getting a used Ruger Mk I or Mk 2. I have one of each and they are all steel construction, and very reliable. My Mk 1 is about 20 years old and must have many tens of thousands of rounds through it and is still very accurate. Also, the more you shoot them, the better they get.

And taking them apart to clean is not that hard, takes about a minute after you do it the first time.

[big50_1]

Had the 22 stainless version with 4" and 6" barrels. Liked the gun alot but got rid of it because I had too many .22 autos. Just remember to change the plastic buffer periodically. As I remember the mech was alot like the high standard. Similar take-down.

[brassburnz]

A buddy of mine sold me a LNIB 22A with 4 extra magazines for $100. If it was any more than that, I probably wouldn't have bought it. I put a $135 Ultra Dot sight on the 22A and use it as a loaner. The 22A is fairly accurate, as most .22 rimfires with proper ammo can be. At 50 feet it can keep 10 out of 10 shots in the black of a regulation NRA 50 foot slow fire target.

The sigiht rail accepts Weaver mounts, not the dovetail mounts commonly found on most rimfire rifles.

I've 22A's for about $220 which I think is too much for this pistol. I would save my money and get a used Ruger MK II or a Browning Buckmark. I wouldn't buy a Ruger MK III, but that's another story.

In my on-going quest for an inexpensive .22LR pistol that fits the hand it looks like the S&W 22A may fit the bill. But I haven't heard anything about it. With a little research I see that the Sig Mosquito and Walther P22 have issues sometimes, but NOTHING about the S&W.

So, is it worth it? I already know all about Ruger and Browning .22s both have a grip that is unnaturally long for me, Considering a 22/45 if the reviews of the 22a are overwhelmingly bad, but it looks as if it too will be too long a grip.

Note to future gun designers: Pistols of ALL KINDS should be Ambidextrous! Think CZ and Browning High Power. Just because its "only a 22" doesn't mean that It won't be shot lefty.

RGB