I think I found a good .22 pistol

[william_munny]

I've been looking to get a nice .22 pistol so that I can shoot regularly without breaking the bank. It doesn't have to be a super awesome professional deal, like a S&W Model 41.

My friend recently offered to sell me his S&W 22a with accessories for a really good price, but a lot of people seem to swear by the Ruger MkIII. I've heard good things about the MkIII, but the 22a package I was offered is a hell of a deal. I figured I'd get an opinion here before I went ahead and spent the money. I'm not going to be joining a shooting team or anything at this point in time, so this is more or less a "fun at the range" type of gun. Should I hold out for a MkIII, or will the 22a suit my needs?

 

[MassMark]

I love my Mark II, but the 22a is a nice ride...Congrats...

 

[vellnueve]

The 22A is awesome.

 

[cekim]

The 22A is awesome.

+1

Not a pretty gun, but ridiculously accurate out of the box...

 

[Becka]

My first gun was a 22a. I shoot very well with it - go for it!

 

[BaldAssCat]

I love my 22a. It’s pretty picky about what ammo it likes but fortunately it likes the bulk Federal stuff I can get at Wall-Mart. My brother in-law has the same issue with his.

 

[MassMark]

If you decide to go for a Ruger, which I don't think is a mistake either, check out a MarkII. I think some Mark III owners have had some issues with disassembly....I have had my Mark II for 28 years and it's been a gem. So much so, I bought another one....

 

[S&WShootah]

Why do people swear by the Mark III? It's a complete female dog to disassemble. My friend got one and we accidentally stripped some safety screw and broke the damn thing.

I wouldn't buy something without first having the dealer disassemble it, if he can't do it then that should be a warning to you.

 

[Taipan01]

I have the 22S, my friend has the 22A, niether of us has had any trouble at all with ours and we've had them since 2004.

 

[KMM696]

I've had a 22A for a couple years now, which I bought used. It's been reliable with every ammo I've tried, very accurate with most of those and only pretty accurate with the rest. My current favorite 22 plinker. It's not target 22 accurate, of course, but it isn't priced that way, either. For a competitive target 22, I'd either spend some upgrade money on a Ruger Mk II/III, or buy a $mith & We$$on 41.

There is a small plastic buffer on the back of the mainspring that will eventually wear out after XX thousand rounds. (I bought a spare, but haven't burnt out the old one yet.) Changing it will take about 5 seconds longer than the basic cleaning disassembly. I added one onto a bigger order for a couple bucks, but I bet if you asked nicely S&W might just send you one. Barrels are interchangeable, and not real expensive, either, so if you want one with irons and another with a dot sight it's an easy project.

I really didn't like either of the factory grips S&W offers for these - mine has the bulky wood laminate (too big), and I've tried the plastic (too small). There is enough extra wood on the laminates that you could turn them into whatever you wanted - it's about #5 on my firearms woodworking project list. I haven't tried any aftermarket grips for it.

I'd buy a 22A again if I lost this one.

 

[Skeeter]

If you got a good deal on the S&W buy that one. I would have but I got a good deal on a Ruger MKII and the thing is a PAIN to take apart and put back together. Now I wish I'd gone with something else. If you're just plinking with it it won't make a big difference in terms of accuracy if you buy a 22A or a Ruger.

 

[Maj. Boom Boom]

for those who don't know:

"Smith & Wesson has identified a condition that may exist in certain model 22-A pistols. Based on our ongoing product review, we have determined that the slides of certain pistols manufactured from August 1, 2008 to February 19, 2009, may not meet the design specification. This can create a situation where insufficient headspace exists creating a risk of unintended discharge.

STOP USING YOUR PISTOL AND RETURN IT TO SMITH & WESSON AT ONCE.

Any unintended discharge of a firearm has the potential for causing injury, and we ask that you stop using your pistol immediately"


http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009/06/22/sw-22a-pistol-recall/

 

[gerrycaruso]

I have many .22 revolvers and autos and the 22A is one. It's a great shooter. I have nothing but good things to say about Rugers. I own many Ruger revolvers and rifles.

 

[Mike_Diako]

Don't ever buy an American Arms P98 lol. I had one of those as my first .22 semi. Needless to say it was a POS. The slide literally SNAPPED IN HALF at the range while my cousin was shooting it. After I made sure he was ok I almost cried from laughing. I've never seen a gun explode into a cloud of metal and springs lol. I bought it from Cabelas 2 months prior and they ended up taking it back and giving me the full price towards a trade. Worked out pretty good.

 

[vellnueve]

If the price was right I would pick up a second 22A just as a loaner/teaching gun.

 

[Speedway]

+1 on the Mark II.

I have never found any ammo that it did not agree with.

Cheapest dirty ammo still works great and the accuracy is really incredible.