Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Smith and Wesson 22A

Any experiences with this pistol? Good? Bad? Opinions requested regarding performance, accuracy, reliability.
Thanks!
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I LOVE mine, reliable as the sunrise and more accurate than I am, great fun for your buck. I have both the 4.5 and 5.5 barrels for mine and the 7.5 is on the horizon.

35 yard targets with the 5.5 inch barrel offhand, YEAH, I shake a LOT.

TLee,

There's a SS verions in town here that looks a little worn for $125 ... do you think that's a good value?

Thanx

Yeppers, snap it up Sir.

I would get carbon build up on the feed ramp after about 100 rounds. It would cause it to jam, but a few strokes of a brush would take it off. I have thought about polishing the ramp but haven't got around to it yet. I can shoot paint balls out to 15 steps with mine. My eyes won't let me step back further.

Mine is as it was from the factory, just a bit worn in. MANY thousands of rounds down range from it. Dead nuts reliable so far.

Mine would jam occasionally until I polished the feed ramp with some emery cloth. They're pretty accurate and fun to shoot. I had an Aimpoint laying around, so I put it on this pistol; for some reason it makes me go thru a lot more ammo! Never got to use it for squirrels though as I moved out west. Just remembered I also had to paint white lines on the sights to make them visible enough in an indoor range. All in all, good guns.

Got mine for next to nothin and I just cant find much to gripe about. I rarely clean it and I shoot the heck out of it. Two weeks ago I was shooting at clay pigeons set against the berm of my 100 yard range with the 22A and my K-22. Accuracy seemed about the same, and the 22A cost me $400.00 less.

Considering their cost, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.

GunGeek

Just helped a friend buy one yesterday with the long barrel.
I am teaching him to shoot, and talked him out of a 640 in .357 for his first handgun (the gun store's pitch).

I like the fact that he can learn the sights, and also put on a cheap red dot to get the sight issue out of the way while he learns breath and trigger control. $230.00 out the door is a bargain.

T,

Went and picked it up the other day ... one of my first purchases on the fabled Sneaky-Bastard-Program <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. When I went into the store another gent was looking at it and was trying to get it for $100, when he finally passed, I chimed in that would take it .... the guy seemed a little bummed that he didn't take it but wasn't heart broken. He looked at me and said that would be an awesome price for the SS version but for the alloy version it was just a fair price. When I told him it was the SS version he seemed a lot less happy ... he said the SS version was the 22S ... and we looked at the model number and it was 22S-1 ... and not 22S. I replied I didn't know what the "-1" meant, but the alloy version is the 22A .... now the guy was heart broken, but it was too late <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> he was telling me the gun was to be his kids first 22, don't know if that was true or he was BS'ing trying for my sympathies .... but after seeing the truck (King Ranch F-250, NEW) he drove any sympathies I may have had evaportated, I'm sure he could have afforded the $125.

So TLee, thanks for the heads up, don't know when I'm gonna shoot it, but hopefully soon.

BTW, do you know what the "-1" signifies on the 22S-1??? ... Thanx!

The -1 is simply a designator that they improved or changed something in the original version. No bigge that you will notice.

BTW, the frame is still alloy, the barrel assy and slide are Stainless.

You got a good deal and will, I am sure enjoy much shooting pleasure from it. Try the Winchester Dyna-Points from Wally-Mart in it, they kick azz in mine and for $10.00 per 500 ain't a bad buy either.

The S&W website says the whole pistol is SS on the 22S .... I dunno .... hafta look in to it more.

The one I just bought is all SS, barrel finished with a powder coating.

MODEL 22A SPORT SERIES
- .22 LR cal., single action, 10 shot mag., aluminum alloy frame, stainless steel slide, choice of 4 standard, 5 1/2 standard or bull, or 7 in. standard barrel with raised solid rib, adj. rear and Hi-Viz (5 1/2 in. bull barrel only, new 2001) sights, 2-piece black polymer (hard or soft) or Dymondwood (5 1/2 bull barrel only) grips, blue or camo (new 2004, 5 1/2 in. barrel only) finish, 28-39 oz. New 1997.

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MODEL 22S SPORT SERIES
- .22 LR cal., single action, 10 shot mag., aluminum alloy frame, stainless steel slide, choice of 5 1/2 standard/bull or 7 in. standard barrel with raised solid rib, adj. rear and Hi-Viz (5 1/2 in. bull barrel only, new 2001) sights, 2-piece black polymer (hard or soft) or Dymondwood (5 1/2 in. bull barrel only) grips, satin stainless finish, 41-48 oz. New 1997.

I traded for one the other day. It is SS. One of my friends at the shop ran a clip through it and it functioned fine. I'm looking forward to taking it to the range. Thanks for the feedback!
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