[WarWeasel]

I saw one of these recently in a shop for $199 and I'm considering picking it up. I have never owned a hand gun myself and have wanted to get something for snakes and for target shooting as well as something my wife can learn with as well.

My only concern was that I have seen mention of jamming problems with it in the few reviews I have been able to find so far.

Has any one had any experience with one of these?

Thanks!
~WW

 

[Shipwreck]

I almost bought a target 22 a while back, and may do so 1 day - I hear bad things about the Beretta Neos trigger, and have heard numerous issues w/ the Walther P99. Not a huge fan of the way the Ruger looks. From other posts that I have read, the S&W is supposed to be a pretty good gun.

But, at this point, if I ever get 1, I think I would buy a Browning Buckmark. They seem to get very high ratings...

All I can tell ya - someone may give ya some hands on advice, though...

 

[highrider]

I have a S&W 22A and it is a very accurate pistol. It can be picky with the ammo it likes to eat, but a steady diet of CCI MimiMags keeps it performing flawlessly.

 

[TxPhantom]

22A owner

I have a 22A. Bought it about 3 years ago. Had a few FTF's & FTE's. I don't think it liked Remington shells but does well with anything else.

It has a hair trigger which is great for target shooting.

It's the hardest gun I own to break down. Recoil spring likes to shoot across the room and hide the little plastic spacer thing.

It's a fun gun to shoot but not to clean.

 

[TxPhantom]

Sent 22A To S & W For Repairs.

Took the 22A to the range Sat. 5/20/6. Shot just about every gun I own 1st & then shot the 22A about 50 or rounds. At that point it started misfiring about every other or so rounds.
Brought it home to check out & clean. Could not get it to break down. Couldn't get barrel group to disconnect from grip & trigger housing(?). It's always been a bear to break down but wouldn't budge this time. Called S & W customer service & they sent UPS shipping label. It will go out tomorrow.
I really enjoy shooting this pistol. It's never given me any problems except for cleaning it. Hope it comes back ready to go! I feel like it's a old friend that's not feeling too well & needs to go to the Doctor. :smt022

 

[MATTHIAS]

had one 22a target model,heavy barrel and target grips,nice trigger,nice shooter and very accurate but coudn't shot a complete magazine without a failure...sent it twice to S&W and still failing...to fix the problem:replaced by a Ruger slab side wich I still prefer over my model 41,another nice pistol but very selective with ammunition...my best

 

[TxPhantom]

Re: Sent 22A To S & W For Repairs.

Took the 22A to the range Sat. 5/20/6. Shot just about every gun I own 1st & then shot the 22A about 50 or rounds. At that point it started misfiring about every other or so rounds.
Brought it home to check out & clean. Could not get it to break down. Couldn't get barrel group to disconnect from grip & trigger housing(?). It's always been a bear to break down but wouldn't budge this time. Called S & W customer service & they sent UPS shipping label. It will go out tomorrow.
I really enjoy shooting this pistol. It's never given me any problems except for cleaning it. Hope it comes back ready to go! I feel like it's a old friend that's not feeling too well & needs to go to the Doctor. :smt022

Follow up; Just got my 22A back from S & W repaired. Sent by UPS on 5/31/6 and it was repaired & I received it back by UPS today 6/14/6. Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet but did check the break down. It is easier to break down now than when it was brand new. They didn't give much info as to the cause of the problem but enclosed a diagram of the trigger area saying "make sure this area is clear of dirt and debris" with a arrow pointing to the top of the trigger. I thought I kept it clean but maybe I didn't clean that area as good as I should(?). :? I guess the moral of this story is to clean that area very well.

 

[raveneap]

I bought a new 22A-1 last week and took it to the range this past weekend. Right out of the box with only a field strip and initial cleaning, put 150 or so rounds through it no problem. Had 3 ftf's but was using Federal bulk .22 ammo and attribute that to the ammo rather than the gun. It's fun and inexpensive to shoot and quite good on the accuracy. I agree that the break down can be a pain (button just ahead of the trigger guard, sort of like the old hi-standards,) but workable. I'd recommend the 22A as a good unit.

 

[CaptRon1953]

Have one, shoots well

I have one, I shoot it with three different barrels, the original 5.5 inch that it came with and 2 7 inch, one with an Ultradot sight, and one with the stock iron sights. All three barrels load and feed ammunition differently and they all have "favorite" diets. All three are very accurate, when you find the right ammo for it. The Federal bulk ammo (550 round) gives me fits with misfires and poor ejections, but the Federal AutoMatch bulk pack (325 rounds) is virtually trouble free. In fact one of the three barrels fires a tighter group with the Federal than it did with 9 other " target " 22 loads. I bought mine as a plinker, but now shoot it as my .22 for 2700 comps. Just check the operation with a variety of ammo until you find one that functions and shoots well.
Just my .02, YMMV

 

[waterburybob]

I bought a 22A when they first came out in 1997 - I still have it.

It's been reliable, and it is surprisingly accurate. I had an old 2x Leupold Handgun scope laying around, so I put it on the 22A. I can hit anything with that gun !

I think it's a good gun for the money.