Is the S&W 22 series pistols any good?

[CarbineKid]

I've been hunting down a new 22lr pistol and I don't know much about S&Ws version. Is the 22a/22s a good pistol? Any and all info is appreciated

 

[Puppy]

They are *OK* - but I think you would probably be alot happier with a Ruger MKII or a Browning Buckmark though.

 

[PATH]

I bought a 22A for the bullseye league but have since moved to a Mod.41. The 22A is reliable and is quite easy to care for. A solid performer.

 

[mitchcoyote]

I have a 22A and it is very accurate......

 

[BobK]

Have a 22A and a Buckmark on our rental range. Looks like the Buckmark is going to last longer. The S&W already broke once and had to be replaced. It does shoot well however.

 

[rick_reno]

I've seen a bunch of M41's in our Bullseye league - older ones were good, the two newer ones that guys bought had reliablity problems. One back to the factory three times - the former pistol coach from West Point couldn't fix it locally. The kid who owned finally traded it off at a gun show.

 

[nemesis]

Browning or Ruger and I prefer the Browning.

 

[ChuckD]

I have a target model 22a--has been to the factory twice for 2 different problems--and is broken again. It is quite accurate, but quite problematic. Most of the guys on our bullseye league use Rugers...when I fix mine it will be replaced with a Ruger...ChuckD

 

[maas]

i always thought the argument was ruger vs browning. i cant say anything good or bad against the smith never shot one, but i can tell you that the browning and rugers are the benchmark for 22 pistols. if it was me (witch it was 8 years ago) i looked at ALL of them. i was sure i was going to buy a colt then i started looking at the browning, and ruger and ended up buying the ruger it just felt better.

 

[FlyinGN]

mine is accurate and trouble free. love it

 

[toast]

Had one for a while. Very nice and comfortable grib. Sold mine when the bushing for the recoil spring was getting ratty. I didn't like the idea of having to replace that part every few thousand rounds so sold it. Did I read somewhere that the newer ones already come with replacements?

The rugers (and buckmarks to a lesser extent) can grow with you. If you become active in a bullseye league or what not you can customize it to increase its performance. The smith 22 series does not have this kind of backing.\

I had an old m41 w/ 5" field bbr and adjustable trigger. Man that thing was sweet. I will only another 41 someday when my finances say $800 on a 22lr isnt outragous.

 

[FlyinGN]

yup mine came with a few replacements.. Brownells has em for $1.67 each

 

[gbair]

Another vote for the 22a. I bought one used with a 7.5" barrel and a red dot installed. I purchased a 5.5" barrel and moved the red dot to it and I keep the 7.5" for open site competition. It's been a tack driver for me. I won my last plate match with it. You'll need to stock up on the nylon stop piece for the barrel. They wear out every couple of thousand rounds, but they're cheap and easy to replace. I called S&W and they sent me a few for free. I don't know if they're still doing that.

Greg