Sergei Mosin
Member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2011
- Messages
- 1,918
I recently acquired a Browning 1911-22. I had been looking for a good .22 pistol for a while; handling a few .22 revolvers reaffirmed my belief that I'm just not a revolver guy (although the Ruger Bearcat is a cute little thing) and the .22 autoloader market seems to be dominated by the Ruger MK-series, 22/45, and Browning Buckmark, which while fine guns are not all that attractive to my eyes.
Having ruled out those guns, and as a confirmed 1911 guy, it seemed a .22 version of JMB's finest was in order. I found the full-size versions unappealing - too much pot metal - but when I picked up the little aluminum offering from Browning, it felt like just the right gun.
So I bought one. When I brought it home my wife, not realizing it was a .22, immediately asked if it could be her house gun. Always nice to get immediate spousal approval!
The gun is quick and easy to take down and reassemble; it goes together about the same way as a centerfire 1911, but with no swinging link to fool with during reassembly. The magazine is a 10-round double-stack that loads easily but feels a bit flimsy; Browning only ships one with each pistol, and extras aren't cheap. The gun itself is a blowback-operated pistol with a magazine safety, so it's not exactly a classic 1911 in its internals, but it looks the part and handles just like a 1911, only smaller. It feels like a baby 1911, a .22 that might be a .45 when it grows up.
The gun comes with a nice little soft case, and Browning also sells a version of the classic GI flap holster sized to fit the 1911-22. It looks good and fits well, although it won't close with the hammer cocked. Then again, you're not likely to carry this gun cocked & locked anyway - probably the only time you'd want to carry it at all is in the field, where it would make a good trail or hiking gun and wouldn't need to be in Condition One.
Today was my first range trip with the little Browning. Some .22 autoloaders are finicky about ammunition, so I had a box of round-nose CCI Mini-Mags along with the Federal bulk hollowpoints that are my standard plinking rounds. I fired 100 rounds of each type with only one failure, a Federal that failed to feed. I cleared the malfunction and the round fed and fired on the second try.
Accuracy was pretty good, although I am no great pistol shot. Better ammo would help, of course. The little GI sights aren't fancy but they're functional. Recoil is negligible. Some folks have complained about the trigger being too heavy, but I thought it was pretty good right out of the box, and I'm sure it will improve with time.
So I'm pleased with my mini-me 1911-22. It will be a fine plinker and woods gun and performs well enough on the range; .22's are just plain fun. I think my wife will enjoy shooting it, and in time I suspect it will serve as an introduction to the 1911 for our future children. And I'm happy to have finally added a quality .22 pistol - and an almost-1911 at that - to my armory.
Having ruled out those guns, and as a confirmed 1911 guy, it seemed a .22 version of JMB's finest was in order. I found the full-size versions unappealing - too much pot metal - but when I picked up the little aluminum offering from Browning, it felt like just the right gun.
So I bought one. When I brought it home my wife, not realizing it was a .22, immediately asked if it could be her house gun. Always nice to get immediate spousal approval!
The gun is quick and easy to take down and reassemble; it goes together about the same way as a centerfire 1911, but with no swinging link to fool with during reassembly. The magazine is a 10-round double-stack that loads easily but feels a bit flimsy; Browning only ships one with each pistol, and extras aren't cheap. The gun itself is a blowback-operated pistol with a magazine safety, so it's not exactly a classic 1911 in its internals, but it looks the part and handles just like a 1911, only smaller. It feels like a baby 1911, a .22 that might be a .45 when it grows up.
The gun comes with a nice little soft case, and Browning also sells a version of the classic GI flap holster sized to fit the 1911-22. It looks good and fits well, although it won't close with the hammer cocked. Then again, you're not likely to carry this gun cocked & locked anyway - probably the only time you'd want to carry it at all is in the field, where it would make a good trail or hiking gun and wouldn't need to be in Condition One.
Today was my first range trip with the little Browning. Some .22 autoloaders are finicky about ammunition, so I had a box of round-nose CCI Mini-Mags along with the Federal bulk hollowpoints that are my standard plinking rounds. I fired 100 rounds of each type with only one failure, a Federal that failed to feed. I cleared the malfunction and the round fed and fired on the second try.
Accuracy was pretty good, although I am no great pistol shot. Better ammo would help, of course. The little GI sights aren't fancy but they're functional. Recoil is negligible. Some folks have complained about the trigger being too heavy, but I thought it was pretty good right out of the box, and I'm sure it will improve with time.
So I'm pleased with my mini-me 1911-22. It will be a fine plinker and woods gun and performs well enough on the range; .22's are just plain fun. I think my wife will enjoy shooting it, and in time I suspect it will serve as an introduction to the 1911 for our future children. And I'm happy to have finally added a quality .22 pistol - and an almost-1911 at that - to my armory.
