S&W Model 22A-1

Status
Not open for further replies.
ontarget

ontarget

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2009
Messages
4,215
Location
Michigan (Gods country)
I wandered into a small shop in a town about 1.5 hours from home today.
I was in town doing some service work so thought I'd stop.
I ended up taking home a S&W 22A-1.
The price was good, and I was looking at Victory models lately as I'm kind of a Smith & Wesson fanboy. This one needed a home and I had cash so why not.
First 200 rounds through it and no hiccups so I'm pretty happy. Even hit the 100 yard steel target a few times offhand.
Anyone else have one of these and care to share your experiences?
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Had one.

Worst automatic pistol Ive ever owned- jammed constantly.

Many folks have had good luck with them, though. Guess mine was an unlucky lemon.
Click to expand...

Nope. The one I had was a POS as well...couldn't get three shots off in a row with that paperweight. I literally had blisters from clearing FTE's after the last shooting session with it before I got rid of it.
 
I have one as well - like many 22 semis, it is quite ammo-sensitive. Win White box (which is fairly low grade stuff) I seldom get through a mag without an issue. Higher priced ammo (when you can find it) will (usually) do better. Dirtier ammo = shorter length of "fun" time before cleaning is necessary for satisfactory operation.
 
Its a little unfair because I compare all .22 pistols to my M422, which eats everything and anything that Ive ever squeezed in the magazine.

No kidding, I just took the slide off for the first time in over 10 years- which probably equals at least 5000 rounds- for a thorough cleaning. It was FILTHY in there, but the gun was still running like a German train schedule. The only maintainance its had was a quick wipe and a few drops of oil on the bolt and guide rod after each shooting session.

Since the 22A was the successor to the 422 series, I expected similiar results.......:confused:

I tried 4 different types of ammo, two magazines, and gave it a good clean/lube, but to no avail.

I really liked the quick-takedown and interchangeable barrel concept of the 22A. It also had good sights and fit my hand, but just wasnt a functional firearm.
 
Mine is sold and I'm glad of it.

Started out a little problematic but, to be honest, I half-expected it.

I know what a bear semi-auto .22s *can* be.

So, I stuck with it and due to trying out almost every .22 out there - it came around through break-in & cleanings.

Eventually ran just fine and I don't feel it was too much given my experiences.

What I could not get past was the cobbed-up look of the design. Literally every time I opened the box I had a sort of WTH?!? moment.

Then - for me - the ergonomics were never bearable.

The trigger was great, the gun was accurate, it eventually barely cared what I fed it.

Just could NOT grow to like it. Sold it for a decent profit and never looked back.

Todd.
 
Last edited:
I had one for many years and ran thousands of rounds through it with zero problems until it disassembled itself in my hand on the range one day. The forward end of the recoil spring was held in place by a piece of plastic that disintegrated and spit bits of plastic everywhere. The spring literally wore it away. It was darned accurate while it lasted though. I sent it off to S&W and they fixed it without a word, but then I traded it in on a S&W Victory.
Funny, since I just don't care for S&W's centerfire offerings.
 
ontarget said:
@ApacheCoTodd This gun was used so I have no idea what the round count might be. So maybe it is well broken in.
I do see what you mean about the look of the design. But damn it's easy to take this thing down for cleaning.
Click to expand...
Agreed. A very user-friendly piece and honestly too bad it had so short a run.

Todd.
 
bumbazine said:
I had one for many years and ran thousands of rounds through it with zero problems until it disassembled itself in my hand on the range one day. The forward end of the recoil spring was held in place by a piece of plastic that disintegrated and spit bits of plastic everywhere. The spring literally wore it away. It was darned accurate while it lasted though. I sent it off to S&W and they fixed it without a word, but then I traded it in on a S&W Victory.
Funny, since I just don't care for S&W's centerfire offerings.
Click to expand...
So now, you've had both.

What's your sense of the two - and only those two - compared?

Todd.
 
I had one about 16 years ago, bought new. I had one failure to eject out of several thousand rounds of mixed vintage. I am blaming that failure on not cleaning after burning a 500 round brick with no clean/lube. for the money it was a fun little pistol, and a great teaching tool for new shooters. I was able to keep "minute of ritz cracker" out to 35 yards pretty regularly, and I rang steel at 100 yards once.
 
I've never dabbled with actually bullseye type target shooting. I concentrate on defensive shooting at 7 to 15 yards typically.
I might just put a RDS on this one and try for groups.
I've seen Heritage Rough Riders sell for what I paid for this one so I figured why not. Glad to hear a few positive stories though.
 
I still have my 22A that I bought in 2007 and it still runs great with quality ammo. I am running a Bushnell TRS-25 red dot on it. It is plenty accurate and minute of clay bird at 50 yards. I never had any issues with mine. The most important thing is to inspect the thin recoil buffer on a regular basis and replace as needed.
 
1st - make sure you contact S&W for some nylon recoil pieces - as mentioned right above.

I have the 22/s - which is the stainless version.
I also bought two different barrels for mine - so - I have the 5.5" bull barrel, the 5.5" target barrel and the 7.5" target barrel.

Mine has never jammed - even when I shoot Thunderbolts.

Accuracy is off the charts. Mine is the single most accurate gun in my safe.
Shooting it inside at 25 yeards, it can put 50 rounds into a hole the size of a dime - in just about anyone's hands.
Shooting outside, I've put 50 rounds into a hole a about the size of a nickel at 50 yards.
I would have loved to try it at longer ranges, but, the range I shot at didn't allow handguns on the 100 to 200 yard range.

Over the years, I've read and heard conflicting stories about both .22/s & .22/a -
The only thing I did notice that seems to be a constant - other than the nylon bushing - it that the hook design on the barrel can be a weak point.
Be very cautious when taking the barrel off.

Good luck - I hope yours is as accurate as mine!

Oops - forgot to mention..
I have a 4X scope on the 7.5" barrel & the above were shot with the gun on a rest & that was about 20 years or so ago.
 
Last edited:
I have one with a 7 inch barrel. It constantly jambs after about 1 mag fired. The accuracy is about what a 20 GA shotgun has at 15 YDS. Was going to trade it away but a buddy asked if he could use it as coyote protection for his dogwalks. Told him if he shoots his dog by mistake don't blame me. He's had it for about 10 years and I never asked for it back. Good riddance. :confused:
 
I think that the 22-A is perhaps one of the most under rated .22 pistols. In my experience, it will shoot as well as any quality .22 sport pistol and better than most. My 22-A is an excellent pistol that I will enjoy for years to come.
 
For those that have had issues with their 22A pistols. What brands and types of ammo were you using?

I have only used Federal Champion and several types of CCI ammo in mine and it has been 100% reliable and accurate.
 
ApacheCoTodd said:
So now, you've had both.

What's your sense of the two - and only those two - compared?

Todd.
Click to expand...
The 22a1 was accurate and reliable and very easy to take apart for cleaning. It ate just about every kind of ammo I fed it, although it sometimes had problems with thunderbolts. It had a funky little plastic recoil buffer that had to be replaced every so often. They were cheap and easy to get from S&W though. I think the 'rail' on top was non-standard, but I may be misremembering. I took it to the range with me just about every time I went and shot it to pieces, literally.

That being said, I like my Victory better. It's just as accurate and reliable. I've got a red dot mounted on the optics mount that came with it right now and it feels like cheating, but shooting with the fiber optic sights was almost cheating to begin with.
The only thing I don't like about it is the screw under the barrel you have to unscrew to take the barrel off. It can loosen and fall out while shooting. I'm told a small o-ring will fix that problem but I just carry an allen wrench in my range bag and check it every so often. They still use a hunk of plastic as a recoil buffer, but it's a big chunk of material and doesn't seem to get beat up like the thin piece in the 22a1.

The Victory is heavier and costs more, but I think it's the better pistol and I'd do it again.
 
I bought a Talo edition 22A-1 several years ago. It has been one of the most trouble free .22s that I own and I have more than a few. As the OP experienced, the 22A is an accurate pistol that is a match for some of it’s more expensive competitors. 4948A8A6-C794-4E35-8D38-2E5BC9C1A651.jpeg The piece of plastic referred to above is a buffer. I check the buffer when field stripping after shooting.
I’m not sure if S&W still has the buffers but Brownell’s did offer them at one time. Shooting high velocity ammo will hasten the need for replacement.
 
I've had my SW22A-1 since 2013, as it was all I could afford at the time. It shoots great (very accurate with its great target sights) and reliably, and I swapped out to the 7" bbl, but it doesn't make it out to the range out much anymore since I got a MKIV and a Victory. Mine prefers CCI SGB and Blazer ammo, but eats most anything. These are the only (minor) issues I've had with mine: a magazine base plate broke (replaced), the plastic grips started getting sticky (replaced), and mine's ugly as sin. That TALO edition above looks nice!
20210318_192814.jpg


Yes, I agree:
ApacheCoTodd said:
What I could not get past was the cobbed-up look of the design. Literally every time I opened the box I had a sort of WTH?!? moment.
Click to expand...


Agreed:
12Bravo20 said:
The most important thing is to inspect the thin recoil buffer on a regular basis and replace as needed.
Click to expand...


These are surprisingly accurate; hard to believe.
Broccolis said:
I think that the 22-A is perhaps one of the most under rated .22 pistols. In my experience, it will shoot as well as any quality .22 sport pistol and better than most. My 22-A is an excellent pistol that I will enjoy for years to come.
Click to expand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
  • Locked
S&W 22A Bull Barrel
Replies
0
Views
230
DWN
D
S
  • Locked
S&w 22a-1
Replies
3
Views
404
mp510
M
T
  • Locked
S&W 22A grips
Replies
2
Views
433
richardKatts
R
Z
  • Locked
s&w 22a
Replies
18
Views
852
K-Rod
K
J
  • Locked
S&W 22a Barrel Question
Replies
5
Views
509
JoeMal
J
Back
Top