Smith & Wesson 22a

[GooseGun]

Bought this gun in January 2014 in a rush to buy a 22lr pistol plinker. Went to the LGS and that's what he had in stock, I truly didn't shop, more like just bought. I shot it a few times and it has been sitting in the safe due to 22 shortage. I recently took it out and was unimpressed with the function. Numerous FTF and FTE, granted it was about 18 degrees out. Looking for any input from other owners that they have experienced with these guns.

[thughes]

Sorry, no experience. I bought an M&P 22 Compact when they came out late last year, love it.

[RandallOfLegend]

What ammo were you shooting? My 22a has not had issues with standard and high velocity ammo. I did have cycling failures with subsonic ammo. Maybe the cold weather was causing powder ignition issues.

[GooseGun]

Shooting this stuff.

[RandallOfLegend]

I should mention mine is a 22A1, which had an modification to the barrel locking nub. Mine was used when I got it. I have yet to clean it and it's dirty as hell. The feed ramp needs some light polishing. I have only used it in summer/fall weather so fall. Can you clarify FTF and FTE? It could mean Feed/Fire or Eject/Extract. If you have a spent case, I would load it up and see how well the extractor is grabbing it. Also, the lube on the gun might gum up in chilly temperatures, especially if its factory lube.


I have tested several ammo types.

1.) Winchester Bulk
2.) Federal American Eagle
3.) Remington Golden Bullet
4.) CCI Standard Velocity
5.) Remington Yellow Jacket (High Velocity)
6.) Aguila Sub-Sonic

The only ammo I had problems with was the sub sonic Aguila. One nice effect of the 22lr shortage is my wide variety of ammo to test, due to grabbing anything available

[Justin]

My wife got me the Talo edition for my birthday one year and its probably my least favorite .22 I'm less accurate with it than my buckmark and I've had numerous failures to feed and eject with it.

[Meketrefe]

the M&P 22 is actually made by Walther in Germany. It is a large version of a Walther inside if you pay close attention.
It is a fun reliable firearm. Also the Walther itself is a joy to shoot. Smaller but surprisingly comfortable even for large hands.

[thughes]

the M&P 22 is actually made by Walther in Germany. It is a large version of a Walther inside if you pay close attention.
It is a fun reliable firearm. Also the Walther itself is a joy to shoot. Smaller but surprisingly comfortable even for large hands.

True, but the M&P 22 Compact is a completely different gun made by S&W here in the good ol' USA!

[RandallOfLegend]

I will do a range report with my 22A1 once it gets warmer out. Last time I was shooting 2-3 inch groups off-hand fast firing at 25 yards.

[GooseGun]

I should mention mine is a 22A1, which had an modification to the barrel locking nub. Mine was used when I got it. I have yet to clean it and it's dirty as hell. The feed ramp needs some light polishing. I have only used it in summer/fall weather so fall. Can you clarify FTF and FTE? It could mean Feed/Fire or Eject/Extract. If you have a spent case, I would load it up and see how well the extractor is grabbing it. Also, the lube on the gun might gum up in chilly temperatures, especially if its factory lube.


I have tested several ammo types.

1.) Winchester Bulk
2.) Federal American Eagle
3.) Remington Golden Bullet
4.) CCI Standard Velocity
5.) Remington Yellow Jacket (High Velocity)
6.) Aguila Sub-Sonic

The only ammo I had problems with was the sub sonic Aguila. One nice effect of the 22lr shortage is my wide variety of ammo to test, due to grabbing anything available

RoL, Failure to fire and failure to feed, along with failure to eject spent cartridge. It really seems to like to eat CCI, but beggars can't be choosers so I feed it what I have. Will give it a good cleaning and try her again in a bit warmer temps.

Look forward to your range report.

[RandallOfLegend]

RoL, Failure to fire and failure to feed, along with failure to eject spent cartridge. It really seems to like to eat CCI, but beggars can't be choosers so I feed it what I have. Will give it a good cleaning and try her again in a bit warmer temps.

Look forward to your range report.

I am surprised you have had failures to fire. My 22A1 has a sharp firing pin, and the hammer hits pretty hard. Maybe the previous owner did some modifications. I would check to see if your firing pin has mushroomed from dry firing (common rimefire problem). I cleaned mine over the weekend, and I found that my ejector had a lot of crud. I used a fine tipped screwdriver to lightly clean under it and around the bolt face. Then I scrubbed it good with a toothbrush. I was going to get out to the range soon, but the snow is crazy, and my range is outdoors.

[GooseGun]

RoL, Gun was new when I bought it, and if I reload the same round it will fire, you can even see the dent the firing pin is putting in the rim, but not going bang.