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S&W 22A and 22S are they decent?

SilverBoxSilverBox Member Posts: 2,347
edited August 2006 in Ask the Experts
Are these pistols accurate? I had pretty much deceided on the ruger mark II 6 7/8" target as the .22lr I wanted to get, but I saw these on the wall at a local gunstore and the price was pretty reasonable and they seemed pretty cool looking, specifically the 7" model?

Anyone have one? How do they shoot? Accurate? Any feeding/jamming problems?

Comments

  • mballaimballai Member Posts: 1,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Go for the Ruger. The S&W of choice is a Model 41 which is rather pricey. That said, there's probably nothing wrong with the S&Ws you saw, but just about everyone opts for the Ruger.

    Three Precious Metals: Gold, silver and lead
  • ace22ace22 Member Posts: 544 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Go with the Ruger.I bought a 22A and traded it in after 2 weeks of swapping out recoil buffers every 100 rounds.IMHO these pistols are a P.O.S

    I'm not a hippy!I'm a well groomed mountain man
  • cwinncwinn Member Posts: 1,223 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a model 22A that i bought brand new about 4 years ago. It is very reliable and shoots reasonably well. For accuracy the ruger would be the choice, but for a less expensive fun gun to hunt or plink with the 22A is a soolid choice. After about 5000 rounds mine had small breakage which the factory repaired free of charge with an updated, more sturdy peice. its now had near 8000 rounds through it and still works and shoots great. the controls are placed in a way that fits my hand perfectly. FYI after my father shot mine he decided to pass up a Ruger and buy a 22A becuase of the price difference and his shoots just as well as mine. Im not knocking the ruger, though, as i have a bull barreled Mark II that is just as reliable and more accurate, but also cost about 150 dollars more. good luck, either way you will be getting a nice gun
  • motorcycle_danmotorcycle_dan Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a 22A. Looking for some grips and found this forum. I regularly keep my shots all in the black. When I purchased the pistol I had enough money and went in to buy a model 41 smith. After trying the trigger on 3 separate guns decided not to spend that much money on a target pistol that needed a trip to the gunsmith as a first stop. I bought the 22A because of the stock shoddy trigger on the Model 41. First trip to the range confirmed my choice. I love this and at the price can not go wrong. My has probably 2~4K rounds through it and still functions fine.
  • tsavo303tsavo303 Member Posts: 8,891 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    the 22A is a pretty good gun........... for me to poop on!
  • geeguygeeguy Member Posts: 1,047
    edited November -1
    I own and shoot all three types in competition.

    S&W 41 - best by far, yes they have been smith'd and I have 4 of them. Most acurate and least amount of trouble (I don't know why I keep hearing stories on how bad these are). You must keep them clean in the chamber area. Maint. is easy.

    Ruger 6 7/8" target - Very accurate right out of the box. NEEDS a trigger job. Maint. is a pain (I sure many will disagree). I have a breech lock back that requires dis-assembly every 1K-2K rds. Would never buy another one for serious target work.

    S&W 22S - Needs a trigger job right out of the box (comes in at about 4-5 lbs.) Not as accurate as the above 2, but good enough for most competition level (not good enf for Perry and Bobski, but OK for the rest of us)Easy Maint and dis-assembly. Only concern is mag release is under grip fingers which does bother some shooters.

    Can't go wrong with any of the three, whichever feels good and shoots good for you.

    Best of luck with the new gun.
  • spudshotspudshot Member Posts: 136 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    i have the basic model with the 5.5" barrel and i love it, i've put probably about 350 rounds through it in 2 weeks of having it, i cant stop shooting it whenever i get to the range, i'm thinking of adding a red dot sight or a small pistol scope to it just to see what its like to have a scoped handgun (this is my first pistol). the gun is good and solid, the buffers do seem like they may become a problem after a few bricks of ammo,but i havent had any problems with them yet, and i may fabricate an aluminum buffer as a replacement if mine ever give out. its nice that you can easily change out different barrels.
  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Decent. . .yes. Fantastic. . .no.

    You can't compare this gun to a high-end target gun like the Smith 41. That's just not fair. But this does make a good plinker, or first gun.

    Its got a few advantages over the Ruger .22s: Much easier to strip and clean, easy to change barrels (if you want to do that), built in scope rail (which you can attach to a barrel and swap out for iron sights without rezeroing, if you like), and most important, alloy frame is nice and light for easy carry or sustained shooting by those who can't handle a heavier gun.

    Disadvantages? Plastic buffer in slide eventually disintegrates and has to be replaced (not a big deal. . .can be done in seconds and part is cheap, but this is annoying). Alloy frame is much more subject to wear and tear and can break with long use. Other possible disadvantage is that grip doesn't suit everyone and few replacements are available.
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