How is this machine? Compared to Ruger, Browning

I have never touched one, so my opinion may be immediately discarded, and I am fine with that. Even still, it's worth posting IMO.

The S&W Victory, if you judge solely by what is & has been posted by buyers in gun forums including this one is TYPICAL of today's guns in the all beta testing for a new model and quality inspection/control is done by the end buyer.

The two most common problems are the take-down screw and the extractor that works so well that it extracts and ejects itself from the pistol.

When I see a Victory, I see a homely pistol that looks similar to the 22-A that I did own (it did work) and I did not like.

In my opinion, there are a litany of reasons to not waste time, money and patience with a S&W Victory but the single biggest reason above and beyond all other reasons is that there are countless fantastic used and phenomenal and far better .22 pistols to be had in the secondary market.

I wish you luck with a Victory, something you may need if you go that route.

I like mine. Caught a smokin’ deal for $269 a while back and have put about 500 trouble free rounds through it so far. More accurate than I am.
They seem to have solved the take down screw problem and no problems so far with extractor. I really enjoy shooting it.

You've gotta try real hard to make a bad blowback .22 target pistol. Smith managed not to do that. I think that it honestly doesn't matter whether you buy a Browning Buckmark, Ruger Mk, or S&W Victory--they're all basically the same gun, with the same performance. The Buckmark has the best out-of-the-box trigger, but beyond that, it's about what fits your hand.

If you go by the internet and gun forums, every gun is a worthless piece of garbage, all the time. Guns made today are no worse than guns made way back when--the difference is that you hear about it on the internet now.

Really, if your post is going to be based on that, it's not terribly useful or informative.

I like mine, fixed the unscrewing screw with an o ring, The trigger is way better than any stock Ruger pistol and the sights work well with my aging eyes. No issue with the extractor and it operates well with my Sparrow suppressor.

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Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

Don't agree even slightly on the "value" of internet chatter on any given model. At least it is something tangible and if you have the ability to read and interpret quality reviews and experiences posted, you certainly can gain insight over other sources -- no opinions, experience? Glossy gun magazines where every single product is perfect?

Would you say that the take-down screw and extractor problems are purely made up and don't or never existed? Or even suggesting that those problems are "finally worked out by now" having no idea whatsoever how long someone's next purchase has sat in inventory at a distributor?

I like the weight of an all stainless pistol. I like the trigger on mine. I have the model with the threaded barrel and fiber optic sights. Have shot 1000 + trouble free rounds of many different types of .22lr. The only problem for me has been the safety is too easy to activate. I have not had issues with the screw loosening or issues with the extractor. I have Buckmarks and Mark II Rugers. The Victory compares well to the Buckmarks and the Rugers. I would agree with Wise A the Buckmark has a slight edge on trigger pull.

There has been some very good comments already posted on this thread. First, I do own the Victory, standard not threaded model, and I have owned many Rugers, and have owned one Browning Buckmark.

The first thing to be aware of is that the Victory is less expensive than the other two manufacturer's pistols. I think that the Victory's trigger pull is better than Ruger but probably not quite as good as the Browning, but yet the Victory's trigger pull is quite nice.

The Victory's sights are fully adjustable fiber optic green dot and are very bright. Some may feel that they are too bright, but my 70+ year old eyes kind of like them. A rail is also provided to attach optics in place of the standard sights.

Stainless steel frame and barrel is standard on the Victory and the ease of take down makes it a very easy pistol to maintain.

There might be a little more plastic on the Victory than I would like to see, such as the extractor spring plunger as well as the firing pin spring plunger, but plastic keeps the price down and can be very durable.

Being able to remove the barrel from the receiver by simply removing one screw makes it possible for after market companies to easily provide interchangeable barrels.

The shape of the polymer grip frame fits my hand well, and the standard grips provided are quite nice. The stainless steel upper frame, slide, receiver, and bull barrel provides ample weight for target shooting.

I have so far put around 500 rounds through my Victory and it's function has been flawless. The safety and slide release levers work smoothly and the magazine release button is conveniently placed and magazine ejects with authority.

You might get the impression from my comments that I really like the Victory, and that would be the correct impression.

You really can't go wrong by selecting a pistol from any one of the three manufacturers.

Funny this thread was posted today. I just bought a Victory today at Academy in Lafayette, LA this afternoon and went immediately to the range with it. First of all, I happen to like the looks and especially the feel of it in my hand and actually chose it over the Browning Buckmark, which was selling at the same price at the store. The Browning didn't feel quite as nice in hand and I rather the hi-vis sights on the S&W as they are much easier for my old eyes to pick up on.

The range was a mixed bag. The gun felt real good in hand and was easy to hold on target. It was also accurate and easy to shoot tight groups with. But I was having extremely bad extraction problems. I was having stovepipes and jams galore. After shooting around 100 rounds or so and the jamming and extraction problems getting steadily worse, I put it away and continued my range session with my 3 1/2" and 5" model 27's that I had also brought out to the range.

I just got finished cleaning it and didn't find anything unusual, except that the chamber was pretty gritty and sticky feeling if you tried pushing a bullet into it before cleaning. After cleaning, the same bullet just drops into the chamber with no resistance. So I will be making another trip to test it again real soon to see if it was just sticky and dirty from the factory or if it will need a trip back to the mothership to get it running right.

As for cleaning it, it is easy to break down and clean. The ammo I was shooting is some Remington Golden Bullets that are a good lot of bullets and shoot well out of my wife's 1911-22 Sig Sauer, which can be picky on what it digests. When I go back to the range, I will bring a few different brands of ammo I have on hand to see if it just doesn't like the Remington ammo. I don't think that is the problem, however.

BTW, this is the first S&W bottom feeder I've owned. The rest of my Smiths are wheelguns.

Muddocktor, I will be looking forward to your next range report from your new Victory. I'm surprised with the issues that you have had with yours. I have so far ran CCI standard velocity and Walmart Federal bulk high velocity through mine without issue. I hope that the gritty and sticky chamber was the issue and that it doesn't have to be sent back for repair.

Will do, wproct. I'm anxious to see if that was the problem myself. Other than the extraction problems, I have no other gripes about the pistol, and fit and finish are good too. I also find that the grip panels S&W used on this pistol to be very comfortable for my hand too.

I was out last Saturday looking at target 22s. Thought that I'd probably end up with a Ruger MKIV or a Victory but once I handled the Victory it was out of the running. It just felt odd in my hand. The Ruger was better but then I held a Buck Mark and was sold. The Browning felt better in every way, from the grip, the balance, and that fantastic trigger.

Attached Images

Buckmark.jpg (172.7 KB, 33 views)

My experience has been the SW22 Victory is a fine pistol. I've got over 2,000 rounds through mine and it still looks new and just keeps on shooting.



packs up real nice

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

I bought one and sold it when I got a Ruger MK IV. I was glad I found a buyer for it without my losing a bunch of money. I have no regrets at all.

This is the primary reason to select a Victory over the Ruger, imo, coming from the standpoint of competition. Swapping a barrel on a Ruger is such that you might as well just sell the one you have and buy one with the barrel you want. Unfortunately, it's a benefit that's predicated on the aftermarket actually providing worthwhile barrels to swap in. And even then, you won't be gaining much accuracy, just better balance.

Personally, I don't think that either the Mk IV or the Victory are worth buying over, say, a Mk III. The simple fact of the matter is that you don't have to disassemble them for cleaning.

No, I'd say that there have always been problems with early runs of new guns. It's not a new phenomena. The problem is when you look back on the past with rose-tinted glasses. Pre-interwebs, if you had a problem with a new gun, the only people that knew about it were your LGS (and he wasn't gonna go telling anybody), and your small circle of friends.

Now, everybody hears about it all the time.

Just curious where you got the case for your SW22 Victory?

From the S&W store on their site. It works perfect for me. Holds the pistol with or without the red/green optics and it also holds five magazines and a box of 50 .22lr.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

I've fired a few mags through my cousin's Victory. I have a Browning Buckmark Hunter. Liked them both. The Browning does have a heftier feel (longer barrel) and seems to be of higher quality. Also mine has a rail on top if that's of interest to you. But it was more money than the Victory. I had some misfeeds with the BM but I switched ammo and that hasn't happened again. I know my cousin has had quite a few misfeeds, but again it was with cheapo ammo.

I do like the easier take down with the Victory. Can't go wrong with either. If you have the budget I'd go with the Browning. Hope this helps.

I really like my Victory. Seems like all newly redesigned guns have problems these days. Even the Ruger Mark IV has been recalled.

I like the feel and looks of the Victory. It fits my paws very well. S&W has replaced the takedown screw, too. I don't have any problems with mine.

Have fired 600 rounds with my Victory. The first 5 rounds were FTE, but after visiting this forum, found the solution to adjusting the ejector and that ended the problem. Otherwise, a fine firearm. I have added the Volquartsen barrel with compensator and Altamont grips. Love the gun!

Attached Images

Victory.jpg (108.2 KB, 43 views)

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S&W SW22 Victory

Nice gun DD!
Qc

Absolutely, the wood grips and Volquartsen barrel really completes that Victory!

You're right.There's something that I don't like about the look of the stock Victory and you seem to have found the way around to make it look a lot better!
Looong evening coming up on the web looking for where to buy my Victory and aftermarket parts.
Another evening my wife's gonna spend alone;she's gonna hate you for that DD(or maybe she'll thank you for it.....please just let me know which)!
Qc

Get it, then invite your wife to shoot it. I think she'll like it. Very easy to use. She'll thank YOU!

P.S. I bought the Victory from a local FFL, the barrel from Rimfire & Sports Custom (very good price), and the grips directly from Altamont. The grip screws are from VZ Grips. Very happy with results!

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S&W SW22 Victory

Well, went to the cop range today right after church. I had cleaned my pistol thoroughly after my last range session when I had bought it and brought some different ammo to try with it to see if the FTE problem was any better. I tried some CCI Mini Mags and some Winchester SuperX and had multiple FTE/stovepipe problems with each of those also, just like with the Remington Golden Bullet stuff. I ran a mag of each for testing, and didn't need to try any more than that. So tomorrow I will be on the phone to S&W and sending this turkey back to them and see if they can get it running right.

This is my first S&W semi auto pistol and I ain't impressed so far. I guess I will see how many trips back to them it will take for them to get it to run right.

No need to call S&W. Fix is simple. Earlier threads posted on this site show the easy fix. Mine was having FTEs on the first five shots, did a search here and found the solution. Can't remember the actual thread, but here's the graphic I got from it showing the solution. Try it first. It certainly worked for me.

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SW22_Victory_Ejector_Pin.jpg (162.0 KB, 48 views)

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S&W SW22 Victory

Found the post. Check:
SW22 Victory not ejecting

And see post #30.

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S&W SW22 Victory

Muddocktor, I am truly disappointed that your Victory isn't running well yet. I examined the photo provided by Denton Dog showing the ejector modification that he says will correct the problem, and then compared it to my pistol. It's hard for me to see the difference, I'm not saying that the fix won't work, just saying it's hard for me to tell the change or difference. I know that it is super frustrating to buy a new pistol and have consistent problems with it, especially when others report having great results with the same pistol. I hope you will continue to keep us updated on what you choose to do and the results. Wishing you the best with your Victory and hope that you get it figured out.

Denton Dog, thanks for the tip and the link to that thread. That is exactly the issues I am having. The extractor is grabbing the case out of the barrel just fine, but ejecting the spent case is the problem. Frequently they hang up along with the next cartridge out of the mag or they stovepipe in the ejection window or hang up like the pic in the first post in that thread. I will give bending the ejector rod a whirl and see if that cures the problem before calling S&W. I did notice that when it does eject the spent case successfully, about half the time it throws the spent case forwards like it's bouncing off the ejection port side or something.

Denton Dog, you were exactly right on the fix! I bent the ejector in roughly a millimeter or so and checked fit. Then put it back together and this morning I loaded the 2 mags with CCI in one and the Winchester in the other and brought the bucket of Golden Bullets along and went out to the Atchafalaya Basin levee and tried it out. It ran like the well oiled machine it now is, with no suggestion of having ejection problems with any of the 3 different types of ammo. I ran a mag of each of the different types of ammo and no problems at all!

Now I can properly go play at the range with it when I come back in from the rig in 2 weeks. If it weren't against Company regualtions to bring weapons to the rig I would bring it to the rig. But I need a job worse than I need to shoot my new pistol.

Fantastic! Glad you got it running. Kudos to Denton Dog!

Glad to hear the process worked. It has fixed numerous Victories with this problem. Ultimate kudos should go to the original poster of the fix on this S&W Forum, njsarn. It was his first and only post.

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S&W SW22 Victory

Its always nice to see a Happy ending for someone who listens and is a wee bit handy with tools as well.

About 20 years ago I lucked into a 1941 vintage Colt Woodsman. The story was that it had been carried for many years up in Alaska. Maybe so, maybe not. But it had a lot of finish wear, and the original stocks had been replaced by home-made ones. The holster that came with it was worn through at the muzzle. Nonetheless it had been well cared for and functioned perfectly. I retired the holster, found proper stocks, and that was it...

Had it out yesterday and for being 73 years old it was a delight to shoot. More to the point, it was an elegant gun with wonderful lines and a feast for the eyes.

Lena Dunham and Audrey Hepburn...

Life is just too short to even TOUCH ugly guns.