Anyone have a range report or a review on the S&W 22a-1 with a 5.5" barrel? Are these things pretty good for the money?

I had one with a 3MOA Millett red dot sight. It would tear out a ragged 50-shot 1" hole at 25 yards off the bench with Aquila Match Rifle ammo.

Trigger had a little creep, but you get what you pay for. After several hundred rounds mine began to slam fire occasionally. I sent it back to S&W and it came back fixed, no further problems.

I swapped it (and a good bit of boot) for a Model 41. The 22A was a pretty good little gun, but I just wanted something better.

I scoped mine and it does well shooting at 50 yard sillouettes. The only issue is an occasional jam with a full magazine so I usually load light one or two rounds.

So far my Talo edition 22a-1 has been a good shooter with no malfunctions. Have a Truglo red dot open sight on it. Easier to disassemble than my Ruger Mark III's.

Great gun for the money. Sold it because I wanted something smaller to practice with. If I had had a place to shoot it other than an indoor range, like out in the country somewhere, I would never have gotten rid of it. Pretty accurate.

I use my 46 as the main gun and my 22A for a backup gun at the range. The22A shoots extremely well and has very good sights also. Shoots all ammo just great. Even the cheap stuff.

Hi Jackrabbit i bought the 22A-1 deluxe limited edition talo from Shooters Choice in Arrowwood Alberta last month. put 300 rounds through it so far with only a few fail to fires probably due to ****** ammo thats it no jams yet. I was pretty suprise how accurate these guns are. Overall i,m happy with it for the price you can't go wrong..

Rick

Is this what you are looking for? 22a-1 5.5 vs 7 @ 10 yards off a bench. Same pistol just switched out the barrels. Our club has 12 22a-1's that are well used 1000's of rds down the tube.

I've had a 22s for a long time...looks the same but not sure what the diffence if any is?

Great little semi-auto .22 though! Have thousands of rounds through it and never a problem. I think i've even got to shoot shorts before but can't really remember?

Very accurately for my needs, love the trigger, and the picatinny rail on top is great for throwing on a red dot/scope with plenty of position options.

EDIT: Just looked it up and the 22s is the steel version vs alloy. I would assume the alloy is lighter? i kinda like the weight of mine while not being at all what i'd call heavy, i dunno.

I have two, a 22a-1 and a 22a-1 Talo, both are quite accurate. The Talo has an adjustable trigger stop and a lighter trigger pull. Both function very well with any ammo. Super simple to disassemble and put back together. Have a life time warranty and reasonable price.

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Dave

My first hangun is this model. I love the 22a! I picked it up this past Friday night, and went to the range yesterday. I put 650 rounds (200 cci hollow point and 450 blazer bullnose) though it without a single misfire or jam. The action is super smooth and getting used to the mag release becomes second nature after three or four magazines have been run through. I would highly recommend this piece for anyone looking for an all-around depependable gun!

I bought one for my Son-in Law and as long as he only puts 9 in the clip it will shoot, if he loads 10 it won't feed. He is fine with this but I was less than happy.A new gun out of the box should be able to be loaded and fired without hang ups.We discover the clip trick after trying numerous other items.

22a would not hit target most times. Repeated sighting adjustmets finally led to rear part of sighting ramp breaking off. Pistol returned to S&W. Ramp and barrel replace. Then frame broke TWICE. Returned to S&W two times more. S&W returned a 22a-1. Works fine ... so far. Google '22a broken frame wildhorse mesa' for details. Positive is that S&W employees are fun to talk with.

I have just spotted a SW 21A-1 at a pawn shop, Comes with 2 mags, case 5" barrel with what looks like a rail on top of barrel.
They quoted me $215 OTD. S/N starts with Uxxyyy. It was made in Houghton ME although maybe they all are. I have a 2213 that I love and a Ruger M III. But if this is a good deal I don't want to pass it up. What say you...? sorry no pics.

Based on my own research this price is fine but it is no great bargain.

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

I paid $189 for mine with 3 mags and a case. 5 1/2" barrel. Not one problem with it.

There are some good reviews on youtube. I just purchased one used, pretty darn accurate with iron sights...Though I am looking for a red dot sight cuz my eyes anit as good as they used to be.

Had mine for a couple of years with no complaints. .22's are notorious for inconsistent ammo but the only thing I found that mine didn't like was Winchester Wild Cat...have them to my son-in-law and his Buckmark choked on them, too. Regular bulk WWB, Remington, Federal...all have been fine.

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I've put about 1100 rounds through my 22A with 5.5" barrel and BSA red dot, finding it quite accurate for target work. So far it seems to like CCI 40g SV the best - goes through hundreds without a hitch. Worst choice is RWS 40g target from Germany - ran up to 25% failures (to eject, or fire) with those. The pistol and stainless mags are dead simple to take down for cleaning - a BIG plus when using 22LR.

I purchased my 22-A1 several years ago because my gun shop recommended it highly, purchased the 7" barrel and put the red dot on it. The 5.5" barrel is very accurate but the added weight of the 7" makes it more stable for long shots that I take with it. I would judge this as a AAA+++ buy for the price. jb

I purchased the 22A-1 with a 5" barrel on black Friday. The wife was a little surprised since it was a spur of the moment purchase. I had been looking at the Beretta NEOS but settled on the 22A-1. After I got the weapon home, I noticed that the rear sight did not look square to the grip and the slide.

I contacted S&W both by email and by phone. I got promises of getting a FedEx return label to send the gun back but they have not followed through. I am not impressed with their customer service. They are friendly on the phone but if they do not follow through with what they tell you, I don't have much respect for doing business that way.

I did put about 40 rounds through the gun at the range. I must say the gun shoots very nice but I could not adjust the rear sight down enough to get a centered pattern at 50 feet. The only way I was able to get the pattern in was to remove the elevation sight spring, place a small washer between the top of the sight and the screw that secures the sight and crank it down all the way.

I also think that the top and bottom of the spring is not parallel which may be contributing to the sight not looking square. I spoke to customer service again and once again they said I would receive an email from FedEx to return the gun for evaluation but they let me down without following through with an email as promised with a return label.

I decided to purchase a Vector SCRD-24 Tomcat red dot sight for the 22A-1. It just arrived today. I am hoping I do not have to contend with the open sight issue anymore.

I will try to follow up with how the sight works on the 22A-1.

All in all, I really like the gun. It is comfortable in my hand and very sable with regard to recoil. I just hope I can start finding 22LR ammo soon. It is very dry here.

I also have a Talo edition 22A-1 with 5-1/2" barrel.





Mine has been 100% trouble-free and is extremely accurate, especially for its price point. I do agree that the trigger has a bit of take-up travel but once you get accustomed to "setting" it, the trigger breaks nicely and does nothing to detract from the gun's accuracy.

Ed

Sweet looking piece.

I contacted S&W both by email and by phone. I got promises of getting a FedEx return label to send the gun back but they have not followed through. I am not impressed with their customer service. They are friendly on the phone but if they do not follow through with what they tell you, I don't have much respect for doing business that way.

I must have gotten a hold of the right customer service guy. I told him of my experience and within a few minutes, he sent the email with the instructions for returning the firearm.

I also noticed that the top rail may be at a slight angle with respect to the barrel. Hopefully, S&W will address the issues successfully. I really like this pistol and can't wait to get it back.

Just wanted to take this opportunity to rave about my 22A. I purchased my 7" model in 2000 trying to make sure that I had a 22lr pistol that was accurate enough that if it didn't hit then it was my fault. It has performed above and beyond in all respects. I would not be exaggerating to say that I have easily fed over 10,000 rounds through it. It eats what ever I buy, cheap stuff and expensive stuff. If you have one of these and you follow the fundamentals then invest in lots of 3" refacing circles because that is all you will need to replace on your targets. In our 13 year friendship it has broken two firing pins, but S&W service has been fantastic. They have gotten me a shipping label, I ship it to them, and they return it fixed with a complete go over in less than two weeks total, no charge. If your budget won't allow the level of a Model 41 than look no further than the 22A. You'll enjoy it.

Just found a 2001 model 22 A at my LGS for 155.00. Bought it, cause I had been looking for one. Did not take my time and when I got it home noticed the frame was cracked just above the trigger. My fault, sent an email to s&w but then realized they are only open during the week. Want to see if I can ship to them for repair. Hoping it will not cost me too much cause I'm not the original owner. My question in the meantime is 'should I shoot this gun?'. Thanks guys. As always your the best.

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S&w 38 mod10,xd 9mm,mk1,HP22

Update to my 22s purchase. I contacted Smith and Wesson and they sent me a shipping label to send my gun to them no questions asked. It arrived Monday the 24 th so now I wait. Will update when I hear something else.



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S&w 38 mod10,xd 9mm,mk1,HP22

Got a phone call from S&W the 31st. . Cannot fix my gun so are sending me a new one. Wow! What service. Should be getting later this week or first of next week. They have to send to FFL due to it being new and not repaired. Can't wait to get it back. Today is April 2, let's see how long it takes.


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S&w 38 mod10,xd 9mm,mk1,HP22

I've heard so many bad things about CS from S&W that I was shocked they are responding so soon. Looking forward to actually seeing what I get. Good warrantee for Sure if it is new. Had this one for many years then frame broke. Uggghh
Good shooter too hope the new one will do as good. Thanks for your comment.



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S&w 38 mod10,xd 9mm,mk1,HP22

Well, finally heard that my '22' will ship today. We'll see how long it takes now. Been what, five weeks since I shipped to them. Can't wait to see what I actually get as a replacement for the broken one I sent in.


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S&w 38 mod10,xd 9mm,mk1,HP22

I bought a 22-A from a dealer at a gun show last year and I am beginning to wonder if it is a clunker. It fails to feed with just about any ammo I put in it and I have tried just about everything including Federal, Blazer, Remmington (4 different kinds) and CCI mini-mags. I just thoroughly cleaned and lubed it and am going to try it one more time next week. If it still jams on every other round it is going back to Smth & Wesson.

I hope they can do something about the problem or at least offer a solution becuse when it works it's a tack driver at 25 yds.

Juanlargo - that's what mine was doing when I found the hairline crack in the frame. Take a real close look at your frame with a magnifying glass. That's how I found mine. Mine was just over the rear of the trigger and was on both sides which caused the gun to flex when shot. Thus the FTF And FTE's. So called S&W, got a shipping label and sent back to them.


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S&w 38 mod10,xd 9mm,mk1,HP22

Hey thanks Bmlove, I will do that first thing tomorrow. Appreciate the tip.

Good luck. Let me know what you find.



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S&w 38 mod10,xd 9mm,mk1,HP22

Just getting back to you, I took it down, cleaned and inspected it this morning. Using your suggestion I went over the frame with a magnafying glass. I didn't find any cracks in the frame but I did notice that the feed ramp appears to be mis-aligned. I used a dummy round to cycle the action and I can see where the nose of the incomming round doesn't line up right while feeding. Looks like it will be going back to S&W.

Thanks for your help, even though I didn't find any cracks your suggestion did motivate me to take a much closer look at the frame and the action.

Glad u were able to notice something out of line. Good luck with SW. My gun is here at the FFL, but have not been able to get over to get it. Hopefully tomorrow . Good look


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S&w 38 mod10,xd 9mm,mk1,HP22

Just got my SW 22a-1 back from service dept. only it wasn't my gun, they could not repair my old gun so the sent me a brand new one, a model 22a-2. Now to clean it up and take it to the range hope it shoots as
Good as the old one?


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S&w 38 mod10,xd 9mm,mk1,HP22

Can't say as I notice any differences. If they're there they are minor. Will update when I get a chance to shoot it. Not this weekend though cause I'm going for my CHL here in texas. Yeaaaaaa


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S&w 38 mod10,xd 9mm,mk1,HP22

Sent my 22A-1 back to S&W last week frame cracked or should I say broke in two had it 2 years sent back 2 times before for different issues. I love the gun when it works.

Just an update on my 22a. I sent it back to S&W in April and just got it back in June. When I inspected it I could not find any cracks in the frame but they replaced it anyway so I assume they have better inspection methods than I have. We just got back from a month long vacation and I have not had time to do much of anything. I plan to test fire it next week at the NRA range. I will update everyone again as to weather or not they actually fixed it.

I have owned a 22S since 1999. Eats any ammo, even stuff that wont work in my 10/22. Easy to scope. Very accurate. Trigger was rough but broke in finally. Nice light, creep free pull. Great iron sights. Good buy for the money.

I have the round heavy barrel, with the oversize target grips. It is just so fun to shoot! It has not been fussy on ammo. Accurate right out of the box. I want to put a red dot on it, but hasn't happened yet. Again I think why mess with it and complicate things. Bob

Welcome to my issues. Ive had mine back to smith 2 times with jamming and ftf issues with any and all ammo imaginable. I've ran approx 600 rounds and only the first 400 were problem free, after that it would jam like crazy. Each time I sent it back they say no issue found. Only if they'd load a full mag and try to fire off 10 shots. If they're lucky it'll throw 6 down the tube before it jams. I'm dumping mine off on a trade in for a ruger. Love smith, but this things just bad and no issues were resolved in sending it back so im tired of playing the game.

Sorry for you problems, Dustt. Before you send it back to S&W or trade it off, give it a thorough cleaning paying close attention to the feed ramp, chamber, and breech face. Magazines can also cause your problem as can ammo. I have seen guns at my club range literally plugged with lead after shooting Remington Thunderbolts. Try using different ammo, it could make a difference.

It's odd how the reported satisfaction with this model ranges from one extreme to the other - they either work nearly flawlessly or are very problematic. I wonder how much of that has to do with ammo being used and the fact that the magazine has to be pushed in hard or feeding concerns surface.

I have only used CCI MiniMags or two Federal loads, the GameShok hollow points and Fresh Fire cans of 325 rounds. All of those shells use copper-plated bullets and I get none of the 22LR lead fouling so often mentioned - in fact, the gun as a whole stays pretty clean and I shoot several hundred rounds between cleanings.

The only times mine has failed to do anything have been when I didn't fully seat the magazine until I became accustomed to doing that. Mine is a Talo edition and with the grip frame, magazine and the oversize grips all being flush with each other requires that I make an effort to push on the S&W logo on the magazine base until I hear or feel the magazine "click" into place.

I think they are super little guns and enjoy shooting mine a lot.

Ed

I received the pistol from my dealer today. After a close inspection, there are zero handling marks on the gun, as if factory new. Looks as though it's been shot very, very little.

I researched this gun extensively before buying it off Gunbroker. I saw the recall, pros and cons, cracked frames, etc. Not knowing the serial #at the time, I had to wait for it to be delivered. After receiving it, I saw it was included in the recall.

I called S&W right away to verify if it had to be sent back. Turns out it did not. A punch mark on the underside of the slide indicated it had the recall repair done. GOOD NEWS for me.

It came with the blue hard case, all paperwork, spent case, 3 extra buffers, lock, and 2 mags.

I installed an ATN Ultra Sight I had on my AR, a little large but not too heavy. Headed out to the farm this weekend to sight it in.

So far, I'm a happy camper.