Is a S&W Victory 22 a worthwhile purchase? Comments on feeding, extraction, stovepiping and the trigger.
Thanks!!
Thanks!!
Is Victory 22 a Worthwhile Purchase?
- Thread starter Narragansett
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Two of my friends own S&W Victory models. They are descent and relatively accurate but have less than great triggers for a target pistol. I suppose for the $400 some odd dollars they paid, they do serve the purpose of sending bullets down range and hitting a target. The take-down of the Victory for cleaning requires an Allen Wrench which must be used in the disassembly and reassembly process. Not the end of the world but just so you know. As far as feeding and extraction are concerned, the two examples I am personally familiar with, work fine. I can not speak for the line-up as a whole, just these two owned by friends.
For about $500 you can buy a Ruger Mark 4 and then add another $125 for a Volquartsen trigger kit (which I consider a must for the MK4 - the factory trigger is horrible) and you get yourself an excellent, accurate and reliable target pistol with an incredible and adjustable trigger! A few years back Ruger finally redesigned their .22 Mark Series so it easily and quickly comes apart with the push of one button and no tools required. That was my major gripe with the Ruger and now it has been completely corrected. BTW, the Volquartsen trigger kit is "drop-in" with no smithing required. It is also relatively easy to self install assuming you have some mechanical skills.
Last but not least, Ruger has excellent customer service! Not that Ruger is infallible, but when they do screw up they fix the gun correctly and get it back to you in a week or two, so that alone is a HUGE plus! As long as you are willing to spend the extra $125 for a Volquartsen trigger kit, the Ruger is IMHO a way better option.
For about $500 you can buy a Ruger Mark 4 and then add another $125 for a Volquartsen trigger kit (which I consider a must for the MK4 - the factory trigger is horrible) and you get yourself an excellent, accurate and reliable target pistol with an incredible and adjustable trigger! A few years back Ruger finally redesigned their .22 Mark Series so it easily and quickly comes apart with the push of one button and no tools required. That was my major gripe with the Ruger and now it has been completely corrected. BTW, the Volquartsen trigger kit is "drop-in" with no smithing required. It is also relatively easy to self install assuming you have some mechanical skills.
Last but not least, Ruger has excellent customer service! Not that Ruger is infallible, but when they do screw up they fix the gun correctly and get it back to you in a week or two, so that alone is a HUGE plus! As long as you are willing to spend the extra $125 for a Volquartsen trigger kit, the Ruger is IMHO a way better option.
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OP
I will watch a few You Tube reviews if available. I know I can turn it into something worthwhile, but I just have a problem buying a target gun that needs to be overhauled to make it the way it should have left the factory
I have owned a Browning Buckmark for years and have never had even the slightest problem with it. Have no idea how current ones compare with the Victory on price or reliability. Also have an older Ruger Mk II that I bought used. Shoots great and has never let me down.
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I can't blame you for feeling as you do and I whole-heartedly agree! I have personally written to and spoken to the "powers that be" at Ruger and they do it for liability reasons and refuse to change -
For them to ship a "Target Gun" with the words "target" emblazoned on the barrel with a trigger like that is a disgrace! That said, it is what it is! The trigger kit from Volquartsen is not what I'd call an "overhaul" as all you are doing is replacing the trigger, sear and springs. Honestly, it takes me about 1/2 hour (being careful and deliberate) to install a kit - no gun smithing required and it drops in. I do not know your mechanical skill level but if you can watch a YouTube video and follow instructions you should not have any issues. How many here take a brand new revolver and tweak it? How many take a brand new pistol or rifle and send it out to be worked on? Again, right or wrong it is what it is.
The Volquartsen trigger kit is truly a game changer! It takes a horrible factory tigger with slop, grit and creep to the level of a finely tuned M41! I don't have any Ruger's but do have a M41 from 1979 which is superb. I would compare the Volquartsen trigger to the quality, pull weight & crisp pull of my M41 - so that is saying something. Once you install the trigger kit you will rapidly forget the modification and have a $625 gun that shoots like a M41 without ammo sensitivity or spending almost 2K. Ruger's pretty much eat any ammo whereas the M41 is extremely picky. The new Mark 4 is the best one they have made to date. Very accurate, very reliable, easy to field strip, reasonably priced and while I hate to admit it - their customer service and QC is heads and shoulders above S&W's these days. So while I do agree that no one should have to take a brand new pistol, spend more money and modify it - you will be very happy with the results! I know of no other target pistol in that price category that you can turn into a competition style pistol for $625.
The Victory is almost a few hundred less, however IMO it is less of a target pistol and the factory trigger is nothing special either. I am also not a fan of the plastic illuminating sights, but that is a personal thing. I also dislike the Allen Wrench required to take it down and would cringe at the thought of having to send it back for repair!!! So there you have it - my opinion for what that is worth.
BTW, I am a picky, OCD, discerning competition shooter in Bullseye, PPC, SASS and other long gun sports, so accuracy, reliability and quality is #1 to me. For someone just looking to shoot tin cans at 25 feet, yes the Victory will suffice right out of the box - assuming it works.
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huntsman22
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Tandemkross makes a bunch of goodies for the Victory, including an excellent trigger, barrels, charge ring, mag bumpers, extractors and other internal parts, grips, gas pedals, rds mounts and more..... I tricked mine out with a buncha their stuff...
JM4151
Well-known member
22 cal handguns
I have several 22 cal target guns inc a 41 Smith, a Target Ruger and a Smith Victory. The Ruger and Victory both have reds attached. The gun that goes shooting with me is the Victory. I just like it. The Ruger is too heavy and I don't need the accuracy that the 41 has but the Victory is just a nice gun, fun to shoot, without any problems.
I have several 22 cal target guns inc a 41 Smith, a Target Ruger and a Smith Victory. The Ruger and Victory both have reds attached. The gun that goes shooting with me is the Victory. I just like it. The Ruger is too heavy and I don't need the accuracy that the 41 has but the Victory is just a nice gun, fun to shoot, without any problems.
I have had a special interest in .22 caliber semi-auto target pistols virtually all of the 60 years that I have been shooting. Now when I say "target pistol" I'm not really meaning ready to compete in competition right out of the box, but one that can be made that way with less that $200 dollars of refinement. The pistols that I own today that fulfill those needs are Ruger MKII Target models and the Smith & Wesson Victory. I used Volquartsen and Tandemkross internals on all of them to help achieve the maximum performance. I'm a huge fan of the Ruger pistols and I own a Victory. The Victory shoots very clean and it is also easy to clean. Some have had problems with jamming which can easily be corrected with some tweaking of the ejector. I bought my Victory just kind of on a lark but it has turned out to be one of the most often used of the lot.
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AJ
US Veteran
I too, have a Browning Buckmark. No need to put extra money into it to make it shoot. Yes, the trigger is not real light. However, on YouTube is a video or two on the Heggis Flip. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLLqFY-Dvec[/ame] You can also disconnet the magazine safety. I have done both to my Buckmark. No out of pocket money required. Hate guns that require a lot of aftermarket mods to get them to shoot. If you have to put out extra money to get the piece to shoot, why not buy something really good. By the time you buy a new trigger and barrel for one of those, you could have bought a true match pistol.
fiasconva
Well-known member
My Victory has been great. I had the dreaded takedown screw problem when I first bought it but S&W's customer service fixed me right up. I've no feeding, extraction, or any other problems since. I like both the trigger and the sights and mine is very accurate. It goes with me on every range trip.
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I’ve had very good results with my Victory, and the only thing a Ruger has over it, IMO, is a more robust aftermarket.
AJ
US Veteran
Why buy it if you need to get "Aftermarket Stuff" to enhance it to get it to shoot better? Just like a hole in the water that you throw money into, you will never see those funds again.........
I’ve been very happy with mine. Has the threaded barrel and works well with the Sparrow suppressor. The high visibility sights have been nice for outdoor plinking.
Very reliable and trouble free. Never had a feed or ejection issue with a wide range of ammo included 22 tracers.
Only minor complaints are that I don’t like pistols that require specific tools for basic disassembly. And, I think it’s a bit heavy for a 22.
I’m not a Bullseye competitor. But, I feel it’s quite accurate for its intended purposes.
Very reliable and trouble free. Never had a feed or ejection issue with a wide range of ammo included 22 tracers.
Only minor complaints are that I don’t like pistols that require specific tools for basic disassembly. And, I think it’s a bit heavy for a 22.
I’m not a Bullseye competitor. But, I feel it’s quite accurate for its intended purposes.
Kp321
Well-known member
IMO, both as a gunsmith and an active shooter, the Buckmark is a great value. Feels better and more reliable than the Victory.
Have you ever shot a stock 10/22 trigger? It’s criminally gritty and unpredictably stiff. I like the takedown platform, but one needs to budget a trigger upgrade, even if only the bx22…
I put a few rounds through a suppressed Victory yesterday, and it was a pleasure to shoot, as usual. No stoppages, very accurate at 100 ft.
AJ
US Veteran
Yes, I have shot a stock triggered 10/22. After a few hundred rounds and good cleaning to get all the junk out of it, The trigger smooths out very nicely for what it is. Not my favorite .22 semi-auto though.
I will add one more comment about the Victory. Sometimes it's the small things that you appreciate. For me the Victory magazines are some of the smoothest and easiest to load of any .22 semi-autos that I have owned.
Never a victory for me.........My Brownings and Rugers are so much better for me.......They LOOK a lot better too.
Yes.
Plus, all the new mass produced stuff is sold in huge quantities. It instantly loses value the second you buy it. If you get a lemon, you’ll practically have to give it away. You can’t compete with a tidal wave of new inventory flooding the market.
Elsewhere, I’ve already had the “what is a target .22” discussion. So, I’ll leave aside my personal choices in a “Target” .22 (Hammerli, Pardini, etc.).
But, for what I’m seeing here, you would be much better off with a used High Standard “target” model, such a the Trophy, Citation, or The Victor (see pic, rare slant grip variant with solid rib).
A nice clean example, even in a fairly collectible condition, will be priced on par with the S&W Victory, the Browning, or the Ruger once you factor in all those aftermarket gimmicks.
And, those old High Standards don’t need any trigger work or accessories. They’re a good investment as well.
The present High Standard company is run by Alan Aronstein. They provide first class service and support of all the classic High Standard 22s.
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