New M&P22 :)

[USMCGrunt]

Our PX here at F.E. Warren has a 10% off sale on S&W firearms so a couple days ago, I became the owner of a new M&P22. Original price was something like $369 but with the discount, it brought it down to $336 out the door and of course, there is no tax on it either so I think this is about as cheap as I will find one (local civilian gun store in town here has one for $420 so I think this was a pretty good deal) and couldn't pass it up.
I LOVE this little pistol!!! I picked up 200 rounds of mini-mags for break-in and fired the first 24 rounds at a 55 gallon drum just to get a feel for the trigger. Next I fired 5 rounds for groups at 15 meters from a prone position and the group was around an inch so I was also pretty pleased about this as well. I wanted to see how it will do with Walmart Remington gold bullet bulk pack ammo so I fired another 5 round for groups and it was a little larger but it was here I also had my first stoppage, a stovepipe, at round 32. I wrote this off to being a new pistol that hadn't been broken in yet so I finished off the rest of the mini-mags without further incident. Now I have been firing more bulk pack ammo and it has been completely reliable so I think it was just the new gun thing at round 32 that was the problem.
Of course, not all is perfect with this pistol. First off, why in thee hell does S&W ship this pistol with only 1 magazine? As soon as I fired those first rounds for break-in, I figured this pistol would be a winner so I ordered a couple magazines from S&W and then just today I ordered a couple more from Midway and may have to order some more. Great gun but reloading a single magazine over and over and over gets old fast! The other thing I am not crazy about is the billboard on the side of the slide! I mean this thing is so big and bright that Stevie Freakin' Wonder could see it half ways across the north cattle range! If it was smaller or subdued it wouldn't be so bad but as-is, I just think it's pretty gaudy. But those are the only things I have really been able to complain about.
Now I don't think it will ever outshoot my Ruger Mk-II with it's heavy bull barrel but it did a little better than my SR-22 firing the same ammo but I do want to do some more testing with various brands and styles of ammo to find the ammo they like best. However, that it works just fine with bulk ammo is the important part. While I will likely use mine for plinking and some critter control, it's big selling point is as a low cost trainer for my M&P45 so the ability to run cheap ammo and not choke is a BIG factor for me here! Of course, any post like this is worthless without pictures so here's a couple from the first day:

The 5 round group at 15m with CCI mini-mags prior to adjusting the sights:

And the same spot on the target after 200+ rounds have been dumped into it, some well aimed and some fired more for speed than accuracy:

 

[grover99]

I want to thank you for that report. I have been thinking about a new 22 handgun for some time. I believe I will order a M&P22 because of your kind views. Can't match your price but Buds are running them at about $340 so OTD price of $360 I can live with.

 

[USMCGrunt]

Yeah, this has been a GREAT little pistol. That's the good thing about buying at AAFES in that they don't charge tax on anything the sell so that always helps too.
Let me help you out a little though if you are looking at getting one.

Smith & Wesson Mag S&W M&P 22 Long Rifle 10 Round SS

May as well go here and order up some spare mags while you're at it. They are out of the 12 round mags but the 10 round nueter mags in stock can be restored to their original 12 round capacity by simply removing the limiter. Just go ahead and order some now because this gun is WAY too fun for just one magazine!

 

[Cajje]

To answer your question concerning - "why one magazine?". A gun dealer told me that S&W were backed up on orders for this weapon - They ( S&W ) needed the mags to fulfill shipment commitments. Apparently the result of good reviews.

As for the "Billboard" --- Marketing - Name Recognition --- and makes for good photos.

 

[mag318]

With all the different clone 22s that Walther is producing I think the M&P22 is the best one quality wise. They are a good value for the money and a great addition to the growing M&P line. Enjoy yours and thanks for your service.

 

[grover99]

Thanks I will pick up some mags from Midway. I live only 15 miles from them so I get allot of stuff from there. No shipping helps .

 

[jsalas2]

Cleaning the Bilboard

Here is a link to what one member did to eliminate the billboard. Covering up the lettering on the slide

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-m-p-pistols/270235-s-w-m-p-22-a.html

 

[dbluefish]

Semper Fi brother (1962 - 1965)! Yeah a great little gun and it has been failure free for me. I too hate the billboard but thems the breaks!
There is a post on here where someone tried all the solvents I might have triked to no effect so he rattle canned the slide. Not sure about that?

I did not know the mag had a limiter. Here I have been shooting the 10 rounder and living with the reloading(I also fire a Mosin Nagant which is bolt action with 5 rounds so the 10 is ok)lol.

paul

 

[USMCGrunt]

Semper Fi to you as well (88-92)!! The thing I kind of found myself doing during the break-in period is that with the mini-mag boxes dropping out 5 rounds at a time as you slide the lid back, I was loading my mag with a simple 10 rounds rather than the full 12 anyways. Now that probably isn't going to come into play much when I start dipping into the loose box of bulk ammo but it does seem strange to someone like me that has a Mk-II and SR22 to be loading more than 10 rounds into a .22 pistol magazine in the first place! LOL

 

[dbluefish]

limiter

Now that is plain stupid! First off this limiting stuff is only for a couple of states. But to take the limiter out, I just carefully removed the base plate and spring and voila, there was the obvious limiter, popped out, and now a 12 shooter. I mean if, and I do mean IF there must be a limiter, then it should be more permanent. Of course i would really like it if they gave us a double stack with 20 - 24 rounds and full auto would be nice,

Thanks for the tip USMCGrunt.

paul

 

[USMCGrunt]

Actually, I kind of like the idea of the limiter to be easily removeable. I mean, say I live in one of the oppressive areas like Kalifornia, Taxachussetts, etc. then one day realize that the state is going under, make the decision to pull up stakes and move to a free state that doesn't have these silly laws about nuetered magazine capacities. Once I cross the state line, I pull the limiter out and throw it away and now I have a standard capacity magazine with no fuss, no muss.
I say this because I still have nuetered USP-45 and USP-40C mags to name a few that can not be modified after the lifting of the draconian federal AWB was lifted returning them to their normal capacity. In 2004, I spent a lot of money on new standard capacity mags that wouldn't have been necessary if they all used a similar limiter to the M&P22 mags. Oh well, I got plenty of nuetered 10 round range mags to drop on the ground rather than my precious standard capacity magazines.

 

[Lancer X]

Also really enjoying my new M&P22.

Fair warning - I bought a big 535 white box of Winchester hollow points, and my gun does not like them. At least one failure to eject per magazine, and a decent number of stovepipes.

Perfect record with CCI Mini Mags so far though. Your mileage may vary.

 

[formula11]

try the CCI AR Tactical cheaper than the mini mags