To buy an M&P 22 or Ruger sr 22...help

[crracer_712]

Like all the ruger 22's mk's, taking it apart is no big deal.
Putting it back together sometimes can be a challenge.
But it is a great gun. Have several variation's.
But i was looking for, at least in my case a combat style 22 pistol. The M&P seem's to fit the bill.
I think i have ruled out the Sig or the GSG. Still a little too much going on with those gun's.
But i will get a 22 conversion kit for one of my 1911's.

What's going on with them, what I am missing out on??

 

[mi77915]

I just purchased my M&P22 last weekend and couldn't be happier!! Before I purchased this gun, I rented an M&P9 and just loved it, but with the price of ammo, I decided to get the 22. I know that I'll eventually get the M&P9, but for now, it's the 22.

I did a lot of research on other .22 semi auto's before I made my decision. One of the others that I was looking at was the SIG Mosquito. This gun also felt pretty good in my hand, but after researching this gun, it was clear that the M&P22 was a more reliable gun. I'm sure there are many people that have the SIG and love it, but for me, I chose the M&P.

 

[bellsguns]

What's going on with them, what I am missing out on??

Hmmmmm...........

 

[Tyrod]

Many say that the SR22 is a P22 killer.

Search the Ruger forums and youtube for SR22 problems and you'll find that the barrel screw can come loose and batter the **** out of the aluminum insert in the frame. Also, there are reports that the plastic takedown lever assembly which also acts as the slide buffer can break. Of course, Ruger's warranty is what it is. Meaning there is no warranty. At Ruger's disgression they either fix your problem or not. Right now with the SR22 being so new, they're inclined to fix SR22 problems including issuing a free return label.

Read the Walther forums and you'll see high round P22s breaking slides, which would indicate poor buffering. This would include newer P22s as well. Of course, the Walthers only have a 1 year warranty and shipping is on you. On the other hand, folks have reported great success going through S&W's service number for Walther issues and having free service out of warranty and receiving free return shipping. So, if you have a problem with a Walther, don't go through Walther, go through S&W.

The SIG Mosquito doesn't seem to have any reliability issues. However, some owners report the Mosquito as jam-o-matics. It would appear that given the proper dose of CCI Minimags (200 or more rounds) and plenty of lubrication that eventually the Mosquito will then fire cheap bulk pack Federal ammo of the WalMart variety. The Mosquito does come with 2 recoil springs, one for HV stuff and the other for MV stuff. I don't know what factor this plays in the jam-o-matic problem. The SIG warranty is the same as Rugers. No warranty, only a claim of customer satisfaction which doesn't make me feel real good.

As far as the M&P22 (made by Walther) is concerned, it's also so new and kinda rare that there doesn't seem much negative feedback on the web about it. I have one on the way. Of course, with the M&P22 you'll get the full 1 year S&W warranty followed by the full Free Lifetime Service Policy.

I will say this. I have a Walther made Colt 1911 22lr and it's top notch. In fact, I bought 2 and gave one to the grandson. We've put thousands of rounds through them with only a few bobbles. All shots have been Federal bulk pack 550 36 grain HP from Walmart. I had a about 10 FTE in the first 200 rounds and the grandson had a few failure to go completely into battery in the the first 100 rounds. Since then, they've been flawless.

It's rather ironic that the Walther made Colts and S&Ws seem to be so good while their own Walther branded P22 gets such negative feedback. Of course the Colts and S&Ws are brand news designs and the P22 design is many years old. On the other hand, maybe some of these same problems will occur on the Colts and S&Ws years down the road. Keep in mind S&Ws written commitment to customer service.

A point. The SR22 & P22 are in the 17oz weight range and the M&P22 & Mosquito are in the 24+oz weight range and are intended as trainers for their respective centerfire counterparts, although they are fine guns in their own right.

The Sig 1911-22, which I admit I done little research seems to be made by GSG. The company propaganda seems to couch the same specification "metal frame", meaning, I guess it's not made out of provalone cheese, or aluminum or steel. Or rather is the same as the Walther Made Colts or GSG or Chiappa or Puma and is some kinda zinc alloy. Some folks derogatorily refer to this as "pot" metal. While strictly speaking the term applies, I don't believe it's appropriate in this case because the specific zinc allow seems to be far better than your average window crank. Of course, they use the zinc alloy frame to increse weight to, sort of, approximate the 1911 weight as opposed to aluminum which wouldn't be even close. My understanding is that there is no cost savings using zinc alloy as opposed to aluminum alloy. Also, the weight still isn't here. My Walther Colt still weight less than a genuine Colt LW Commander. But, I enjoy shooting it a great deal.

BTW, any of these guns can be found (mostly on Gunbroker) for between $300-$350. Shop carefully. I see alot of retailer online and LGS charging near or full MSRP for these guns. Which naturally is $100+ more than careful shoping.

The Ruger MkIII. What can be said. Any model in the same price range as the above mentioned models will be blued with fixed sights. I don't like 'em cause they're too heavy, even the 22/45. The same can be said about the Browning Buck Marks. The MkIII and the Buck Marks are fine pistols and owners rave about 'em, but they're too costly & heavy for specific models that approximate the above mentioned tactical style models.

 

[Tyrod]

What's going on with them, what I am missing out on??

I guess it's one of those things you just have to experience. On paper it's so logical and easy, in real life it's a bear. For one thing, on metal framed MKxx? the barrel/receiver assembly is a very tight fit to the grip frame requiring great force to get on. Second, you have to insert the hinged pin in just the right fashion to the bolt extension all while juggling the hammer strut into the correct position. That portion requires skill of an acrobat and magician combined in one. And then you find out you're not aligned with the hole in the top of receiver. It is something I do not enjoy and avoid it like the plague. That's why I sold my MkII.

 

[crracer_712]

I guess it's one of those things you just have to experience. On paper it's so logical and easy, in real life it's a bear. For one thing, on metal framed MKxx? the barrel/receiver assembly is a very tight fit to the grip frame requiring great force to get on. Second, you have to insert the hinged pin in just the right fashion to the bolt extension all while juggling the hammer strut into the correct position. That portion requires skill of an acrobat and magician combined in one. And then you find out you're not aligned with the hole in the top of receiver. It is something I do not enjoy and avoid it like the plague. That's why I sold my MkII.

My comment was to the highlighted portion of the quoted text, regarding the Sig/GSG 1911-22, of which I have two, no issues, thought I was missing out on something I shouldn't be. It was a bit tongue in cheek, and am glad I don't have any issues to date.

 

[2010rjd]

if you really want a depenable and accurate 22 get the ruger mk111 you will be very happy with it. i have the m&p 22 and it is a good trainer for someone that has it's bigger brother, but i am not impressed with it's accuracy (3''-4'' at 25yds)and reliablity(dose not like the cheaper ammo) my ruger will shoot groups half that and eat anything i feed it.....

I would agree.
I have an assortment of 22 pistols and the Ruger Mark is generally the most accurate. Currently I have a 5.5 Hunter Talo version MK3 which I love.
A Buckmark is also a good choice for the same reason. Great trigger and excellent accuracy.

But, for hiking in the woods and plinking I like the SR22 or similar.

 

[Storm40]

I went with the Ruger SR22 and have had no issues. It feeds everything I put in it. It has a steel barrel instead of pot metal like the others.

 

[Shooting Padre]

There are some great in depth reviews out there, a few on AR15.com.

There are! I have read many of them. The review I was referring to was my own here, with tongue in cheek of course. I have since purchased the M&P22 and love it. thanks

 

[KEN L]

Do like I did. Buy one of each! I bought both of mine used, but you would swear they were new. Actually the SR22 still hasn't been shot, I'm waiting for the threaded barrel to become available. I've already posted pics of my M&P, but oh well, here it is again!

Oh, did I mention I also have a P22??

Geez, I better be careful. The next thing you know I'll be a .22 pistol collector!

 

[mag318]

I have an M&P22 and my last range session a friend brought his Ruger SR22. Shooting them side by side we both preferred the M&P. That said another friend brought his new Colt/Walther Gold Cup and that pistol was really impressive. Walther really has this 22 clone thing down pat and makes a good product. As to the OPs question though between the Ruger and the S&W I'd take the S&W.

 

[Teleman1952]

I couldn't find an SR22 so I bought a M&P 22. I've put way over 1500 rounds through it without any problems at all.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

My comment was to the highlighted portion of the quoted text, regarding the Sig/GSG 1911-22, of which I have two, no issues, thought I was missing out on something I shouldn't be. It was a bit tongue in cheek, and am glad I don't have any issues to date.

]

I bought a GSG 1911-22 about a year ago. Absolutely NO problems with it. I was surprised.....Its a great shooter. I highly recommend it!

 

[2010rjd]

Do like I did. Buy one of each!.....

Geez, I better be careful. The next thing you know I'll be a .22 pistol collector!

I didnt realize doing that was a problem.

 

[Sgt461]

M&P 22 and others

I had a Walther P-22 with abosolutly no issues over thousands of rounds. I traded for a change and felt it was too small. My wife had issues with accuracy, not necessarily gun related, but it did have rather wide rear sight. We've had 2 Browning Buckmarks, great pistols! After getting a S&W Shield I traded one Buckmark for the M&P 22 because of the form factor being so much like the M&P pistols. I (we) have been very happy with it. Quality wise it's not a Buckmark, but it's been completely reliable and fulfilled it's intended purpose with over 2000 rounds.
It does have an aluminum slide and a rubbery safety but it seems to replicate the M&P form factor very well. I've seen some mention on holsters that it's not exact, but for me close enough and gives me a lot of shooting and handling time with inexpensive ammo. The trigger is much as the M&P's are and has a similar reset.
If you're just looking for a 22 pistol there may be better choices overall, Buckmark and Ruger 22-45 and MKIII, but if you want the M&P feel and look as an addition to other M&P's, the M&P 22 seems like a very good choice.

 

[GeorgeP]

Hi all....
I have a walther p-22. It has worked pretty good,very early unit, so maybe it shouldnt have worked at all.
But it is smallish,and sometimes has issues.
So i was thinking of getting an m&p 22.
A friend who handled and shot one say's it felt to lite, and the finish had started to wear on the slide with only a couple hundred round's through it.
Am still thinking about it though,but ruger threw me a curve ball.
They came out with the sr 22. Review's have been great so far.
I like it,not much bigger than the walther,but the grip feels better,and the reliability seem's mile's away from the walther.
Anyone compare the m&p22 with the ruger sr22?
What are you guy's thought's on this?

Thank's every one
Have a great day

Well, let me throw you another curve ball. Before you buy either do yourself a favor and take a serious look at the Bersa Thunder 22. Underrated. Well made. All metal. Reliable. Priced right. Accurate. Eats CCI Blazers by the brick flawlessly. Mine has several hundred rounds without any issues. But like most small 22s it doesn't like junk ammo.

George

 

[patbelly]

If you can find one, definitely check out the Bersa Thunder 22. It might not be what you're looking for, but then again, it might be. GeorgeP described it well. Mine shoots just about any super/hyper-sonic round just fine. The Federal Bulk works, but doesn't cycle all the time. It's a fun shooter.

 

[SgtJoeFriday]

I purchased an SR22 back in May and have had 2 take down lever failures since. Very frustrating. Love the gun when it is working and not back in Ruger's hands being fixed.

 

[remnard]

I purchased a Sig 1911-22 recently and while looking for a couple extra magazines for it stumbled upon this: Sig Sauer 1911-22 - 1911Forum Now I am wondering if I should unload it before I shoot it.

 

[USMCGrunt]

Well, I'm gonna go the safe route and say, get both. I eventually wound up doing just that. Originally, I bought the SR22 first as a small trainer for my son when he's old enough to handle a pistol before moving him on to the larger centerfire calibers. Of course in the mean time, I have to "test fire" it for him. Can't give my boy a dud gun ya know. Well, at least that's the story I'm sticking with. However, last week I picked up an M&P22 for a pretty good price and I love that one too. I like the interchangable grips and sights on the SR22 but I dont' have any real problems with the grip size of the M&P and I go get a magazine with a couple more rounds. That brings me to another point, the SR22 came with a spare magazine however, the M&P does not! Kind of hard to enjoy your shooting when you are reloading a magazine after a quick 12 rounds so I have 4 more on order. Really though, I don't think you are going to go wrong with either one. Both have been reliable with walmart Remington gold bullet bulk pack ammo so cheap shooting isn't a problem. Some like the Sig Mosquito have been know to be reliable with CCI mini-mags but not so much when it comes to the cheap stuff. Probably why I don't have a Mosquito since cheap ammo that works reliabily in these sort of guns is a big factor for me.
Anyways, when I got my M&P, I picked up 200 rounds of mini-mags for break in purposes and also fired 5 rounds of this same ammo through my SR22 just to see how she would like this ammo. The M&P seems to LOVE the mini-mag and gave me some pretty good groups fired from a prone position at 15 meters. The SR22 ddin't seem to like it as well but I haven't really found which ammo both of these guns like the best in terms of accuracy since they both get fed the cheap fodder. One of these days I may have to try a bunch of different ammo and see which ones they like the best. Anyways, here's a couple pics of their performance with the mini-mags:

The M&P22 seemed to LOVE this ammo:

The SR22 didn't do too bad either but I need to experiment more: