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NJdiverTony

S&W M&P .22 Handgun Review

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So, I finally got my permits last week and decided to get started on my first handgun purchases right away. I had originally planned on getting a Ruger Mark III Hunter, but my FFL wasn't able to find one for me in the timeframe that I wanted it in. After talking with my brother in law who is interested in this gun as well, and also because I'm thinking about purchasing an M&P in the 9mm flavor in the coming months, I decided to pick up a new M&P 22. I was able to get one locally the same day after picking up my permits, for a good price, so I decided to go with it. I wanted a .22 for fun/low cost plinking, and this gun seemed to fit the bill. So here are my opinions on it since I picked it up last Friday:

 

Fit and Finish - A+ The gun looks great, and feels just like the 9mm version in your hand. The finish on it is perfect and everything on it works as smooth as butter. All moving parts on the gun seem to be fitted very well to each other and it was perfect right out of the box. S&W/Walther have just done an EXCELLENT job with this handgun!!! The only gripe that some might have with this gun is that it doesn't have interchangeable backstraps... but that wasn't a big deal for me as I found that it fits my hands just fine. The entire gun just seems to be very well made and feels solid in your hand. I'm impressed.

 

Trigger - B The trigger on this gun is decent, but my experience is mainly with all metal guns with nice triggers (1911, Beretta 92, etc). I noticed that it was a little gritty at first, but after putting about 200 rounds through her at the range the trigger improved by a lot. It's definitely smoother now. I do have to get more used to the hinged trigger of the M&P, but it's not that big of a deal. I think that after more use and after breaking it in more, the trigger will get even better. I think once broken in, I might change it to a B+ or A-.

 

Operation/Function - A+ I went to the range yesterday and put about 200 rounds through her without a single hiccup. I used CCI Mini-mags and also regular CCI .22LR ammo. I really preferred the Mini-Mags over the regular .22LR ammo, as it gave it a little more "oomph" and it felt like it cycled more quickly. WIth regular .22LR ammo, there was no recoil whatsoever... It's been a long time since I've shot a .22LR pistol so I had forgotten what soft shooters they are. Rapid fire was so much fun as there was barely any muzzle jump at all. I did have to spend a few minutes adjusting the front and rear sights just a little bit, as it was shooting a little bit high and left for me right out of the box... Once I made my adjustments I was dead on, on the bullseye. I started shooting from 7 yrds/21 ft, to get her sighted in, and then incrementally moved back to the 17 yrds/50 ft line. At 50 ft I had very nice tight 3" to 4" groups on the bullseye, so I was very happy with the performance of this little gun. I'm sure it's even more accurate in the hands of a better shooter than me.

 

Ease of use/Takedown/Cleaning - A+ What can I say... Extremely simple to field strip and clean this pistol, and just as easy to put back together. Everything on the pistol is very intuitive and easy to use.

 

OVERALL, I'd give this handgun an "A"... and if the trigger improves with use, I'd probably upgrade that to an A+. I have to admit that at first I wasn't sure if I was making the right choice, espceially since I really wanted the Mark III (which I'm probably goign to eventually get anyway, LOL!)... but after spending some time field stripping it/cleaning it, becoming familiar with all it's parts and putting some rounds downrange and dialing it in.. I'm very happy with this purchase. It's a very fun gun to shoot and I think it's a great gun to practice your shooting technique with, without spending a fortune on ammo. Especially if you're planning on buying an M&P in the larger calibers (which I am planning on doing eventually). I didn't buy the gun to use as a trainer (but probably will use it in that capacity to a certain extent)... I bought it more for fun plinking and also for somethign that my wife will be more likely to shoot as she's recoil averse and doesn't like shooting my larger caliber handguns. She really likes shooting the .22LR round, so the M&P22 was a good choice. So, if anyone out there is contemplating purchasing this gun, my opinion (and only my opinion, I'm not a pro or anything) is that this is a great purchase and you won't regret it! I'm looking forward to having a lot of fun with this gun!

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Any stupid stuff on it? Mag disconnect, LCI, etc?

 

Nick,

 

Stupid stuff? Hmmm, it does have the magazine disconnect feature, so not sure if that's considered "Stupid"... it certainly doesn't bother me at all. It does have a "passive loaded chamber indicator" which allows you to visibly see if there is a round loaded in the chamber... I'd probably consider that a positive thing.

 

It also has a thumb safety, which I probably won't use. It doesn't bother me at all, that it's there... but I most likely will not use it at all. I know some people don't like having a thumb safety, but I'm neutral on it. If I need to use it for any reason, it's good that it's there and I have the option to use it... but won't probably use it 95% of the time.

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Nick,

 

Stupid stuff? Hmmm, it does have the magazine disconnect feature, so not sure if that's considered "Stupid"... it certainly doesn't bother me at all. It does have a "passive loaded chamber indicator" which allows you to visibly see if there is a round loaded in the chamber... I'd probably consider that a positive thing.

 

 

Yup, that would be classified as stupid stuff to many. Not really a big issue, but with gun games, OBRAMS and Static Steel and the like, at the end of the course of fire when you have to unload and show clear and then put the hammer down, the mag disconnect won't let you do that and you need to grab an empty mag to do that. I haven't modified my GSG to do this, but I have 5 mags that have extended base plates that I shoot with, and a 6th normal mag that I don't load ammo at all, and I use that to drop the hammer. More of just an inconvenience.

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Yup, that would be classified as stupid stuff to many. Not really a big issue, but with gun games, OBRAMS and Static Steel and the like, at the end of the course of fire when you have to unload and show clear and then put the hammer down, the mag disconnect won't let you do that and you need to grab an empty mag to do that. I haven't modified my GSG to do this, but I have 5 mags that have extended base plates that I shoot with, and a 6th normal mag that I don't load ammo at all, and I use that to drop the hammer. More of just an inconvenience.

Harry, the mag disconnect is SUPER easy to defeat. 1 pin drops the MSG and from there the 2 parts that comprise the safety (spring and latch) are "attached" to the side of the housing itself. When i say "attached", that's somewhat of a stretch as they practically fall out by themselves once you remove the housing from the gun! lol. Removal of the safety is like getting some rocks out of your boot; remove shoe, shake out offending items, reinstall shoe. Voila! ;)

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Oh, I know, easy to change on mine, but with how busy I have been lately I haven't had the chance to do it on my gun, that and I have an adjustable rear sight for it that I need to fit. Time, I need a 36 hour day and I might start to catch up on things.. :icon_mrgreen:

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Which sights did you get for your GSG? Did you get a set or just the rear? I'm about fed up with the blocky plastic sights on mine. Its the last thing i think i truly need to change and the gun will be perfect.

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Harry, the mag disconnect is SUPER easy to defeat. 1 pin drops the MSG and from there the 2 parts that comprise the safety (spring and latch) are "attached" to the side of the housing itself. When i say "attached", that's somewhat of a stretch as they practically fall out by themselves once you remove the housing from the gun! lol. Removal of the safety is like getting some rocks out of your boot; remove shoe, shake out offending items, reinstall shoe. Voila! ;)

 

Is this mag disconnect mod, for the GSG or for the M&P22? If it's possible to do on the M&P22 and won't cause any issues with the gun, I'd be inclined to do it.

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Which sights did you get for your GSG? Did you get a set or just the rear? I'm about fed up with the blocky plastic sights on mine. Its the last thing i think i truly need to change and the gun will be perfect.

 

I picked up a rear sight, a Novak adjustable read from Dawson Precision. It's not a direct fit, needs a little fitting, but others on the Brian Enos forum have used it with good luck. As far as the front, I had changed that to a DP fiber optic when I first got the gun, even before I fired it the first time.

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Is this mag disconnect mod, for the GSG or for the M&P22? If it's possible to do on the M&P22 and won't cause any issues with the gun, I'd be inclined to do it.

 

I am not sure about the M&P 22 but it's real easy on the GSG, I can't imagine it being a problem doing it on yours but let others who have done it chime in. As far as causing any problems, shouldn't be any issues, but I'm just going on what I did with my P22 and other have done the the GSG.

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Are the magazines expensive for the M&P22? Does it mirror the same exact action as the real deal?

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