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Smith & Wesson M&P22 Review Maybe I'm just a value minded person, but I have always enjoyed .22LR rimfire firearms. It has never mattered whether they were rifles or pistols because with both I could shoot until I was eventually tired of reloading (since ammo for a .22LR is so affordable). When I first started shooting about 40 years ago, growing up in my modest world the rimfire options seemed to be limited to very traditional bolt rifles, semi-automatic rifles and revolvers. I'm sure there may have been some other styles on the market, but I'm speaking from what was available with my family and friends for me to shoot. Today it seems you can get a rimfire firearm in just about any style from a very traditional to a very tactical configuration. Today we are also now seeing more manufacturers produce rimfire pistols that match their big brother pistols in higher calibers such as 9mm, .40S&W and .45ACP. Doing this makes these rimfire pistols excellent training weapons because they have the same basic feel and controls as their higher caliber brethren. Additionally, even if you don't have the higher caliber companion, these new rimfire pistols make for great fun. Last year, Smith & Wesson introduced their new M&P22 Pistol which closely matches their M&P9 and M&P40 full size pistols with thumb safeties. The two photos below show the M&P9 and M&P22 side by side so you can get a good idea on the visual similarities of these two pistols along with the controls such as the slide stop, thumb (manual) safety and magazine release. When you compare the specifications of these two pistols you see that the overall length and weight of these pistols is nearly identical at 7.6" and 24 ounces. Clearly, since the M&P22 shoots .22LR, there will be some internal differences. But externally, I can see that the M&P22 would make a great affordable training weapon for the M&P9 or M&P40. Figure 1 - M&P9
Figure 2 - M&P22
To produce the new M&P22 Pistol, Smith & Wesson called on the team at Walther (actually Carl WALTHER GmbH) in Germany. By doing so, Smith & Wesson was able to leverage the experience that Walther has in making semi-automatic rimfire pistols (i.e. Walther P22) which would bring a quality .22LR pistol to the Smith & Wesson M&P series of handguns. Smith & Wesson states a suggested retail price of $419 for the M&P22, but a quick search on the internet reveals you can purchase this pistol for around $350 plus S&H and transfer fees. During my reviews I like to compare my results to the manufacturer's claims where possible so the following text in colored italics was taken directly from the Smith & Wesson website on 1/3/2012 and gives an Overview and Specifications for the M&P22 Pistol. The , and are my way to keep up with details that I have covered in this review with either photos, commentary or both. I may also add commentary after these marks as necessary to explain some items if needed. Overview
Specifications
This review is broken down into multiple parts with this page providing links below to each part along with an overall summary of the specifications, pros and cons, and my final "bottom line" comments. Make sure you take time to checkout the other parts of the review because they contain many photos and lots of commentary. Also, there is an extreme amount of detail in those parts which is not covered on this page.
As you read these Pros and Cons below, keep in mind that it is hard to keep my particular preferences from creeping in the equation. Therefore, it is important that you take the time to look at the other parts of this review so you can decide yourself on items which may be more of a personal preference. Pros:
Pro/Con/Comment?:
Cons:
Bottom Line: I'm a fan of both rimfire pistols and rifles and I'm now a fan of both the M&P22 Pistol and M&P15-22 Rifle. I reviewed the M&P15-22 Rifle earlier in the year and was very impressed which sparked my interest in the M&P22 Pistol. The Smith & Wesson M&P22 Pistol lived up to my expectations. The quality and craftsmanship of the M&P22 are excellent and this pistol should give you lots of enjoyment. I can see why this pistol makes a great economical training platform for some of the other M&P pistols. If you are in the market for rimfire pistol, and especially if you already own some M&P pistols, I recommend you take a close look at a M&P22 Pistol the next time you are at the gun store. As always, carefully study this review and others on the internet to become an informed consumer before any purchase. Or If you would like to be notified about future Gunsumer Reports reviews via Facebook, make sure "You Like This" by clicking the Facebook "Like" button at the bottom or top of this page. If it already says "You Like This" beside the button, clicking it again will uncheck the "Like" status and you will not be notified.
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