M&P 22 Pistol

[Kilibreaux]

I ordered an M&P22 half on impulse, and half on just being plain impressed with what S&W is turning out these days.  I already have the Walther P22 which has proven to be an amazing little pistol, and since Walther and S&W are in partnership I figured the M&P would probably have a familial resemblance to the P22.  Well, I was right, and wrong.  It IS made by Walther in Germany, which means probably produced by Umarex.  It has the same over-the-top labeling on the slide as does the Walther, just in case you might forget what you're handling.  Most importantly, it uses the same barrel mounting system as the Walther, which some will not like, others - myself included, will love it because it means one can order the threaded barrel bushing for the P22 and it will go right on the Smith...and personally, I think one should have a selection of readily suppressible .22 handguns.  Fit and finish is top-notch...other than the smaller hole in the barrel one would not automatically think this to be a .22LR.

Where the M&P differs radically from the Walther is size..it is MUCH larger, and far more hand-filling.  The P22 is a 3/4 scale version of the P99, while the M&P is a full-size version of its larger caliber siblings.  For those who are already converts to the S&W M&P series, the M&P22 makes a greater trainer piece.  While the M&P9 and 40 are striker fired and have no external thumb safety, the M&P22 is hammer fired - SINGLE ACTION, and so makes use of an ambidextrous thumb safety in addition to the trigger safety as found on the striker models.  The hammer is fully enclosed inside the pistol, and there is an internal firing pin lock safety which, combined with the trigger safety would seem to allow one to train with the piece in the same way as it's center fire siblings, with the thumb safety being that little bit extra.  It has a functional slide hold open which is something NOT generally found on classic "field" .22's designed in the age before "Tacticool."

So the pistol is definitely NOT a scaled down replica...it's full size.  It comes with nice looking, dovetail mounted, Novak style sights.  Rear sight is a blocky steel insert into the housing, and the front sight has a tiny set screw to allow windage adjustment or removal.  The slide is very light...appears to be aluminum and based on how light it feels probably is.  It makes use of a steel insert which covers all the impact-function aspects of operation.  The polymer grip housing contains a metal (probably zinc) sub-housing which can be removed by tapping out a few roll pins.  Internally it is clearly related to the Walther P22, but on a larger scale.  The block housing the barrel is larger and taller, while the barrel is of the same "pattern" it is not interchangeable.  It does use a retaining nut and outer, tension housing which has proven to be a reliable, durable system.

Take down is fairly easy.  With the slide closed simply rotate the takedown lever on the left side, then wiggle and pull to withdraw it...it's not designed to come completely out and the stop point is easy to recognize.  Magazine out, retract the slide fully, lift up and forward to remove.  The guide rod is metal with an integral buffer ring.  Pulling the takedown lever allows the guide rod to move further back so the slide can go far enough to disengage.  When reassembling, the takedown lever will require firm pressure to snap in position and thrust the guide rod forward.  The focal point of recoil is backed up by the large steel base of the guide rod buttressing the steel takedown pin.  Considering how well my P22 has held up while being smaller - and that includes frequent suppressor use which adds strain to the operating components, I would expect this much larger, beefier M&P to stand up to a great deal of shooting.

The feel of the polymer grip is excellent...nothing "cheap" about it.  The magazine release is smooth and easy to reach.

I think this pistol potential.  Shooting will be the bottom line of course.

[Kilibreaux]

Took the M&P22 out to test and ran 1000 rounds of Blazer through it with zero failures!  I also ran 100 rounds of Aguila Supermax hollopoint and 100 rounds of the solid nose version with zero failures!

I mean, the gun went bang EVERY time, ejected and fed the next round EVERY time!

I expect to have a certain number of duds when shooting bulk grade .22LR, so I'm genuinely impressed with how well this pistol functioned!

[imschur]

Thats great. i have not seen one of these in person yet.

[Microgunner]

I like the fact that the slide is aluminum on the S&W, unlike many of the newer crop that are using ZAMAK.

May have to give one of these a try thanks to your glowing report.

Thanks.

[FS2KSTD]

I am all over one of these pistols for a suppressor host! It uses the same SilencerCo Sparrow adaptor that the Walther uses ... barrels already threaded; BONUS!