I happened to pick up Smith's new .22 Mag pistol last week in a trade, still new in the box. I've had the Kel-Tec PMR and CMR 30s in the past, and wasn't impressed by them. Ammo finicky, frequent jams, magazines a pita to load were my biggest complaints, and I was also disappointed because I like a lot of Kel-Tec's stuff, but not these. So I was intrigued by the Smith, wondering if it would do better, or just underwhelm like I was expecting. I took it to the range and loaded it up just like it came out of the box. I didn't clean it or lube it, just ran it with what oil it had in it from the factory. I was giving it every excuse to fail, so I loaded the mag with an extra round (31) of CCI 40 gr. hollow points and started with one in the pipe. This will bog it down right from the get go. Five shots in 2 seconds later it was ready for more. The accuracy wasn't great, but it hasn't been cleaned or the burrs knocked off the rifling yet, so I gave it a pass for now. The next five shots were more deliberate and the group tightened up, and continued to through the first mag. I loaded up the mag again and shot 15 rounds in a decent group, and then finished of the mag with a 17 shot group (10yards,)which is picture #1. I'm sure it would have grouped better with better light and better eyesight. Picture 2 is a group of Winchester 40 gr. hp. In all, I put 150 rounds through it without a hiccup. I found the trigger to be excellent, I just wish the rear sight was adjustable for elevation. But I'll probably put a red dot on it anyway since it's already set up for one. The magazine loads much easier than the PMR with no binding or having to tap the mag. The safety doesn't have a red mark indicating when it's ready to fire, but it's pretty simple, up is safe, down is fire. A person could drill a little hole and fill with red paint if they really needed the visual aid. Overall I was very pleased with the little Smith and would recommend it to anyone who wants a little more out of a .22 magnum pistol.
A little more information about this gun was noted after I got it home and started cleaning it. The barrel is a 2 piece design with a solid outer barrel and a floating inner barrel and chamber. This may be partially responsible for the reliability that I experienced, as there is no tilting, just a straight shot from the magazine. The floating barrel explains the slightly heavier recoil I experienced and is a worthwhile trade for better reliability, especially if it works with lighter bullets. Hopefully it won't gum up with crud and cause issues. More testing in my future, and another reason to go shooting!
Disassembly for cleaning, while not "toolless", is pretty simple IF you don't lose or throw away the little orange chamber flag that is included in the box. This is also a tool that positions the slide in the proper position to push the slide stop out with a small punch or screwdriver. After that the slide comes of the front of the frame as long as the pistol is cocked and the magazine removed. (Do I really NEED to say to make sure that it is unloaded before disassembling?) I was happy to find that the pistol is hammer fired internally instead of striker fired, and that helps to explain the amazing trigger out of the box. I will update as more information is discovered.
A little more information about this gun was noted after I got it home and started cleaning it. The barrel is a 2 piece design with a solid outer barrel and a floating inner barrel and chamber. This may be partially responsible for the reliability that I experienced, as there is no tilting, just a straight shot from the magazine. The floating barrel explains the slightly heavier recoil I experienced and is a worthwhile trade for better reliability, especially if it works with lighter bullets. Hopefully it won't gum up with crud and cause issues. More testing in my future, and another reason to go shooting!
Disassembly for cleaning, while not "toolless", is pretty simple IF you don't lose or throw away the little orange chamber flag that is included in the box. This is also a tool that positions the slide in the proper position to push the slide stop out with a small punch or screwdriver. After that the slide comes of the front of the frame as long as the pistol is cocked and the magazine removed. (Do I really NEED to say to make sure that it is unloaded before disassembling?) I was happy to find that the pistol is hammer fired internally instead of striker fired, and that helps to explain the amazing trigger out of the box. I will update as more information is discovered.Attachments
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