Smith & Wesson Model 22A

The Smith & Wesson Model 22A is a semi-automatic pistol manufactured in Houlton, Maine. The 22A is a full-size pistol with an aluminum alloy frame. The steel barrel has an integrated Weaver style rail (similar to a Picatinny).

This pistol is distinguished by two features: An integral rail along the top edge of the gun permits easy mounting of optical sights and other accessories. The gun's alloy frame and alloy-shrouded barrel help keep weight down for a full-sized pistol.

The 22A is a single-action semi-automatic .22 caliber pistol. This means that after chambering the first round by pulling back and releasing the slide, each firing ejects the spent cartridge, cocks the firing pin, and then strips a new round from the magazine and loads it into the chamber. With a single action the firing pin or hammer is automatically cocked and pulling the trigger simply releases the firing pin. This results in a lower trigger pull force than a double-action pistol where the trigger must first cock the firing pin and then release it.

A frame mounted safety switch is present along the left side of the frame in the conventional location to be operated by the user's right thumb. Patridge-type target sights are standard on this gun, with the rear sight adjustable for both windage and elevation. The front sight is integral with the barrel shroud and is not removable or adjustable. An integral feed ramp at the barrel breech helps assure reliable loading of rounds into the chamber from the magazine.

The newer model incorporates a magazine safety that does not permit the gun to fire unless the magazine is fully seated. This feature helps prevent accidental discharge during careless handling especially during cleaning; though many gun aficionados dislike this feature as gun safety is primarily a function of the care of the operator, and the magazine safety can render the gun unfireable should the magazine be lost or damaged.

The magazine release is located on the front of the grip making it easy to locate and also makes it ambidextrous as well since it is equally well placed for both right and left handed shooters. This location however makes it possible to accidentally release the magazine if the pistol is gripped firmly such as during rapid fire.

This is more of a problem for people with smaller hands where the finger tips may lay on the front of the handle when gripping the gun. Typically ejecting a magazine requires retracting your middle finger and pushing in on the release with the finger tip. The eject button is difficult to depress with the middle part of the finger.

The gun takes down easily for cleaning via a pushbutton at the front that disengages the barrel from the frame. It is therefore possible to rapidly exchange barrels, for example to switch on and off one with a mounted scope, etc.

There are several variants in terms of available barrel length (4", 5$1/2$", 7"), target grips, and frame colors (gray or black). The stainless steel version (as opposed to the blued steel) is called the 22S.

Front grip magazine
While accurate, the front grip magazine release and relatively heavy trigger pull make this pistol more suited to plinking than competitive target shooting. The location of the magazine release causes problems for some people in rapid fire situations. The extent of which depends on hand size and gripping style. For most shooters the location does not cause a problem however, in competitive shooting it can add a risk. The trigger pull while not excessive, is heaver than some of the other target pistols. Trigger pull is rated as average - not quite as good as a Buckmark, but pretty close to that of the Ruger MKIII. Accuracy is quite good though and the pistol's low price still make it a good introductory gun for target shooting. It can be quite competitive against much more expensive models.