We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More \u203a<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n I knew from the moment I heard about the Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Magnum that I was going to enjoy shooting the pistol. What I didn\u2019t realize was the danger it posed to my ammunition budget and supply.<\/p>\n The M&P 22 Magnum is the newest rimfire from S&W and is, without question, one of the most entertaining guns I\u2019ve shot this year. Chambered in .22 WMR, the pistol holds 30 rounds in each of its two magazines.<\/p>\n That\u2019s an impressive fusillade to have on tap in a portable package. Though the frame dimensions put it in the full-sized category, it is light enough (1 pounds, 6 ounces) to comfortably carry on your hip or in a ruck sack.<\/p>\n As a trail gun it is one of the top available options. Woe unto the rattlesnake, cottontail, or spruce grouse that ends up looking down its barrel. Based on its capacity alone, and some of the more stout projectiles to be had in the Winchester Magnum Rimfire cartridge, it is no slouch in the personal protection department either.<\/p>\n In fact, the M&P 22 Magnum, like other firearms chambered in .22 WMR, is quite versatile thanks to the broad range of bullets loaded for that cartridge. This includes Winchester\u2019s 25-grain NTX polymer-tipped bullet at the lighter end of the spectrum, and Federal\u2019s 50-grain JHP bullet on the other, with the most common bullet weight being 40-grains.<\/p>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n Before taking a deeper look at the pistol\u2019s utility, let\u2019s first consider its design. Externally, the pistol isn\u2019t very surprising, which I mean as a compliment. It exhibits many of the best features that have become standard on today\u2019s semiauto handguns.<\/p>\n The frame on the M&P 22 Magnum is molded polymer that\u2019s executed quite well. It includes a substantial accessory rail on the dust cover with four cross slots for mounting a light or laser.<\/p>\n Ergonomically, Smith & Wesson did an excellent job with the frame. The rear of the trigger guard is relieved, and coupled with the frame\u2019s deep beavertail the shooter is able to get a high and solid grip on the gun.<\/p>\n The entire frame has a sandpaper-like texture that\u2019s functional and comfortable. The grip itself has a texture that\u2019s like 120-grit, while the rest of the frame sports something akin to an 800-grit finish. It provides a solid connection to the gun, even when wet, but isn\u2019t sharp or jarring so even the most tender-handed shooter won\u2019t find cause to complain.<\/p>\n The Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Magnum is lefty friendly. It has ambidextrous controls for the safety and slide release that are easy to reach and manipulate with either hand. That said, the low-profile, snag-free safety is a bit easier to move into the \u201csafe\u201d position with the right hand than the left. But taking the gun off safe is smooth and simple from both sides, which is what really counts.<\/p>\n The magazine catch can be swapped from one side to the next with nothing more than a narrow slot-head bit. The screw head in the mag catch assembly needs to be rotated just 90 degrees and the whole thing slides out. Just install it on the other side and turn the screw head to lock it in place and you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n The iron sights on the S&W M&P 22 Magnum consist of a fiber optic dot in a square post up front and a square-notched rear that adjusts for windage. My sample would have benefited from a touch of elevation adjustment, as the point of impact was a hair lower than I prefer.<\/p>\n A typical 6 o\u2019clock-hold, where the front sight sits just underneath the intended point of impact didn\u2019t work with mine. I needed to place the bright green dot on the front sight over my target, and then give it just a touch more on top of that.<\/p>\n This didn\u2019t diminish my experience with the pistol in any meaningful way\u2014I was still able to get accurate hits with it at long distances\u2014but it does require the shooter to adapt to the gun rather than vice versa.<\/p>\n Fortunately, the Smith comes optics compatible, so you can forgo the irons. The slide has a plate held in place by two 5\/64th<\/sup> Allen screws and when removed the plate exposes the Shield RMSc pattern mounting holes. (Removing the plate also exposes the firing pin mechanism and the internal block which is a safety that prevents the hammer from hitting the firing pin unless the trigger is held all the way to the rear.)<\/p>\n While I am a big fan of reflex sights\u2014check out my in-depth review of the best red-dot sights<\/a> if you\u2019re in the market\u2014I opted to do all my shooting with the pistol\u2019s fixed irons. \u00a0<\/p>\n The trigger has a tab-safety in the center of the trigger shoe. When depressed it lets you take up the trigger\u2019s 3\/8-inch of slack. My pistol\u2019s trigger weight measured 3 pounds, 10 ounces, with a consistent crisp break with little discernible creep. The reset is sharp as well, giving good tactile feedback.<\/p>\n Smith finished the stainless steel slide in their durable Armornite black nitride. I\u2019m very familiar with it, and can vouch for its durability and toughness. The polymer frame is likewise built for hard use and should provide years of service.<\/p>\n The fit on the pistol is good, but is a notch below the M&P 2.0 for instance. The 22 Magnum has a pronounced gap between the slide and frame allowing for dust and debris to enter the works. The pistol also has a noticeable gap where the magazine and frame meet. <\/p>\n From the outside the 22 Magnum might look like a striker-fired pistol, but that\u2019s not the case. It has an internal hammer that does the work of striking the firing pin. An even more significant departure from the striker-fired cookie-cutter template that characterizes so many semis is the gas operating system it employs.<\/p>\n Most pistols operate on a blow-back design, where the mass of the slide assembly is used to counter the mass of the bullet. The heavier slide moves backward at a relatively sluggish pace, allowing the speedy bullet to exit the barrel before it has traveled rearward any significant amount. Once the bullet is clear of the barrel, the pressure gases generated by the ignition of the cartridge escape out of the muzzle (following the path of least resistance).<\/p>\n This system ensures that the brass case is supported enough by the chamber and breech so that it doesn\u2019t rupture and otherwise direct potentially harmful pressurized gas toward the shooter. Though it earns high marks for simplicity and reliability, this system also necessitates that the slide be heavy enough to counteract the pressures generated by the cartridge.<\/p>\n The 22 Magnum takes a different approach. The barrel contains two pieces: an exterior sleeve and the actual barrel that sits on the inside of it. The barrel has a gas port near the muzzle and a series of gas checks along its length.<\/p>\n Once the bullet passes the port, gasses flow into the space between the barrel and sleeve which push against the checks, forcing the barrel rearward helping to cycle the action.<\/p>\n Smith & Wesson calls this their TEMPO barrel system, which they also employ on the M&P 5.7. The 5.7\u00d728, like the .22 WMR, is a relatively high-powered pistol round, so running a modified action that delays the rearward travel of the barrel until the chamber pressures have dropped a bit makes sense. With this gas-operated action, the barrel doesn\u2019t cam open until the bullet has passed the gas port.<\/p>\n This also allows for a lighter slide, which explains in part the 22 Magnum\u2019s light, portable weight.<\/p>\n This gas system requires the shooter to keep track of the number of rounds put down the barrel. Smith & Wesson recommends cleaning at least every 500 rounds.<\/p>\n One drawback to the pistol is that the takedown procedure is a bit cumbersome. To remove the slide from the frame one must move the slide rearward about a quarter of an inch and then use a punch to drift the slide stop out of the frame. It isn\u2019t difficult to do but compared to the majority of pistols out there that have tool-less takedown systems it is more complicated.<\/p>\n Once the slide is off it is easy to remove the barrel and barrel-shroud assembly to clean out whatever gunk has accumulated. The pistol has a captured recoil spring so that\u2019s simple to handle.<\/p>\n With the slide off the frame, it is easy to access and clean the rest of the works too. Smith recommends keeping the frame rails lubed us, as well as the piece on the trigger mechanism that bears against the plunger on the internal safety block.<\/p>\n I quickly hit\u2014and surpassed\u2014the 500-round threshold my first day at the range with pistol, and it kept ticking the whole time, though I did experience a handful of stoppages and failures to feed.<\/p>\n Overall, the pistol is absurdly fun to shoot. The bad news is you\u2019re going to pay for the privilege. Twenty-two WMR ammo typically costs $.30 to $.40 per round, which translates to $15 to $20 per box of 50 or\u2014more to the point\u201410 to 12 bucks per fully loaded 30-round magazine.<\/p>\n I lost count of how many mags I put through the pistol. I meant to keep meticulous notes of the round count, but once I got the gun running, I got caught up in the moment. Judging by the sparkling layer of empties I left at my gun range, it was a pile.<\/p>\n I started by shooting the pistol for accuracy at 7 yards. I had five different .22 WMR loads to test and did a series of 10-shot groups with each. Here\u2019s what I shot:<\/p>\n All the rounds grouped well, and it was during this part of the evaluation that I learned that POI was a touch low with the fixed sights. I shot these strings rapidly to get a feel for the pistol\u2019s trigger, recoil impulse, and general ergonomics.<\/p>\n On average, the 10-shot groups ranged from 1.5 to 2.25 inches, which was plenty good in my book given that I wasn\u2019t shooting off a supported rest.<\/p>\n![\"We](\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/uploads\/2023\/09\/15\/Smith-Wesson-MP-22-Magnum.jpg?auto=webp&width=800&crop=16:10,offset-x50\")
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Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Magnum Walkthrough<\/h2>\n
Polymer Frame<\/h3>\n
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Ambidextrous Controls<\/h3>\n
Iron Sights<\/h3>\n
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Optics Ready<\/h3>\n
Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Magnum\u2019s Trigger<\/h3>\n
Fit and Finish <\/h3>\n
The Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Magnum\u2019s Interesting Action<\/h2>\n
Understanding Blow-Back Design<\/h3>\n
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S&W M&P 22 Magnum Gas Piston<\/h3>\n
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Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Magnum Takedown and Maintenance<\/h2>\n
Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Magnum at the Range<\/h2>\n
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Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Magnum Accuracy<\/h3>\n
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\n John B. Snow<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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