Question about an older 22 pistol. S&W 22A

[tazman]

I have two S&W 22A pistols. I have heard many horror stories about them since I purchased them. Failures to feed. Failures to fir or eject. Poor triggers. The list goes on and on.
I haven't experienced any of that except for the poor trigger part. I just put 100 rounds through each of them yesterday at the range with no problems whatsoever.
I have found that, for me, having the trigger be a bit heavier but with no creep, makes me use a better trigger pull technique. For some reason, I don't jerk the trigger when trying to fire it. Probably a personal failing of mine.
The accuracy of these pistols is outstanding. I have put red dot sights on the supplied rails and shot dime size groups at 20 yards with them, so I know what they are capable of. I use them equipped as they came from the factory since I need to learn to hold better and aim better.
I used to have issues with failures to feed but now that just doesn't happen. I keep them generously oiled at the slide and just don't have issues any more.

In any case, I put 100 rounds from each pistol into less than 4 inches at 15 yards with Winchester M22 ammo. I had only 6 rounds outside the 4 inch ring and I knew exactly when I did those. All my fault.
The center 1-2 inches was just gone.
The triggers have improved over time. They went from gritty and heavy to just heavy. Now they break pretty clean. I haven't weighed the triggers so can't really say how heavy they are. Since I feel I am shooting them well(for me), I really don't care what the pull weight is.

S&W came out with the 22Victory in the last few years as a successor to the 22A. I have never handled one.
I am wondering if the 22Victory is a significantly better pistol than the 22A and if so, in what aspects?

Another question for those of you with experience with S&W 22 pistols. Is the model 41 significantly more accurate than these two pistols or is it just better attention to detail on assembly and a better trigger?
I can buy three of the 22Victory models for one 41.

[BigAlofPa.]

Mine runs like clock work. My 1st one was stolen. Bought a second to replace it. Just got a Victory. The victory i like better yes. Mostly because of the fiber optic sights. Still breaking it in. Only had it out twice. No issues so far.

[tazman]

Mine runs like clock work. My 1st one was stolen. Bought a second to replace it. Just got a Victory. The victory i like better yes. Mostly because of the fiber optic sights. Still breaking it in. Only had it out twice. No issues so far.

One of My 22A pistols has a fiber optic front sight. I can't tell any difference in accuracy or ease of use for me between them. The fiber optic front is slightly narrower than the regular post, possibly allowing a finer aim but I can't tell any difference on the target.

[Drm50]

A 41 is a whole different level than 22a & Victory. A few years ago I made a mistake when 22a came out. I traded a guy my 422 for one. I got burnt it was one of worst, a toss up between it and a SIG Mosquito, at $400 when they were first out. I had a Victory for short time. No trouble with function but nothing to write home about. It is hard to beat a 41 with a pistol still made in this country.

[JeffG]

I have a 22A, Victory, Buckmark and Mk III. I got the 22A first and it runs a red dot. It is very accurate, same as the others. I never found the trigger to be heavy feeling IMO. I think the Victory and Buckmark triggers have a slightly better feel during take up but the break is good on all 3. I replaced the 22A grip with an Altamont model that feels really good for my hand. I’d say I now prefer it to the Victory, but neither is as nice as the Buckmark URX grip. I guess in the end, I’d put the Buckmark and Victory triggers first, 22A second and Mk III third. The River trigger on mine is gritty.

[dverna]

I had one and had no problems with it. Sold it when I got a High Standard target pistol

[Texas by God]

A friend at the lease has one that has performed well, it only jammed when junior dropped the mag in the sand. I unloaded it, washed the mag out in the river, and it rocked on. It kept up with a Ruger MK whatever number Hunter they are now. DRM mentioned the 41 and 422 S&W .22 pistols and those two were my favorites. The 41 is so classy and accurate and the 422s low bore axis, light weight, and dependable accuracy made it a great walkabout gun.

[pietro]

.

The S&W Model 41 is the Gold Standard for non-Olympic .22 target pistols.

.

[tazman]

I can see the difference in durability due to the Victory having a steel frame and slide where the 22a is aluminum with a steel slide. Also the trigger having some adjustment(trigger stop).
The 41 has so much attention to detail and the trigger is VERY adjustable. It is also considerably heavier than the other two pistols by ten ounces over the Victory.

My biggest problem is my own ability to take advantage of the possible extra accuracy of the 41 just isn't there. I am not discounting the price here, which is a factor. If I can't shoot it significantly better than I do the 22a, why bother? Same goes for the Victory.
Just how much more accurate is the 41 over the Victory or the 22A?
Do you need to be an Olympic level shooter to even notice the difference if any?

[rintinglen]

Assuming ammunition that each likes, a 41 will shoot groups half the size of a 22A. Which it should, given that they ask about 4 times as much for a 41 as for a 22A. The 22A was the replacement for the 422 series, but in my experience the 422 was a better gun.

[tazman]

Given that I have never seen or heard of model 422 before now, I have no reference for one of those.

[rintinglen]

S&W 422
It harkens back to the old Clements-inspired S&W pistols of the 20's and 30's. My youngest has one and it has been exemplarily reliable and reasonably accurate for a plinker. There was a fixed sight version, a stainless 622 and a compact 2214 as well.

[tazman]

That's a very nice looking pistol. A little research told me it has an alloy frame similar to what the 22A uses.
The only concern I have about that is longevity. I doubt a 22lr would put enough strain on the frame to wear it out quickly since the Beretta 92FS in 9mm also has an alloy frame.

[steve urquell]

422s are pretty good but the trigger is gritty due to the way it slides in the sides of the trigger guard. Weird thing about them is the barrel is at the bottom of the barrel shroud so ~ 1.25" below the sights. I shot a copperhead at ~2ft and it shot exactly 1.25" below his head. Luckily the angle I was at put the bullet in his neck, taking the head off.

The barrel is a liner attached to the shroud with a barrel nut. EWK makes an adapter that replaces the nut with a 1/2-28 threaded end allowing for suppressor attachment. That's what I did with mine.