Smith Wesson MP 22X 22 LR Pistol 4.1 in. Threaded Optic Ready 20+1 Thumb Safety – Superbly Cheap to Shoot

Description

The Smith Wesson MP 22X is a full-size rimfire pistol built on the M&P frame, which means it feels like a duty gun and costs about four cents a round to shoot. Twenty rounds in the magazine, a 4.1-inch Armornite barrel threaded at the muzzle, an optic cut in the slide, a Picatinny rail under the dust cover and a thumb safety.

The point of a gun like this is volume. Trigger control, sight tracking and recoil management are all learned by repetition, and repetition in 9mm is expensive.

Part number 14312, UPC 022188901733. Deep stock.

What the Smith Wesson MP 22X gives you

• 20+1 capacity in .22 Long Rifle
• 4.10-inch black Armornite barrel, threaded at the muzzle
• Optic-cut slide with serrations front and rear
• Black polymer full-size M&P frame with a Picatinny rail
• Textured grip
• Manual thumb safety
• Fibre-optic front sight

Why a full-size rimfire is the most useful gun most people do not own

• Feeding the Smith Wesson MP 22X costs a fraction of centrefire. Five hundred rounds of .22 costs less than a hundred of 9mm, and five hundred rounds of practice is what actually makes someone better
• The frame is full-size M&P, so grip angle, controls and trigger reach match the centrefire guns in the same family. What you learn transfers directly
• Almost no recoil means you can watch the sights through the shot, which is the single hardest thing to learn on a service pistol
• Optic cut and rail mean you can train with the same dot and the same light you run on your carry gun
• It is also just a genuinely enjoyable pistol to shoot, which matters more than people admit

Smith Wesson MP 22X specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 14312
• UPC: 022188901733
• Calibre: .22 Long Rifle
• Capacity: 20+1
• Barrel: 4.10 inches, black Armornite, threaded muzzle
• Slide: black Armornite, optic cut, front and rear serrations
• Frame: black polymer, full size, Picatinny rail
• Safety: manual thumb safety
• Action: blowback, internal hammer

Feeding a rimfire semi-automatic

.22 LR is the fussiest cartridge in common use. Semi-automatic pistols are more sensitive than rifles because the slide needs enough energy to cycle, and weak standard-velocity ammunition will sometimes short-stroke. Buy high-velocity 40-grain ammunition for this pistol and it will run; a 1500-round jug of 40-grain copper-plated is the economical way to buy it.

Rimfire also fouls more than centrefire because of the wax and lead. Clean it more often than you would a 9mm and it will keep running. .22 LR specifications are published by SAAMI.

The threaded muzzle

The Smith Wesson MP 22X barrel is threaded, which on a .22 is most commonly done for a suppressor. A suppressor is a National Firearms Act item and needs ATF approval before you can take possession of it. MAG5 Firearms does not sell NFA items – speak to a dealer who handles those transfers. A thread protector is fitted, so left alone the pistol is an ordinary handgun and ships to your FFL as one.

Other rimfires we carry

For a rimfire rifle at the same running cost, the Ruger 10/22 Carbine is the obvious one, and the M&P FPC in .22 LR folds in half and takes the same twenty-round magazines you are already buying. In a small tip-up-barrel rimfire pistol there is the Taurus 22TUC.

Why the Smith Wesson MP 22X earns its place

• Twenty rounds of .22 at a running cost that lets you shoot as much as you want
• Full-size M&P ergonomics, so the practice transfers to a centrefire gun
• Optic cut and a rail from the factory – train with the same dot and light you carry
• The Smith Wesson MP 22X has its threaded barrel already fitted
• Deep stock, so no waiting

The honest caveat is reliability expectations. No rimfire semi-automatic is as reliable as a centrefire one, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not shot enough of them. Rimfire priming is inconsistent by nature and you will get the occasional dud. That is the cartridge, not the pistol – use high-velocity ammunition, keep it clean, and it will be fine.

The second point: this is a training and recreation pistol. It is not a defensive handgun and .22 LR is not a defensive cartridge, whatever anyone says about shot placement.

As a way to become a better shooter for very little money, the Smith Wesson MP 22X is hard to beat. MAG5 Firearms ships to your FFL.