Smith Wesson Victory 22LR Target – Superb Bull Barrel Pistol

Description

The Smith Wesson Victory 22LR Target is the target configuration of the SW22 Victory, built around a 5.5 inch bull barrel, target sights and a trigger with an adjustable stop. It is the version for shooters who want to shoot groups rather than cans, and it still carries the one-screw takedown that makes the platform so easy to live with.

Smith Wesson Victory 22LR Target What Makes It the Target Model

The bull barrel is the starting point. A heavy profile barrel resists the small flexing and vibration that opens groups, and the extra mass at the front of the pistol steadies the hold and damps what little recoil 22 LR produces. It is the single most effective accuracy upgrade available on a rimfire pistol.

Target sights sit on top, and a target trigger with an adjustable trigger stop lets you tune out overtravel so the trigger stops moving the instant the shot breaks. Overtravel is a quiet accuracy thief on a precision pistol, and being able to eliminate it is unusual at this price.

The feed ramp is custom polished and the magazine well is beveled. The first improves feeding reliability with the varied bullet profiles that rimfire ammunition comes in; the second speeds up reloads, which matters in timed disciplines.

Grips and the Victory Platform

The Smith Wesson Victory 22LR Target ships with textured polymer thumbrest grip panels for both left and right hand shooters, plus a standard flat panel to use on the opposite side. That means a left-handed shooter gets a proper thumbrest rather than an adapted right-handed one, which is a courtesy a lot of target pistols do not extend.

A thumbrest gives the shooting thumb a consistent index point, and consistency in grip is the foundation everything else is built on. If you have never used one, give it a few hundred rounds before deciding.

Underneath is the modular Victory frame. A single takedown screw releases the upper and the barrel lifts away with a hex key, so swapping to a threaded barrel for a suppressor is a two minute job. A Picatinny-style rail is included for mounting a red dot, and the frame is stainless steel. Two ten round magazines come in the box.

Shooting the Smith Wesson Victory 22LR Target

The first thing you notice is how still the pistol sits. Bull barrel mass plus a thumbrest grip that locks the hand means the sights barely move, and small errors in hold show up as small errors on paper rather than being magnified. Shooters coming from a lightweight plinking 22 usually see the difference on the first magazine.

The adjustable trigger stop rewards a few minutes of setup. Back it out, dry fire, and turn it in until the trigger stops moving immediately after the break without preventing the shot. Done properly it removes a small amount of unwanted motion at exactly the wrong moment, and it is one of the few free accuracy gains available.

An optic is worth considering. The included Picatinny rail takes a micro red dot directly, and a dot removes the front sight focus problem that limits a lot of shooters as their eyes age. For bullseye work many shooters stay with irons; for steel and plate shooting a dot is close to universal.

Maintenance and Ammunition Notes

Takedown is genuinely simple. One screw releases the upper and the barrel lifts away with nothing more than a hex key. That matters more on a rimfire than a centerfire gun because 22 LR fouls quickly and unburned powder collects everywhere, particularly around the chamber and breech face.

Magazines are the other maintenance item. Rimfire magazines collect grit and wax from bullet lubricant, and a magazine that has not been apart in a thousand rounds will eventually cause failures that get blamed on the pistol. Strip and wipe them out periodically. Also expect the occasional failure to fire from a dud rim, which is a property of rimfire priming rather than a fault in the gun.

Smith Wesson Victory 22LR Target Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 11536
• UPC: 022188868319
• Caliber: 22 LR
• Capacity: 10 rounds, two magazines included
• Barrel: 5.5 inches, bull profile
• Sights: target sights
• Trigger: target trigger with adjustable trigger stop
• Grips: textured polymer with thumbrest panels for left and right hand shooters, plus flat panel
• Feed ramp: custom polished
• Magazine well: beveled
• Frame: stainless steel
• Rail: Picatinny-style included

Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson Victory 22LR Target

Twenty two long rifle is the cheapest trigger time available, and a target pistol this accurate makes every round count. Trigger time is what actually improves shooting, and this is the least expensive way to get a lot of it.

Rimfire ammunition is lot-to-lot inconsistent in a way centerfire is not. A bull barrel will show real differences between a bulk pack and a match load. Buy a few brands, shoot groups, then buy the winner by the case. It is the cheapest accuracy improvement available.

A bull barrel adds weight, which is exactly what you want on a target line and exactly what you do not want on a long hike. If the pistol is going in a pack for field use, the standard Victory is the lighter choice.

Who Should Buy It

The Smith Wesson Victory 22LR Target suits target shooters who want a precision rimfire without assembling one from parts: bullseye competitors, shooters building fundamentals on the cheap, left-handed shooters who want a proper thumbrest, and anyone who wants a red dot ready 22 that swaps barrels in two minutes.

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