This may seem like a strange thing to ask about (coming from me), but I’d like a little personal input on the S&W SW22 pistol, as seen here for example:
Specifically, what’s the trigger like? I’m not interested in any .22 pistol trigger that isn’t as good as the Browning Buckmark’s. Ordinarily, I’d just get a Ruger Mk IV, but the trigger’s terrible (by comparison). Ditto the Walther PPQ pistols, which are even worse than the Ruger’s.
Reason for asking: I’m going to be getting a .22 silencer at some point, and none of my existing pistols have threaded barrels, or can be made to have one without much gunsmithing.
Of course, I could just get another Buckmark, like the Micro:
Or, if push came to shove, the Browning 1911-22 compact model:
Those three, then, are the front-runners so far.
But the SW22 is priced a lot more attractively (#NoBrowningPremium), hence my specific interest, but only if it has a decent trigger, hence my RFI.
And I’ll be selling one of my other guns (Because Poverty) to buy any other gun including this one… so watch this space.
I own and like the S&W SW22 pistol. It is certainly much easier to field strip and clean than the Ruger Mk III I owned.
Any gun is easier to field strip than the MkIII.
The MkIV, in contrast, is the easiest gun of all to strip — and reassemble.
Ruger Mark 1 2 and 3 could be a pain to field strip.
Mark 4 is SUPER easy to field strip
This not withstanding, I would not pick a gun based solely on how easy it is to field strip.
Myself, and many others, would definitely pick a Ruger Mark series over a S&W Victory 22 for many reasons.
And again, if it is a Mark 4 – STUPID easy to field strip.
YMMV
Ruger Mark 1 has entered the chat.
Actually, the Mark 1 is simplicity itself to field strip. It’s getting the damn thing back together afterwards that is an exercise in frustration.
The Mk IV came out AFTER the S&W SW22.
“The Mk IV came out AFTER the S&W SW22.”
Ok. How does that make a difference when saying that the MK 4 is super easy to field strip? That is a fact regardless of release date.
We are talking about these guns in 2026, not late 2025 when the SW 22 Victory came out or 2016 when the Mark 4 came out.
The implication is that the myriad complaints about field stripping and reassembling the various Ruger Marks FINALLY reached whoever it was in the company who could be induced to do something about it so sales did not decrease. Growing a third hand for reassembly is, in my case, just taking too damn long. I can’t keep waiting for evolution to deliver.
Actually have a lot of experience here. Buckmark is the best trigger out of the box. The SW22 has a good rep for accuracy but I never felt the trigger to be anything exceptional but then I’m a trigger snob. The Rugers can be quite good if Volquartsen pars are used and installed properly. And they are simply better built than the Buckmarks. You couldn’t give me a Browning 1911-22. Had to sell my last threaded .22 pistol (don’t ask), and if Tactical Solutions ever gets threaded Buckmark barrels back in stock I’ll likely go that route. If not then a Ruger 22/45 with the aforementioned kit. Best of luck!
No kits. They just add to the cost of the gun, which should have been like that out of the box.
I grew up with a Colt Woodsman and confess to feeling a bit nostalgic about it.
Ditto me, with the Beretta 101 Jaguar.
Kim,
I’m selling my m&p 22 compact because of the horrid mushy spongy trigger. I have a buyer lined up, and will complete the deal before the end of October. The gun is otherwise fine but the trigger is lacking, and folks like Apex don’t make a spring kit.
Conversely, I will probably be buried with my Buckmark Camper. I lurves that little gun. My daughter is completely uninterested, and my nephews were raised in a deep blue looney leftist progressive utopia household.
@Butch – I had a Mark III 22/45. Sold it too, but not ’cause of the trigger. I had other reasons. It was a decent pistol but yes, the reassembly process was interesting. I simply followed the steps outlined in the owners manual, never had a problem, but yeah, the process had some odd gyrations.
“I’m selling my m&p 22 compact because of the horrid mushy spongy trigger.”
‘Nuff said. Looks like it’ll be the Buckmark, then.
Hold the door little brother, a s&w 22 compact is a totally different beast than a s&w sw22(victory). The compact looks like an m&p shield. I’ve shot my s&w 22 victory side by side with my buckmark and find the buckmark to be smoother with a better grip. I’ve had the victory for a number of years and found it must be kept very clean to work well. I’m looking at my guns with the idea of seriously reducing my collection and will keep the buckmark over the victory. The vic doesnt have a threaded barrel so it wouldnt be of use to you. I agree with IJD that the compact has a mushy trigger, I bought it for my wife to learn to shoot but other than being very light it doesnt have any redeeming values.
I too owned a Mk III 22/45. Sold it after getting the SW22.
Kim,
I used to work for a certain manufacturer for almost 7 years… I’ve been right next to “where the sausage is made”.
– In General, I like Ruger Revolvers better than Smith & Wesson. S&W has some good revolvers (617 is one of the ones I really like), but I found I like the Rugers better.
– For Semi Auto’s – it really really depends on the specific model gun.
Since we are talking about 22 Semi Auto Pistols, here, let me summarize this quickly.
If you are looking for this kind of pistol, please, please please
1 – Do not sell a gun you like for the Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory
2 – If you want this type of gun and do not have anything like it, please consider the Ruger Mark series or a Browning
3 – If you find a really good deal on one of these, cheap, which is hard to find on anything gun related these days – but if you do find a good deal, pay cash and don’t sell anything you have that you like for this. (Side note – quote – “IT’S AN EXPENSIVE HOBBY, EVEN WITH A DISCOUNT!”
How is the Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory?
– Shoots well enough. The ones I tried did not seem ammo sensitive a great deal but had some minor flaws.
– Trigger is ok, not bad, not match grade. It’s an ok trigger. The Ruger and Browning in my opinion not only are better out of the box, but there are WAY more options for aftermarket triggers on the Ruger Mark and the Browning guns than the Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory.
The Ruger is the top dog in this choice – because – they have been made for so very long that the aftermarket is available for MANY parts. MANY!
Volquartsen custom USED to make sw22 pistol barrels – but at this time I don’t this they are still made.
There were
– Lightweight barrels
– Fluted barrels
– Longer barrels
etc
(Side Note – Scott Volquartsen is an AWESOME guy! One of the nicest most down to earth people you will ever deal with. He makes quality products, he is approachable, and his team has GREAT customer service.).
The Ruger has TONS of aftermarket support and products available so you can tweak and change your gun to be however you like it or want it.
The Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory has aftermarket parts no doubt, but again, nowhere near the amount of Ruger.
And the Browning is just a classic gun, compared to the Victory 22.
While I certainly do NOT want to talk you out of a gun you may want, I think their are better choices.
And while I do have a Smith & Wesson product at this time – and it has worked well for me – I am glad I did not have issues, because Smith & Wesson’s customer service in my opinion sucks ass. It’s really fucking bad.
I also, as you know, prefer my Ruger Single Six Revolver over anything 22 Semi Auto, other than the 10 22 rifle. Those are my two fav 22 guns by far.
But if I was getting a 22 Semi Auto Pistol, personally, it would NOT be the Victory 22.
I CAN say that the Bodyguard 2.0 is a great little 380 pistol, and the 617 Revolver kicks ass.
YMMV
Good luck Kim with whatever you choose. I hope the firearm works well and you enjoy it.
Kim, do you already have a Mark 4 Ruger? If so, I think, in my opinion you will be disappointed with the S&W Victory 22. That’s my opinion of course, which ain’t worth .02 cents.
That being said, if you do NOT have any 22 semi auto at this time, based on your writings from this blog, you always talk about the Colt and the Browning, and sometimes the Ruger.
I would get the gun you REALLY want since you likely can only afford one.
“BUY ONCE CRY ONCE” and BE HAPPY!
One more thing, please stay away from pistols like that 22 LR 1911. Or the 22 LR versions of other pistols. Those tend to be, no matter the brand, very very ammo sensitive.
If you have a Glock or 1911 and buy one of those 22 lr conversion kits to use for plinking IF YOU CAN GET THE UPPER CHEAP – that is one thing. But again it will be VERY ammo sensitive. Keep that in mind.
I want a gun that eats ammo like a fat fuck eats at a buffet.
YMMV
I have the Browning Buck Mark Lite URX 22 and the S&W Victory would be a huge step down from that. Buy the Buckmark you want, cry once and never look back.
My brother was the department armorer for a County Sheriff for 36 years and is certified S&W armorer. He doesn’t hate the trigger on the Victory, but he doesn’t love it. He says the amount of money you’d have to spend to upgrade it to equal a Buckmark is about the same you’d pay if you just bought the Buckmark in the first place.
Sell some biltong to raise some money. I’m in for 5 lbs.
You have to be VERY careful with trigger jobs on 22 LR guns.
– First – those guns have very specific weights of springs and triggers so that there is reliable ignition most of the time with most factory 22 LR rimfire ammo.
– If you change something on a 22 LR gun, which likely may already be either finicky with ammo (AKA ammo sensitive) or reliable in general but as always 22 LR guns MUST be kept clean (unlike Glocks or M&P centerfire models which will run dirty) – you risk making the 22 LR very unreliable with any ammo if you mess with the trigger, the springs or any combination of parts.
– For 22 LR – as you said and I said above as well in other posts – If you don’t like a gun stock in 22 LR – best to get the one you like.
Parts OTHER than trigger ARE OK – like barrels, sights, grips etc
The TWO exceptions I have seen for trigger and internal parts for 22 LR guns that work
Apex Tactical – the Mass Driver Hammer Kit for S&W K/L-Frame Revolvers – Apex Tactical DOT come. Scott Folk is one of the owners of Apex Tactical. He is a GREAT guy. He has personally helped people install stuff with help via emails and over the phone and he has a great team. His products are top notch. I saw this hammer installed into two different Smith and Wesson Model 617 guns years ago. They both worked PERFECT. It converts them to a double action only model, but the trigger is smooth and reliably ignites 22 LR of most any kind I saw. I wish I had bought one of these kits at a discount years ago.
Volquartsen – Their parts are TOP NOTCH. I have seen their parts in and on Ruger’s and Smith and Wesson’s (Barrels they used to make for the Victory were GREAT, I don’t think they make them any more though) and the internal and external parts for Ruger’s and AWESOME and RELIABLE. The owner, Scott Volquartsen is a great down to earth guy who cares about his customers and his products are absolutely FANTASTIC.
Other than these notable exceptions, if you want a 22 LR gun of any kind – consider that it is to be left stock, if you don’t like it that way, keep your money until you find one you do like OUT OF THE BOX.
And if you are buying a used 22 LR gun and someone says they jerry rigged something on it internally, WALK AWAY. You DON’T need to find out the expensive and or hard way that Gomer’s backyard gunsmith is NOT to be trusted…
YMMV
Some comments on the S&W SW22 Victory from my S&W forum:
1. LGS had a Ruger Mark IV Target and S&W Victory. Both felt good in my hands and after checking out the triggers on both, the Victory was the clear winner my a wide margin. Lower price, standard FO sights and removeable threaded barrel made it a no brainer.
I’m glad I spent a lot of time reading about the Victory prior to it’s maiden range session as the only gun related issue I immediately had was it failed to eject almost every other round. I used the well known solution of gently bending the ejector pin very slightly towards center. Fixed. The only other problem was one magazine didn’t want to feed Winchester Super X ammo, (tight). However by the end of the 300 round session that mag fed the Super X fine. The pistol just ran great firing everything I fed it and locking back on every last round. Range time was mostly hitting steel checking for function and not shooting from a bench for groups although I did a quick sight adjustment for elevation since it seemed to be hitting a few inches high.
Even with the easy one screw takedown, cleaning was a PITA compared to my revolvers, 1911 or P365. the .22 ammo is some dirty stuff and some lead build up in the new barrel took a bit of effort to remove, (see bottom pic). Not being able to dry fire without a spent case or snap cap is a pain also. I’m guessing normal for rimfire. When I did check trigger pull after reassembly, it was a clean break after some slight but smooth creep and broke cleanly at 2 3/4 lbs. I’m very happy with the stock trigger.
2. Glad you are enjoying your Victory. I really like mine and it’s a fun shooter with a great trigger and as accurate as I can be with it.
3. I shoot my 22 Victory more than my model 41. Both are great guns.
4. My Victory is a hit at the shooting range. Everyone stops to ask about it. I have a TandemKross ejector and firing pin in mine and they have performed perfectly thus far. Last week I did get to shoot a Ruger Mark II (with a 10″ barrel!) and I will stick with my Victory.
I NEVER understood why the model 41 was so popular. It was STUPID expensive in the almost 7 years I worked in the industry, it costs even more today.
The Ruger, Browning and Colt 22 semi auto pistols are WAY better and way more refined.
And I remember the matches people would use the model 41’s in, the people always talked about how they needed certain ammo for their guns to run reliably.
The used ones we had one hand in the inventory of the company for the range were well worn in and seemed to function reliably. I personally always like the 617 better for S&W stuff, and Ruger for any brand of Semi Auto 22.
I read production was stopped at the end of 2025. Price then was over 2 grand.
WTF. You can buy 2 colts, 2 brownings, and 3 or 4 rugers for that price.
That price is like, the old saying, it will cost you your left nut.
There have been many complaints on my forum about quality defects and bad customer service on more recent Model 41’s, along with many other recent Smiths.
However my circa 1966 Model 41 has never had a hiccup and eats everything I’ve used in it.
“P365” – Modern Sig? Yuck…
200 series guns will NEVER be topped.
229, 226 and 220 for the win.
Is your 365 the 9MM or the 380 version?