"Victory is mine"

[xl_target]

One of Monty Python's greatest movies; The Holy Grail, has a scene in it where King Arthur is challenged by The Black Knight. After a sword fight, he manages to cut off both of the Black Knight's arms. Arthur then exclaims: "Victory is Mine"! Of course, then The Black knight starts kicking him so he has to cut off one of his legs. So then The Black Knight starts hopping and running into him, So Arthur cuts off his other leg, As they are moving away, The Black Knight, laying on the ground with no arms or legs, yells:"... come back here... I'll bite your legs off".
Hmmm! I guess you have to see the movie.

This afternoon, on the way to the range from my dealer's place, I felt like repeating King Arthur's exclamation. I was also hoping there would be no persistent issues that would dog my session at the range. I had just picked up Smith & Wesson's newest .22 LR pistol, the SW22 Victory and I am happy to say, The Black Knight never made an appearance. I put about 300 rounds of assorted .22 LR ammunition through her and she never missed a beat. I even had some cheap Mexican ammo that cycled through flawlessly.

I mostly just ran it for reliability and didn't seriously try it for accuracy. I'll have to do that another day when it isn't so windy.


The Official Smith and Wesson video


The very recogizable Smith & Wesson box


SW22 Victory



This is what you see when you open the box


What's in the box


The pistol comes with two stainless steel magazines


With the bolt locked back


The controls: The bolt hold open is under the V in Victory, the safety is at the back of the grips.
The mag release is behind the trigger guard. Notice that there is an adjustable overtravel stop in the trigger.
The grips are removable and can be changed out for aftermarket grips.


The pistol comes with fully adjustable (rear) Williams Firesights


Crowned barrel

Dissassembly is extremely easy as you can see from the video here.


Pros:
Removable Interchangeable Match Barrel
Steel Reinforced Polymer Thumb Safety
Picatinny-Style Rail Included
Fiber Optic Front Sight
Adjustable Fiber Optic Rear Sight
(2) Ten-Round Magazines Included
Adjustable Trigger Stop
Stainless Steel Frame
Removable Textured Grip Panels with Finger Cuts for Easy Magazine Removal
100% reliable so far
Unblemished satin Stainless finish.


Cons:
I had to think really hard to come up with something. The magazine had a rather stiff spring and after loading the mags thirty times, my thumb was a little sore. I guess I'm going to have to come up with a tool to assist me in pushing down the little button on the side.

This is a very modular pistol and there should be a plethora of aftermarket accessories available for it.


Image from here
I really like the look of the fluted Volquartsen barrel

Desktop background image here

[spin_drift]

This is an awesome pistol.

and btw, if you really want to break the gun then try using IOF's .22 ammo

[AgentDoubleS]

Congratulations XL! Victory looks gorgeous. I dont think the black knight would have stood a chance.

Look forward to an accuracy report too. What would be the trigger pull on a match pistol vs an SD pistol?

Cheers,
SS

[Vikram]

XL,

That is really a sweet looking pistol. Congratulations!

Best-
Vikram

[xl_target]

This is an awesome pistol.

and btw, if you really want to break the gun then try using IOF's .22 ammo

Thanks spin_drift.
As long as IOF .22 LR meets SAAMI specification in external dimensions, I'm sure that this pistol would have no function issues with it

I started with 50 rounds of CCI MiniMags, then about 50 rounds of CCI std. velocity. After that I tried 50 rounds of Wolf Match Target. Then I opened a box of Winchester 555 bulk hollowpoints and shot a bunch of that. I finished up with a couple of magazines of Remington Subsonic (low powered).
I had absolutely no issues of any kind.

Congratulations XL! Victory looks gorgeous. I dont think the black knight would have stood a chance.

Look forward to an accuracy report too. What would be the trigger pull on a match pistol vs an SD pistol?

Cheers,
SS

SS,
In today's litigious society, many pistol (and Rifle) manufacturers have gone to horrendously heavy triggers. There are pistols out there with over 12 pounds of trigger force required. Most of the BuckMark's and Ruger .22 pistols will be between 5 to 8 lbs. The really serious target pistols have pull weights that are measured in ounces. A pull that light, for an SD or hunting/plinking pistol, would be an accident just waiting to happen.


Here is the trigger in the cocked position. You can see how little travel is required to pull it all the way back. Once you take up the small amount of slack, there is very little movement left before the over travel screw bottoms out against the back of the trigger area.

This pistol has a 3 lb, two stage trigger and after the first stage of takeup, the break is crisp. The takeup is very light and smooth and there is almost no overtravel. The reset is nice and short. The controls are in the perfect place for my hands and the grips are surprising comfortable and secure. In addition to the really quick takedown, easily replaceable barrel, grips and sights, I think Smith has a winner here.

As far as SD pistols go, they vary all over the place. My Sig P225 has between a 7lb and 8lb double action pull and a 4lb to 5lb single action pull. My Ruger LC9 has a long and heavy pull (much like a double action revolver) but it is smooth so it feels lighter. To shoot well, you just have to get familiar with the pull on the that particular pistol. More important than the weight is how smooth the trigger is. Some pistols have heavy, gritty pulls and that makes shooting accurately a challenge. However, you can get by with a heavier pull or a longer pull if it is smooth and has a crisp break.

Added in 15 minutes 20 seconds:
Thank You Vikram,
When you go looking for a .22 LR pistol, this is a viable alternative.
It's direct competitors would be the Ruger Mark series or the Browning Buckmark but S&W has managed to bring the Victory to market at a significantly lower price than those two.
It is still new to the market but I'm sure it will be more readily available soon.

[mundaire]

XL, that's a really nice looking pistol, congratulations! Looking forward to your range report and targets.

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[dev]

The accuracy seems target pistol like. very nice looking pistol.

Regards,

Dev

[Vikram]

Always liked the Ruger and Browning models. This one certainly looks like a worthy contender.

[xl_target]

XL, that's a really nice looking pistol, congratulations! Looking forward to your range report and targets.

Cheers!
Abhijeet

I hope to get to the range this weekend to do that.

The accuracy seems target pistol like. very nice looking pistol.

Regards,

Dev

I believe it has potential, Dev. I'm sort of ambiguous about the sights. They are well though out and will work well for most things. Notice the grooves on the back of the sight and on the back of the pistol. They help cut glare. Little details that make a difference.


While they are quick to acquire and use, the front sights "bloom" in bright sunlight and that makes placing them precisely on target an issue. A black front blade would be more precise but would be harder for my aging eyes to pick up.
I'm trying to decide whether I should set it up for a red dot or scope.
Our club is starting a "Steel challenge" this year. It will entail very quick shooting on relatively large targets. A red dot will work well for that.
On the other hand, if this pistol turns out to be very accurate, then I might want to put a scope on it and use it for squirrel hunting. That would certainly be a challenge compared to using a rifle.

Always liked the Ruger and Browning models. This one certainly looks like a worthy contender.

It looks like someone left their Ruger and Browning unsupervised in the safe for too long and this is the result

[shooter]

congrats on the good find.
Ive seen the movie but never fired the gun.
Thats what I get for paying taxes to the leftist cookie cutters.
Anyways wishing you a very long anf fulfilling partnership together.

[ckkalyan]

Hi xl_target Congratulations on your er...Victory!

What an amazing package; like you said very few cons. Seems like a sure shot, target .22 trend setter in time to come.

Enjoy!

Sorry, I have been a bit off the radar on IFG, what with my recent move back to the UAE and settling in and hectic schedules.

[xl_target]

Thank You, Shooter, for your kind words.
We miss your action packed hunting stories. Looking forward to more of them soon.

CK, we sure hope that you get settled in your new digs quickly and get back to being a regular contributor.
Both you and our resident journo (TC) seem to have been missing in action lately.

[Sakobav]

XL
Congrats yes it does look like it was conceived by Ruger and Browning Like Mode 41 too but its pricey
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/ ... 7751_image

[xl_target]

Navi,
I wish I could own a model 41. Not only are they pricey but they are hard to find.
In 1990 or so, I was offered a Model 41 for $400. Back then, I had just started a family and couldn't afford $400 so I had to let it go.
Now they are three times that price and I just can't justify one.

This afternoon, I went to the range. It was windy and the temps have still not gone above the 50's (deg F).
I fired about 400 rounds of various .22 LR ammo. I picked some of the best groups. The idea is to show what the pistol is capable of and not my ineptitude.



five rounds bulk ammo



five rounds premium ammo


ten rounds bulk ammo



ten rounds bulk ammo

LIke most firearms, this pistol will outshoot me.
When I got home and cleaned it, I was surprised by how clean everything was. Usually that much .22 LR ammo will leave a filthy mess.
The joy of stainless steel is that everything just wipes clean.

[shooter]

A rifle shooter would be proud of that kind of shooting.
For a handgun, its great great great.

Do you do lessons? !