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Sturm, Ruger & Co. has been a major player in the .22 pistol market since its corporate coming out party in 1949. The company has been selling variations on the Ruger Standard pistol for over sixty years, so when Ruger brings an altogether different .22LR pistol to market, people notice. Rugerโ€™s newest Smurf gun is the Ruger SR22โ„ข. Except for the ammo, the little DA/SA .22 has nothing in common with the rest of the companyโ€™s excellent rimfire pistol line.

 

Older Ruger .22 pistols like the Standard, the Mark I through III and 22/45 are based on the Japanese Nambu design, with a bit of Luger added into the stew just to make the guns look as absurd as possible. The resulting target pistols are tried and true, effective and accurate, and look like Buck Rogersโ€™ rejects.

The SR22 looks more like a conventional carry pistol than a space gun. This dusky beauty is sleek, balanced and sexy in a diminutive way. Think Eva Longoria and youโ€™re in the ballpark. While the SR22โ€™s styling isnโ€™t groundbreaking, the little pistolโ€™s proportions, fit and finish are spot-on. But as anyone will tell you whoโ€™s ever had to clean up after an Irish Setter, looks arenโ€™t everything. Performance counts, too, so I just couldnโ€™t wait to put the pistol through its paces to see what it could do.

Features

Despite the small size of the SR22, the controls all have generous surface areas and provide good tactile feedback, so handling them is literally a snap. Lefties will appreciate that the magazine release and safety switches are both completely ambidextrous. The trigger-disconnecting safety switch seemed counterintuitive, requiring the shooter to flick the switch upwards to the fire position and downwards to be safe. I know that some other pistols work the same way but I never liked them, either.

Nevertheless, the safety switch was nicely clicky and required just the right amount of thumb pressure to shift between the fire and safe positions. The location of the safety also worked great for me; I didn’t have to change my grip to switch back and forth from safe to fire, and I never accidentally tripped the switch.

The well-shaped and very comfortable grip is customizable. In the box are two grip sleeves in the box for a slim or wider palm swell. With the smaller grip sleeve preinstalled, the SR22 fit my average-sized hand well. Ham-fisted shooters will want to swap the smaller sleeve for the larger. With devilishly sly humor, Ruger notes that โ€œ[t]he detachable grip may initially be difficult to remove.โ€

Excuse me for laughing out loud, but the copywriter who authored that line should be writing comedy for Ricky Gervais. Letโ€™s be honest. Removing the SR22โ€™s grip was as frustrating as trying to put sweat socks on a rooster.

The manufacturer claims that the grips will break in over time, but given the difficulty of swapping sleeves just once, only a masochist will choose to do so a second time.

Since the SR22s handle was the right size for me right out of the box with a comfortable and secure all-finger grip, I didnโ€™t need to attach the thoughtfully provided magazine extensions. For shooters with larger mitts who need additional real estate at the bottom of the handle, Ruger supplies two extensions, one for each of the included ten-round mags.

With four handle combinations to choose from, the hands of most shooters should be well-accommodated. Still, although itโ€™s ultimately effective, the SR22โ€™s grip system badly trails the M&P/XD/Glock field when it comes to ease of use.

In vivid contrast to the difficulty of changing the grip sleeve, takedown of the SR22 was delightfully simple. The gun has its own Easy Button โ€“ a takedown switch located inside the trigger guard.

To disassemble the pistol (after following all safety protocols, of course), one first drops the mag and locks back the slide, which pushes the hammer out of the way. Snapping the takedown switch to the six oโ€™clock position frees the slide. Pulling the slide back and up lifts it away from the rails; then easing the slide forward clears the barrel so the slide can be completely removed. In the time it would take me to describe how itโ€™s done, I could field strip this pistol twice. Because the SR22 is a blowback pistol, the barrel is fixed and need not be removed for cleaning.

The internals of this little .22 appeared to be about as robust as they need to be. The guide rod is plastic, and thatโ€™s a concern when it comes to long-term reliability. The return spring seems like it was lifted from inside a Paper Mate pen but hey, the SR is a .22, not a .44 Magnum. The extractor and ejector seem up to the task of extracting and ejecting, respectively. Except for the followers and base plates, the 10-round magazines are all stamped metal and seem more than tough enough for long-term use.

Replacing the components after cleaning was just a tad more difficult than the field-stripping process. The culprit was the recoil spring, which must be refitted onto the guide rod. The spring needs to grab onto the rod so that itโ€™s retained when installed, but the spring is just a little finicky about it. Figure that reassembly will take about twice as long as disassembly. Itโ€™s not a big deal, but after the fiasco of changing the grip sleeve itโ€™s worth mentioning.

The aluminum slide, handles, D-shaped hammer spur and trigger guard of the SR22 have more furrows than a field of rutabagas. The serrations actually enhance the appearance and functionality of the pistol, even the ones on the front of the slide. Because my hands are important to me, I would not use the front serrations to rack the slide. However, I did find that they assisted purchase when I was losing my arm-wrestling match to the grip sleeve.

The sights look to be conventional three-dots, but no. Theyโ€™re actually highly and easily adjustable, more like target sights than โ€œself defenseโ€ sights. The front sight is dovetailed into the slide, so it could be drift-adjusted. Thereโ€™s no need to bother, though, since the rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation by means of two small set screws. Anyone who has a couple of gunsmithโ€™s or jewelerโ€™s screwdrivers owns all the tools needed to dial-in the rear sight.

The sights are excellent all-around and very adaptable to different shooting tasks. The three-dot system is a proven commodity for those who like that style of sight. The front blade is thin enough to allow plenty of light to pass, making โ€œequal height, equal lightโ€ shooting a breeze and allowing rapid target acquisition. Those who prefer patridge-style sights neednโ€™t fear. The two rear dots are on a blade that can be reversed for an all-black rear sight picture. All in all, the SR22โ€™s sighting system is as good as iron sights are going to get at this price point.

Ruger has done itself proud with these sights. Other manufacturers take note: thereโ€™s no reason why all sights on all pistols shouldnโ€™t be this easy to adjust.

Shooting the SR22

It doesnโ€™t take a lot of force to rack the slide. People who lack hand strength and have never been able to work the slide of a heavy caliber pistol will have no trouble at all with this one.

The SR 22 has a decocking safety. Switching the SR22โ€™s safety from โ€œfireโ€ to โ€œdonโ€™t fireโ€ lowers the hammer to a position where itโ€™s blocked from contacting the firing pin. The safety can then be switched to the fire position, where the pistol will patiently await your pull of the trigger before it will go bang. Itโ€™s very comparable to, and just as safe as, carrying a modern revolver uncocked with a round under the hammer.

In other words, you donโ€™t have to worry about being personally decocked if you carry the pistol decocked. Were I to carry this pistol for self defense, thatโ€™s the way Iโ€™d carry it — decocked with the safety off.

Which I am never going to do, but not because of safety issues or any concerns that I might have about the .22LR as an SD round. No, the problem is the DA trigger pull. Itโ€™s appallingly bad.

In the DA mode, the trigger pull was about as long as I expected. To me, a long first pull is fine because it inhibits unintentional discharges. Itโ€™s the quality of the pull that I found highly objectionable.

The first part of the DA pull was a bit sturdy, but fairly smooth. But once the trigger had traveled about half an inch, it stacked so badly and got so gritty and heavy that multiple uses actually hurt my trigger finger. Since my trigger finger is one of my top eleven appendages, I was not happy. My first thought was that I must have gotten a defective T&E gun. No manufacturer, especially Ruger, would ever intentionally design a trigger to be this heavy, so it had to be a mistake.

The DA pull felt more like a revolverโ€™s than a pistolโ€™s. After five DA shots, I could almost hear my ligaments popping like overstretched violin strings and started looking around for a major dose of Motrin. After about a dozen or so double action shots, I decided to do my connective tissue a favor and shoot everything else SA before arthritis set in. I think that if Iโ€™d taken a couple of dozen more DA shots with this pistol, Iโ€™d be on a bolus of Enbrelยฎ, TID, sub-q, every day of the week.

The single-action pull was not exactly sublime, but it was much better than the DA. There was about 5/8โ€ of light takeup, some stacking and then a snap. Even in SA mode, however, I felt that the pull required about two pounds more effort than it should and was also very non-linear. The SA and DA shortcomings of this pistol never interfered with my accuracy, but did affect my enjoyment.

I usually shoot .22 handguns close-in at two speeds: slow and deliberate, which would be five rounds in four seconds or so, and fast or rapidfire, where I pop five in around two seconds. With no recoil to speak of, remaining on target and shooting quickly with accuracy is cake. At longer handgun distances, I might take a second and a half to acquire the target and shoot, which is about the slowest I can manage to shoot without dozing off. At five yards, shooting with a Weaver stance offhand, I was able to get some nice groups at deliberate speed.

Pushing the target out to fifteen yards yielded a bit of spread to the group, but this tiny gun was still ย accurate.

I could see that the gun was printing left. I could have easily adjusted the windage with a small screwdriver. Unfortunately, the little scamp must have jumped out of my range bag and sneaked back into my tool box, because thatโ€™s where I found the screwdriver when I returned home.

My next setup was at twenty-five yards. I adjusted my point of aim by holding off slightly to the right. At that distance, I was stitching shots rather than grouping them, but from a gun with such a short barrel, thatโ€™s decent accuracy. Iโ€™m sure that I could improve on my 25 yard accuracy down to four inch groups if I worked on it.

Now used to the gun and feeling confident, I shot a seven yard target one handed, rapid fire, and was rewarded for my efforts. The low-left splatter is two shots, practically in the same hole.

I expended way more than a brick of mixed ammo during two range sessions that I devoted to testing the SR22. I fired a lot of 40 grain Blazers, copper plated Winchester Dynapoints, some Aguila Standards, a few Remington Targets, and whatever else that I had rolling around in the bottom of my ammo can. I shot one-handed, two handed and left handed, slow, fast and in between. I had no misfires, one FTE and one FTF.

The cause of the stoppages was easy to see and even easier to fix. The feed ramp and breech face of this pistol can get gunked up to a fair-thee-well and needs to be swiped with a cloth or patch every couple of hundred rounds. Thatโ€™s all it took to keep this pistol running like a teenage purse snatcher.

Conclusions

According to Ruger, the SR22 is supposed to be โ€œperfect for just about anything.โ€ Actually, itโ€™s not perfect for anything at all, but it could be a nice all-around pistol and a great way to train noobs to handle a big-boy gun like a Sig 220. However, the crummy DA pull took this pistol out of the running for CCW carrying, mouse hunting or training. And while the SR22 in SA mode is certainly accurate enough for informal target shooting, itโ€™s no Mark III.

I guess Ruger was just tired of witnessing its life blood being sucked dry by the SIG Mosquito. The Walther P22 and other plinkers have also intruded onto their turf, so the company introduced three new .22 handguns in a short period of time, preserving its market dominance.

As a fan of .22s and a guy who respects Ruger products, I wanted to love this pistol. Man, was I disappointed. It was the second Ruger .22LR weโ€™ve reviewed recently, and the second one where weโ€™ve found the trigger to be wanting.

Iโ€™d like to send this gun back so the engineers can examine the trigger and tell us what went wrong. But whether this particular gun was a clunker or not, Ruger will still remain a major player in the .22 pistol market.

SPECIFICATIONS

Model: Ruger SR22
Caliber: .22LR
Magazine capacity: 10 rounds
Materials: Aluminum slide, stainless steel barrel, polymer frame, railed dust cover
Weight empty: 17.5 ounces
Barrel Length: 3.5โ€ณ
Overall length: 6.4โ€ณ
Sights: Three white dots, fixed front, windage and elevation adjustable rear, reversible rear insert
Action: DA/SA, decocking safety
Finish: Black anodized
Price: $399 msrp

RATINGS (out of five stars)

Style * * * *
The SR22 is the Tom Cruise of pistols โ€“ itโ€™s small but handsome.ย  The proportions are elegant, the finish flawless and the appearance of the SR22 outshines its Sig and Walther competitors.

Ergonomics (carry)ย  * * * * *
Itโ€™s small, lightweight and kept easily out of sight. It can be comfortably tucked away in a pocket or IWB holster, knapsack, rucksack, camera bag, Flintstones lunchbox or a pencil case.

Ergonomics (firing) SAย  * * * *ย ย  DA * *
The SA pull is just a smidge too long and bit stout. The DA pull of my tester was gritty, stacked like crazy and was altogether unpleasant.

Reliabilityย  * * * * 1/2
Taking two seconds to swab the chamber, feed ramp and breech face every couple of hundred rounds was enough to assure complete reliability.

Customize Thisย  * *
It has a Picatinny rail for lights and lasers, but th-th-th-that’s all folks.

OVERALL RATINGย  * * / * * * *
If the trigger is fixable, Iโ€™d rate this gun as a fun and inexpensive plinker and range toy, a good trainer and a reasonable self-defense pistol for the old, infirm or recoil averse. The sights are great, the pistol is handy and Iโ€™d be the first guy on line to buy one. However, if the trigger is what it was, then the gun is a SA range toy and nothing more.

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131 COMMENTS

  1. Not that it matters at this point, but I still can’t understand why this pistol wasn’t made as an understudy for the SR9/40 series.

  2. It’s a P22 with better materials. Which would be great – someone should do it – but they’re not shipping it with a threaded barrel. And the barrel is mounted rather high in the slide, so if they ever do start shipping a threaded barrel for it, a silencer will cover the sights. If you want a durable target pistol or plinker, Ruger has better guns. If you want a small silencer host, this won’t do it. It’s not a reasonable self defense pistol. And it’s not a facsimile of any larger caliber pistol, so it doesn’t really serve as a cheap training alternative.

    This is entirely a gun for people who have no idea what they want to do with a gun. Which means it’ll sell like hotcakes.

    • “This is entirely a gun for people who have no idea what they want to do with a gun. ”

      I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this gun. I wanted a second .22, but I did not want to purchase another Mark III in the interest of variety. My wife Bogarts our Mark III at the range, leaving me to twiddle my thumbs after I have blown through my ration of 9mm ammo. I wanted an inexpensive range plinker with more orthodox pistol controls so I could continue practicing at the range. This gun fits that need perfectly. I do agree about the DA trigger, which is why I always place it into SA mode at the range. Works for me.

      (Edit: I did have a Sig Mosquito but got rid of it because it choked on everything but CCI Mini-mags. The Ruger has fed everything I throw into it.)

      • The P22 and Mosquito are both crap, and I would take the SR22 any day. But I’d take the MkIII over that. If I already had a MkIII, I’d buy a second MkIII, that way they could share spare parts, tools, and magazines.

        Actually, I wouldn’t buy a MkIII, I’d buy a Browning Buckmark, because on a Buckmark, the barrel’s not the serial numbered part, so you can have replacement barrels shipped right to your house. But I’d buy two of those.

        • I’ve had 2 buckmarks. They were both awesome but the first was an original with steel barrel, and very accurate. .Unfortunately the newer models have a polymer-lined barrel which I tend to hate.

    • Just because YOU don’t see any use for the gun doesn’t mean other’s don’t. I love my SR22. It’s my favorite pistol, bar none. Why? It’s fun as hell to shoot. You can’t beat it for an ordinary tin can shooting, plinking good time. It’s not a competition/target pistol…wasn’t meant to be. It’s not the ideal defensive gun, although I’ve yet to find anyone who scoffs at it who will volunteer to be shot by it. But not every gun has to have a serious purpose. For me it is an ideal gun….for just having good, cheap fun.

  3. Just as our fearless leader RF posted sometime ago about the Galloway after-market triggers and other parts for the SR9/40 series, Galloway is in the process of developing after-market parts for the SR22.

    http://gallowayprecision.com/sr22.html

    The reviews of the Galloway triggers, springs, hammers, recoil springs, guide rods, and other parts has been generally excellent, with excellent customer service and support.

    Once these parts become readily available in the new future, that may justify raising the “Customize This” rating higher than two stars.

  4. Seems to me that Ruger has lots of issues with its triggers on many of its DA guns–gritty, long, and too stiff from what I’ve read. And from this review, I’d say that my Mosquito was a better deal all around, even though it requires premium ammo (mini mags, stingers, etc.) as it has a full size grip, a DA/SA trigger that is smooth and very vast in SA mode. Disassembly is siilar, and it too is a fixed barrel blowback design. I think it can be had with a threaded barrel (but I’m in California where such things are strictly verboten) as well as with a barrel extension for target shooting (just like the Walther). I don’t know what they are selling for now–I bought mine about three years ago for just over $300. The only downside to the Mosquito is that it has a long break-in period with lots of FTEs, and too dang many safeties. (Manual safety, mag disconnect, and a decocker that is separate from the manual safety)

    • requires premium ammo

      My SIG Mosquito runs perfectly with Federal 325 loose packaged Auto Match ammo. Unexpectedly it also likes Remington Thunderbolt ammo which is inexpensive. The standard CCI Blazer ammo does OK albeit not flawlessly. Maybe after some more break in that will be 100% too.

  5. Nice review Ralph. I’m interested to see what they say about the trigger, because I really like the idea of adding one of these to the safe. If Ruger ever catches up with their back orders that is.

  6. I’ve never played with a Nambu, but none of the Ruger pistols bear any mechanical resemblance to a Luger, other than having a magazine release at the bottom of the grip instead of the rear of the trigger guard.

    • The Luger part is not the mechanicals, it’s the handle’s angle and basic shape. Dick Ruger liked the Nambu’s action and the look of the Luger and combined them into the Ruger Standard.

      • @Ralph “Dick Ruger liked the Nambuโ€™s action and the look of the Luger and combined them into the Ruger Standard.”

        Who is Dick Ruger?

  7. >with a bit of Luger added into the stew just to make the guns look as absurd as >possible.

    Absurd? Maybe… but when I pull out my Mark II with its Volquartsen performance parts (I bought it preowned at an irresistible price), I get complimented like you wouldn’t believe.

      • I would like to see that as well. I’ve heard it’s pretty high quality compared to the others from a place that rents guns. They said the Mp has yet to break while they are always having problems with the others.

        • It’s a nice piece. The safety is meh, but then again it’s a safety. My only complaint is that it only comes one with one (1) magazine. Sheesh! Like you don’t go through 22 rounds like crap through a goose!

  8. I really want to like this pistol. But I just can’t get why every damn company that comes out with a .22 makes it look like the damn walther!

    I almost want to buy the sig just cause it’s the only one that looks like it’s name brand. Even though it’s less reliable than the walther.

  9. That is sad about the trigger. I was dead set on buying the SR22 p and then had a change of strategy and decided on the M&P22 pistol due to the “safe action” type trigger and full size. I’ve only put 2-12 round mags through it so far at 8 yards. Love it including the trigger. No malfunctions and dead plinking accurate. Maybe RF would consider a review from me after some more rounds.

    Happy shooting, dv

    • I’ve had a SR22 for 8 months and my trigger is just fine, thank you. right out of the box it feed and fired everything with 10 ring accuracy at 10m

  10. Don’t get the knocks on the Walther. It has one of the sweetest triggers around and excellent sights. I got one with the long barrel but bought the shorter one and have been using that. Only used the hot CCI ammo so far, not cheap, but a heck of a lot cheaper than 9mm. Sold the Mark II, it jammed pretty frequently and had the occasional stove pipe, plus it was heavy as pig iron. It was my first auto, but it became a safe weight.

  11. I haven’t shot this one yet, but we can’t keep them on the shelf at my place of employment, that shall remain nameless (but it rhymes with shmander Shmountain).
    I would also like to try the new Smith and Wesson M&P .22LR. The Pistol, not the AR. anybody put any rounds down range yet with that?

  12. sig mosquito isn’t sucking the life blood of anything except itself. nobody buys them. the market is pretty much dominated by 3 pistols – ruger mk3, browning buckmark, beretta neos.

    • The S&W 22A pistol seems under appreciated. It is a target style setup as opposed to tactical style. It is inexpensive. Mine has been trouble free.

  13. I bought the SR22 Pistol about a month ago. I did not find the DA trigger to be the beast described in this review. Great review, BTW! But, I found the trigger to be just fine. In DA, it felt like a typical DA trigger. In SA, it is pretty sweet, IMO.

    I’ve been through about 400 rounds of Federal Champion (bulk box from Walmart) and not a single malfunction. And, I have not cleaned it AT ALL during those 400 rounds.

    Why did I get it? I wanted a .22 pistol that was RELIABLE, fun, easy to field strip, and a good handgun to introduce newbies to shooting.

    For $330, and the initial reviews (especially about it eating ANY ammo reliably), it was a no-brainer for me.

    • I just bought a Ruger sr22 today I LOVE IT! Fired winchester m-22 no problems whatso ever! I purchased a used mosquito last week and already returned it! Way to RUGER!

  14. It is hard to imagine why Ruger would configure the safety “backwards”. This is, or would have been, a natural for practicing with cheaper ammo than ones carry piece. However, who is going to want to practice, flipping the gun to “safe” to fire? Ruger needs to rethink this ASAP.

    • I do agree with you on the backward safety. I personally hate manual safeties, having cut my “handgun teeth” on Glocks. I’m used to my brain and finger being my safeties. Mechanical external safeties are just in the way for me.

      But, if it’s going to have a manual safety, it should be consistent with the “norm.”

      That said, I still love the SR22 Pistol.

  15. Ralph……your’re a pussy…..not man enough to pull an 8 pound trigger…..get a squirt gun…..Ruger has to offer one thing…..reliability . Your opinion means nothing to those of us that are looking for value in a firearm manufactured in the USA . Please let us know of another .22 cal. pistol that will reliably cycle a 60 gr. sub-sonic Aguila round !

    • I’m with you Fred, if you can’t handle an 8# trigger it’s your own fault. I also had to laugh at your Inability to pull the grips off. I’d be embarrassed to admit something as simple as that. Even if they were as difficult to get off as the author says how often are you going to be switching them? It’s like he wanted to find something to complain about even at the expense of his dignity.

      • Harry, don’t troll anymore. Fact is a number of sober makers make 22 version of larger firearms that are more consistent and better thought out. I think you just are not very informed on the subject.
        the trigger on the SR 22 is pretty bad. As far as the grip, it is absurdly difficult remove, and ruger has redesigned dedents on it due the fact that the original design was a known and documented problem.

        On the safety, the fact that the SR22 has the exact opposite safety movement direction as the rest of he SR line is no small problem but a major one.

        • JJ,

          I agree wholeheartedly with the preferability of safeties that conform to the “standard” configuration.

          OTOH, it is important that it is the shooter that gains due to commonality. In the case of newer shooters things may need to be considered that do not always apply to the big strong gun nut needs… my third handgun purchase was a GLOCK 23C and I have still not found anythiung that I want to replace it with.

          For my wife a beginning pistol shooter (has shot rifles in .22LR for decades), there are some much more CRITICAL concerns:

          How easily can the slide be racked? Small/slender arthritic hands…

          How easily can we find a “sister” handgun in a larger caliber for CCW? We both feel strongly about having a practice/low-cost variation of the closest possible match to the CCW tool.

          In the case of the SR22 a workable compromise to this goal turns out to be the Walther PK380 for the carrty gun, as neither my wife or I are confident that she will be carrying a 9mm any time SOON. The PK380 seems to meet our criteria and nothing else comes closer to the SR22 which she has shot and LOVES. Each is very reliable and very easy to rack.

          I was not at all impressed with the Walther in .22 especially in regards to reliability (vs Ruger). However, until the Ghost of Bill Ruger makes some late night trips to current Ruger staff playing the “Ghost of SR380s to Come,” we will go with this pairing.

          Safety OPERATION is virtually identical even if the safety LOCATION is ever so slightly different and the mag releases are close enough that she’ll be able to adapt quickly.

          By the time she is ready to move above .380ACP, I seriously doubt that my inputs will have much weight versus her own preferences. I am confident that should she be as happy then as she is now with the SR22 and the “wishlist” Walther PK380 she’ll have no trouble finding either a Ruger OR a Walther to suit her.

          Regards
          BF_Glock

          Shooter since the ’50s
          FirearmsTrainer since the ’60s

  16. I would say that the 10’s or 100’s of thousands Standard, Mk 1,2,3 owners disagree with you about their absurd/Buck Roger’s reject looks. I for one certainly do.

  17. Just bought one of these and a Kahr CM9 at a gun show last weekend. Got really good deals on both (Ruger was under $300). The Kahr will be great for CCW, but am actually more excited about the little Ruger. You must have gotten a really bad example, as mine has a smooth DA trigger with a bit of stacking, but no “grit”, and a 7-ish pound SA pull with a pretty clean break – much better than I expected for the money. It fits the hand great, and just makes me smile when I handle it. Really looking forward to getting it out for plinking with the kids….;)

  18. My comment is the same as the other postings. You must have received a defective pistol. Althought the double action pull is a little strong I don’t find it objectionable. The single action pull is very light and smooth to me. My wife and I have put over 2000 rounds through this little pistol in the last few weeks and it is one of our favorite guns. I am no expert, but I am far from a newby.

    • I bought sr22 for my wife last year shot stingers win. Rem. Pmc fed not one hickup da pull is stiff but not gritty sa pull was not bad could be better but then again this is not a 1911 for the money it a good gun i was going too buy the walters p22 but i pick the ruger because i know they are reliable and will stand the test of time

  19. Thanks for your review. As a newbie with 1000 rounds through this lightweight 22, I am very impressed with the ease of use and fully understand the safety switch issue, but without experience, it is normal to me. I must admit I have been having trouble with jamming and failure to eject despite cleaning the gun twice. I bought for the price (under 300), the name (Ruger), and the versatility of being able to stick it in my pocket while hiking or take it on the range for an hour of target shooting. I side bonus was ticking my brother off since I did not follow his advice on choosing a Mark III. He thinks this novelty gun is good as a boat anchor and nothing else. I like it so far and have not tired of it yet, and have recommended it to friends.

  20. I’ve shot about 600 rounds in my new SR22 and had a little trouble with not loading, stove pipes, and not ejecting the last shell. I was using Federal American Eagle ammunition. The last time I shot used about 40 Eagle and it started to have problems, changed to Remington Yellow Jacket and fired 50 shots without a single problem. Followed that with 100 rounds of CCI Mini-Mags (the non-hollow point) again, without a problem. I think my problem was the American Eagle. I really enjoy shooting this pistol.

  21. I’m not sure what is going on with your SR22, but the wife and I both love ours. In fact the first time we were out with them, we both expended over 5oo rounds of five different brands of ammo and had no problems. My wife fell in love with the feel and grip of this little gun and told me I had to try it, I felt the same way , it melted into my hand, so we both bought one. Other people can have their Sig Mosquitoes, I wouldn’t own one since it is so selective about ammo. I have been shooting for over 40 years and yes I own a Mark 1 and it is a great shooter but this is one of those guns that will have to be pried from (here it comes) my cold dead fingers.

    • Received my SR22 Friday and shot 450 rounds right out of the box using Walmart purchased Federal 36 gr HP 555 pack, Winchester 36 grains HP 333 pack, and, Remington 40 gr HP all with no problems with the SR22. I had one FTL that was due to a weak Federal round that ejected fine but didn’t pickup the next bullet in the magazine. The gun shot low out of the box. It was easy to adjust the windage screw on the spot. It was a blast to shoot (no pun intended). Real easy to clean when I got home.

      Put another 750 rounds through it today with the leftover Federals and Winchesters from yesterday plus 100 rounds of CCI MiniMags. Had 3 FTL, again all with weak Federal rounds. Needed to adjust windage sight again and believe I have it right now.

      I’m an old dude that is new to shooting. I started about 1-1/2 ago with a 357 magnum S&W six shooter and shot mostly 38 spl. I added a Glock 19 about 6 months ago and a Ruger LCR about a month ago. At the recommendation of the local range pro I decide to get a 22LR for economic reasons. He suggested that it would be a cost efficient way to improve my shooting skills. I believe it. Another 900 rounds or so and I would have saved enough using 22LR ammo over 2,ooo rounds 38 spl or 9mm ammo to have paid for the SR22. More importantly I definetly notice improvement in my markmanship.

      FTR, the gun I most enjoy shooting is the S&W K19. That’s not to say that I do not like the Glock 19 a lot, I do. It will be my home defense weapon and its also fun to shoot at the range. I bought the Ruger LCR as a CCW. It certainly fills the bill. I just need to become more proficient with it.

  22. my wife shoots one of these and loves it. I am a .45 1911 guy myself but when i go through my 20 or so bucks of ammo and we still got some 22 left I do love this guy its just really easy to use the DA trigger took some getting used to but for an out of the box gun it has great sights and the different combos included for the grip makes it so almost anyone can feel comfy with it.

  23. I bought this great little pistol for several reasons. Since I have a Savage Arms Mark II rifle 22 lr that shoots just about any ammo…I wanted a complimentary pistol that could also shoot just about any 22 lr ammon I can feed it. The Ruger SR22 certainly fills that niche. I have a pistol that can hit a fleas ass and a rifle that can hit his eye. And they both use the same inexpensive ammo.

  24. After only a month with this sweetie, I had to comment on this little pistol. I really appreciate Ruger designing this to shoot just about anything and everything you want to put through it. I put close to 1,000 rounds through this at the range and laser sites are dead on. I only had a couple of malfunctions. Misfire and the slide not going back far enought to pickup the next round in the clip. I would say it was the ammo and not the gun. There are many pro’s for this pistol, but my main complaint is the extremly heavy trigger pull when using the the double action without the hammer cocked. When the trigger startes to engage the hammer, it almost feels like there is grit or rough machine work. A better and smoother trigger pull would go a long way with this. Ruger is working on putting a treaded barrel for a surpressor in the next round of improvements. As far as safety goes, Ruger also missed an oppertunity to have a grip and trigger safety to prevent the hammer dropping by accident. As far as looks goes, I hope the next model they come out with will have a two tone option. As the weapon stands today, I would say the trigger pull is the major dissatisifaction I have with this gun. If anyone knows a gunsmith that can get the trigger pull down between 2-3 lbs, please let me know. Again, at the end of the trigger pull, I would say it is coming in between 7-8 lbs of trigger pull. In order to really enjoy the gun, always do a manual cock when you start to shoot. After the first round you fire through this weapon, the distance between to re-engage thetrigger seems distant compared to other pistols I have fired. Maybe another improvement on the next model is warranted. Don’t get me wrong, I like this pistol so much, I bought another one for my wife. After reading the book “One second after” she wanted to be tought to shoot. BTW: having different colored grips for the ladies would be a nice touch.

    I have a 40 cal from Springfield with an additional Sig 357 barrel, and the action and trigger pull is so much smoother tha the SR22. Sorry about that…The SR22 is so less expensive than the 40 and 357 rounds. $18.00 for 750 rounds of 22 LR compared to $35.00 for 50 rounds.

  25. I’ve cleaned and assembled mine numerous times but it fails to fire, fails to feed, and fails to eject. Tried several different brands of ammo and nothing seems to help. Using it for a paper weight at the moment trying to figure out what to try next. Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated.

  26. Just picked up my SR22 Saturday, August 4. I’ve already ran 300 rounds through it. It is just shoots too sweetly! Not a single double feed, msifire or jam. I shot a box of ammo that was purchased 15 years ago. I did have one round to not discharge but was indented well enough. Bad round I guess.
    Great shooting. 50-75 feet 10 out of 10 on target- 8″ circles. I have read the reviews and am partial to Ruger firearms, but so far the SR22 has outperformed expectations and reviews.
    Highly recommend!

  27. Good review. After shooting almost 14,000 rounds through mine, overall, I LOVE this gun. I agree with the author, that the DA trigger pull sucks, but SA (on mine) is very good. Out of the box, the sights were dead on, at least out to about 15 yards, which is the furthest I’d probably shoot it. The grip on mine wasn’t as difficult to remove as many have said, and I like the larger one. As for ammo, the cheaper the ammo, the more likely I am to have a round not fire, not eject, or not knock the slide back far enough to pickup the next round in the mag. But, mostly, it shoots anything. I’ve recommended it to many people. You can see me shooting mine here: http://www.youtube.com/AllAmericanShooter

  28. After reading dozens of reviews and watching almost every You Tube segement there was on this gun, I ordered one today. At my sports club, we have used Mosquitoes and Walthers with our CPL classes and have had ammo trouble with both. I hope I made the right choice.

  29. First, I really enjoyed the article. You covered a lot of information, and I learned a lot about the gun before actually firing it. I even smiled when I read about the grip (hours after painfully trying – and failing – to remove the factory one). I bought it before I read this, but I regret nothing. The DA pull is kinda hard, but the SA feels really smooth. I put almost 200 rounds through it today and only had 2 failure to feeds. Even with almost no pistol experience I was getting nice tight groups out to about 7 yards. I hope to push that distance a little farther in the future!

  30. So I picked one of these up for my wife. She’s a new shooter and wanted something easy to learn on. The SR22 fit her hand well, and she felt like she could manipulate the controls without shifting her hand position, and it provides a conventional layout so when she steps up its not to foreign. The first range outing was good. A few FTF and FTE. I was impressed with the guns ability. The second outing sucked. On the first outing we were using some Remington target rounds (525 rounds for $21). The second outing was all in the ammunition. We were shooting some Federal which had a lot of squibs, and the other rounds couldn’t cycle the weapon properly. I’ve actually returned the box to federal so they can test it. Today was range trip number 3. I switched back to Remington. I also picked up some Winchester X and CCI Stingers. Everything fed great. In my opinion it felt better with the CCI.

    Now the real bummer. After about 500 rounds today the trigger broke. It wouldn’t reset and is just floppy. So I’ll be calling Ruger tomorrow since the weapon is only 3 weeks old. I will post an update when I have more info on the issue.

  31. I’m a newbie and my husband bought me this for my birthday yesterday. We went to the range and shot a few hundred rounds with no issues at all. It fit my hand well and could manipulate the controls with ease. So far I love it!

  32. Picked up this great little shooter last weekend and couldn’t be happier! It has eaten up everything I’ve put in it and begs for more! I’ve put about 1000 rounds through it so far and loved every minute of it. Just make sure you clean it after every trip to the range as it bunks up quick!

  33. I have the SR22 and LOVE it. The first shot can be single or double action. After that, it is single action and has a very short and light trigger pull. It eats everything I feed it and other than a few eject issues, has been flawless.

  34. This is a great little firearm…..I Carry a glock 19 as my daily….sold my ruger lcp380 due to the size of my hands…the ruger was just too dang small. Wanted something to get together with my buds and shoot all day cheap! Mine has worked flawlessly all rounds through it have been hollow points so far! Recoil is almost nonexsistent. The absolute best part of this gun is the size and controls. It feels like having a single stack 9mm in your hand and let’s you practice mag changes and drawing. Also if I have a day that my back is acting up and my glock gets heavy…. I through some hollow points in this and tell myself “it’s better than nothing”. I feel just as confident with this on my side as I do with the ruger Lcp 380. And did I mention the sights on this gun are great! Also 2 magazines out of the box is a major bonus! No complaints…..it’s hard to find a comparable firearm for $299.

  35. Tried this gun at a local gun range (they offer it as a rental) and my wife loved it. She is very petite, and her fingers are not anywhere near as strong as mine, so this was one of the few pistols we tried that she had no trouble handling. The DA pull is long, but smooth. After the first shot, the SA shots are all crisp and clean. Her very first time shooting it, she put all ten rounds on target at 15 yards, in a patch slightly larger than the palm of my hand. She turned around and said ‘This is my gun, let’s buy it.’ She had no trouble with the safety (“red means I can fire, got it”) or the magazine release.

    She loves the way it looks, the way it shoots, and the accuracy. So far we’ve only fired CCI min-mags thru it, but have had only one FTE (she weak handed it, so it stovepiped). This will be her carry gun shortly, as soon as we get the new Crimson Trace laser for it. I believe that in time she will want something a little smaller (like an LCP in .380), but for now she is enthusiastic about practicing with it, and is trying different combinations of clothing to see how best to conceal it.

    The link to Galloway Precision you posted was a great find, thanks very much for that, they have some parts I want for my LCP (which may make the LCP more appealing to my wife eventually).

    Overall this is a good looking, accurate little gun that has performed exactly as desired. If I could replace the target sights with something a little less likely to snag on clothing, she’d be even happier.

  36. JUST GO MY SR22. ORDERED BARSKA LIGHT AND LASER COMBO.
    SR22 RAIL TO SHORT….WISH I COULD ADAPT!!!!
    RUGER NOW HAS LASER UNIT AND A NEW LIGHT UNIT BUT NOT A COMBO.

  37. Just bought a SR22 for my 7 year old son last week. So far only put 500 rounds of fed bulk through it with only a couple FTF’s. And those where from light loads. My son can pull the trigger without pushing or pulling the gun off target. So I’d say the SA trigger pull is not that bad. Gonna run 500 rounds of Dynapoints through it this weekend, we’ll see how that works. So far it has shown to be a great lil gun, I have no quams with it.

    Now the P22, yeah, well, enough said.

  38. I tried the SR22 at The Range. Beautiful. Yes, the first round in the clip is long with some stacking, but that is easily overcome by simply cocking the hammer. I found the following nine rounds to be light and crisp. However, I had just fired the LC9 which is DA for every shot and a mile and a half trigger pull.
    What amazed me most about this little .22 was the accuracy. It will stay in tight groups, firing cheapo Blazer bulk .22s at less than $0.04 per round. It is almost as accurate as my S&W 22A.

    My dealer didn’t have the SR22 without the Crimson Laser so I ended up buying an SR9c. However, this little rimfire is on my list.

  39. I just bought sr22 5/22/13 at good price 330.00 another shop wanted 380.00 took home cleaned take down easy . from first sr22 knew ill get one took out today range shot it cheapammo /mini mags it ate up I like it myself 2 mags 2 grips and pinky extions was expecting it be all oiled up like my lc9 when I first took home to clean but wasn’t .I like the sr22 very short trigger pull ,safty ,mag drop both sides

  40. I own a SR 22 nice little pistol. Trained nine year old grand son shot a nice group at 5 yards. I have put about 500 rounds down range no problems. Ruger SR 22 is not ammo fussy. I was able to make a nice whole at 18 yards this gun is pretty damn accurate. Meaning putting bullets overlapping @ 18 yards.

  41. This pistol looks like it has a lot of problems. I bought the Sig Mosquito and now have about 400 rds through it with only one failure on the 2nd shot. A failure to load was the problem and it was a Winchester round. Since then I have shot nothing but Remingtons and it has performed flawlessly. The secret is keep a light coat of oil on the slides.

  42. Maybe it’s not perfect , but my grandson LOVES it . Completely reliable so far . It’s a keeper .

  43. Very disappointed with this gun. It jammed after the second shot and continued to do so even with a change of ammo. The trigger was made out of plastic and the trigger pull was terrible. I returned it to the dealer and they are sending it back to Ruger. It is going to take around 2 months to get it back. I will not keep this gun even if they fix it. Any recommendations of a better 22 caliber semi-auto would be appreciated.

  44. I guess I finally got lucky and picked a winner.! No trigger problems here, and 900. Rounds down. With one failure to eject, I think I may have rode the slide, not sure. Regardless, this littile weapon is a winner on my belt, not to take anything from the standards, and mk11,&mk111s, they are great guns, but!!!!. Put your 1965 standard. In a holster for a day on the farm. And you’ll soon realize the benefits of the short frame/barrel. There’s nothing quite like sitting down on a concrete slab to work on something, only to hear the barrel of that fine weapon being ground into the concrete. It’s high time somone built a reliable weapon, that actually performs as advertised. My gun has the threaded bbl. and alumn. Trigger, That can be carried on a belt with confidence, As for the sig parasite I purchased. Couldn’t sell it for half of what I payed. Pawn shops laughed at me, and tried to sell be a bridge!. I traded it for 22 ammo. n I feel bad about it, but i never did like my brother inlaw, and I can feel safe knowing he probably can’t shoot me with that dud. His only hope is a well thrown rock. Thanks ruger. It’s a keeper. One problem, the mag disconnect worked out of its set. Problem solved. Cudos to Ruger customer service, 10 day turn around, if it happens again, removal is all of 10 min with a replacement spring, to fill in the gap from the removed spring. Would like to see a high cap mag. Or a 22mag. On the same frame design. Wishful thinking I guess

  45. Purchased a sr 22, took it to the range the next day, and had a major problem, the trigger would not work, just dangled there and moved freely, took it back and was told there is a problem with the magazine to safety problem, switched to another sr 22, this time fired 5 five rounds and jammed, the round would not go into the barrel, the slide hit so hard it bent the cartridge, Switched ammo and it fired perfectly, no jams or anything, put about 100 rounds through it, first used CCI then switched to American Eagle, so looks like the sr 22 doesn’t like CCI

  46. Sorry, couldn’t help but think, what a wimp?
    Tell me what you like but wine with no cheese is just not appropriate.
    Watch this review… no whining…

  47. called Ruger about the sr 22 told them about the failure to load problem, wad told to do a through cleaning, which I did, tried it again, same problem. took a better look to see if I could spot something. Found out that that when the bolt picks up a round, it enters the barrel upwards hitting the top of the barrel, so I’m thinking I’ts a mag problem. Will call Ruger again.

  48. Just bought an sr22 for my grandson. He loves it but we have a problem with lead collecting in the barrel. After 100 rounds accuracy was way off. Cleaned gun and had to force cleaning rod into barrel, with shards of lead coming out. Had a total of about 1/16 of a bullet in the barrel….any thoughts??? Will be sending it to ruger.

    • I’ve experienced this problem on a Kimber 1911 conversion kit and changed my shooting habits. Here’s a couple pointers.

      1. Clean your pistol with high quality lube. I used Otis and loved it for years. Now I use froglube and have found it to be just as reliable. Your pistol will become seasoned overtime and function better. And just like a cast iron pan, I would never remove my seasoning with a degreaser.
      2 when shooting low cost lead rimfire rounds, augment your shooting with a magazine of copper plated rimfire rounds. This will push out most of the lead.
      3. Always end your shooting practice sessions with a mag of copper plated rimfire instead of lead.
      4. Do not degrease your rimfire. I don’t degrease any of my firearms anymore but especially do not degrease pistols. If you have stubborn lead in the barrel and have to use a solvent, always be sure to clean and oil with a high quality lube when finished.
      5. Clean your pistol right after you are done shooting. Don’t wait a week before pulling out the cleaning kit. Even running a bore snake through the barrel with a little high quality lube should be enough to prevent the problem.
      6. Consider using high quality ammo in all your shooting time. If any rimfire round builds up in your pistol, don’t buy it again. Buy something else. My goto target round, which I can’t find anymore is the 500 round brick of federal 36 grn. plated bullets. I’ve shot literally 6000 of this round alone out of my SR22 without any trouble. Now I shoot whatever is available.
      3. Favorite most accurate round for the SR22 pistol is CCI mini-mags 40 grn.

      Sr22 – bought 2012
      Total round count – 13,000+
      Condition:
      Barrel – excellent
      Frame – excellent
      Springs -original, no failures
      Slide – left side shows wear from slide release (actually concerning, but pistol still functions flawlessly)

  49. I purchased the SR22 for cheaper target practice. Being a southpaw it works good for me. Very friendly left handed pistol. I got a little chuckle when you mentioned yours was printing to the left. I had just the opposite with printing to the right. A little rear sight adjustment took care of that. At 10 yards I can keep my groupings in a 2″ target. Deliberate and rapid. At 15 yards I could stay on a 4″ target but with no consistent grouping. This is not as accurate as a Mark but it is a nice close in SD pistol. Compact and very easy to stay on target with rapid fire.

  50. I bought a SR22 and love it. My trigger is just fine, thank you. With no break in required it fired anything and everything without a single failure of any kind. It gives 10-ring accuracy at 10m with all ammo

  51. I’ve just re-read your review for the third time since buying an SR22 11 months ago. Yes, the DA trigger is awful but not as bad as you say; long, tough, but linear. The SA trigger is….meh.

    Overall it is a fun as hell range toy. Properly taken care of and use of FrogLube, it will eat any ammo you feed it. Originally bought for the wife as an intro to semi-auto handguns, I would have no problem with her using it as her CCW (although I’ve since bought her a Sig P238 for that purpose).

    The shortcomings listed in the article are not huge issues for me. What IS a huge issue for me is the damn mags. They suck. Too little force will not allow seating. A wee bit too much force launches the top round nose up. One has to find that “happy spot” when seating a new magazine. Nearly all of our failures have been due to rounds flipping up in the mag during reloading, especially those rounds that are excessively lubed, like S-K.

    Not sure, but taking out that mag disconnect might be what will eliminate this only defect.
    Otherwise, a damn fine little plinker!

  52. My sr22 really has a hard time with American Eagle ammo, but anything else I tried worked great.
    I’m thinking of getting another because it’s so accurate and fun to shoot. Sportsmanswarehouse currently has it in stock for $300 including three magazines.

  53. Regardless of all the nitpicking details and over analyzing everything possible, I own this gun and it has been nothing but reliable like all Ruger guns I have owned. It is great for IWC and just the right size and weight and wtih a few hollow point bullets i bet it has more than enough in it to save my life if i ever were in that situation, which here is hoping I am not! I upgraded the guide rod and the slide seems smoother and I am sure better for wear and tear. I am no gun expert but i know this gun has done nothing but satisfied me.

  54. this review is alittle old but i bought an sr22 with threaded barrel for 350 a couple months ago and if the original had problems the newer one do not. with some new supressors the sights are still easy to use and never had a problem with the trigger but i do own quite a few da/sa and the dao sig p250 so maybe just my experience

  55. Aw, this was an exceptionally nice post. Taking the time and
    actual effort to make a good articleโ€ฆ but what can I sayโ€ฆ I put things off a lot and never manage to get anything done.

  56. stupid question, will this gun shoot .22L (.22 longs) safely??? i have several 1000 long (.22L) rounds that i purchased as longrifles (.22LR) were hard to get and very expensive.

    • Don’t know where you are buying ammo but I pay 4.5 cents for each. Just make sure you buy high velocity and keep gun cleaned and lubed or you will have jams.

    • I seriously doubt the SR22 would load 22L rounds. I don’t know any 22LR auto-loader pistols or rifles that will accept 22L rounds. Often revolvers, bolt- and lever-action rifles will accept 22S, 22L, and 22LR.

      You might be able to trade someone for LR rounds or find a gun that will handle them.

      If you have a Henry repeater, it loves 22L cartridges!

  57. I agree with your assessment. I just took my new Ruger SR-22 to the range and it only took a few shots before trigger dissatisfaction set in. I love everything else about the gun but that trigger has got to go. I notice that Volquartzen and Timney don’t offer new trigger sets for this gun (yet). Hopefully there will be some good after market replacements in the near future. It would be a fantastic little pistol with a different trigger assembly.

  58. I’ve fired about 4000 rounds through my SR-22 that I’ve had for 2+ years. It has been extremely reliable using all ammo, except subsonic ammo. Any ammo below 1100 feet per second (FPS) will not cycle the slide most of the time. Buy cheap ammo, but keep an eye on the FPS. The gun is easy to disassemble and clean. I do dislike the fact that the safety on the SR-22 is backward from what it ought to be – very confusing. The gun feels good in my hand. I think the single action trigger is good, but then I am not a gun aficionado. If you buy a new SR-22, expect to have a few failures to fire and failures to feed until it is broken in with a few hundred rounds. I carry the SR-22 in a Remora inside the waistband holster. The gun and holster stay right where I put them as long as I am out and about. I probably carry the SR-22 more than my 9mm due to its light weight. I think a .22 is appropriate to carry given my skill level (not a newbie, but not a professional either). Because recoil is very low and the SR-22 is fairly accurate, I should be able to put multiple rounds on target if need be. That would be questionable with the 9mm. One thing I do know, if I have to use the .22 for self-defense, the other person may not get blown into the next county, but he/she will be going to the hospital sooner or later and arrested there. Buy a Ruger SR-22. You won’t regret it if you can get ammo for it.

  59. Well I purchased this gun for my 12 year old son to use at the range and I have to say I had a different experience.
    He is a lefty and the ambidextrous switches are real nice.
    I fired 500 rounds on the first trip out today and had not 1 FTF or ejection issue.. at 15 yards he was holding 4-5 ” groups after we dialed it in..using fiocchi and cci stingers.. the grips and ergonomics are very comfortable
    its light and feels good in your hand.. also the easiest gun I have ever cleaned
    its a smooth looking gun and all be it its not the legendary Mark II or III its a reliable well made pistol
    I was actually pleasantly surprised these days getting 2 magazines 2 replacement caps a spare grip was icing on the cake. granted the trigger does have its draw backs but im not shooting IPSC with it. in the price range I would recommend it all day long.

  60. Good review. But I question the complaints about the double action trigger pull being hard and gritty. It is all of that, but who cares? You mention repeated double action pulls hurting your finger. Why in the world are you firing the gun repeatedly in double action? The ONLY way fire the gun in double action is to manually decock it after loading a round. Why are you doing that? The gun is intended to be fired primarily in single action. Ordinarily, the double action function would be used in only two situations.

    One is if you are carrying the gun for defensive purposes, with a round in the chamber, with the hammer down. In this case you have to do a double action pull to get things started. Believe me, if you need it in an emergency, you’ll never notice the trigger pull.

    The only other reason to do a double action pull is to restrike a misfire. Which should be a RARE event. If not, you need to get the gun checked to find out why you’re getting repeated light strikes. Either that, or switch to more reliable ammo.

    Complaining about the double action pull on a gun like this is a waste of time. Especially on a 22. They just aren’t going to put a lot of effort into refining and tuning a function that is secondary at best.

    Oh, and the behavior of the double action pull is due to the location of the hammer spring. It’s INSIDE the hammer. The hammer is hollow and the spring is up inside it. When the hammer rotates to the rear, a fixed plunger in the frame pushes up into the hammer compressing the spring. Because of this design, the springs (there are actually two, one inside the other) have a very short compression stroke and are therefore VERY stiff. Thus the stiff, grinding pull, and the heavy stacking.

  61. The one real advantage to this gun over the Sig and Walther is the fact that the Ruger has an aluminum slide. The others have a “pot metal” slide. There are a couple of things wrong with this: 1. Very heavy slide. Will have issues with feeding unless using the high velocity ammo. The cheap stuff doesn’t have the power to allow the slide to go back fully. Also, my wife had problems getting the slide back, unlike the Ruger slide. 2. There have been reports of the pot metal slides cracking and even exploding when they get hot. That would be a very bad thing in my eyes.

    Overall, for the price, past reliability (I have a old P89DC and love it) and the ability to shoot about any type of ammo through it, I will go for this one.

  62. Don’t know what your trigger problem is!!! 1000 rounds trigger and loading free!!!
    My wife’s back-up home defense gun with CCI 40-GRAIN SOLIDS!!! GREAT GUN!!!

  63. If you want a real treat to shoot get yourself an old made in Hamden, Connecticut Hi-Standard Sport King (not the new crap being put out from Texas). It’s the only .22 pistol I’ve ever wanted to hang onto after going through just about every .22 out there.

  64. I’ve shot beau coup rounds through this thing using different types of 22lr with no problems at all. I also have the Mark III Target, Mark III Standard and Buckmark. I had the Misquito, the S&W A model and the Beretta Nano. I got rid of the Beretta, S&W and Misquito and kept the Rugers and Buckmark. I think the SR22 is a fine little 22. I’ve had no problems with the D/A or S/A trigger. I changed the grip out and added the mag extensions with no problems. My grandson is a lefty and I am going to pick one up for him.

  65. I FIRST STARTED OFF BUYINGA SIG MOSQUITO,POOR PERFORENCE , LOT OF THE 22 AMMO IS JUST CHEAP JUNK WINCHESTER,REMINGTON, I WILL NOTBUY. TRADED THE MOSQUITO IN ON A RUGER SR22 , ITS LKE DAY AND NIGHT, ITS SO MUCH FUN TO SHOOT. ITS A KEEPER….R.Z.

  66. Who wrote this article? You stated that multiple uses actually hurt your trigger finger? My wife puts 350 rounds in one day through the SR22 and she loves it, and so do I. Maybe less nonsensical remarks, and more professional data on the item that you are reviewing and you could have potential to be a good writer.

    • Took my daughter to the range for her FIRST lesson in firearms. At the time I only had 2 mags. She put just under 500 rounds down range her first time out. The only thing that got sore were my finger tips reloading the mags trying to keep up with her. (have since remedied that by cutting out my own load assist from some polypropylene I had laying around and buying another 4 mags)

      Four years since the original review so maybe some mods have been done to this little gem. The take up is a little much, but that is my only complaint, it is smooth as silk, no grit, no grim, no runs, no errors and nobody left on base, by about round 25-30, my daughter was knocking the center of the target out with impressive consistency at 25′, at a pretty fast fire rate, all at her very first trip to the range.

      I have since taken 2 of my grandsons (7 & 10 years old) to the range as well. I had them shooting at a little closer range but they both had similar results.

      I probably have near 4000 rounds though it now and have had 1, yes 1 FTF, from the very first mag, second round. This little thing is Keeper!

      Guess what Santa is bringing my daughter for Christmas?

  67. I love my SR22! I put 500 rds down the barrel before i cleaned it and not one single problem! Mine eats every brand ammo ive thrown at it. Simple to dissasemble, clean and reassemble! Proble one of the funest plinking guns ive ever owned!

  68. Put 3 clips through it.30 rds. Accuracy was so bad the target looked like an improved cyl shotgun pattern. Bad news– ๐Ÿ™

  69. Too bad the safety is backwards unlike most every other semi-auto out there. That’s a recipe for disaster. It’s a deal breaker for me..

  70. The author seems to have been raised using a touch screen on an iphone.
    Real men of WWI and WWII would have never complained so much…..

  71. I am fine with sr22. I am just curious about “dry fire” issue as stated in the manual. Of course we need to insert an empty magazine in order to dry fire. But that’s because it’s a safety feature to prevent accident shooting in case the pistol was loaded without knowing. However, it does not explain why dry-firing will not harm the gun. I try to look up discussion about this but never get a good, convincing answer. For instance, the chosen material is very strong, the striking force is not too hard, it has a precision design that prevents the pin from touching the barrel surface like in Ruger 10/22, etc. In fact, I saw some hitting surface on barrel with a dented mark due to dry firing! Can anyone help clarify this to me?

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