Beretta U22 Neos

All of the major pistol manufacturers of today anchor the lighter end of their product lines with a couple of handy .22 autoloaders, called “plinkers” to most gun enthusiasts. With Ruger it is many variations of its Standard Auto. Smith & Wesson has its Sport Series 22S and 22A, Browning offers people a number of models with its BuckMark line. But when it comes to the Beretta name, the maker of the all-mighty M9 GI service weapon – it went without so much as talk of a plinker for several years.

Then Beretta decided that they wanted to introduce the “Neos”, which effectively plugged any hole which would denote a “plinker”. This pistol obtained its name from the word “new” in Greek. But do not be fooled, the Neos is a hot item and it is partly due to the ultra-modern styling. For one, it is a full sized semi-auto weighing in at almost 35.8 ounces (if you own its 6” barrel version). If you decide to go this path, the entire weapon can run just over 10” in full length and this covers 9” in sight. If you hold it in your hand and measure it, you can see that it is just a tad over 5″ in height. With all of that being said, any gun owner can see that this is no baby pistol but it is rather one for a full sized adult. The weight is nicely proportionate and is mainly in the rib and in the barrel of the piece.

One of the great things about the Neos is the low pressure when operating on the blowback system. All this means is that the steel slide (including the recoil system) actually work hand in hand to help keep the breech in a closed position. You will notice that after you fire (when the bullet leaves the muzzle), there is automatically a drastic decrease in pressure. The inertia helps the slide push back which helps the extraction and ejection. All of this constantly helps the recoil process and velocity, etc.

The magazine itself holds ten rounds of 22 LR ammunition. When you purchase your new handgun, there will be a nicely illustrated and written manual that specifically excludes using .22 Shorts and .22 Longs; mainly due to the fact that they will not work in the magazine along with the issues of not having enough velocity to cycle actions. When it comes to reassembly, it is pretty much an open and shut case. The pistol is very easy to disassemble and reassemble.
The greatest characteristic of this pistol is the ultramodern styling. It comes from the design and styling firm of Guigiaro who worked alongside American-based engineers to make this fine piece of weaponry. Despite the design ingenuity, the Neos really needs to be thoroughly examined because of its usefulness when it comes to shooting and not just for looks.

: Beretta U22 Neos

Smith & Wesson M&P 22

The S&W M&P 22 is a .22 caliber LR handgun (or pistol) which is considered to be the equivalent size in comparison with the 357, 40mm and 9mm models. It is available in your choice of 10 +1 or the 12+1 magazines. It also comes with a thumb safety as well. Most pistol owners find this feature very useful. Smith & Wesson has stayed true to their name as they have kept to the single action play. The M&P 22 has a nice 4.1″ (or 10.4cm) barrel along with a beautiful polymer grip and a fantastic metal frame that most enthusiasts feel that are the best in the business. Above all of these things, though, is one slight issue and that is the price. Most retailers are selling the pistol somewhere around the $400 range and you will be lucky to find one brand new under that price.

This firearm does not come equipped with a handy back-strap that each of the other styles of M&P models will come with. However, since it is a .22 caliber it will not have too much of a kickback but most people would still like to have the back-straps available to them so this is a plus. You should note that every M&P 22 will come equipped with a useful thumb safety. In fact, another thing you should be aware of is that the M&P 22 does not have a very dedicated upper assembly but rather a type of restyled Walther P22. If you decide to get back-straps on your M&P 22, be aware that they are not interchangeable which means that they are fixed with the factory insert.

Personally, I think it is a very good way to get some training in especially if you happen to own the 40mm, 367 or 9mm since the ammo costs happen to be extremely lower these days. However, you may happen to not obtain the exact same feel you desire if there are no extra backstops. In any case, chances are that you will have fun with the ammo you currently use or if you switch it up no matter the kick of the pistol. Every gun owner should know that the more time that you have for training the better it is regardless of the gun’s caliber.

On a more serious note, I really do not recommend that you use your M&P .22 caliber LR for anything but .22 competitions or target practice (and I do not mean human target practice). I have personally heard and seen .22 rounds literally ricochet off targets before so make sure that you stick with something more definite like a 357 for home, personal or professional protection.

: Barrel

: Slide

: Trigger

: Grip

Walther P22

The P22 is a semi automatic handgun made by Carl Walther. It is distributed in the US by Walther America, a joint venture with Smith and Wesson.

The Walther P22 closely resembles the popular Walther P99, a popular 9MM pistol, but is about 25% smaller and uses 22LR cartridges. The P22 features a cast polymer grip frame, an ambidextrous safety and an external hammer. Its standard magazine capacity is 10 rounds.

The P22 can be purchased with a 3.42 inch barrel or a 5 inch barrel on its Target model which also includes a barrel mounted weight compensator. It was originally designed in a way that the barrels could be easily changed.

The P22 comes with a wide variety of color configurations for its lower receiver. It is available in black, olive drab, grey, carbon fiber, and 3 versions of pink.