"Go big or go home"? Smith & Wesson says that's not always the way, and has proven it with its recent release of the M&P 22 Magnum pistol. Notes American Rifleman Senior Executive Editor Kelly Young, "For many years, Smith & Wesson's line of double-stack Military & Police pistols has covered the bases of all the major self-defense cartridges. Your 9mm [Lugers], your .40 Smith & Wessons, .45 ACPs, 10mm Autos, and they actually even had a couple .357 SIGs there for a while.
"But in 2023, the company started thinking smaller, moving instead into a pair of two light-recoiling .22-cal. designs. First came the M&P 5.7 chambered in FN's 5.7x28, but later in the year came this guy, the M&P 22 Magnum chambered in the much more economical and easier to find .22 Winchester Magnum rimfire."
Yes, this handgun is chambered in a rifle round, .22 Winchester Magnum. And as such, it develops a touch more report than you'd expect from a pistol round. "And it really is just a blast to shoot on the range," says Young. "And I mean that literally. Not only is this gun a ton of fun to shoot, but given that this is a rifle cartridge being shot through a handgun, there's a ton of flash. Big fireball and boy, is this puppy loud!"
That said, the gun's semi-automatic action and weight combine to create a recoil-free experience. What's more, the magazine has a 30-round capacity that's perfect for long range sessions. The fact that it's fully ambidextrous makes shooting hassle-free even for lefties, and its relatively long, slim grip means that those of us with smaller hands will find the gun easy to control.
