Here is a review of my newly acquired Ruger SR22PB. I quickly touched on it in another thread but being so impressed with this plinker, I thought it deserved a little stage time and possibly a curtain call because I'm really think other dogs here would enjoy it as much as I do.
The SR22PB frame is polymer and comes complete with accessory rail and the slide is black anodized aluminum and serrated front and rear which I really liked. It has a fixed 3.5" stainless steel barrel and weighs in at 17.5 oz empty. Dimensions are 6.40" long, a height of 4.90", and a width of 1.29"
The sights are adjustable 3 dot and you have the option of turning the front sight around to make it black depending on your preference. I left mine with the white front dot and found that I didn't have to adjust the sights at all. The sights provided quick and easy target acquisition and took no effort getting used to them.
The gem of this pistol is the safety/De-cocker mechanism. It let me chamber a round in either the on or off position due to the use of a hammer blocker that prevents the firing pin from contacting the hammer. So when the safety is on, I can rack the slide as normal but the hammer De-cocks on its own with the hammer block employed. The trigger is also disengaged at this point. Very nice feature for sure.
Now when the safety is off, racking the slide will leave the hammer cocked upon release of the slide. You are then able to fire when ready.
This feature combined with the DA/SA will let me carry if needed with the hammer down with the safety off which is a safety feature in itself I believe.
Take down if very quick ans simple. The take down lever is in front of the trigger and once pulled out, the slide if removed by moving it to the rear and lifting...done. The pistol can be left as is and cleaned with ease. If you want to remove the fixed barrel, there is an allen screw located just forward the the trigger after it is retracted. I did not remove mine but all it takes is a couple of turns and the barrel can be removed.
Shooting the SR22PB was a hoot for sure. Trigger pull in the DA mode was very nice...not too long... and predictable after a few rounds. In the SA it was equally as nice and crisp...not to short...and again predictable after some time on it. 200 rounds and 1 early hiccup due to a sticky round in the mag. No doubt my fault hurrying to load a mag cause I couldn't wait to put more rounds down range.
This pistol was actually purchased for my 13yo son as his first pistol. I have to say, he's a much better shot with it than I am with it. After shooting rifles for a number of years, he was real excited to transition to pistol and the SR22PB proved to be a perfect entry firearm. But on the same note, its perfect for the seasoned shooter as well. I can see me getting a few more after the wife shoots it just so I don't have to wait to shoot the darn thing when the family goes to throw lead together.
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