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stevieboy · February 5, 2010, 02:43 PM

I haven't fired the 22, but I own a .45 ACP Smith & Wesson revolver (625JM). I also own a 1911. It's tough to choose between the two. The 1911 was, obviously, made for the .45 ACP and it is the quintessential semiauto. Mine (also, a S & W) is incredibly accurate and a lot of fun to shoot. My 625 is also a fantastic gun, very very accurate and just an all round blast. Interestingly, the perceived recoil of the .45 ACP round is greater with the revolver than with the 1911 even though 625 outweighs the 1911 by nearly 1/2 pound. Obviously, that's because the 1911 slide absorbs so much of the recoil.

Either way you won't go wrong. One caution. You may already realize this, but the S & W Model 22 is a fixed sight revolver. It's almost certainly zeroed for 230 gr. fmj bullets. That's fine and I expect that it will be very accurate with that round at distances up to 25 yards. But, other rounds will hit at different points of impact from the 230 gr. rounds. In particular, some of the lighter weight loads may travel significantly faster than the 230 grainers. That would normally translate to a lower point of impact (generally faster = lower) and you would not be able to adjust your sights to compensate. Thus, for a first revolver you might want to take a look at the adjustable sight 625.

February 5, 2010, 02:43 PM	#5
stevieboy Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2008 Posts: 1,695	I haven't fired the 22, but I own a .45 ACP Smith & Wesson revolver (625JM). I also own a 1911. It's tough to choose between the two. The 1911 was, obviously, made for the .45 ACP and it is the quintessential semiauto. Mine (also, a S & W) is incredibly accurate and a lot of fun to shoot. My 625 is also a fantastic gun, very very accurate and just an all round blast. Interestingly, the perceived recoil of the .45 ACP round is greater with the revolver than with the 1911 even though 625 outweighs the 1911 by nearly 1/2 pound. Obviously, that's because the 1911 slide absorbs so much of the recoil. Either way you won't go wrong. One caution. You may already realize this, but the S & W Model 22 is a fixed sight revolver. It's almost certainly zeroed for 230 gr. fmj bullets. That's fine and I expect that it will be very accurate with that round at distances up to 25 yards. But, other rounds will hit at different points of impact from the 230 gr. rounds. In particular, some of the lighter weight loads may travel significantly faster than the 230 grainers. That would normally translate to a lower point of impact (generally faster = lower) and you would not be able to adjust your sights to compensate. Thus, for a first revolver you might want to take a look at the adjustable sight 625.