Smith & Wesson 22A Deluxe TALO Edition Fluted .22 LR Black with Stainless Steel Slide Pistol

I cleaned it up last...

I cleaned it up last night and hauled it to the range today. It took 30 rounds to get the adjustable sights walked into proper alignment with the Federal 550 bulk ammo from Wally World. After getting it on target at 10 yards, I moved back to 25 yards. 500 rounds later, there were several groups of cavities on my targets that used to be bulls eyes. This thing is scary accurate, even with cheapo bulk ammo. My assessment: Initial strip down and clean: Take down is simple and requires no tools. Read the manual, unless you want to chase down some "liberated" parts. Only one internal part I think will be a future issue is the cheapo plastic tab that holds the blind end of the recoil spring assembly in place, This is very poorly done. It's going to need a beefier part there to have a long life span. Appearance and finish: Beautiful. Workmanship is excellent, polished surfaces were like mirrors, blued parts are consistent in color and depth. There are no discolor spots or finish errors. It is very attractive. Packing: Came in a cardboard box. That was disappointing. I have come to like the Smith and Wesson blue plastic boxes for the great protection they give the firearms. At the least, it should be an option. GRIPS: The fancy wood grip is heavy and large. For those with smaller hands, it will be a chore to keep a good grip on it. Since I am a large person with large hands, it was a welcome feeling from dealing with most factory grips that were made for normal size people. I like the grips and the full palm filling feeling I get when shooting it. Weight: This one is heavy, the big solid wood grips and the bull barrel combine to make it the heaviest 22lr pistol I have. This partially helps explain the accuracy. Have I said that this is a really accurate gun? Sights: It took a little getting used to the slotted white stripe in the rear sight groove, but after a few magazines full, it grows on you. The rear adjustment has a deep detente click system on it for a very positive click adjustment, heavier than most of my rifle scope adjustments. They have a good high quality feel to them when adjusting. There is nothing flimsy about these sights, they work, and work very well. It is apparent that this gun was designed for an optic to be mounted, but the high quality sights that come on it are great. Mine will likely stay bare on top, the sights are that good and that accurate. Reliability: After going through the whole 550 pack, I had only one misfire from a dud. 0 errors on the part of the gun and magazines. It was absolutely flawless. But beware, it really likes to throw brass, and I mean throw it - FAR. You will not need to worry about walking around in a pile of brass while shooting. However, your neighbor to the right at the range will probably not see it the same way. Magazines: Easy to load, the traveling pin on the follower can be used to compress the spring just a touch for each round to load. Even after loading a whole 550 bulk pack, there was no "magazine thumb". Overall: Get you one of these. Fun, Accurate, reliable, cheap to shoot, attractive and well made. This one gets an AAA rating.