Gun report: ISSC M22

[OldCannon]

For those of you that are Glock owners and are looking for a .22lr plinker, the ISSC M22 is a good choice. ISSC was involved in a recent dispute with Glock because of the high visual similarity to their pistols. ISSC has agreed to change their pistols to satisfy Glock's demands without admitting any wrongdoing. While the M22 has some similar appearances, there is much that distinguishes is from the Glock. The first is the size...the overall grip of the frame is smaller -- approx 5 1/4" in circumference to Glock's 5 3/4" (Glock 17/19/34 - all their "small frame" 3rd Gen pistols). The second, and perhaps most obvious, is that the firing mechanism is external hammer-fired vs Glock's internal striker firing mechanism. The M22 also has an external decocker/safety, along with trigger safety, trigger locking mechanism, and a magazine interlock.

The first two photos show the M22 right and left side (the model shown is the M111003, which has a longer, compensated barrel -- more on that in a bit). The "black lettering" is my addition - enamel paint inside the stamped markings on the slide





The version I shot has a compensator, of sorts...the barrel is ported and the end is open (the barrel is match grade made by Lothar Walter, if that's important to you). This is beneficial for my old eyes, because it extends the sight radius by another badly-needed inch for me, putting the radius about equivalent to a Glock 34/35. The sight radius for their standard model is similar to a Glock 19. Frankly, I'm a little bothered by the front sights, which are simple "snap in" plastic sights. They seem sturdy, but I fear they will break at the first bump (might explain why there are extra sight posts included with the pistol).



One place where this pistol is imperceptibly NOT like the Glock is with holsters. The rail mounts below the pistol extend beyond the distance as it does on the Glock - my observation is that an XD holster will fit the M22 decently (at least it does with my Blackhawk leather holster). Until somebody makes a holster for the M22, you will probably find an XD holster will remain your best bet.

The pistol seems extremely accurate. The image below is rapid fire at 7 yards, standing position, and with "old man eyeballs" (notch and post sights are a bit of a blur for me ). I started off using Remington "Golden Boy" ammo, which is not recommended by ISSC. It worked ok for a while, then I started getting feeding problems. I switched to CCI MiniMag (which IS recommended by ISSC) and the gun performed flawlessly. I know that some people have complained about early M22 models and their feeding problems, but this one worked smooth as glass. Even better than my Browning Buckmark, which took me by surprise. Trigger pull is claimed to be 4lbs, which seems about right, but it is smooth. Reset is easily felt and getting back on target wasn't hard at all.



These pistols can be found in the $225-$250 range at CheaperThanDirt.com. That's about on par with the price of an Advantage Arms replacement slide for a Glock (which allows you to shoot .22lr in your Glock). My purpose isn't to compare the two here, as my personal preference is to have a complete pistol that is separate from my Glocks.

Ok, that's my mini-review. My recommendation: Gotta have it