Anyone here have any experience with the American Arms line of small .22 pistols. They make a little PPK style, a small 1911 style and a P-38 looking gun (PK22 and PK98). One user reported excellent reliability. As long as they work and aren't made of junk materials, I'm thinking they might be better money spent than on a US TPH that needs work. What do you all think?
American Arms .22's
- Thread starter Handy
- Start date
I've owned an American Arms PPK style .22 for about ten years. Overall, it's a great handgun that's fun and inexpensive to shoot. (After all, if you're going to copy a design, the PPK is a pretty good choice.) There are some pros and cons to consider:
Pros:
- Very reliable (with the right ammo)
- Fairly accurate
- Inexpensive
Cons:
- Very finicky about ammo (see below)
- The slide does not always stay in the back position after firing the last round
Regarding ammo choice... I've never had a problem with Remington .22 ammo. I can put 100 rounds through the gun without a single mis-fire. However, every time I've tried a different brand of ammo (examples escape me right now), I experienced multiple mis-fires. So early on, I learned to stick with Remington.
This was the first handgun I ever owned, and I like it just as much today as when I bought it.
Pros:
- Very reliable (with the right ammo)
- Fairly accurate
- Inexpensive
Cons:
- Very finicky about ammo (see below)
- The slide does not always stay in the back position after firing the last round
Regarding ammo choice... I've never had a problem with Remington .22 ammo. I can put 100 rounds through the gun without a single mis-fire. However, every time I've tried a different brand of ammo (examples escape me right now), I experienced multiple mis-fires. So early on, I learned to stick with Remington.
This was the first handgun I ever owned, and I like it just as much today as when I bought it.
The American Arms Walther-look-alike 22LR pistol is the same, I believe, as the Iver Johnson TP-22. I have one, works w/ everything you can put in it. I once loaded the clip w/ 7 different brands, speeds, and styles of 22LR ammo, from std velocity target loads, to Stingers w/ hyper-velocity, to blunt-nosed high-speed ammo. Worked everytime, even if held on its side or upside down. I am totally impressed with mine, plus buying used for $75 doesn't hurt.
I just saw a recent ad in Gun List for extra magazines for $25 each, but check out www.gunbroker.com and www.auctionarms.com too. Tight groups!!
P.S. - in the Iver Johnson models, the slide wasn't designed to lock open on the last shot fired ...
I just saw a recent ad in Gun List for extra magazines for $25 each, but check out www.gunbroker.com and www.auctionarms.com too. Tight groups!!
P.S. - in the Iver Johnson models, the slide wasn't designed to lock open on the last shot fired ...
Walt Sherrill
New member
For plinking, its fine - but if you're considering it for self-defense, you need to move up in caliber. The little Taurus .22s are also very good, and comparable priced. Very accurate.
(A .22 is better than nothing, if you need it -- but so's a pointed stick.)
(A .22 is better than nothing, if you need it -- but so's a pointed stick.)
Walt Sherrill
New member
Have you investigated the Kel-Tec P-32?
Its probably smaller and lighter than the .22 you're looking at, and not terribly expensive. (I've seen them for under $200.)
Eight rounds of .32 silvertip or golden sabre is a lot more effective than .22 rounds, and the P-32, because of its locked-breech design is just about as easy to shoot as a .22.
Nice little gun. And its so small and light, you can put it in your shirt pocket!
Its probably smaller and lighter than the .22 you're looking at, and not terribly expensive. (I've seen them for under $200.)
Eight rounds of .32 silvertip or golden sabre is a lot more effective than .22 rounds, and the P-32, because of its locked-breech design is just about as easy to shoot as a .22.
Nice little gun. And its so small and light, you can put it in your shirt pocket!
I'm very familiar with just about everything on the market, including the P-32. My basic gripe with many designs is the actual safety aspects of carrying a loaded weapon without a holster, in a pocket, but still be able to deploy it with one hand. I just don't feel comfortable with either cocked and locked or a DA trigger with less than a ten pound pull or a safety.
The P-32 has a 5-6 lbs. pull. Wrong system if you're absent-mindedly digging for change in that pocket. My main problem with the Beretta 21A is the lack of firing pin safety - drop the gun on the hammer and things get messy. Browning Baby type calls on you to trust just the safety. But the basic Walther design gives you an average 12 lbs. first shot and a firing pin block safety. That's two complete safeties against dropping, fumbling fingers, loose change and the unexpected.
I really think if you're kissing away the power of a decent sized centerfire (at least .380), you might as well have a cheap and fun .22 plinker for your trouble. I'll at least be a better shot with my .22 at $1 a box vs. $8 for .32 ACP.
If I need a real gun and don't have time for a holster I take a P7 (with a holster, too). Maybe I'm just too safety conscious as the P7 is certainly the safest weapon made.
Careful with that P-32 trigger! Your groin is a terrible thing to waste!
The P-32 has a 5-6 lbs. pull. Wrong system if you're absent-mindedly digging for change in that pocket. My main problem with the Beretta 21A is the lack of firing pin safety - drop the gun on the hammer and things get messy. Browning Baby type calls on you to trust just the safety. But the basic Walther design gives you an average 12 lbs. first shot and a firing pin block safety. That's two complete safeties against dropping, fumbling fingers, loose change and the unexpected.
I really think if you're kissing away the power of a decent sized centerfire (at least .380), you might as well have a cheap and fun .22 plinker for your trouble. I'll at least be a better shot with my .22 at $1 a box vs. $8 for .32 ACP.
If I need a real gun and don't have time for a holster I take a P7 (with a holster, too). Maybe I'm just too safety conscious as the P7 is certainly the safest weapon made.
Careful with that P-32 trigger! Your groin is a terrible thing to waste!
Walt Sherrill
New member
Pocket carry is too damned dangerous, if you don't have a pocket holster.
If you forget, and drop something in your pocket, it can lodge under the trigger, cause the trigger to be depressed, or if small, get into the barrel, etc.
There are some very handy pocket holsters that, as you start to draw the gun, let you press against the holster with your thumb. (I had one for my Beretta Tomcat, 'fore I got rid of the Tomcat.)
Works well, easy to get the gun out, and no danger of an accidental discharge or something obstructing the barrel. Even if you stick with a .22, that's the ONLY way to go. (And a .22 round in the groin isn't going to be THAT much less painful than a .32 round.)
If you forget, and drop something in your pocket, it can lodge under the trigger, cause the trigger to be depressed, or if small, get into the barrel, etc.
There are some very handy pocket holsters that, as you start to draw the gun, let you press against the holster with your thumb. (I had one for my Beretta Tomcat, 'fore I got rid of the Tomcat.)
Works well, easy to get the gun out, and no danger of an accidental discharge or something obstructing the barrel. Even if you stick with a .22, that's the ONLY way to go. (And a .22 round in the groin isn't going to be THAT much less painful than a .32 round.)
One of my neighborhood gun dealers has one of the '1911-looking' ones used for $175, but he wouldn't sell it to me. It is a consignment and he can't find the owner for over a year. He also says it has a feed problem which he can fix for about $15, but he doesn't feel the buyer should have to pay for it, he says the seller should do so. I am a little puzzled by this, but I backed away from it. It looked like a fun little gun, though.
Very simple.
-10CFR
Very simple.
-10CFR
I also have an Iver Johnson TP-22. I think it is the same as the American Arms pistol (like a miniture PPK). Mine works well - at least with ammo it likes (Remington, CCI Blazer). It didn't work too well with Federal. It is pretty small to hold and shoot, but still thick and heavy compared with my Kel-tec P32s. I think the P32 is a better choice for self defense (thinner, lighter, more reliable, and more powerful). But the little .22 will also work and is certainly cheaper for plinking and practice. I don't regret getting either.
Doug
Doug
Walt,
I've looked at pocket holsters but fail to see how they're going to seperate from the pistol when placed in the typical loose chino pocket. Seemed like you'd end up with an inside out pocket and a leather covered firearm after a quick draw. You're warning about barrel obstructions and general pocket junk is valid. I think the combination of DA trigger and safety will prevent accidental discharges to the maximum extent, though. I will look into a pocket liner.
I've looked at pocket holsters but fail to see how they're going to seperate from the pistol when placed in the typical loose chino pocket. Seemed like you'd end up with an inside out pocket and a leather covered firearm after a quick draw. You're warning about barrel obstructions and general pocket junk is valid. I think the combination of DA trigger and safety will prevent accidental discharges to the maximum extent, though. I will look into a pocket liner.
Walt Sherrill
New member
Regarding pocket holsters:
The one I had (From M/D Enterprises) worked well. As you grabbed the gun's grip, your thumb pressed against a thumb rest on the holster, giving you leverage to pull the gun out of the holster, and leaving the holster in your pocket. ("For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction...." You aren't so much pulling the holster OUT of the holster as pushing the holster OFF the gun...)
It worked effectively and simply. The holster needs to be designed for the specific gun, though. I just lost confidence in the Beretta Tomcat; the holster was great.
Here's a picture of the Hedley pocket holster, which is similar in design. Mine had MORE LEATHER at the point where leather rides up near the rear of the slide, facing the camera. That was the FLAT rest upon which the thumb pressed.
(Some I've seen also have a larger leather flap on the OUTSIDE, to keep the gun from printing...)
http://www.naaminis.com/pix/guardianRHFP.jpg
The one I had (From M/D Enterprises) worked well. As you grabbed the gun's grip, your thumb pressed against a thumb rest on the holster, giving you leverage to pull the gun out of the holster, and leaving the holster in your pocket. ("For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction...." You aren't so much pulling the holster OUT of the holster as pushing the holster OFF the gun...)
It worked effectively and simply. The holster needs to be designed for the specific gun, though. I just lost confidence in the Beretta Tomcat; the holster was great.
Here's a picture of the Hedley pocket holster, which is similar in design. Mine had MORE LEATHER at the point where leather rides up near the rear of the slide, facing the camera. That was the FLAT rest upon which the thumb pressed.
(Some I've seen also have a larger leather flap on the OUTSIDE, to keep the gun from printing...)
http://www.naaminis.com/pix/guardianRHFP.jpg
I just bought a PK22 (1911-style) and it seems to be a very well made pistol, but I haven't fired it yet.
If people are picking them up for $75 then I got taken, though. I paid $260 for mine, used but excellent shape.
One main reason for going with this model is the similarity to my SIG P220, so when I teach my girlfriend to shot this one she will already be familiar with some basics on the larger pistol.
If people are picking them up for $75 then I got taken, though. I paid $260 for mine, used but excellent shape.
One main reason for going with this model is the similarity to my SIG P220, so when I teach my girlfriend to shot this one she will already be familiar with some basics on the larger pistol.