looking for s&w 22a

backstop

hi could anyone help me as i am looking for a smith and wesson 22a pistol with a 5.5inch flat slab barrel for target shooting. there is no trade in and i am an existing licence holder. any info welcome from anywhere in the country. thanks all cheers joe

Hendrix89

Pardon the ignorance (you'll probably all give me a kicking) but I thought the government banned handguns?

Sorry don't mean to send this thread off topic, just would appreciate a clarification on this as I'm interested myself in pistol target shooting.

Bananaman

It is possible to license a pistol for target shooting although Irelands licensing regime is extremely restrictive.

If you did not hold a license prior to November 2008 then you may only apply for an un-restricted handgun - this in essence is a pistol or revolver chambered for 22lr ammunition and not capable of holding more than 5 rounds in the magazine or cylinder

A S&W 22a falls into this category provided you have the magazines limited to only 5 rounds.

The Garda Commissioners Guidelines provides a sample list of handguns that are allowed - sadly many Licensing officers regard this an an exhaustive list, whereas in actual fact it is just a list of examples.

Again the S&W 22a is on this sample list.

Therefore if you meet all the other criteria for licensing a handgun you can seek a license for a S&W 22a.

If you have nay questions I would recommend talking to your pistol shooting club (You are required to be a member of one) or the relevant National Association. NASRPC cover the majority of Pistol Shooting and the majority of clubs are members of it and NTSA cover the Olympic Disciplines and also have a number of member clubs.

Hope it helps.

B'Man

Hendrix89

Bananaman wrote: »

If you did not hold a license prior to November 2009 then you may only apply for an un-restricted handgun - this in essence is a pistol or revolver chambered for 22lr ammunition and not capable of holding more than 5 rounds in the magazine or cylinder

That's a bit of an awkward number considering revolvers generally have a six round capacity. So that severely limits things.. Unless some of the popular manufacturers make lower capacity cylinder versions of their revolvers?

backstop

Yes magazines need to be adapated to a max of 5 rounds, and revolver chambers need to be plugged - through official channels of course - to meet the Commissioners' Guidelines. I am compliant and have certification from my gun club to prove this.

My licences are pre 2009 and were signed off pretty quickly by my local Garda station. However I do know people who are having problems with renewals particularly on 9 mm handguns.

Cheers Joe

Cass

Its pedantic Pat time.

Is it not pre, 19th November 2008, and not 2009? As per Ahern's statement in the Dail.

In November of 2009 the new licensing system was up and running with applications being processed.

backstop

You are right, it is 2009 per Ahern's statement and the Commissioners Guidelines.

Now back to subject, does anyone know where I might get a Smith & Wesson 22A target pistol with a 5.5 inch flat slab barrel??

Cheers Joe

gunhappy_ie

Backstop,

My guess is that as with restricted firearms your pistol will need to be licenced before it can be imported (pervents stockpiling of firearms apparently) so unless you can ring around and locate a second hand one that you can pick up ans see before you buy then you will just have to ring dealer after dealer to see if they have contacts to aquire you one.

backstop

thanks for info gunhappy have being working on this. a few dealers have suggested that i post here!

backstop

Hi all,

I got my S&W 22A last week and had a great day shooting with it! Compared to the Ruger Mark 3, it is very easy to field strip and maintain plus I got some great target shooting out of it. It prefers subsonic rounds (CCI) and cycles them very well.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread and for your comments. In particular thanks to Bananaman and the guys at Hilltop.

I'm seriously thinking of getting the S&W 617 revolver and would appreciate comments and feedback on it. I am aware that chamber(s) would need to be plugged to make it 5-round.

Once again, thanks guys.

Cheers, Joe