K22S

Please, please please don't tell my wife, but I just got another gun. 🤣 It's actually my first brand new one, and it's a K22S (my other three were used). I try to get to the range once a week with two of my 9's - a Masada and a VP9. At first I was buying whatever bulk ammo was cheapest (Fiocchi) but that ended up with a trip to a gunsmith to figure out why my pistols were experiencing a high number of malfunctions every week. Turns out the ammo was way out of spec and nothing was wrong with the guns. Since then I've been getting more expensive ammo but shooting fewer rounds per week which is what led me to the decision to get a 22 LR pistol. Being relatively new to pistols and not knowing anyone personally with 22 LR semi-auto pistols to check out, I went to youtube. Unfortunately, pistols in this caliber are often treated as a joke by both manufacturers and reviewers, so there wasn't much solid, critical information available about the products themselves. After watching dozens of videos, I realized that that majority of 22s are more toys than firearms. I was able to check out a Walther P22Q and a few others in person, and yep, they felt like slightly beefed up airsoft guns. What's more, a lot of those "toy guns" were going for more on auction sites used than what I paid for my 9mm pistols. Then I found Graham's review of the K22S. There are a few reasons I take Graham's reviews with more than a grain of salt: Firstly, he's thorougher than many other reviewers and that combined with a standardized format makes it easier to know what to expect out of his reviews. He'd done reviews of at least two of my three 9mm pistols, so I can compare his experience and interpretation to my own. Secondly, (and this may sound funny to some, but is very helpful to me) his hands are similar in size to mine and he always comments about fit. My hands are actually a little larger than his, but close enough that I can make a good assessment based on what I see on screen. So time for first impressions... This is my first Grand Power and man, I'm impressed! The most striking difference between this gun and my others is that it doesn't look at all like a mass-produced firearm. What I mean by that is that other guns made in large numbers LOOK like mass production techniques were used to keep costs down, from the way certain parts are stamped, to the thickness of parts, to the fit. This applies even to manufacturers like HK with my VP9. They do an awesome job, but it doesn't have a "boutique" appearance to it at all whereas the K22S absolutely does. The GP is obviously put together by a team of gunsmiths who really know their craft - there aren't the common tell-tale signs of production from a post-communist manufacturer that are so common, like uneven filing of edges, tool marks not worked out, etc. The only sign to me that this comes from that part of the world is a certain utilitarian element to the design which I don't mind at all, i.e. it's not meant to be flashy, or slick or sexy - kind of like the difference between a Ford Raptor and a Unimog, without introducing any kind of "milspec" element into the conversation. It's simple, but so well built... There's only one part that doesn't seem to fit with the rest and that's the recoil spring(s). Time will tell whether they lightened them up too much or whether they're good enough for the job. I haven't been to the range yet with it - that will be on Sunday, so I can't comment on how it shoots yet or whether or not it actually makes a useful stand-in for my 9's when it comes to practicing, but I'll update ASAP. I'll add that I got mine from https://doublemdefense.com/product/grand-power-k22s-22-lr/ . He has them at a better price than the importer at the moment and the buying experience was good.