Buying .22 for the range

[doddg]

You are going to love this story.
I put 15 $20 bills in an envelope ($300) to give to the guy I bought the Victory from.
As I was looking at the gun I told him to count the money, and said I had counted it twice.
I got $700 from the bank to pay the "tree" guy who was coming this weekend and pay for the gun: $50 x2; $5 x20; $10 x10 and $20 x20 for a total of $700, $300 of which I put in a separate envelope to pay for the Victory.
When I got home and I was giving my wife some cash I noticed there was only one $50 bill, and there should have been two, and I had an extra $20 bill!!!!!!
I realized that I somehow had gotten one of the $50s and a $20 mixed up.
I texted the guy and told him I what I'd done, and he said there was a $50 in the envelope.
He immediately sent it back via Pay Pal: relief!
I told him it was a pleasure to meet another honest person.

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

Stay away from the Sig Mosquito. It is a known problem pistol.

read my Tweet in Handgun.
Sig Sauer Mosquito only functions properly using CCI 22s.

 

[wtburnette]

I have around 800 rounds through my Victory. Federal Automatch works great, as does the "black box" Federal and Browning Performance Rimfire (BPR). I've even used Remington Golden Bullets with no issues except 2 or 3 didn't fire. The only rounds I've had issues with feeding was Aguila Super Extra, which didn't even feed into the magazines as easily. Out of 100 rounds I had two FTF. Still not horrible, but the other ammo I tried worked better and you can find it pretty cheap. The Federal Automatch was ~$200 for 3250 rounds from TargetSportsUSA and the Browning BPR ammo was either $20 or $25 plus tax for a box of 400 rounds at Cabela's a couple weekends ago when I was up there. I don't know about your local walmart, but mine is always out of .22 and they only carry CCI. While CCI is great, it's more expensive. I'm perfectly happy with sticking with ammo I'm buying for ~6 cents a round personally

 

[doddg]

Thanks so much for giving me the benefit of your experience.
I always am looking the the "Toyota Corolla" grade of whatever: dependable, good quality, and affordable on a teacher salary, ha!

 

[oldpink]

You are going to love this story.
I put 15 $20 bills in an envelope ($300) to give to the guy I bought the Victory from.
As I was looking at the gun I told him to count the money, and said I had counted it twice.
I got $700 from the bank to pay the "tree" guy who was coming this weekend and pay for the gun: $50 x2; $5 x20; $10 x10 and $20 x20 for a total of $700, $300 of which I put in a separate envelope to pay for the Victory.
When I got home and I was giving my wife some cash I noticed there was only one $50 bill, and there should have been two, and I had an extra $20 bill!!!!!!
I realized that I somehow had gotten one of the $50s and a $20 mixed up.
I texted the guy and told him I what I'd done, and he said there was a $50 in the envelope.
He immediately sent it back via Pay Pal: relief!
I told him it was a pleasure to meet another honest person.

It's great hearing that the seller is a genuinely good egg.
I'd definitely give him the highest rating possible and put a summary of that story of him refunding your mistake in the rating.
Honesty should be acknowledged.

 

[indiucky]

I know it isn't a revolver or stainless but it's my ALL TIME favorite pistol. Never had a range day without it.



Ruger 10" target MKII.

The prices on those, especially in SS is going through the roof....I have heard they are tack drivers...Nice piece bigtanker....

 

[wtburnette]

Cabela's has a decent Memorial day sale going on. If you order over $99 worth of stuff, you can use 57salute to get 10% off and free shipping. Even with tax added it makes the Browning ammo at just over 6 cents a round.

 

[doddg]

It's great hearing that the seller is a genuinely good egg.
I'd definitely give him the highest rating possible and put a summary of that story of him refunding your mistake in the rating.
Honesty should be acknowledged.

Totally agree!

 

[doddg]

Cabela's has a decent Memorial day sale going on. If you order over $99 worth of stuff, you can use 57salute to get 10% off and free shipping. Even with tax added it makes the Browning ammo at just over 6 cents a round.

1. I was just there in the one up North around 136th St; it's where I met in the parking lot to buy the Victory that I'm now the proud owner of!

 

[oldpink]

1. I was just there in the one up North around 136th St; it's where I met in the parking lot to buy the Victory that I'm not the proud owner of!

 

[doddg]

I have around 800 rounds through my Victory. Federal Automatch works great, as does the "black box" Federal and Browning Performance Rimfire (BPR). I've even used Remington Golden Bullets with no issues except 2 or 3 didn't fire. The only rounds I've had issues with feeding was Aguila Super Extra, which didn't even feed into the magazines as easily. Out of 100 rounds I had two FTF. Still not horrible, but the other ammo I tried worked better and you can find it pretty cheap. The Federal Automatch was ~$200 for 3250 rounds from TargetSportsUSA and the Browning BPR ammo was either $20 or $25 plus tax for a box of 400 rounds at Cabela's a couple weekends ago when I was up there. I don't know about your local walmart, but mine is always out of .22 and they only carry CCI. While CCI is great, it's more expensive. I'm perfectly happy with sticking with ammo I'm buying for ~6 cents a round personally

1. Been too busy to buy shells yet, although I did stop at Walmart Sat. to check their prices 22 shells, and they were out also!
2. I want to check with Cabelas and at another place: I want some of that 6 cents per shell myself.
3. When I was at the range, it was about 11 cents per.

 

[wtburnette]

1. Been too busy to buy shells yet, although I did stop at Walmart Sat. to check their prices 22 shells, and they were out also!
2. I want to check with Cabelas and at another place: I want some of that 6 cents per shell myself.
3. When I was at the range, it was about 11 cents per.

Online is the best. The code I put in my previous post (57SALUTE) takes 10% off the order and gives free shipping for any order over $99 at Cabela's site. I bought 4 boxes, or 1600 rounds of the Browning BPR for 95.37 shipped (I think I used .89 of Cabela's points from my Cabela's card). Even without that little discount, the price is just over 6 cents per round. I believe that deal ends tomorrow. I think the most common price I see for CCI is $8.99 - $9.99 per 100 rounds, which is more expensive than I want to do, unless I have no choice. Anyway, good luck. Hopefully you find time to get to the range and try it out. Make sure you take the takedown tool and a small flathead screwdriver. The takedown screw gets loose after a few mags through mine, so I usually tighten it up every 4 mags or so. The screwdriver is for sight adjustments in case you need them.

 

[lrdudley]

I think you will really like the Victory. Just got one this spring and have had it to the indoor range a few times, but the real blast was my first two outings to Friday Night Steel. The gun seems to like both CCI Mini Mags in 36 gr HP and Federal Auto Match. You can get the CCI online at Academy for $7.99 with free shipping and the Federal for $18.99, also with free shipping.

 

[Hohn]

I've had my Victory since about 8 months after they were announced, when they weren't super easy to find. I've fired a total of about 500 rounds through it (you can only burn ammo so fast through those 10-rd PITB mags).

The grip to me feels OK, but not great. There are several options on the market for replacement if you desire. The trigger is very good, not great. Decent amount of takeup, but not much creep and breaks about 4#.

Factory sights are Williams and very good-- bright and small. Adjustable, too. But for ultimate target work, a plain blade (ala SW41) would be better.

Accuracy is good, too. My best bud has both a Victory and a SW41PC. He says his Victory is hard pressed to be tell from the SW41 for accuracy.


Some annoyances exist. For example, the "stainless" grade is pretty weak on corrosion resistance-- my sample has some very minor pitting on the outer receiver and it's always been stored in a climate controlled environment. I'm not sure if this corrosion was there when I bought it or not, it seems more likely to have occurred in transit than in my possession.

The set screw that is the primary security for upper to lower requires more torque than you think to keep it from coming loose. S&W has revised this screw to help with keeping it from coming loose. I find just tightening it more than you think it sufficient to prevent problems.

The mags aren't fun to load because there's only a follower knob on one side. There's a loader on the market to help with this.

The internal barrel finish isn't all that great. HARDLY a mirror-smooth finish. More on this in a moment.

Finally, it's no Glock, function wise. It will give you occasional baubles in feeding or light strikes. I've even had a stuck case that would not extract. There's an aftermarket extractor said to help with this.


AMMO: I recommend STRONGLY against high-velocity ammo in the Victory. It's simply sprung too light. A hot round will blow back that breech prematurely. Results range from running super dirty (unburned powder) to a FTE with a stuck case.

Also, make sure you use ammo that is adequately lubed. Remington Thunderbolts leaded my barrel so severely it took a LOT, and I mean a LOT of effort to clean. I pushed strips of lead out of the grooves that were 3/8" long.

Ammo my Victory really likes:
- Geco Semi Auto
- Aguila Subsonic and HV copper washed (though the HV runs dirtier for reasons mentioned).
- Wolf Match
- Federal Standard
- Everything Eley

Ammo it hates:
- Thunderbolt
- possibly American Eagle. (I think it was AE that had the FTE, but I can't remember).



The higher my round count goes with this pistol, the less trouble it gives me. It has become more reliable over time.


It's one of my favorite firearms, 2nd only to my CZ455.

 

[wtburnette]

Since it was mentioned, you really, really will need one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Wesson-Victo...1&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=hiljak+quickie+loader

 

[308jake]

The Victory is a great 22 plinker, and it will serve you well. It's almost boringly accurate, and I've had nary a problem with Federal Automatch. I still find I like shooting the Browning more, but I shoot the Victory more than the Rugers.

 

[lrdudley]

Hohn,
If you will PM me with your mailing address, I will send you a prototype mag loading tool for your Victory. You only have to promise to give me your feedback after using it for a while.

doddg,
Same offer to you, but these are the last two prototypes I have.

 

[Bigtanker]

The prices on those, especially in SS is going through the roof....I have heard they are tack drivers...Nice piece bigtanker....

I'm never selling it. It will go to my boy when I'm gone. It's VERY accurate. I can ring a 5" plate at 100 yds (on a rest) very easily.

 

[doddg]

Since it was mentioned, you really, really will need one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Wesson-Victo...1&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=hiljak+quickie+loader

1. Sweet! I didn't even know this existed, but like say I've been away for decades. Thanks!

The Victory is a great 22 plinker, and it will serve you well. It's almost boringly accurate, and I've had nary a problem with Federal Automatch. I still find I like shooting the Browning more, but I shoot the Victory more than the Rugers.

Hohn,
If you will PM me with your mailing address, I will send you a prototype mag loading tool for your Victory. You only have to promise to give me your feedback after using it for a while.

doddg,
Same offer to you, but these are the last two prototypes I have.

1. doing so now! Thanks!

I'm never selling it. It will go to my boy when I'm gone. It's VERY accurate. I can ring a 5" plate at 100 yds (on a rest) very easily.

1. Great! Good to know I've got something to replace my old Mark 1 I had back in 1980.

 

[doddg]

I've had my Victory since about 8 months after they were announced, when they weren't super easy to find. I've fired a total of about 500 rounds through it (you can only burn ammo so fast through those 10-rd PITB mags).

The grip to me feels OK, but not great. There are several options on the market for replacement if you desire. The trigger is very good, not great. Decent amount of takeup, but not much creep and breaks about 4#.

Factory sights are Williams and very good-- bright and small. Adjustable, too. But for ultimate target work, a plain blade (ala SW41) would be better.

Accuracy is good, too. My best bud has both a Victory and a SW41PC. He says his Victory is hard pressed to be tell from the SW41 for accuracy.


Some annoyances exist. For example, the "stainless" grade is pretty weak on corrosion resistance-- my sample has some very minor pitting on the outer receiver and it's always been stored in a climate controlled environment. I'm not sure if this corrosion was there when I bought it or not, it seems more likely to have occurred in transit than in my possession.

The set screw that is the primary security for upper to lower requires more torque than you think to keep it from coming loose. S&W has revised this screw to help with keeping it from coming loose. I find just tightening it more than you think it sufficient to prevent problems.

The mags aren't fun to load because there's only a follower knob on one side. There's a loader on the market to help with this.

The internal barrel finish isn't all that great. HARDLY a mirror-smooth finish. More on this in a moment.

Finally, it's no Glock, function wise. It will give you occasional baubles in feeding or light strikes. I've even had a stuck case that would not extract. There's an aftermarket extractor said to help with this.


AMMO: I recommend STRONGLY against high-velocity ammo in the Victory. It's simply sprung too light. A hot round will blow back that breech prematurely. Results range from running super dirty (unburned powder) to a FTE with a stuck case.

Also, make sure you use ammo that is adequately lubed. Remington Thunderbolts leaded my barrel so severely it took a LOT, and I mean a LOT of effort to clean. I pushed strips of lead out of the grooves that were 3/8" long.

Ammo my Victory really likes:
- Geco Semi Auto
- Aguila Subsonic and HV copper washed (though the HV runs dirtier for reasons mentioned).
- Wolf Match
- Federal Standard
- Everything Eley

Ammo it hates:
- Thunderbolt
- possibly American Eagle. (I think it was AE that had the FTE, but I can't remember).



The higher my round count goes with this pistol, the less trouble it gives me. It has become more reliable over time.


It's one of my favorite firearms, 2nd only to my CZ455.

1. Strange, I responded to this but I don't see it.
2. Just wanted to thank for taking the time to warn me in detail and specifically what to stay away from and your recommendations.
3. When I was younger I just bought the cheapest I could get my hands on, so I want to get a cleaner firing shell now, since I won't be cleaning often.