Drastic price cuts offered for Glock-copy ISSC M22 .22LR pistols

I predicted some weeks ago that my next .22 pistol would be the ISSC M22 Austrian-made Glock copy.

It hasn't happened yet as I've found other handguns I wanted more than another .22 pistol. But the time may be at hand. J&G Sales is offering a drastic price cut on the M22 for only $199.95. My gunshop is selling the basic black model for $300 and even with an employee's discount, I couldn't touch the J&G price.

ISSC in Austria is part of the GSG stable of firearms manufacturers and I read the other day in one of the gun magazines that an out-of-court settlement has been reached with Glock to stop importing the M22 and redesign it to look a lot less like a copy of Glock pistols. GSG was sued by Heckler & Koch for their copies of the MP5 submachine pistol in .22LR and reached an agreement with H&K to stop the import of those and redesign it to be a lot less like a copy of the MP5.

This latest agreement between GSG/ISSC and Glock means no more importation of the M22 until it is redesigned. Hence the price drop as the U.S. importer, Austrian Sporting Arms of Ware, MA, unloads it's inventory of M22 models. The price cut is a great deal if you're looking for a Glock training pistol so if you're interested you better act now. When the importer sells out, there won't be anymore Glock-copy M22s.

Steyr-Mannlicher MA1, the Austrian pistol nobody has heard of

When I started looking around for a concealed-carry pistol in 2006, I ended up buying a Steyr-Mannlicher MA1 in .357 Sig.

That was more than a few pistols ago, but I'm still amazed today at how smart that decision was.

Since then, I've also bought Steyr MA1 .40S&W and 9mm pistols and two Glock 10mm pistols, G20 and G29, but I still say the Steyr is a superior design to the more-well-known Glock.

Both are striker-fired double-action only pistols with a steel slide and a polymer frame.

But the Steyr has a better grip angle, not as steep as the Glock and the best natural pointing pistol I've ever shot.

It also has a smoother, lighter-feeling trigger than the Glock, though both are rated at 5.5 lbs.

The Steyr also has a lower bore axis with a grip that sits the pistol lower in your hand and makes it more controllable firing.

And Steyr's trapezoidal sights, a white-outline trapezoid rear and a white-outline triangle front, are the quickest and easiest sight picture I've ever shot.

Steyr even uses the same Tenifer-finish steel slide as Glock, but their version of Tenifer is more brownish than the black Glock slide.

Steyr is that other Austrian pistol that nobody ever heard of because Glock has just been better at advertising and promotion from the get-go back when the G17 first hit the market in the early '80s.

Steyr didn't even start importing to the U.S. until 2004 so they'll never catch Glock now as the most popular plastic pistols with law enforcement and civilians.

But if you'd like to own an immaculate unfired M9-A1 9mm Steyr-Mannlicher, I just listed the one shown on gunbroker for $500. I like Glocks, but I love Steyr-Mannlicher pistols.

P.S. If you wanted this M9-A1 you're too late. It sold last night about midnight, 10 hours after I listed it on gunbroker. Steyr stopped importing any MA1 pistols into the U.S. in 2009 and has not said when importation will resume so the supply is getting very scarce.

A mouse gun that's pretty cool, but it's still only a .25 ACP

See if you can spot the error in this fictional prose.

"(He) fired the Glock at all six targets, clicked the safety back on and laid it down."

So writes Jack Higgins in his latest novel, The Wolf At The Door. Higgins usually knows better.

Unless there's a special Higgins model produced at the Glock custom shop, Glocks have no safety to click either on or off.

But then Higgins also favors Colt .25 ACP pistols for just about every single character in this new novel, which also is a strong indicator that one of my favorite authors is not a handgun expert.

My daughter was working as a nurse at the local ER when a guy comes riding up on a bike, walks in and says "I been shot." They thought he was joking until he pulled up his shirt in the back and showed them. Sure enough, he had a small hole in his back and a lump under the skin.

The ER doc pulled out a .25 ACP hunk of lead. It hit a rib and stopped dead right there.

Friends don't let friends carry mouse guns, particularly .25 ACP pistols, which are generally not even as effective as .22LR pistols.

As for me, I don't even pack .380 ACP pistols. My Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm is as small as I'm going.

But if I was gonna get tempted by a .25, this little Ortiges .25 ACP Vest Pocket Automatic squeeze-cocking pistol made way back in the '20s is pretty darn cool, if I do say so.

The new Glock G22 .40 S&W Generation 4 makes its debut appearance

Ready to the end the speculation about what the new Generation 4 Glock looks like? Here it is, the new G22 .40 S&W Gen4 that I posted for sale on gunbroker.

I've seen a few posts speculating about the features of the latest Glock pistol, which is the Generation 4 model, but we got our first one in the gun shop last week, so here's the straight skinny, with photos, that show what new features are in it.

This new Generation 4 Glock has several new features, rough-texture grips that have larger dots that are further apart than either RTF or RTF2, the first two versions of rough-texture Glocks, interchangeable backstraps in small, medium and large sizes, and an enlarged magazine release button that is reversible for either right or left-hand shooters. And the new captive dual recoil spring system is said to reduce felt recoil and enable faster follow-up shots. The G22 Gen4 also comes with three 15-rd. magazines.

I've got a couple of Glocks, both 10mm, a subcompact G29 that has been heavily customized, and an almost-stock full-size G20, but I gotta admit Glock is not one of my favorite pistols and I really have no plans to buy anymore. But I've learned to never say never when it comes to guns. Somebody could trade in a subcompact Glock in .357 Sig and that would change.

Anyway, the photos show the features, the wide shot in photo one.

Photo two shows the interchangeable grip backstraps and a closeup of the newest version of RTF, maybe RTF3 on Gen4?

And the third photo shows the new captive dual recoil spring assembly on the guide rod. The guide rod is still plastic, so it's still not up to the standard of my Sta-Tite stainless-black captured-spring guide-rod assembly custom-made for my G20 by Big Taco.

The VPGS Special Pistol Package with something for everything

I bet you ain't got one of these. Here's your chance for the ultimate SHTF carry handgun. It's the handgun package that has something for everything: a Glock 19 compact 9mm in OD Green with Crimson Trace Laser Grip, 33-rd. magazine and a Ka-Bar pistol bayonet to finish off what's left.

Light 'em up with the CT Laser, blast 'em with 34 rds. of 9mm, and then if there's anything left to poke, finish 'em off with the bayonet.

We call it the Village Pawn & Gun Shop Special and here's the listing on gunbroker for this package deal:

New In Box: VPGS Special Edition Glock Model 19 OD Green Compact 9mm Double-Action-Only Semi-Auto Pistol, 4.02" black-steel barrel, black-steel slide, OD Green polymer frame with accessory rail, 5.5-lb. trigger, fixed sights, Ka-Bar pistol bayonet with LaserLyte quick-detach mount and black plastic blade cover installed on accessory rail, Crimson Trace Lasergrip installed on grip frame, Glock factory 33-rd. magazine included with (2) Glock factory 15-rd. magazines. Ships in factory hardcase with Crimson Trace pouch including laser adjustment tools, manual and warranty; bore rod and brush, magazine loader, cable-lock, fired cartridge, Glock manual, warranty and factory papers.

My next .22 pistol may be a Glock/AA/Walther/ISSC

My next .22 semi-auto? Maybe so. I handled one of these at the gun shop today and took photos that I'll post on gunbroker.com in an auction page. It's a Glock-clone called the ISSC M22 .22LR semi-auto pistol that looks a whole lot like an Advantage Arms .22LR conversion kit on a Glock 19 compact 9mm black polymer frame.

And it not only looks like a Glock, it has the familiar slide-removal levers of the Glock. And the trigger has a Glock-like safety lever in the middle. Unlike the Glock, it's single-action-only with an external hammer, vs. double-action-only and striker-fired, but that's the chief differences.

'Net rumor has it the parts are actually made by Glock. Who knows? According to the manufacturer and importer, it has a Walther stainless-steel match barrel, which I guess makes it a Glock/ISSC/Advantage Arms/Walther. Whatever it is, it appears to be a solidly made .22 pistol that handles exactly like a Glock, which will make for good training for us Glock owners.

I've got two Glocks at present, both 10mm. My "bump in the night pistol" is the full-size G20, nearly stock except for a 3.5-lb. trigger and a stainless-steel Big Taco Sta-Tite guide rod with captured recoil spring assembly. And my subcompact G29 is heavily customized and one of my favorite carry pistols. It's a genuine pocket rocket, packing 10 rds. of 10mm projectiles.

The M22 has a 4" barrel, which sorta fills a niche for me as I have a S&W 22A-1 with a 5.5" barrel and have been thinking about adding a shorter barrel for practice and plinking. I can also use the M22 for the NRA Basic Pistol classes I'm offering. For students who don't have their own handgun, I will provide a .22 pistol and ammo for the course.

The ISSC M22 can handle standard velocity .22LR ammo as well as high velocity with an extra recoil spring included with the pistol. And it's got ambi safety-decocker levers, which is a must for me, being a southpaw. Even the price is right. We're selling the M22s for a mere $370.

It's made in Austria by ISSC Handels Gmbh and imported by Austrian Sporting Arms of Ware, MA, which says:

ISSC fits a Walther match barrel to bar stock steel components for endurance and precision. The M22’s Aluminum slide tops 390 Newton in hardness. The result is certified accuracy and rapid action cycling.

The M22 is the ideal range pistol. The M22 brings you handling and performance that is closer to the modern defensive handgun than any other rimfire pistol. Designed for inexpensive high velocity 22LR ammunition the accurate rapid fire performance of the M22 offers the shooter an economical shortcut for modern pistol practice.

YOUR M22 PROVIDES

• Easy to load ten-round magazines


• Single action trigger offers precision with every shot


• Accessory rail lets you train with lights and lasers


• High visibility adjustable rear sight.


• Handles like your carry gun.

Austrian manufacturer ISSC Handels Gmbh adds:

Made in Austria and combining advanced technology with foward-looking innovation, ISSC M22 delivers performance at the highest level.

The M22 exceeds all requirements for modern pistols:
- Match bull barrel and match trigger delivers highest accuracy.
- Unmatched safety with 5 different safeties working independent of each other.
- Weaver rail for light and laser systems.
- Precise handling due to perfectly-contoured grip.
- Adjustable rear sight for target shooting.
- Design and manufacturing quality of Austraian-made firearms.

Here's the manufacturer's video, not terribly informative but featuring a good-looking chick shooting the M22 with a catchy upbeat tune playing to the "bang, bang, bang" of .22s popping.


Here's a video review comparing the ISSC M-22 to the Glock 19 9mm Pistol for pistolbuyersguide.com by www.GunWebsites.com:

Big Taco's Sta-Tite Guide-Rod-Assembly stays tight in G20 under fire

My buddy Big Taco at Steyrclub.com has been making stainless-steel black-oxide guiderods with and without captured springs for the Steyr M and MA1 series pistols for quite some time. If you don't know what a Steyr pistol is, I'm not surprised. It's the best kept secret in the industry, that other pistol manufacturer in Austria. When Glock was still a yet-uninvented word in the 14th century, Steyr, Austria already had a worldwide reputation for forging the finest weapons of the day. The company now called Steyr-Mannlicher began making fine firearms in Steyr, Austria in 1864.

But enough history. Back to BT and his guide rods. In addition to Steyr guide rods, now he's expanded his fine work to include guide rods for Glock and S&W M&P and has plans to add other makes as time allows. I just got back from a trip to Pittsburgh and picked up a G20 captured-spring guide-rod assembly from Big Taco. It's his new Sta-Tite 2-Piece assembly and it's prettier than a speckled pup.

The stock G20 plastic rod and spring is at left in the photos and BT's Sta-Tite rod-spring assembly is at right in the first photo, then installed in the second in my G20 slide. Third photo is the rod installed with the slide jacked back.

Shortly after installing BT's rod, I took it out for a function test and his Sta-Tite stayed tight as expected. I've got my G20 loaded up with 17 rds. of Winchester JHPs ready to go to work at the gun shop with my G29 as backup. If I need more firepower than that at the gun shop, it'll be time to call in the Marines.

If you want more info about BT's Guiderods, go to his site. He's even got a video explaining how the Sta-Tite series works. Works for me.

I wonder why more manufacturers don't give you a stainless-steel guide rod instead of plastic? They aren't that expensive and it's one of the best as well as cheapest upgrades you can make for your pistol to improve its reliability and function.

I just bought a .38 Super slide for my EAA Witness-Polymer (fourth and fifth photos) and the Wonder-finish slide came with a stainless-steel barrel and stainless-steel guide rod. I've heard some bad raps about EAA being cheap, but if they can afford to offer stainless rods, why can't every pistol maker?

I got a new Sig P229 SAS Generation 2 just recently with all the bells and whistles: Night Sights, Short Reset Trigger, Sig-Anti-Snag melt treatment on the slide and frame, stainless-steel slide with two-tone frame. But for my nearly $1K pistol, I got a plastic guide rod! What's up widdat?

I'm hoping Big Taco will find the time to add Sig guide rods to his line-up of offerings soon. And I need one for my CZ 75 P-07 too. At least my two M&Ps came with stainless rods, but not captured springs, so I'll be upgrading with BT's Sta-Tite assemblies for those two as well.

BTW, Big Taco's a friend of mine and a shooting buddy, but I paid for my Sta-Tite rod and this is my unpaid endorsement of his fine products. Give his fine work a try and you'll be glad you did.

10mm Pistol's Demise 'Greatly Exaggerated'

In addition to being gun nut in general and a pistol nut in particular, I'm even more peculiar than that. I'm a weird caliber lover. Love .357 Sig. Love .44 Special. Love 9x25mm (DoubleTap only).

Had a brief fling with .38 Super and 9x23mm Winchester, but they didn't work out. Not due to the calibers but because the barrel to convert my Glock 20 was "experiental" and it wouldn't feed properly. I'm still hopeful of a conversion barrel for my G20 that will actually work.

But until then, I am also a certified 10mm nut. First pistol I bought after 9/11 was a S&W 1076, the FBI duty weapon from 1990-95 until the feds wimped out and went with .40 S&W. I traded it straight up for a highly customized G29, the "baby" Glock in 10mm with a 3.76" barrel. Can you say pocket rocket? And of course, I also bought a G20 which is fine full-size 10mm pistol. (See my pair of 10's above, G29 and G20.)

And lo and behold, after being written off as dead, 10mm caliber is making a comeback, almost as if it's quoting Mark Twain, saying "Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

One of my gun-nut buddies says:

10mm is making a little bit of a comeback:

Glock is supposed to release the G20SF and G29SF this month.

Colt is making a new 1911 Delta Elite 10mm that should be out soon.

EAA has a bunch of 10mm options.

The latter refers to European-American Armory, which imports the full line of Italian Tangfolio pistols which are available in compact, full-size and even long slide with scope mounts in 10mm, as well as .38 Super, 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. Swap a slide and you got any caliber you want.

And now in other 10mm comeback news, the daddy rabbit of all the 10mm pistols, the very first one which was almost still-born, the Bren Ten, may be resurrected soon under a new name!

Quote:

Tucson, AZ - Feb 01, 2008 - Vltor Weapon Systems today announced the launch of the Fortis Pistol Project, a modern version of the famous Bren Ten style pistol. Originally released in 1982, the Bren Ten pistol was designed to advance the state of the art in handgun technology. Designed to fill the need for a full size, full power, double action pistol, the Bren Ten created immense interest as a potent choice for law enforcement and military use. Developed as a pistol and cartridge combination, the Bren Ten was the first production pistol to chamber the powerful 10mm Auto cartridge. In its original loading, the 10mm Auto was capable of launching a 170gr buller at 1,300 fps - generating over 600ft/lb of muzzle energy. Unfortunately, the original Bren Ten and its successor fell victim to business management and financial problems - but the demand for a high quality American made, full size, double action pistol has still not been filled. According to Eric Kincel, the General Manager for Vltor, the Bren Ten may have truly been a design that was ahead of its time; "Now is the time to make this pistol. With today's precision manufacturing techniques and the superior materials available, the Fortis will be a pistol line that is everything people hoped previous attempts would be." Eric pointed out that the Fortis is nearly identical to the original Bren Ten in exterior appearance and ergonomics, but that some changes have been made to improve reliability, safety and strength. "The Fortis, while based on a twwnty-five year old idea, is very unique. It offers a high tech, high quality pistol that more than fills the demands for a full size, magnum power auto loader." The first released Fortis will be a "duty gun", a full size, all steel, high capacity 10mm Auto that will reliably answer the call of professionals and sportsmen that rely on a good pistol. However, Eric is quick to point out that the Fortis Project is a line of pistols based on one common design. "There will be other versions of the Fortis...different calibers, sizes and options specific to certain applications." When asked if they intend on releasing a faithful reproduction of the original Bren Ten, Eric's answer was simply "We sure want to". Fortis Pistol Proposed Specifications (subject to change in final production) * Manufacturer - Vltor Weapon Systems * Model - Fortis (original release) * Type - autoloading pistol * Operation - Semi-automatic, Double/single action * Caliber - 10mm Auto (others to follow) * Barrel length - 5.00" * Overall length - 8.75" * Height - 5.75" * Width - 1.30" * Weight - 38 ounces * Safety - reversible thumb and firing pin block * Sight radius - 6.88" * Sights - Adjustable, 3-Dot combat style * Rifling - 5 Groove, radiused, RH twist * Stocks - Engraved polymer panels * Capacity 0 12 rounds * Finish - Black Steel Slide and Subdued Finish Stainless Frame" http://www.vltor.com/ and http://vltor.wordpress.com/

From the most recent entry on the Vltor-Fortis Pistol blog, Dec. 10, 08:

Quote:

Fortis Pistol receivers after undergoing final QC inspection and waiting for the machine operations -- by the time you read this, they will be being made into the last run of pre-production guns, the next round will be for delivery!

Last word is they're shooting for SHOT '09 for the unveiling of the new Fortis/Bren Ten II, which is Jan. 15-18 in Orlando, Fl.

No photos of the complete Fortis pistol on their site except this thumbnail.

Here's what some of the originals look like from Bren-Ten.com, the definitive source:




Sounds like a good plan to me.