While it wasn’t long ago that Smith & Wesson released its Performance Center iteration of the M&P in 10mm, they are back, yet again, with another pistol in the popular M&P line. While most companies pack it in during the summer, focusing on building up inventory for the demanding holiday season, this year is a bit different, a plethora of companies are continually introducing new products. Manufacturers are trying to buck the common summer slow-down by spreading out new releases over the whole year, in attempt to keep excitement levels up. While the Performance Center 10mm may have produced a slight simmer, Smith’s latest offering will surely heat things up.

The all-new Smith & Wesson M&P 22 magnum packs a wallop with features and elevates the popular rimfire round. The overall size and appearance resemble that of the M&P 5.7. Its grip is a bit deep, but somewhat thin like the 5.7, and of course, has M&P’s standard stippling all over. Next, the 22 Magnum has a magazine capacity of 30 rounds, which puts it in direct competition with the Kel-Tec PMR 30. Moreover, Smith decided to modernize the popular rimfire with the addition of fiberoptic sights, pic rail, and an optics cut. To help with reliability, Smith has added a new barrel system called TEMPO. Here, a front gas port keeps everything locked up until the bullet exits the barrel. This gives the shooter a more consistent, reliable, and accurate platform. Creating a reliable rimfire is no easy task, so the hope is that Smith’s latest innovation offers sustained reliability over a wide range of ammunition types. Only time will tell on that front. Other features include an ambidextrous slide stop and manual thumb safety, reversible magazine release, flat face trigger, and a Picatinny-style rail for light and laser accessories. Smith claims that the optic mounting system is universal to the most popular options, however it’s speculatory if that’s achieved via mounting plates or direct mounting the optic.

Of course, the obvious question is, who is this pistol for? I think Smith is bringing something to market that isn’t necessarily unique, with the PMR-30 being the direct comparison. But I think “it” does better than other options on the market. I also think Smith’s new pistol goes beyond a casual plinker. It offers potential as a trainer or competition gun in rimfire action competitions. Also, it could be used as a defensive arm. 22 Magnum has some serious options in the defensive ammunition category, namely the Hornady Critical Defense and Speer Gold Dot. Outfitted with a light and optic of choice, the M&P 22 Magnum with 30 rounds of ammunition on standby is a real threat. This would work well in the hands of recoil sensitive shooters or those that suffer from dexterity issues without hands on the gun, but it’s hard to say how stiff the recoil spring is, I imagine it won’t take too much force to overcome.

In conclusion, Smith is bringing a hot item to market. Unlike some recent items released, I think it will be a struggle for Smith to keep up with demand. MSRP will hover around $649.99, but mainline dealers should have it set at $599.99. This should hit shelves in the coming weeks.