by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Air Venturi ISSC M22 BB pistol.
This report covers:
- Not a Glock!
- Lockable mechanism
- Hammer-drop safety non-functional
- Sights
- Small gun
- Disassembly switches?
- Trainer?
Today we’re starting to look at the ISSC M22 BB pistol from Air Venturi. This is a very Glock-y looking and feeling BB pistol, and it even says “Made in Austria” on the left side of the metal slide, but the name Glock is not on the gun. The pistol box as well as the slide indicates that this pistol is made in Taiwan.
Not a Glock!
The ISSC M22 is a .22 rimfire pistol with an exposed hammer that is uncharacteristic for Glocks. This Air Venturi BB pistol has the exposed hammer as well, and it actually functions to open the valve upon firing. Like ISSC M22 original the trigger incorporates trigger safety, which is a thin center trigger that comes back even with the main trigger, unlocking the trigger mechanism. It feels different to those trying it for the first time. It is the very foundation of their safe operation, for the main trigger cannot be pulled unless the thin central trigger is first pulled back. It gives the user a sense of control over the arm, once its operation becomes familiar.
The exposed hammer tells you that the gun is cocked. The single action pull (with the hammer cocked) is lighter and crisper than the double action pull, but the double action pull is still very light.
Like most modern semiauto pistols, the M22 has a polymer frame. Two decades ago the press called such guns “plastic guns” and rumored they were hard to spot on airport luggage x-ray machnines. But all pistols with synthetic frames has ferrous metal inserts at critical stress points, so they show up on x-rays pretty well. The benefit of the synthetic frame is lighter weight and more reliable functioning, believe it or not!
Lockable mechanism
The BB pistol also has a safety lock on the trigger that allows the trigger to be locked by a special combination tool that comes with the gun. The rimfire version has this as well, though none of the centerfires have it to the best of my knowledge. A parent can lock the gun and render it inoperative this way, though safe storage away from young children is still the best way to ensure safety.
That tiny switch (arrow) is turned to lock the gun’s mechanism.
This combination tool both locks the trigger and pierces the CO2 cartridge. There is also a slotted screwdriver.
Once locked the trigger cannot be pulled. If the gun is uncocked, it cannot be fired and if the hammer is cocked it cannot be lowered. Either way this lock is positive, though it is intended to be used with the hammer down.
Hammer-drop safety non-functional
At the rear of the slide is another safety for lowering the hammer on a cocked gun. It works on the .22 rimfire but is just cast into the slide on this BB pistol.
Drop-free magazine
Like many semiauto BB pistols today, the magazine and CO2 container are in the same drop-free unit. The BB magazine is a single-stack design built into the front of the larger unit. Press in on the mag release on the left side of the frame and the whole thing drops free of the gun. The release button is located where the firing hand can access it.
Magazine drops out of the grip. The BBs go in front in a single stack.
The CO2 cartridge is pierced by turning an Allen screw in the magazine base. The same tool that has the safety key is also for turning the piercing screw. No, it doesn’t store in the grip, so you want to keep it handy whenever you will be shooting the gun.
Sights
The sights are combat type. The rear sight notch adjusts sideways for windage, only. The front sight is fixed. Both front and rear have white inserts for rapid acquisition. The front is a square set into the post while the rear has white lines outlining the notch.
Rear sight adjusts for windage.
Small gun
The M22 is a small gun. If it was a firearm it would be a defense-sized pocket pistol. The barrel is 4 inches long and the whole pistol is just 6.75-inches. It weighs 1.3 lbs., which is pretty light.
Full blowback
The metal slide comes back a long way when the gun fires, which should impart a good impulse to the hand. As light as the gun is, I expect to feel a good flip when it goes off.
Disassembly switches
There are disassembly switches on both side of the frame. They are spring-loaded and I am told they allow disassembly of the pistol. I would just leave it alone, but this is something I will explore further for you.
Trainer?
Many of you have talked about these BB pistols as trainers for the firearms they mimic. In the case of this one, I think that is an appropriate label, because this is one of the most realistic BB pistol lookalikes I have seen in a long time. It will be fun to see what it can do.
Hi BB, I notice that the pistol in the picture has “22 lr” stamped on the side, is the weapon in the pic the CO2 version?
Kevin in CT
Kevin,
Wow! I sure missed that!
No, the gun pictured is the BB pistol. I took that picture myself.
B.B.
Seems like a decent pistol with supposedly 400 fps and blowback. The one stinker is the nonfunctioning hammer drop , that the airsoft version has. one of the big turn offs in air pistols is nonfunctioning molded in parts.
My sentiments exactly!
Why tout it as a trainer and drop a significant amount of the safety training required to operate it’s firearm counterparts?
Wonder why it don’t say Glock???
B.B., I think they are taking authenticity to the extreme. ~ken
This could very well be one of the pistols my buddy stopped by with at the end of last month, if so he wanted $50 but I was broke. It did function well and was fairly accurate for what it was.
Reb,
This BB pistol is launching today. It has never been seen on the market before.
B.B.
Okay I wasn’t sure. But that pistol looked a lot like this one and also had a metal slide and trigger blade safety. A lot of the same features.
Pity nobody has so far made (to my knowledge) a reliable pellet repeater in pistol form with an acceptable trigger.
Siraniko,
The Desert Eagle by Umarex has a pretty good trigger. And it’s accurate!
/product/desert-eagle-co2-pistol?m=804
B.B.
Have you tested it yourself?
Paul seemed to like it and got some decent looking groups, I think he was shooting handsgun style @ 20′. I know my airsoft Desert Eagle felt huge until I lost the grips.
Siranilo,
There briefly, from 200-2001, was the superb Crosman Model CK92 make by Kimar. It had an excellent trigger in both SA and DA. The Daisy Powerline 617X has a decent trigger. In SA the Umarex Desert Eagle has an excellent trigger. The heralded but long gone Crosman 600 had a legendary trigger.
Only two of those are still available, which suggests that many consumers in the market for these does not appreciate a good trigger as much as they should, but the market is the ultimate decider, like it or not.
Michael
I have a couple of the Crosman600s, and I had one resealed and gave it to my son. These should be made again. Nothing has come close to the power and accuracy. One of mine was resealed and fit with a new power valve ,and picked up around 75 fps. A reissue in 22 hitting around 500 fps would sell like crazy. The airgun makers come close but keep missing the bullseye. A 2240 repeater might come close.
Siraniko, B.B. wrote three blogs in a row back in 2006 about the Desert Eagle. I am linking to the third blog because it directly addresses your interests. Just click the back link to get to parts 2 and 1.
/blog/2006/06/desert-eagle-first-impressions-part-3/
You have piqued my interest in this one.
~ken
B.B.,
By my count among BB and pellet pistols, there have been only five Glock-inspired CO2 pistols: the Crosman T4, Daisy 1700, Gamo Auto 45, Umarex SA177, and this Air Venturi ISSC M22. Obviously, Glock has not given permission to use their name or precise design appearance on an airgun.
Why do you suppose that is?
Michael
Michael,
The ISSC M22 is made by another company. It is not a Glock.
Glock has never licensed their brand to airguns. I think they are strictly against it.
B.B.
B.B.,
It just occurred to me that the Glock action and slide are certainly wide enough to accomodate the Umarex non-blowback, 8 shot rotary metal clip system of their 1911A1, CP88, 92fs, and C225. They could even make it blow-back a la their Desert Eagle.
As with a Mac11 and M1 carbine (PERFECT Legends Series additions), I think Umarex is missing a winner in a Glock-like pellet shooter, brand-licensed or not.
Michael
Michael,
Glock is adamantly opposed to licensing their brand.
B.B.
Umarex seem content to play slow ball. A GI grease gun in select fire , and M1 Carbine , A Thompson ,all long overdue. Why there are no other barrel lengths and grip options on the Peacemakers is a mystery ,as is the absence of a cartridge using lever rifle to go with the Peacemakers. The other company that seems to have fizzled out is Webley . Would have thought they would offer a Bulldog version, but nada
Michaelr,
Umarex does have in the Legends Series pipeline a Duke Stagecoach Lever Action based on the Winchester John Wayne used in Stagecoach. It has a golden receiver, large cocking hoop and a cartridge tube slightly shorter than the barrel.
But the mechanism is the same as the Walther Lever Actions, a rotary clip, no shells. I’m not even sure how a CO2 gun could do the loading and ejecting functions of the actual firearm.
Every now and then I’ll read a complaint that no air revolvers have blowback. Just how would one propose to achieve blowback in a CO2 revolver?
Michael
Seems like mechanism could be housed in frame co2 in butt stock cartridges fed from under barrel mag
The Duke version came out last year in Europe, Umarex told me they had no plans to offer it in the USA. They do some strange things. The chrome Python 4 inch barrel version is available in Europe ,has been for over a year, and still no plans to offer it here. Makes no sense. The PPK has been reworked bit instead of a true ppk, it is still a ppk/s with a longer grip than a true ppk/s. They had a nice version of the Browning Hi Power with no blowback ,a no brainer would be a blowback version. With the basic mechanism for a Colt Peacmaker in place ,a front loading pellet version of an 1860 army would make sense, but nada.
Michaelr,
The M3 grease gun doesn’t have a selector. It’s full time full auto. The cyclic rate is low enough that the shooter can control it fort single shots.
B.B.
Could probably adapt the action from Broomhandle 712 to do a select fire version . I would still like aM2 carbine and a Thompson in select fire versions
I just noticed that on the Pyramyd Air’s website the listed velocity for the Air Venturi ISSC M22 is 0 fps. I wonder if that is with lead, steel, or alloy ammo? (LOL)
Michael
Michael,
No doubt the website will be updated. The advertised velocity is 400 f.p.s.
B.B.
That’s pretty hot for a BB pistol. I’ve got a 3/8″ dent on the inside of my back door from when I put my XBG back in it’s stock and had it wrong.
Cool! Another realistic action pistol to add to my wish list!
I do miss the Umarex SA-177. THAT was truly Glock-like!
Chris
Wow! What a mess!
I have a drs appointment today that’s been scheduled for over a month and now they want to reschedule.
At the same time that my normal attendant has the flu and they have another attendant but no idea when she can be here.
I’m ready for a vacation!
For your GERD a simple bed modification might help. Placing a 2×4 at the head of the bed to lift the bed from the floor creating a slight incline sometimes helps patients by letting gravity assist in keeping the acid from going up.
Thanks!
I talked with the doctor again today and he asked me if I’d done that yet and I had to tell him no because I sleep on the couch in case I get a Charlie horse. But I do prop up on pillows.
Not so sure about this one. I like it, but I just hope whoever buys it, treats it with respect. With it saying 22lr right on the slide, it would be very easy to confuse it with the real 22lr. I like the size.
Doc
My thoughts to about confusing it with the firearm version. And the respect part too.
Gunfun, I just don’t someone doing something stupid, then we all (airgun community) have to pay for it with the banning look a like guns (I like the colt SAA) and with more laws/regulations
Doc
You know how that one saying goes.
Stupid is stupid does.
No matter what we think or do there will always be somebody out there that does something stupid and then the good guy has to pay the price.
I know I have seen it before and probably you too. It’s like the machines we have at work. We put safety switches here and there. And change something around to prevent something from happening and before you know it the machine won’t even run anymore from faulting out with all the safety stuff on it.. You can only do so much to fix dumb.
But to be concerned. Well at least that’s a good thing. And you know how that law stuff goes. Believe me they already have a plan as to how they want all this gun control to go. Matter of fact I hear there is some new gun laws that will take affect in July.
And I bet there will be more to come. And you know the media will play a part in it too. Time will tell.
BB.
since you are on the vintage and bb-tour lately. Would it not be a great idea to ask the readers to send pictures of their most faforite vintage airguns?
If it would work, you could post one or two pictures and a few notes (written by the reader) every blog…. sort of a mini-chapter.
I think it would be a great thing to do.
Dutchjozef,
We used to do something like that here. I sport of petered out.
I’ll think about it.
B.B.
B.B.
I like the look of this one. I’m looking forward to reading about the shot accuracy tests.
For the last couple of years, the KWC website has been saying that new semi-auto pistols G17C and G18C are coming soon. Both of them look like unlicensed “Glock-like ” replicas. Is there any word about these pistols ever being released?
Charles,
I haven’t heard anything.
B.B.
Although this is related to a fire arm, I found it interesting from a new to me information piece, and because it is a historical note of interest. ~ken
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2016/02/06/reconsidering-m1-carbine-assault-rifle/
Ken
Thanks for the link. I bookmarked it.
Interesting. I had thought that the main difference between the carbine and a real assault rifle was that the caliber used a pistol sized bullet whereas the other used medium caliber rifle ammo. Medium caliber is defined here as a full size rifle bullet in a shortened case. However, the balistics indicates that the carbine was not far behind the STG44.
Matt61
Matt61,
You are one person I can count on to offer me something I didn’t know about firearms, firearms of the world that is. Always a pleasure.
~ken
In NY an M1 carbine with a bayonet lug is an assault rifle .I ground mine off so now it is no longer an Assault rifle . Everyone is Safer now
Michaelr,
Thank God you don’t live on the Jersey side. Still, I am sure the citizens of NY sleep more soundly.
Don’t believe most of what you hear about Texas. We are marginally civilized.
~ken
Ken,
If I were to choose were to live in de USA I’d choos Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Utah or New Mexico.
Nice gun. It makes me glad to own a member of the Wonder Nines in the CZ75 SP-01. They certainly look cool. I’m trying to decide whether to get the $200 trigger job or not. On the one hand, the trigger is not that bad, just a bit of creep. On the other hand, I want the gun to be at its best. Given that the gun is advertised as a law enforcement and military gun, I wonder if that explains the trigger? I’ve read that the new SW M&P pistols used by police in California have had a higher number of accidental discharges than whatever they replaced. This is due in part to the more sensitive trigger. Maybe CZ did the same thing to avoid liability.
And interesting about the fixed sights. I had thought that adjustable sights would be necessary for any of my guns. However, at my last session, I noticed that unless you use the same ammo, your gun will shoot off target and have to be adjusted every time with considerable expenditure of ammo. It’s almost better to use holdover with fixed sights. Also, the FBI guru comes out in favor of fixed sights because he said that the adjustable sights are too flimsy for combat. So, I believe I will save money and stick with my fixed night sights on the CZ.
Matt61
Matt61
When I shoot open sights on a rifle I use holdover for distance.
I put the front post up higher than the back notch. In other words the front sight looks like a square setting on top of the back sight. And it’s pretty easy to bisect that square to get different holds for different longer distances.
I just mounted a brand new Daisy electronic point sight on the 1077, time to see how close to on it is?..
Gone shootin’
Found out it’s close enough to close the back door get the house warming again and see what it can do by tomorrow morning.
🙂
Gonna have to make a batch of single shot targets to get it any closer.
The instructions fell out of lens shroud when I got it open. They were folded and rolled up inside, ran outta patience waiting for it to press out in my blue book.
Instructions for this sight are to use it with both eyes open which will take some adaptation to do so intuitively.
B.B.,
Sorry to take up your time with this, but I just reread this old report because I bought one of these CO2 ISSC m22s recently. Overall I like it, but when I was done shooting it yesterday and wanted to put it on “Safe” before I put it away, I could not find any Safety other than the little tool-operated one on the trigger. Well, on to the Pyramyd AIR online manual, where I discovered that’s the only Safety there is! Who’s going to bother with that?
I made sure it was empty, put a dry-fired shot into a safe direction and put it away on “Fire.” My wife will not ever touch any gun, even an air gun, and we live alone, no children or even child visitors, but still. Later today I’ll lock it in a metal cabinet where I keep my handful of target air guns.
This is one time (maybe the only time) a lawyer should have been involved in the design!
Michael
Michael,
Thanks for your comment. I guess some guns (like all Glocks) don’t have safetys in the conventional sense.
B.B.