Thursday, May 2, 2019

American Arms PX-22

I have mentioned this pistol before.  It is a licensed copy of the Walther PPK that was made in the U.S. some years ago.  It will never be mistaken for a PPK in finish, but it works reliably with high velocity .22LR, and it is so compact and light you could carry in your swimsuit.  (I am assuming that you do not wear Speedos.)  It is not stainless steel so probably not recommended.  Obviously, not your main carry gun, but as a small backup, it is better than relying on a winning smile.

The real PPK locks open on the last shot.  There is no slide stop release.  After you put as new magazine in, you pull back on the slide and release it to load the first round off the new magazine.  This PX-22 has never locked back, ever.  After reviewing discussions in the PPK websites, I looked very carefully; it is clear that while a licensed copy, the PX-22 lacks the lock open of a real PPK.  Oh well, it isn't like you are going to drop the empty, slam, in a fresh magazine and press down on the slide stop release because the PX-22 is a heel magazine release.

6 comments:

  1. I've had a PX22, as well as the slightly larger CX22. My PX was a jamomatic, so it went into the back of the gun vault. Twenty years later (last week), I found the problem: the barrel/ramp juncture had an impeding lip. After polishing the ramp, the little pistol functions quite well. Funny, but my new Ruger LCP 22 is due Monday. So I'll have two guns to enjoy on my range.

    BTW, I count my rounds and switch mags with the last round in the chamber. That is a habit I picked up as a USN Corpsman, with all my time spent with the USMC in the sixties. Thankfully, at my age, my biggest problem is figuring out which gun to buy next. ;)



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  2. I have the American arms px22 fun little gun. Looking for another mag. Will the cx22 and px22 interchange? Or the iver johnson models? Thanks

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    1. I believe the Iver Johnson is essentially identical. Somewhere, I found a replacement magazine for the PX-22. I do not remember where. Try Sarco?

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  3. https://www.google.com/search?q=px-22+magazine&oq=px-22+magazine&aqs=chrome..69i57.6746j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 finds many vendors. The triplek name rings a distant bell.

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    1. Yes https://www.triplek.com/product/american-arms-px-22-lr-7-rd/ is where I bought it, and it works perfectly.

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