[BulletBait]

Don't decide from you tube. Handle both at a gun shop or gun show and decide which feels best to you. Try the Ruger MK III also. A 6" bbl is about best all around length.

 

[12Bravo]

I agree, go handle/hold both pistols. I was looking at both a few years ago and went with the S&W 22A based on how it fit my small hands. The grip angle on the Neos was uncomfortable to me.

 

[Ranger61]

I think you will be able to tell a lot by the way they feel in your hand. I found the very small angled grip of the Neos quite uncomfortable. 5.5" or 6" are good lengths to start with in my opinion.

 

[Texoma417]

Yeah, it's really going to boil down to the grip. While I am no fan of the 2X4 on my 22A I still prefer it over the tinkerbell sized grip on the neos. I'd also give the nod toward the 22A in the trigger pull department but it's kinda splitting hairs, neither has a target grade trigger by any means.

 

[xstuntman]

I prefer the grip on the Neos but I've always thought the front site is just too wide. One of these days I'll mount a red dot so I can forget about it.

My wife shoots very accurately with it so the front site is mostly me I guess.

 

[Mississippi Dave]

The 22A has a very large grip compared to the Neos. The balance of the 4.5" Neos is a little better then the 6". The balance of the 22A 5.5" is pretty good. I believe you really need to hold one of each to decide which one will be better. Neither are competition target pistols but both do better than most plinker pistols. Add some type of optics and it gets better. I do prefer the wood grips on the 22A as well as the larger grip. My wife prefers the Neos and Buckmark.

 

[Bitsman]

About a month ago I was in the same boat.. 22a or Neos... I went with the Neos... thinner grip fit my hand better... sights easier for me to see.. balanced a little better for me then the 22a did...

I don't care for the location of the safety... tends to dig into the web of my hand when engaged... rear sight adjustment screw seemed to be glued in.. could not get it adjusted at all.... Currently it is in for factory service because the trigger would not reset at times.. Of the 500 rounds or so fired it failed to reset 25 or so times.. it would usually fire on the 2nd pull...

Honestly, I am not all that happy.. I know that a lemon will pass thru every now and then.. Looks like I happen to get one... I asked when I dropped it off at the regional service center if this trigger problem was common. I was told its not common but its not really that rare with all Beretta handguns... rimfire or centerfire... I just hope when I get it back the issue is resolved... They are supposed to loosen the sight screw as well...

 

[just call me d]

to bitsman ^
did you post pretty much the exact same review on a different website? lol those are two complaints that i've seen regularly on it.

i am 6'7, long thin fingers, can say i have a lot of "webbing" seperating first finger and thumb, so grip is going to def be a deciding factor, w/o modded grips. went to the range that i go to, they don't have either. guess i'm going to hampton bass pro, tho going to call a few shops around here before then.

 

[timberbeast]

The NEOS is a great gun for those with slightly smaller hands. My 14-year old loves the grip on a used NEOS that I bought and he now claims it as "his."

With Federal Automatch it is a very accurate shooter.

I don't have a 22A, but I think the guns are very comparable in build quality, so I would also recommend that you get an example of both to handle, and if possible, shoot them both at a gunshop with a range before buying. :t

 

[Bitsman]

to bitsman ^
did you post pretty much the exact same review on a different website? lol those are two complaints that i've seen regularly on it.

i am 6'7, long thin fingers, can say i have a lot of "webbing" seperating first finger and thumb, so grip is going to def be a deciding factor, w/o modded grips. went to the range that i go to, they don't have either. guess i'm going to hampton bass pro, tho going to call a few shops around here before then.

I have posted this a few places..

The 22A is on my short list as well.. so at some point I will have both of them...

 

[Mississippi Dave]

The only real other down sides to the 22A are with the rubber grip the magazine ejector button sticks out enough that you might drop the magazine while shooting until you adjust to it. The wood grips are a little larger and then the problem goes away. The other is the there is a buffer pad in the slide of the 22A that wears out with use. The gun normally has extra buffer pads located under the foam in the case. They also don't cost much. They seem to be made of nylon. With both pistols I get good groups with Mini-mags and Federal Auto Match ammo. I get better groups with CCI Standard Velocity ammo. CCI Pistol Match is just a tad better. To notice the cifference between CCI SV and CCI Pistol Match I had to use a rest and optics at 25 yards. They were close even then.

I suggest the Neos for small hands and the 22A for large hands.

The main down side to the Neos is the rear sight screw tends to work loose while shooting. I just put a dot of clear finger nail polish on mine once it was sighted in. The older 6" Neos pistols had a problem with the cross pins for the rail either working loose or breaking. I never noticed this problem on the 4.5" pistol even with a pistol scope rather then a red dot.

 

[nycinwv]

Agree with all about handling both. It was the fit in my hand that led me to the S&W over the Neos, and I've been completely happy with it. I shoot it at least as often as I shoot my Ruger III

 

[aarondhgraham]

They are both good pistols,,,

But the difference in grip size (as already noted by several others in this thread) is radically different.

22A has a very fat grip,,,
NEOS has a very skinny grip,,,
You really need to hold them to make up your mind.

I like and own two NEOS pistols,,,
But like someone else stated, the front sight stinks,,,
I dropped an inexpensive holographic sight on each and they are now great shooters.

Aarond

.

 

[just call me d]

well, found out today that 2 different shops i called have neither in stock, as well as the range/shop i go to. won't make it to hampton this week, hope to next week. i appreciate the details owners have left.

 

[keithj]

depending on your intended use for the pistol ....I would look long and hard at either the Ruger MKIII or the Browning buck mark....Ive owned a 22A...and it was a turd....cheaply made ...Ive shot a neos and didnt care for it either....the ruger MKIII has a whole host of after market parts so you can customize and make the pistol better suited to your needs....the 22a and the neos are well cheap plinkers at best.......

 

[TUlven]

ok im not gonna beat a dead horse ( try both , done with that part) I own a 22a and a mkIII and have shot a NEOS . That being said , I shoot the he double hockey sticks outta my 22a ( local bowling pin league ,local indoor combat league , and general plinking ) its my go to .22 pistol , it fits my hand and as long as i pay attention to it (cleaning and diet) it never lets me down. The mkIII i just dont shoot as well and it doesnt handle as well for me although it is just as reliable although double plus the price. When i shot the NEOS i didnt think i would like it (small grip and heavily raked angle to grip ) but i was pleasantly surprised at the way it handled and shot for me. But the ultimate choice is yours, every pistol is its own animal its gonna have its own set of likes and dislikes (cleanliness and ammo diet among other things ) If you are looking at "tricking" your gun out later there are not a lot of options out there for the 22a other than a very few grips and if you want to mount an optic the ruger mk series has a veritible cornicopia of upgrade options available as for the neos i will plead guilty of being uninformed i dont know whats out there for 'em . Dont know if this will help at all but its all i can offer on the question
Travis

 

[just call me d]

made it to bass pro on friday after work. hellacious traffic, 8 mile back up took over an hour to move those 8 miles. held the neos, thin grip, felt balanced. 22a, felt good, much thicker grip, not awkard feeling as the neos. browning buckmark, felt awesome, and very much like the ruger mkIII. think next time at range i'll rent one of those and see how it feels to shoot. the ruger felt like it was built in the '40s. i know this isnt true, tho the manufacturing has changed much since the original. the browning felt better in hand. the counter help was younger than i, and looked dumber. couldn't offer much details on the 4 of them other than just got in the neos and 22a, hadnt sold any yet. did tell me he personally sold the last walther P22 they had in stock. would have been nice to feel that, oh and the mosquito by sig sauer, they didnt have in stock.

 

[Rucker61]

I like and own two NEOS pistols,,,
But like someone else stated, the front sight stinks,,,
I dropped an inexpensive holographic sight on each and they are now great shooters.

Aarond

.

Same here. Cheap holo sight and the grip fits my wife's hand a lot better than the other .22s we looked at. No shooting problems yet, but we've only put 100-150 rounds through it so far. Dang spring weather.

 

[just call me d]

think i am going to go with buckmark. likely a camper, or contour if $$ is abundant at the time i feel like purchasing. thanks to all for advice and input.