Grand power of Slovakia is not a particularly popular pistol manufacturer in the U.S., but they should be. They make some excellent pistols, including the best full-size .22 I’ve ever shot: the Grand Power K22 X-Trim . . .
The X-Trim’s full-sized polymer frame feels as solid as a duty pistol. If you picked up a K22 you would think it was a full-sized 9mm, aside from the weight. At just 1.6 pounds, it’s NERF or this.
The K22 X-Trim’s low weight is due in part to the skeletonized frame.
The K22’s modest texturing provides adequate grip — and no more. Shooters with small or large hands, and everything in between, can use one of the pistol’s four interchangeable back straps to get the perfect fit. In theory. In practice, they’re as difficult to change as a pro-gun liberal.
The owners’ manual provides no guidance on how to change the back straps. Naturally, I used my fix everything tool, a KA-BAR, to pry the installed back strap off. Final installation of the new back strap required banging the unloaded gun’s frame on the floor. By some miracle I was able to fit the new backstrap without scratch the frame or damaging the back strap.
All of the controls are ambidextrous. TheK22 X-Trim’s magazine release is a bit sticky when pushed from the left side of the pistol. The slide release is long and thin but still easy to use, much like the ones on a modern Walther.
Shooters have two safety options (other than the Four Safety Rules).
The frame-mounted safety that ships with the K22 is elephant’s ear enormous. I frequently found myself accidentally putting the gun on safe. On the positive side, the K22 X-Trim’s XXXX safety makes a great thumb rest, which helps control the already mild recoil. The large safety’s competition friendly, but too large for a range gun.
Paging Goldilocks! Unfortunately the optional safety is too small. It’s easy to miss. With gloves, it’s easier still.
The K22 X-Trim ships with two 10-round magazines. The bullet holders are easy to load and drop free without delay. They’re as wide as 9mm double stack magazines and feel tough enuf, even though they’re plastic.
The K22 X-Trim’s metal-housed fiber optic front sight is right-sized and pops like a tart.
The K22 X-Trim’s rear sight is windage and elevation adjustable. Screwdriver-averse buyers will be glad to know they’re sighted-in at the factory. My example was pretty darn close to zeroed straight out of the box.
The Grand Power K22 trigger’s on level with a mid-level 1911’s. Yes it’s that good.
There’s no grit during the short pull before a dry spaghetti break. The reset is top shelf: very short and easy to ride. In double action mode the K22 X-Trim’s trigger clocks-in at about 12 pounds, and it’s still silkly smooth.
The Grand Power K22 X-Trim is threaded 1/2 X 28, ready to suppress out of the box.
Disassembly is simple. Make sure the K22 is unloaded, pull down the take down lever and lift up on the slide.
The thread protector does not need to be removed to take the slide off, a feature I wish more guns shared.
Finding a reliable .22 semi-auto pistol is something of a challenge. The K22 ate every one of the 500 rounds I fed it, including sub sonic ammo. The magazine locked open on the last round every time. I never cleaned or lubed it.
The Slovakian semi’s accuracy is more than merely adequate. I shot this five-round group off a rest at 17 yards with Cci Mini Mags.
I shot this five round group at 17 yards with a rest, feeding the pistol Aguila subsonics.
The Grand Power K22 X-Trim is an excellent .22 semi-automatic pistol. It’s ideal for Grand Power K100 owners who want to save money on ammo. That said, they’d have to shoot it a lot to make that saving worthwhile; the X-Trim msrp’s at $600.
That’s a good $150 more than the Ruger SR22. Is the K22 X-Trim worth it? If you’re looking for a completely reliable .22 pistol with an excellent out-of-the-box trigger, so you can shoot a lot of rounds and hit where you’re aiming, albeit one with a safety suitable for a VTOL jet, then yes.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Grand Power K22 X-Trim
Caliber: .22 LR
Action: DA/SA
Capacity: 10+1
Barrel Length: 5″
Front Sight: Fiber Optic
Rear Sight: Elliason
Construction: Steel Slide, Steel Frame, Polymer Grip
Safety: Frame Mounted Thumb Safety
Weight: 25.1000
Length: 7.4″
Height: 5.3″
Width: 1.4″
MSRP: $788 (more like $600 on the street)
RATINGS (out of five stars):
Reliability * * * * *
It ran perfectly even dirty and with no lube.
Accuracy * * * *
Zeroed from the factory and very accurate.
Ergonomics * * * *
Three stars is average and the K22 is average for a full sized gun. However the K22 gets a fourth star because its way more comfortable than most other .22s.
Overall * * * *
The Grand Power K22 X-Trim is 100 percent reliable, comfortable and accurate. The CZ Kadet is the only gun that comes close. At $600, the GP’s not cheap but the ammo is, relatively speaking.
“Dry spaghetti break”
An over-long build up of tension, then breaks unexpectedly into more than two parts? 😉
Depends on whether the author gets his spaghetti out of a $.99 cent box, or freshly made.
Just sayin’….
$200 more than I just paid for a Ruger SR22 that eats even mixed matched ammo in the same capacity 10rd magazine but this thing is bigger by 1/3 or more!?! Yeah no but thanks for the review.
Guns don’t actually realize it when you load a magazine with mixed ammo 😉
What’s the point of a massive .22 when it’s still only 10 rounds?
Better control. Additional mass helps steady the gun while aiming. It’s why my Ruger Mk1 Target model is a full pound and change heavier than this piece. Take a look at the guns of Bullseye competitors: that’s why those pistols look so huge.
Still. Massive pistol. Give us more rounds. If the mag is as big as a double stack 9mm they should have been able to get at least 15 .22 LR in there.
.22LR doesn’t feed well in pistol magazines when you stack much more than ten rounds. I have 15-round mags for my Glock conversion and it runs better with ten to twelve loaded. The rimmed cartridges, combined with dull-round-nose projectiles just like to bind. Makers of 10/22 mags above the original 10-round radial design’s capacity make it work by curving the magazine to alter the geometry, as you also see in AR conversion mags where there’s enough room in the mag body front to back to curve the stack.
Aside from the functional necessity, ten round magazines make one production line piece legal in fifty states.
I think I like the open slide Beretta style of the K22s over the x trim’s race gun, Tactical custom look. Other than the slide and sights, is anything like the trigger upgraded on the x trim or anything you would get in the x trim that isn’t in the k22S? I like the S price tag at $375 better too.
I read somewhere the frames were the same as the k100 but looking at the barrel fixed like it is I don’t know that is the case, otherwise the k22 would basically be a .22LR conversion kit. And you could switch to the k100.
“In theory. In practice, they’re as difficult to change as a pro-gun liberal.”
???
I’ve never tried to debate someone who is Pro Gun into changing – be they liberal or otherwise… So I’ve no idea how hard that may be…
🤠
I really hope Grand Power continues to grow in the U.S., I have my eye on the long slide 10mm.
i dont see how this offers anything better than a buckmark or ruger mark series, and they are cheaper.
I own the k22s. One of the finest rimfire handguns on the market and I own a bunch of them. Only issue is that magazines are hard to find and relatively expensive for what amounts to a molded piece of plastic. I’m not even sure the magazines come apart for cleaning.
Uh yeah, I’ll keep my long slide SR22 that I paid $289.00 OTD. It will eat anything I put in it.
How stupid is it that, in this day and age-this day and age!-when I can go buy a 15-shot 45acp 1911 from Remington and most 9mm pistols come with 12-17 rounds, I can’t find a modern looking double-stack metal frame 22 magnum for everyday carry? Who decided that a heavy, large, unconcealable single stack 22 long rifle target pistol was all I wanted? I don’t want some pointlessly expensive memegun like the Five Seven or PMR-30, I want a decently priced hi-cap ranger I can wear home without looking like a wannabe Robocop. Email me when you review THAT.
It’s a target pistol for competition and practice dip shit.
Taurus Tx-22 is your answer
And the grand power is a like a luxury vehicle, amazing trigger, good weight, most accurate .22 I’ve ever owned. Do you want a Rolls royce or a Toyota? You are not comparing apples to apples, more like apples to pineapples!
I realize that this article is over a year old but, “The bullet holders are easy to load and drop free without delay”?
Really? Bullet holders?
Tell me, when have you ever taken an actual hand full of bullets and been able to put them into a magazine and fire them without the rest of the cartridge? I’ll start playing the Jeopardy countdown tune while I wait.
Stop perpetuating stupidity in the gun world. You’re not helping the cause.
Came here to get information on the K22 Xtrim. Instead ended up getting pissed off because you completely left all of your credibility in the dirt with a single statement. At the very least you should have used “ammo holder.”
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