Morini CM22M

[Rick]

Does anyone have any experience with the Morini CM22M pistol? I was thinking of purchasing one and would like to know the pros and cons, if any, of this pistol. I am curious about the feeding system and its reliability(it seems "similar" to a High Standard [ie: no feed ramp]) as well as the trigger, balance, bore line, etc. I currently shoot a Walther GSP-Expert (22/32 conversion). any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

Rick

[deleted1]

There are two breeds of CM22M's---the ones that work flawlessly and the ones that rarely work flawlessly. IMHO it's a crap shoot, mine worked flawlessly out of the box---still don't remember why I sold it, unless it was when I had 208s fever.

[Tycho]

Extremely nose heavy, reliability either 0% or 100%, lousy trigger (wrong angle to start with, mounted too low, insufficient adjustability lengthwise, huge problems in the first series with lateral tolerances), great rear sight, IMHO unsuitable grip - middle finger too low, very shallow angle mandatory if you want to stay near the barrel axis - and insufficient balancing options, even on the alu version. Completely unsuited to RF, may work for standard pistol if you happen to like shallow grip angles, can pull 5kg with your trigger finger and are the owner of an underarm like Ralf Schumann's. Other than that, I'd check out other pistols first. It's been on the market for so many years now with limited success, I wouldn't be surprised if CM was forced to do an update sometime. On the other hand, their AP and FP designs are so old, they could have other prioritites right now...

[joe1347]

Extremely nose heavy, reliability either 0% or 100%, lousy trigger (wrong angle to start with, mounted too low, insufficient adjustability lengthwise, huge problems in the first series with lateral tolerances), great rear sight, IMHO unsuitable grip - middle finger too low, very shallow angle mandatory if you want to stay near the barrel axis - and insufficient balancing options, even on the alu version. Completely unsuited to RF, may work for standard pistol if you happen to like shallow grip angles, can pull 5kg with your trigger finger and are the owner of an underarm like Ralf Schumann's. Other than that, I'd check out other pistols first. It's been on the market for so many years now with limited success, I wouldn't be surprised if CM was forced to do an update sometime. On the other hand, their AP and FP designs are so old, they could have other prioritites right now...

Regarding your opinions on the Morini CM22 - an appropriate American joke would be “Apart from that Mrs Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?”

In the same price range, what would you recommend as an alternative to the Morini? I'm guessing a Pardini SP?

[Richard H]

Extremely nose heavy, reliability either 0% or 100%, lousy trigger (wrong angle to start with, mounted too low, insufficient adjustability lengthwise, huge problems in the first series with lateral tolerances), great rear sight, IMHO unsuitable grip - middle finger too low, very shallow angle mandatory if you want to stay near the barrel axis - and insufficient balancing options, even on the alu version. Completely unsuited to RF, may work for standard pistol if you happen to like shallow grip angles, can pull 5kg with your trigger finger and are the owner of an underarm like Ralf Schumann's. Other than that, I'd check out other pistols first. It's been on the market for so many years now with limited success, I wouldn't be surprised if CM was forced to do an update sometime. On the other hand, their AP and FP designs are so old, they could have other prioritites right now...

Tycho just a question what pistol do you actually like, I'm sure its a smaller list than those that you seem to dislike?

[Tycho]

Hm, that's a bit hard... it's more that not all of them are suitable for everything (SP, ST or RF), and some of them have - IMHO, of course - serious problems. A up-to-date FAS 60x could be one of the best pistols around, the MG2 is pretty good - if it happens to work, FWB went a good way, even if I would have taken an earlier Khaidurov design to copy; the last series 280 was an excellent .32 and a usable .22 (if the grip angle is right for you, and if not, take the Benelli) and I respect Pardini for the work they did on a basically pretty mediocre design (check out those Pardini-Fiocchi's from the 80s) - it's a good pistol nowadays, except for the e-trigger. So, the list is longer than you think...

[PaulT]

The default CM22 grip shipped is very dropped wrist, if you like that fine, otherwise, the is less dropped wrist option available, would suggest checking out before purchase. They have two frames as well, steel and aluminium, the steel frame is not liked by the ladies.
Two parameters to consider before making selection?

[Ernie Rodriguez]

If you do a search on this forum about the CM22-you will find more opinions on this pistol.Ernie.

[Fred Mannis]

I respect Pardini for the work they did on a basically pretty mediocre design (check out those Pardini-Fiocchi's from the 80s) -

Of course there is always the exception to the rule. My Pardini-Fiocchi SPE, which I purchased used in 1988, continues to function reliably and allows me to score in the mid 90's (%). I realize that someday it will stop and I will have to buy an SP New, but in the meantime it is a wonderful pistol.
Fred

[Fortitudo Dei]

I know a number of people who recently got together and imported about six CM22's from Morini via a friendly dealer (and got a bulk-order discount in the process). They all work very well and it seems that current production is fine in terms of reliability with the feeding / extraction problems associated with some earlier CM22's appearing to have been ironed out.
After hearing all the stories about how front-heavy the CM22 was supposed to be, I was expecting it to be an unpleasant lump. However on spending time with one I didn't find it unpleasant at all and really enjoyed shooting it.

[Foarmer CM22 owner]

After hearing all the stories about how front-heavy the CM22 was supposed to be ... I didn't find it unpleasant at all

There are two models of the CM22, an all-steel version and an alu-version.
If you did not find the gun overly front heavy, is assume you were handling the alu-top version...:-)

[Fortitudo Dei]

There are two models of the CM22, an all-steel version and an alu-version. If you did not find the gun overly front heavy, is assume you were handling the alu-top version...:-)

Nope - steel (and I normally shoot an AW93). I also note that that the original inquirer is currently shooting a GSP Expert which makes me think he wouldn't be particularly bothered by the weight bias of a CM22. The grip angle is however quite different from a GSP so that could be a more important factor in determining whether the pistol is suitable for the shooter.