Pietta PPS50

MadMarty

MadMarty

CGN Regular
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Location
MedHat, Alberta
So I just recently acquired a used Pietta PPS-50 from a great nutter here (thanks Dmitri!).
While waiting for it in the mail, I read that it should be fed 1300fps or faster .22 pills.
So I took some time to source a few different brands of .22LR. Unfortunately being from Medicine Hat, there's only Walmart, Canadian Tire and the Outdoorsman. All of which leave a lot to be desired - variety wise.
Similarly online was of little use as any CCI I was hoping to buy n try, was non existent.

So flash forward to the day(today) I got to take it out to the farm and hope she ran on what I fed her!

Tonight was a nice night.... cold, speedy north winds driving little shards of ice in my face - boy I was alive!!!!

I tested all ammo with the 30rnd mag. 20 per mag. Shooting 10 slow, and 10 rapido...

First up was American Eagle 38g "High Velocity" Copper Plated HP
- What do ya know!? She ate all 20 like a champ!!

I figured she must have been hungry from the long drive from out East.

Second up was American Eagle 40g
"High Velocity" Solid Lead Round Nose
- Hmmmm.... She ate that like nobody's business....

Third up was Federal "Champion" 36g Copper Plated HP
- Definitely interesting!! Magazine was empty before I realized it!!

Now I'm thinking HEY..... Something weird is going on here.... Never have I had any .22 Semi work flawlessly for 60 rounds straight! I'm not lucky enough!
I didn't notice any flashes of light in the blizzardy sky that heralded aliens nor did I recently wake up naked in a tent in the middle of nowhere with no memory of the night before, so maybe it really is my time for a working semi .22!

All right, let's give her something that will always function 100% to not function.... Winchester!

Out comes some Winchester junk I have.... Yes I hate Winchester ammo. My story, my opinions ;)

Fourth up was Winchester 555, 36g Plated HP
- Now I'm getting somewhere!!!!!......... Dang.... It all functioned flawlessly..... :0

At this point my demeanor resembles Jack Nicholson from.. well... most of his movies. My fragile psyche is starting to unravel just a little bit! I quickly toss down a few Winchester .22 to the ground to make it seem like there were some "issues".
Seeing those unfired Winnie's on the ground help bandage my mind, so I steel my thoughts and get ready for the next go.

Fifth up was Winchester 333 36g Copper Plated HP. Didn't realize it was the same as the 555 pack :)
- By now she's gotta be getting full! But she's all over this like Operah on a Baked Ham!!

Sixth and final up was Winchester Xpert HV 36g Lead HP
- Now we are up to the last of my choices! Guess what? It went BANG! Then.... Nothing.....
Wait, what?
Pull the mag, pull back the bolt, there's a loaded round in the chamber. Hmmmm.... Okay.
Re chamber it, pull trigger, BANG.
Pop the mag back in, chamber, trigger, BANG, trigger..... trigger.... Why is this trigger not pulling back?
Pull the mag, open bolt, unfired round in chamber again. Re chamber that round, trigger, BANG!
Odd.....
So I load 6 of the federal LRN in and rapid fire those bad boys off no problem, the seventh round is the Winnie, goes BANG, then the trigger won't pull. Rinse and repeat the earlier scenario, it works!
My thoughts are that maybe this Winnie Xpert HV doesn't blow the bolt back enough or fully causing cocking issues, but enough to re chamber.

By now I'm looking like Madonna in my wifebeater (not really), in the cold, with a fully functional semi in my hands wishing I had purchased one of these earlier!!


I found this rifle short, for my lanky 6'4" frame, but it is not uncomfortable to hold. And this particular rifle worked with the small myriad of .22lr I had. Which is usually all that's really available around these parts. Beats my 10/22, 597, and unknown old Anschutz semi's out of the water.

I did not test accuracy, but with the red dot mounted, I had no issues striking a 8" rock in nearly the same spot approx. 100 yards away.
Nor did I test this ammo through my chronograph as I forgot it.

Re-cap.
Used Pietta PPS-50, red dot, 30rnd mag.
20 shots of each ammo type, 10 shot slow 1/sec and 10 rapid (fast as possible).
No rocks were harmed in the making of this long winded mini review of the pps50/ammo test.
All proper procedure followed while handling ammunition and firearm.

Thanks for your time :)
 
For sure! I'm hoping to add to this review within the next month or two using other types of ammo ie CCI, Remington.
I'm also hoping to do one on a used SR 22 coming in this week from another Nutter here
 
MadMarty said:
... with a fully functional semi in my hands..
Click to expand...
lol.. sorry had to :)

Awaiting one from Frontier as soon as the next shipment comes in. This has given me confidence in my choice being a good one! First .22 for me and first Pietta.

Did you get the 50 round drum as part of your purchase?
 
iamrone, funny!
I did not get a 50round drum with it, but would like to pick one up at some point! I have heard that they do cause issues, but is watched a YouTube vid on a possible fix.
 
Just a quick update, that Winchester Xpert HV lead ammo that wouldn't work reliably in my pps50 does work flawlessly in my ruger sr22. Just to keep that in mind!
 
I'm impressed and surprised. I'm glad its working for you. I loved the look of the gun so much that I bought one when they first came out. Mine would jam every 3rd shot. Didn't matter what ammo you used. I was so disappointed, I really liked it but just couldn't get it to run properly. The store took it back , and I bought a Mossberg 702 Plinkster "that I didn't like" and of course it worked flawlessly,..go figure.
 
I foolishly sold mine a while back.It ate any .22 and was very accurate out to 50m with the factory sights.BTW if you can still find the 50rnd steel drum mag,there's a vid out there showing a different way to load it, to help reduce jamming...
 
MadMarty said:
Lone Ranger, sorry to hear the PPS50 didn't workout for you! Total bummer!

How do you like the Mossberg - aside from the fact that it works :)
Click to expand...

It still runs 100%. poor gun,..it seldom gets cleaned, it gets banged around in the truck...and shoots any ammo and is just as accurate as my 10/22. I bought the 25 round mag for plinky and it hated it. Note to self "25 round plinkster mags don't work. Its a cheap light weight gun that keeps going and going.................
 
Ah, so you got the one with the red dot. I got the other one that was on EE, no optics but has 50 rd drum and wildcat stock.

The wildcat stock looks better than it is. If someone is buying new, get the wood stock. The wildcat is too high and gets in the way, the only way to use the iron sights is to keep your head behind the stock. Awkward. A red-dot that sits higher up might improve things.

I too went to Wally Word (sold out) and crappy tire looking for speedy ammo. My bolt-action cooey likes subsonic / standard velocity cci and not much else. I got 500 Remington Thunderbolt and 500 Winchester Dynapoint both 40gr. It's what crappy tire had. I was hoping for a wider variety so I could see what it likes. Haven't had time to get to the range yet.
 
^ I did! I was looking at that one with the wildcat stock. I agree on going with a wood stock if buying new. I have no major complaints with this synthetic stock, but wood does look better!
 
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