I just found this recently published patent application from Smith & Wesson. It shows a polymer-frame, hammer-fired, rimfire pistol with a floating barrel insert. Picture an elongated version of the Carbine Williams floating chamber used in the Colt Service Ace. Better yet, just look at the following drawings:
There is a lot of interesting stuff on the market right now in terms of .22 LR and .22 Mag auto pistols.
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You need a locked breech for a .22 Mag pistol, which increases complexity and cost
And there simply isn’t a lot of demand for them, partly because ammo is nearly as expensive as centerfire ammo.
Which is a “Chicken and Egg” situation, prices are higher than LR partially due to shorter production runs.
Setting up and tearing down a line is a significant cost, spreading the cost over 500K rounds VS 10 MM rounds makes a difference.
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