I am looking for a .22 pistol to have some cheap fun with. I have had my eye on the Walter P22 for a while and I think I am finally going to pick one up. As my first .22 pistol, what does everyone think about this gun?
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New gun purchase soon, Walther P22, your opinions please?
- Thread starter ItalianBostonian
- Start date
I handled a P22 yesterday at NSF. Nice little gun. While I've never fired one, I am sure they are fun. If you search you will find some people have had issues with jamming and such. But, I have a feeling it's because it's an ammo issue. Overall, I did like the way it felt in my hand and the trigger seems decent also. I probably will buy one since I am shooting more .22 these days.
At the moment I have a Sig Mosquito on order. I have fired that gun and think that its a nice shooter. I like the grip and ergonomics of it too, not to mention the looks. The reason I went for the Sig is that I am partial to that brand. I'll be sure to report how it shoots once it comes in.
At the moment I have a Sig Mosquito on order. I have fired that gun and think that its a nice shooter. I like the grip and ergonomics of it too, not to mention the looks. The reason I went for the Sig is that I am partial to that brand. I'll be sure to report how it shoots once it comes in.
I have one. It's picky with ammo (mine only likes CCI Mini Mags) and it's not nearly as accurate as most of my other .22 autos. It is small though.
How much was it at NSF?
I have one and also have found it to be real picky of ammo. Mine will run with other ammo but very inconsistently, Mini Mags are the only round I've found that mine likes. My wife loves to shoot the P22 because of the small size and light weight of the gun.
A fellow that I know has one. It has been very unreliable for him.
I'd go with a Ruger MK II or MK III instead, or a used Browning Buckmark. They're more reliable and more accurate in my experience than the P22. YMMV.
I'd go with a Ruger MK II or MK III instead, or a used Browning Buckmark. They're more reliable and more accurate in my experience than the P22. YMMV.
When I was shopping for my .22 I handled the P22 and didn't care for how it felt in my hand. I have longer finger and it just felt too small. I ended up with the Sig Mosquito and really enjoy it. It does have some feeding issues but I did buy it used and have a new one on order since my bf wants one also. I think the first thing anyone should do when looking to buy a gun is go handle it. You can read all the reviews in the world but if it doesn't feel right in your hand then why waste your time.
I like mine! I didnt want a target style gun like the rugers or buckmarks I just wanted a gun that was fun to shoot and the p22 certainly fits the bill.
Heres the thread with my "review" if your interested: http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=51828&highlight=p22
Heres the thread with my "review" if your interested: http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=51828&highlight=p22
Everyone I know who has had one found it to be a jam O matic. Wouldn't take it if you gave it to me. [sad2]
Well it seems there are mixed reviews on this gun. I think I am going to take the plunge and pick one up. It feels good in my hand and seems like a cool little gun. Hey, if I have probelms with it I will bring it back and have them fix it or get me a new one. Thanks for all the info and thanks for that review that one of you posted.
i actually took mine out back about an hour ago and put 100 mini-mags through it. Damn its fun to shoot!
Well aren't you lucky! ![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
I wish I could do that, the police would get called so fast, ha-ha.
I wish I could do that, the police would get called so fast, ha-ha.Sleater385
NES Member
I actually bought mine off of a member here, Mathetes.
It has run through all ammo I have put through it, I think I have only had 5 jams in 1200+ rounds. Great little pistol and everyone loves shooting it at the range.
It has run through all ammo I have put through it, I think I have only had 5 jams in 1200+ rounds. Great little pistol and everyone loves shooting it at the range.
LTCRN
NES Member
I have one, I think it is junk. It has jammed multiple times with cheaper ammo, the front site fell off during a fast 10 shot, and is difficult to put back together after cleaning. I too didn't like the look of a target gun but now wish I chose a higher quality .22 handgun. I am looking at buying a .22 rifle instead
I bought one today, shot about 20 rds through it with no problem. It is a bi*ch to put back together!!! I think I got the hang of it though. So far I like it, feels great in my hand, no recoil at all, well compared to my .40 haha.
Sleater385
NES Member
Did you get it with the 5 inch barrel?
I got the shorter barrel of the 2, I forget how long it is.
I have one. Nice little gun but has it's issues. It does seem to jam on the ejecting shell once or twice a firing session.
It's not hard to strip and clean, it's not as easy as my M&P but still not bad. My 12 year old son loves it and it fits his hands perfect. I would recommend it for a fun gun thats cheap to shoot.
It's not hard to strip and clean, it's not as easy as my M&P but still not bad. My 12 year old son loves it and it fits his hands perfect. I would recommend it for a fun gun thats cheap to shoot.
I have a new P22 and love it. I love everything about it. The thing eats any kind of ammo as well. I have used CCI mini mags, Winchester wildcats and Federal bulk ammo and it all works with no issues.
Field stripping the pistol can be strange and challening at first, but once you do it a few times, its a breeze putting it back together. I think you made a smart purchase, especially with ammo prices so high for other calibers....you will surely be shooting your P22 more often.
I have a glock 23 .40 cal and can't really afford to shoot it anymore, especially with two little kids, mortgage, dog, etc....
The .22 satisfies my shooting craving and I have a blast with it at the same time.
Field stripping the pistol can be strange and challening at first, but once you do it a few times, its a breeze putting it back together. I think you made a smart purchase, especially with ammo prices so high for other calibers....you will surely be shooting your P22 more often.
I have a glock 23 .40 cal and can't really afford to shoot it anymore, especially with two little kids, mortgage, dog, etc....
The .22 satisfies my shooting craving and I have a blast with it at the same time.
Yea the reason I bought it was because it will be cheap to shoot and hopefully fun also. I am also taking a lot of new shooters to the range for their 1st time and would like to start them off with something small. The ones I have taken started out with my .40 and have done very well though.
In case anyone is still looking, Four seasons just posted today that they have 20 walther P22s that just came in $320
They are all finicky. Each one is different too. Mine luckily does well with Win Wildcat .22 HV. I've put god knows how many through it. I have both the 3 inch and the 5 inch barrel.
5 inch is much more accurate, but the 3 inch is easily carryable. I believe this is going to be the boat gun.
One thing I've noticed is the slide where the slide release is. It seems that when the slide locks it is wearing out the notch on the slide. I believe eventually the slide lock will not engage. However, I bought it when the price was really low on these and I've run tons of ammo through it. Of course when it stops working correctly I'll try to get it repaired but if not, oh well.
I prefer my MKII at the range though.
5 inch is much more accurate, but the 3 inch is easily carryable. I believe this is going to be the boat gun.
One thing I've noticed is the slide where the slide release is. It seems that when the slide locks it is wearing out the notch on the slide. I believe eventually the slide lock will not engage. However, I bought it when the price was really low on these and I've run tons of ammo through it. Of course when it stops working correctly I'll try to get it repaired but if not, oh well.
I prefer my MKII at the range though.
The 5" is a pain in the ass, don't bother. All you really get out of it is a better sight radius.
DO NOT shoot rem thunderbolt through these guns. You WILL clog up the barrel with lead. (I think the rifling is sharp or something, all I know is they
collect soft lead easily).
Stick to high velocity stuff like Rem Golden Bullet or some other HV ammo that has punt. The gun should be run wet.
As the others stated, you might get one that's problematic. All I can say is it is a good thing that S+W has good factory service. On my friend's P22 we managed to get the slide to break in half after about 22,000 rounds or so. (We were burning up a brick or more per range trip, back in the days when golden bullet was like $8.50 for 550 rounds. )
Also, before each range session, ensure the barrel nut is tight. Otherwise your gun will start giving you a shotgun pattern. It tends to work its way
loose after awhile, so just snug it up before you start shooting and you'll be fine.
P22s are nice when they work, but frankly I'd pick up a decent used SW22A and you'll be swearing a lot less at it. They can often be had on the
cheap. (I think I paid like $175 for mine. ) The SW22A will eat a wider variety of ammo, too.
-Mike
DO NOT shoot rem thunderbolt through these guns. You WILL clog up the barrel with lead. (I think the rifling is sharp or something, all I know is they
collect soft lead easily).
Stick to high velocity stuff like Rem Golden Bullet or some other HV ammo that has punt. The gun should be run wet.
As the others stated, you might get one that's problematic. All I can say is it is a good thing that S+W has good factory service. On my friend's P22 we managed to get the slide to break in half after about 22,000 rounds or so. (We were burning up a brick or more per range trip, back in the days when golden bullet was like $8.50 for 550 rounds. )
Also, before each range session, ensure the barrel nut is tight. Otherwise your gun will start giving you a shotgun pattern. It tends to work its way
loose after awhile, so just snug it up before you start shooting and you'll be fine.
P22s are nice when they work, but frankly I'd pick up a decent used SW22A and you'll be swearing a lot less at it. They can often be had on the
cheap. (I think I paid like $175 for mine. ) The SW22A will eat a wider variety of ammo, too.
-Mike
seanc
NES Member
I have one. my GF likes it. My impression is that it is kind of neat, small and pretty fun to shoot. But, depending on what you are looking to do with it may be a fit or not. It is a plinker type gun. It is NOT a target gun (IMO). If your intention is to do any sort of serious paper punching there are better choices out there.
![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
I got one of these for my wife to practice with, and she loves it. After breaking it in with Federal HV something or other, we switched to the Federal bricks that Wal*Mart sells. With the gun lubed with (what I would consider) a generous application of oil, it runs great with the cheap ammo. I ran it pretty dry (same way I run the Sig all the time... Never had a failure of any kind with it) and after the first couple hundred rounds it was ejecting with barely enough force to clear my body. Took a couple off the brim of my hat, in fact, and every fifth round or so was a FTE.
I'll second the barrel nut, as well, for safety's sake. Mine worked itself loose a few times during breakin, but doesn't do so any more. I could see that being a safety risk for your health and that of the P22.
![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
YMMV.
