[scurtis_34471]

After looking at .22 plinkers for several weeks, I finally decided on the Walther P22 with compensated barrel. I like the ergonomics of the P22 and I like the extra weight and barrel length of the target version. Everything I've read about it here makes me confident I made a good choice. I can't pick it up until Thursday, due to the waiting period, but I will give a range report after I go shooting next weekend. The waiting really is the hardest part.

[tsalaf666]

congrats man.

[loki.fish]

Congrats. You should be pretty happy with it. I got one myself in the beginning of September and it does everything I expected it to when I bought it.

[marriedguy1]

I thought that the barrel was not actually compensated, but only looked like a compensated barrel. No matter, I have a short barrell P22 and love it. It only likes certain ammo so try different brands before you buy too much of one type.

[scurtis_34471]

The dealer told me it was compensated. Personally, I don't really care if it is. I don't think porting the barrel on a .22 would make much difference. I mostly bought it because I thought the extra barrel length and having a little more weight at the end of the barrel were worth the extra $75. The extra weight alone should help with the negligable muzzle flip from a .22.

Do you have any ammo suggestions?

[real_name]

CCI MiniMag.

Or any CCI .22lr.

Never had a problem with this ammo, have had and heard of massive problems with any of the cheaper ammo.
The P22 was made for CCI in my opinion.

[marriedguy1]

CCI mini mags and CCI Stingers. I like Stingers, because they make a little flame out the end of my short barrel...On other boards I could not write that last phrase and feel safe from ridicule.:D

[loki.fish]

The only thing I've shot out of mine was Federal Platinums from Rural King. No problems yet.

Edit: Another reason I picked the P22 is because of the already threaded barrel. It seemed to be top choice of suppressed .22 pistols. Researching suppressors for it right now.

[scurtis_34471]

Is CCI Standard Velocity any good? I can get 5000 rounds of that for $271 including shipping.

[another person]

I consider myself to be an "expert" with the P22 only because ive done a lot of tweaks to make it fully reliable.

Some problems with the gun include the stove bolt which works itself loose and the safety which floats back and forth sometimes from safety to fire. The stove bolt can be fixed by using thread lock and tightening it hard which will eliminate most failure to feeds. The safety is another issue. You may need to file down the tabs on the inside of the safety to be able to tighten it up good so it doesnt float. I have a link to a site somewhere which has tutorials which will fix any problem you may have if you need it.

Im not trying to scare you, the P22 is awesome, and you may not even need to do any of these fixes.

My P22 likes Remington Thunderbolts the best. Also, the barrel is not compensated, it is just a weight.

[kart racer]

AP is right,the stove bolt and the barrel nut will cause the majority of problems-just make sure they stay tight.
Mine also likes cci stuff.It shoots thunderbolts,but the lead build up is ridiculous.

[10-Ring]

Congrats! I'm always happy when a firearm gets adopted into a nice home :D

[wally]

My P22 is not particular about any of the cheap ammo -- Winchester Wildcat, Remington Thunderbolt and Golden Bullet, Federal Champion. Recent lots of Federal Champion have had a fairly high rate of the slide not moving far enough back to pick up the next round, accuracy seems fine, no ejection/extraction issues. Don't know what has changed. It could be the bullets are "binding" in the magazine, I'll try cleaning them if other ammo brands start doing it.

-wally.

[Stinkyshoe]

What kind of accuracy are you guys able to get out of your p22s? After 15 yards I am able to get 'Minute of rabbits head'. I would imagine that having a trigger job done would help out a lot. Have you guys had any trigger work done?

[lawyerboyleslie]

Guys, I have the p22 as well, bought it when it first came out, in 5inch barrel. The "compesator" constantly came loose at the range after about 5 -6 magazines worth of ammo. No amount of tightening of the allen screws would keep it on.

My dad had the exact same problem with his, so I know it wasn't just my gun. Both of us switched to the 3.5 inch barrel. Just keep an eye out for that issue at the range.

[Catbird]

I really do like my P22 with 3.5" barrel - it's one of the most fun guns to shoot in my handgun inventory. While it's certainly no tackdriver, it has been 100% reliable with all the different ammo types/brands I've tried.

In fact, I'm supposed to buy my second P22 tomorrow from a local private party. This one has both the 3.5" and the 5" barrels included - I thought it was a fairly good deal at $230 for all (and no tax).

[scurtis_34471]

I ended up getting the 3.5 inch. The dealer simply changed the numbers on the paperwork and let me have a 3.5 when I told him I decided I didn't want the target version. I may buy a 5" barrel later, but I'm happy for now. I'm hoping to go shoot it on Sunday.

[Sheldon]

My neighbor got one and that sucker sure is light!! He shot the bulk Federals from Walmart with no trouble, but the Thunderbolts started to keyhole on him. I was spotting for him and had him stop and looked down the barrel and it was leaded up really bad. I wonder if it'll stop doing that as the barrel breaks in?? In the meantime he gave me the rest of them Thunderbolts.:)

[doncameron]

some locktite on the screws on the compensator and it will keep it in place.
My P22 loves Federal bulk copperplated hollowpoints from wallyworld!
15 yards....4" rapidfire
15 yards....2 1/2" slowfire.

not a tack driver at all, just fun to shoot

[scurtis_34471]

I can't wait to get to the range. I wasn't looking for a tack driver when I bought this gun, so I'm sure I won't be disappointed. What I wanted was something I could use to improve my overall shooting proficiency. If I can get 4" groups in rapid fire at 15 yards, I'll be more than happy.

[atblis]

I'd be careful with the Thunderbolts. THey started keyholing in my Kadet because of severe leading. You might want to take a look down the bore.

[brett30030]

I just bought one today. i also picked up some cci bulk ammo. I guess i will keep my fingers crossed. If anyone can recommend a website that has any details for the p22 i would be much obliged.

[Sheldon]

Here's a few interesting threads off the rimfirecentral.com board.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152384&highlight=p+22+part

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152391&highlight=p+22+part

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152397&highlight=p+22+part

[sd]

I had more fun with my P22 than any other gun in long time until it started stove-pipeing and the pin around the safety kept "walking" out. I got frustrated with it and sold it. Now I want one again. Does anyone know if walther/sw made any improvements or upgrades, should I look for a certain serial # series. Really hate to get burned twice but it was fun when it worked.

[scurtis_34471]

I finally got my new toy to the range and put 200 rounds of CCI Stingers through it. It was flawless from shot 1, which is more than I can say for my other gun. The fun is completely reliable and a lot of fun to shoot. I did not play around with changing out the front sight yet, because the range I was shooting at was not really condusive to that kind of thing. My largish groupings were much more due to my lack of practice than to the gun. I am VERY happy with my purchase.

My Bersa Thunder .380 Concealed Carry failed to feed twice today and I had to drop the magazine to clear the jam. Not cool. When this happened the first time I took it out, I attributed it to my wife limp-wristing it. It happened to me twice today and limp wrists had nothing to do with it. The gun only has a total of 200 rounds through it now, so it may not be totally broken in. I'm also shooting cheapo Mag Tech ammo. The dozen rounds or so of Corbon +P JHP were flawless. I need to shoot this gun a lot more before I decide whether or not I can trust my life to it. I also hate the low-profile sites. There are things I really like about this gun, but I have a feeling I'm going to end up selling it in the long run.

[Catbird]

The choice is yours to make, however the popular opinion is that CCI Stingers are overly abusive in the Walther P22. As you are probably aware, the P22 has a zinc slide which is not a particularly tough material.

I have two Walther P22s that run 100%; they are super fun to shoot. I've decided to shoot only copper-washed, standard velocity ammunition in mine because I want them to last a long time.

Winchester Super X is my favorite Walther P22 ammo.

[scurtis_34471]

:eek: That's new information. A couple other people on this forum suggested Stingers or Mini-Mags as the best ammo for this gun, claiming that standard velocity ammo does not always cycle the slide. Now I'm REALLY confused. :what:

[real_name]

I recommended CCI MiniMags, not sure about Stingers, never used them.
MiniMags have provided me with a few thousand flawless shots in my P22. Everyone I know uses them.

[Catbird]

Let me again say that the choice in P22 ammo is yours. According to some owners who shoot thousands of rounds thru theirs, CCI Minimags seem to be okay as well as almost any non-hypervelocity ammo.

I have a good supply of CCI Stingers and like to shoot them in my other .22lr guns, but not my P22s.

Also, I might add that many P22 shooters report frequent problems with lead buildup when using Remington Thunderbolts.

Another word of caution with the P22:
It is best to use the "slingshot" method for chambering a round when applicable -- frequently using the slide lock lever will hasten wear on the slide's notch due to the softer zinc material.

YMMV.

[The Good]

a few p22 questions as i am considering the purchase.

I don't understand a few things
can the p22 target's extended barrel be removed to convert it to the shorter barrel one, or does a new barrel need to be purchased?
are the barrels threaded?
WHat type of safety does it use?
how similar is the trigger to the p99 trigger and how similar is the distance from back of grip to trigger to p99.(sorry that one is kinda complex).
is cci blazer ammo nice and clean:) ?
is there a decock function on there?

sorry, but i honestly have looked around and cant get answers. thanks!

[Catbird]

can the p22 target's extended barrel be removed to convert it to the shorter barrel one, or does a new barrel need to be purchased?
You must have 2 barrels.

WHat type of safety does it use?
is there a decock function on there?
The P22 uses a hammer block safety. When you snick the safety ON, it prevents the hammer from striking the firing pin. The recommended decocking procedure is to put the safety ON and pull the trigger. Furthermore, the P22 has a magazine safety which is 'supposed' (I have not tried to defeat it) to prevent the gun from firing unless a magazine is firmly seated in place.

[scurtis_34471]

Stingers may be too hot (I'll try Mini-Mags next time), but they sure shoot clean. I put 200 of them through my P22 yesterday. When I field stripped the gun to clean it, I could hardly tell it had been fired. In contrast, I put 100 Magtech FMJs through my Bersa .380 and it was filthy.