P22 or Buckmark?

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aestheticcm1

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Hi Guys, I'm new to the forum and figured I'd consult you members in assisting me with my decision. I know this is a common theme, but I was looking for more recent input on the P22 than I was able to locate through my google searching.

Anyway, I am looking to buy a .22 semi-auto handgun, and after holding many and firing a few, I have narrowed my search down to two guns, the Walther p22 and the Browning Buckmark with a 4 inch barrel. I have handled many Rugers and although I like the way they shoot, I just can't get past their grips, so they are no longer on the table.

The Buckmark: I like everything but the price tag: $440.

The p22: I like this gun alot as well, and the price tag $250 for one that is barely used sits well in my conscience. However, I'm uncertain about both it's reliability and longevity.

This is where I am really in need of help, so here are my questions:

1) Is the Walther really picky with ammo?

2) Do newer p22s have the same problems (feeding & ejection) that earlier production models did?

3) Will I need to meticulously load the magazine, or will quick and dirty suffice?

4) Is the slide still made out of zinc?

Thanks for all your help. My purpose with this pistol is inexpensive pinking, and I have absolutely no interest in match shooting. I am really just looking for a cheap way to work on my handgun skills and accuracy.

Cheers,

Charlie
 
$440 for a Buckmark? You need to keep looking. I got the stainless model with fiber optic sights and rubber finger grips for $289 on sale from a regular $339. I wouldn't get a P22 just because I've shot them and I didn't really care for them. I'd go with Buckmark over a SW22A as well. The 22A felt cheap compared to the Buckmark and for the slightly higher price the Buckmark really stood out with the upgrades. Even if it wasn't on sale I wouldn't have gone with the 22A. When I was looking for a .22lr auto-loader it came down to the Ruger or the Buckmark after trying out all the others in the sub-$350 range including the Beretta, the 22a, the Ruger in both MkIII and 22/45, the P22, and the Mosquito. Obviously the sale price on the model I got made it a no-brainer. But I really did make sure I was getting something I wanted. I don't regret it at all.
 
Buckmark, long good history, or pick up a older one, there is a reason that 60-90 year old .22 go for more than new ones.
 
I'd stay away from the P22. I'll say the same for the Sig equivalent, although if I had to choose between the two, I'd take the Sig. The P22s that I've shot were all pieces of crap. Both mentioned are, from what I've seen, ammo picky and kind of take the economy out of shooting .22. All of the ones that I've shot like the hot expensive stuff in order to run right.

Stick with Ruger, Smith and Browning. They run and shoot like a .22 should. That is all day and on almost anything you care to feed them. I own a bunch of Rugers. I just can't seem to pass them up when I see a used one for sale, especially now since the Mark III came out. I grab the Mark II's when I find them. I don't own any Brownings, but have a friend that is the same way with Brownings as I am with Rugers. Nice shooters. Any .22 will hang up once in a while. It's a matter of whether the gun hangs up so much that it takes the fun out of shooting it. I've seen this a lot out at the range with Walthers.
 
Browning or Ruger for .22LR handguns. The Walther P22 is a piece of garbage.
I have owned all 3....wish I still had the Browning, love my Ruger and feel sorry for whoever bought the P22 from the LGS.
YMMV
 
Most people who own or have shot both will tell you the Buckmark is the much better choice. BTW it ban be had for well under $440 (Bud's). P22 isn't as accurate and seems to be plagued with all manner of mechanical issues.
 
P22 is a fun gun but not a target pistol. If you use higher velocity ammo like CCI mini-mags it runs fine. I keep it to screw around with or introduce new shooters. I like it because its "blasty" for a 22.
 
Put a few hundred rounds through a Buck Mark, then go shoot a P22. You'll probably want to throw the P22 in the trash afterwards. I rented a Mosquito for the hell of it after putting a brick through my Buck Mark, and I wanted to do the same
 
Lots of folks report problems with the P22, but almost no one complains about the Buckmark.

I have had a P22, and got rid of it. I still have my Buckmark. :)
 
I like Walther ergonomics. I've got a P99 that fits my long, skinny fingers very nicely. I've handled some P22s and while the idea and form is there, the thing is tiny (I know, it's a .22, not a .40 :rolleyes:). I wanted one, esp. since a threaded barrel is an option. Couldn't do it. Even though I like the feel of my Walther, I enjoy shooting 1911s much more, and I shoot better with them. The Buckmark grip angle is very similar to that of 1911s. If you're trying to use this .22 for practicing handling and shooting skills, you might want it to be similar to your carry/defense pistol.

I've now got two Buckmarks and don't regret it a bit.

Oh, and google up the "heggis flip" for a nice quick and easy DIY trigger job. And for plinking, the "Ultimate Cliploader" can really help you chew through a brick of cheap bulk ammo in short order.

You can definitely find better prices on Buckmarks.
 
I have:
Walther P 22
Buck Mark -- a clone of Strahley's above.
Ruger Mk III.

I like the P22.
But I like the Buck Mark & the Ruger better.
They're both quality guns made out of steel .... not zinc.
 
Browning over Walther, Ruger over Browning.

Of the two guns listed I would definately pick the Browning over the P22, but you should find one cheaper than $440. I owned a P22 for a couple of months. The trigger was almost as bad as my Keltec. We're talking bad. Both went bye bye. Never owned a Buckmark but the few that I have shot were very nice. I could live with one.

But now Rugers are a different thing. I have a 22/45 tapered barrel, a 22/45 bull with a Pro-point, and a Mark 1 in the box. I kinda like the Rugers.
 
My Buckmark was $270 OTD,very slightly used.

It is reliable, accurate, easy to maintain ( I might get some remarks to the contrary on this one) and just a blast to shoot.

I probably have close to 10K rounds through it, just's shoots & shoots.

Once you put a few hundred rds through one, you won't look back. Excellent handgun
 
What catastrophic problems have you guys had with the P22? I didn't realize so many people hated them...for me it feels great in my hand and I've never had any mechanical problems, am I just lucky?
 
I have both. For nothing but plinking either is perfectly fine. Here are my observations:

P22:
-fits the hand nicely
-not as accurate as the Buckmark, not even close
-Reliable all the time with CCI Mini-Mags; with other ammo it just depends but when I started shooting CCI Mini-Mags it was like magic. Perfectly reliable from that point forward
-Accurate but again, not like the Buckmark
-Fun, lots of fun
-hard to mount a red dot or similar optical; you can buy a bridge mount but it's plastic. Okay for very simple plinking but still it's plastic.
-A bit of a pain to put the recoil spring back in
-can jamb if it's real dirty (but not with CCI-MiniMags :D)
-Fits small childrens hand's very well so it's been the favorite gun for my children
-you can buy a threaded end to screw on the barrel that can be used to screw on a sound suppressor if you ever would want to do that. Can't do that with the buckmark; you'd have to buy a seperate barrel.

Buckmark:
-ACCURATE; very very accurate; good enough to hunt squirrels with and take headshots
-Totally different feel in the hand but nice
-I hate the gold trigger; looks cheap to me :p
-Fine high end qualify firearm
-solid opportunity to mount a red dot; I put a mueller recticle red dot on mine and the accuracy is FUN and more FUN, can definitely appreciate the increased accuracy when just plinking!
-doesn't fit any of my children because it's a much larger grip. In fact it's right at the limit for being too big for me but this isn't a CCW gun so it's fine.



They're very different guns and I like them both but I guess if I could only have one, I'd go for the buckmark due to better quality, more reliable with more types of ammo and far more accurate. But it does depend on how they feel in your hand. My P22 was the limited edition and came with both the short and long barrel. With the long barrel, the bridgemount and the red dot it was pretty accurate and a fun looking gun.

For what you're doing and if you're on a tight budget I wouldn't hesitate to get the P22 and shoot mini-mags through it for utter reliability. But remember, accuracy is fun for plinking too and if you'd ever be tempted to hunt squirrels with it then get the Buckmark!


PS you can get a Buckmark cheaper; I got mine off the internet for right around $300; it had the fiber optic sights I wanted and the newer style grip.
Gideon
 
If it's between these two guns, and part of your criteria is "reliability and longevity", it really is no-contest. The Buckmark is several steps above the P22 in "reliability and longevity", along with just about every other criteria you could come up with. Two entirely different classes of pistols.
 
I have both, actually all of the current "hot" 22 pistols out there. The P22 is a great little pistol and many find it less intimidating than the others. I have not had any experience with failures as soo many have had. My P22 even works with the 45 round drum and it is a short barrel. Having said that the P22 is just that a fun pistol to shoot. If you are wanting to work on pistol "skills" you need to look harder at the Buckmark and find a much better deal. I have many rounds of trouble free operation out of my P22 but I am not under any impression that it will last as long as the other major brands. It is too bad some of the people out there can not just enjoy a firearm for what it is rather than bashing it for what they think it should be.
 
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