P22 or Buckmark?

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I would pass on a used Walther P22, there may be a reason it was traded. Most people run hot or cold on the P22 anyway. I have a Buckmark love it, even at $440 it is a better deal than the P22, you will be able to hand this down thru generations
 
I was faced with situation last April, and personally, I regret going with P22.

Accuracy, IMO, is deplorable on this gun, even for a plinker. I freely admit I'm not the greatest pistol shot... but 3.5'' groups at 7 yards is about the best I have done with this pistol. At 15 yards, it's all over the place. I'm sure other shooters can do better than me with this pistol, but this thing is a joke compared to other handguns I have shot.

Reliability has been nothing to write home about either. Last time out at the range I experienced multiple FTE's and even had two times where the hammer fell and nothing but silence followed. Mind you, this was WITH CCI Minimags. I stopped buying the cheap stuff after my first Federal bulk pack where the pistol would constantly FTE the first two rounds of every magazine without fail.

Sure the ammo is cheaper but it is really hard to enjoy a gun when you have to tap, rack, bang constantly and can't hit what your aiming at. :(
 
I own both. The P22 runs good, but it's just a plinker. It has a mushy trigger and is just too light to shoot well offhand.
$440 is high for a Buckmark, but you may be looking at one of the high-end models. The basic Buckmark "camper" is about $300, has a bull barrel and is a fine shooter.
 
Its been said before, but I will jump on the pile: the Buck Mark is a classic pistol, and you will not regret buying one. You can find one under $300 if you look. I got mine via Gunbroker for $250, in mint condition a few months ago.

If budget is an issue, the S&W 22a is actually considered a bit of a "sleeper" pistol. Generally everyone who has one loves it, provided you can get past its, ahem, "unique" looks. I see them for barely over $200.
 
No contest. Buckmark. The "Camper" is ~$300.

If you bought both today, I can guarantee you that in 20 years you'll still have and be loving the Buckmark.
 
I bought a Buckmark about 5 years ago, paid around $200 for it NIB, its still running good. I had it out last week, ran about 200 thru it, cleaned it up and its still like new, if you take care of them! I'm like shipwreck, not Bill Hickock, but it shoots like no other .22 pistol I've ever had, had 3 before this one. JMO:cool:
 
^ Make that 3 of us. Got it new for under $300 about a year and a half ago. Absolutely no complaints - and my wife (that had never shot a gun before) actually enjoyed shooting it as well. She didn't do half bad either...
 
based on all the positive I read on the buckmark, I bought one. haven't shot it much as I lent it to my cousin, who because of some "accidental mistreatment" is now paying off a new gun for me, and the buckmark is now his. before that he owned a p22 which he loved and sold. why he sold it? i have no idea because he is always talking about how great it was;reliable, accurate, no ftf's. But that's what he does, he is always cycling through guns he loves for one reason or another, I think its stupid, he always regrets it. He says he doesn't like the buckmark as much. not as accurate and once in a great while he has a miss feed. I personally didn't see any problem with accuracy, nor did I have any miss feeds. I didn't like the action much though, its stiff, and if your not careful it will bite your thumb. But my replacement gun is a used colt 22 target that's been on layaway for a couple months..
 
I have a Walther P22 - actually it is my wife's handgun, but I get to shoot it now and then.

In answer to your questions:

1) Is the Walther really picky with ammo?
=> Yes - you need to use quality ammo

2) Do newer p22s have the same problems (feeding & ejection) that earlier production models did?
=> Don't know - my P22 is 8 year old and we've fired over 10k rounds in it. It is not a target gun, but good enough for plinking

3) Will I need to meticulously load the magazine, or will quick and dirty suffice?
=> Don't understand your question. We just load and shoot.

4) Is the slide still made out of zinc?
=> Don't know, don't care

If you are looking for accuracy, go for the Buckmark. The P22 has a changeable back straps that means that the gun can fit both my hand and my wife's (smaller) hand.

We would not swap our P22 - it is fun to shoot and meets our need. It really comes down to what you want and expect from the gun. For fun, both will do. For accuracy, the Buckmark. If more than one person will shoot it, maybe the P22
 
Don't get me wrong I like my P22 but I have owned both and would drop the P22 like a hot potato in favor of the Buck Mark. Which Buck Mark did you find? The camper model with the 5.5 inch barrel MSRP is 349. We all know you can do better than that...
 
Thanks for all the great feedback and especially the posts from people who own both guns. You guys addressed my questions head on. Yes, I am looking at a slightly higher end model of the buckmark: wooden grips, a slab side barrel, nice finish. I know I can save a hundred or so with the camper model, but I really like the feel of this particular gun.

Thanks again for these replies, I'll stick with the buckmark decision.

Cheers,

Charlie
 
As KodiakBear said, definitely look into the Heggis Flip. I'll confess it took me longer than ten minutes, but it was WELL worth the relatively little effort it did take me. You can also use that work to stone any nasty little burrs/machine marks on your hammer and sear (be careful though :uhoh:).

If the model you get doesn't have an overtravel screw, that's also a nice and easy add-on. I've got extras of them and will give you two if you want a couple (one to lose and one to install :p) (shoot me a PM if'n ya want). I can also send a drill bit and tap as well if you'll pinky swear to send 'em back.

There's a "sticky" over on rimfirecentral under the Browning section that is a must read for anyone new to Buckmarks. Tons of info in there.
 
Definitely the Buckmark. The trigger is amazing on it is supremely accurate. The P22 has been known to be ammo picky but the buckmark will eat the cheap stuff.
 
Just my $.02:

I've had a P22 since Feb, probably put around 3000 rounds through the thing, with no adverse wear. I dosen't handle the cheap bulk stuff real well, but I've found that it works well with Thunderbolts, CCI stuff, and the occasional "American Eagle" ammo.

Its also a very good first time gun for me being that it looks and operates like many of the other semi-automatics out there. Great for teaching new people how to shoot.
 
My purpose with this pistol is inexpensive pinking. I am really just looking for a cheap way to work on my handgun skills and accuracy.
Click to expand...

Which is it? Inexpensive plinking, or a cheap way to work on (improve?) your handgun skills?

When you plink, misses don't matter much, as long as they were somewhat close to hitting the target. Action type doesn't matter, either. One of the most durable, reliable and versatile is the Ruger Single Six.......a great choice for inexpensive plinking.....but it is a single action and it's pretty accurate.

But when you want to improve your handgun skills, then the understudy gun selection becomes more important. This is presuming you have a centerfire gun you're wanting to transfer your highly honed .22w pistol skills to.

If so, what is your centerfire gun?

If it's a Glock, then the P-22 is not a good choice. This is due to the DA trigger and grip angle. Reconsider one of the Ruger .22's, as the grip angle is closer to the Glock.

If your centerfire is a 1911, then the Buckmark deserves a good, long look, as does the Ruger 22/45.

If your primary is a DA revolver, then you need a .22 DA revolver. S&W would be first choice.

If you do not currently own a centerfire handgun, then what kind will you buy? If you know, then get the .22 that best matches your future centerfire.

If your current centerfire is a semi-auto, consider getting a .22 conversion kit for it.

I own both the P-22 and Buckmark. I've had more trouble with failures to fire with the Buckmark. I can't recall any issues with my P-22. Mine is pretty accurate, too.
 
I have owned both, the p22 I had was trash. The Buckmark is hand downs fantastic, and considering that you can get either one for around the same price, the Buckmark would be the winner. It seems like 22 auto loader pistols in general are somewhat picky with ammo. I have shot gophers off my porch with a Buckmark, I couldnt ever possibly do this with a p22. Accuracy and quality go to the Buckmark, the P22 is cool looking, that's about it.
 
Over a 10 year period of ownership the cost of buying a known excellent gun vs one with a long history of reported failings amounts to only $20 a year if the difference is $200.

On the other hand buying a gun with a poor review history will be doubly expensive if/when you find that the rumours are true and want to sell it. Then you'll be lucky to get back 60 cents on the dollar and you then STILL need to buy a reliable gun to shoot.

Having shot a couple of Buckmarks and a P22 at the rental range where I help out during busy times I can say that you'd be wise going for the Buckmark over the Walther. I've also shot in .22 competition against a Buckmark owner. When we swapped guns for some post match shooting I realized that I was at a severe disadvantage due to his having a Buckmark. Yes, they ARE that good. It's all for fun so I sure don't plan on selling my old but superbly reliable S&W422 but if I were looking for the best gun to use that did not have the Luger like grip angle of the Rugers then it would be a Buckmark. They are hands down a winner.

Just be a little patient and shop for a good online mail order deal or for a low time used one to help hold the cost down.
 
I have a P22 and have never had a single problem with it. Now, I must admit that I have been shooting only MiniMags thru the thing or some Winchester High Velocity stuff I found at Bass Pro. But, I clean it after ever-other range session and it just runs without a problem. I do have two daughters who shoot with me and it's their favorite gun. Someday when they're adults, maybe we'll trade it in for a Ruger 22/45 or a Buckmark but for now it's fine. Really depends what you want to do with it. mine by the way is the 5" barreled version and I've had targets that resemble the one that another member posted earlier in this thread.
 
Buckmark!.Mine has a 4" barrel and next to my Beretta 92FS it is my favorite weapon.What's not to like...built like a '57 Buick,perfect balance and deadly accurate....she's a keeper!:cool:
 
I've got both, a 30 year old Buckmark, and a 6 moth old P22.

I bought the P22 because I like the look and feel of it, but as a shooter it leaves quite a bit to be desired.

I'm not the best marksman, but at 10 yards my Buckmark groups around 2", no strays, just a nice group, the P22, even on a rest will do about 6-7 shots in a 3.5-4" group and 2-3 strays.

I have this bulk ammo made in the Philippines,I bought about 30 years ago, it's standard velocity designed for target shooting (40 grains, solid point). I've shot about 10,000 rounds of it and it's great stuff. Never had any misfires, maybe 5-6 that did not feed properly, but 99.99% of it has been perfect.

The Buckmark loves this stuff. The P22 works well with it too. On the other hand I used some CCI, Federal and Winchester in both, and the P22 only likes the Winchester, it really hates the Federal, and the CCI fails to extract properly about 20% of the time.

The BUckmark seems to be a bit more random (groups are spread out more and I get the occasional stray with the Federal, but it's OK with the Winchester. Still the Old ammo is the best I've had, unfortunately I'm running out of it and can't find anymore like it.

But back to the original Question. If you want a suer reliable, accurate pistol, the Buckmark hands down. The P22 is only for the gee-wiz, ain't it cute factor.
 
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