Walther P22 or Sig Mosquito?

[bmars]

I posted this initially in the General Handgun forum, but now realize it might fit better on this forum. Sorry for the double post.

After some advice in another thread, I took my wife today to check out a few handguns at a local store with a fairly wide selection. She settled on the Walther P22. Was easy enough for her to rack and seemed to fit her hand well. Finger got to the trigger with no problem, etc.

They did not have a Sig Mosquito to handle. In looking at both online, they seem to fit roughly the same market niche. We were looking at the P22 with 5" barrel. The Sig Sporter has a 5" barrel as well.

I know very little about Walthers. I have always understood Sigs to be extremely fine firearms, although this Mosquito is obviously in a price point that is lower than Sig's other offerings. The Walther is about $50 more than the Sig. Which would you prefer and why, please? Obviously, it will be my wife's choice. On one hand, I'm sorta trying to determine whether or not I need to drive across town next weekend to another store so she can get the feel of the Sig. If the Walther is a real fan favorite, and worth the extra $50, then I won't waste our time. Also, just out of curiosity, I'm wondering about how the two compare. Thanks.

 

[atblis]

Neither. Both are very similar in the manner in which they are crappy.

Plastic and Pot Metal construction. Long history of reliability, durability, and performance issues.

The Mosquito shares absolutely nothing with the center fire models that SIG made their name on.
The Walter shares absolutely nothing with the center fire models that Walther made their name on. In fact, the P22 is made by Umarex, and is arguably not really a Walther.

Their are plenty of 22 pistols that are absolutely superior. In no particular order
CZ Kadet
Ruger MK II/III (MKIIs are better IMO)
Browning Buckmark
S&W 41
etc.

The Ruger MK II is kinda the standard. They're cheap, and extremely durable.

 

[Craig M. Arnold]

Exactly what atblis said.

If you are going to get a 22lr pistol, Browning and Ruger are hard to beat for the money.

Best regards.

 

[rcellis]

I've had both - sold the Mosquito. Very picky on the brand of ammo it will reliably cycle.

The P22 has stood up very well - after all the 22 LR is not a particularly heavy round - so why insist on a heavy frame? The P22 is a good, accurate pistol which handles a wide variety of ammunition.

As to the Browning - a nice gun, but a bit of a pain to clean properly. (You see, there's a little spring, and a buffer, and a tiny screw, and..) That one got sold too.

The Ruger is a fine gun. I like Rugers quite a bit; it seems to have been over-engineered to handle the 22. On the Ruger (or the Browning for that matter) if the price is right and you're willing to learn a very specific tear-down procedure for each, then go for it.

 

[benzuncle]

As atblis said, there are plenty of other models of 22lr that have a better reputation than the 2 firearms you are interested in. As for the Sig Mosquito: the "Long history of reliability, durability, and performance issues" are just that - History. I bought a new Mosquito about a month ago after going to a number of sites such as this one, even the Sig forum, and reading all I could about the firearm. What you will find by reading about the Mosquito is that there were indeed problems, problems that have largely been eliminated. About the only complaint left is the "it won't shoot the real cheap 22lr ammo" thing. I've fired almost 850 rounds through it in the last 4 weeks with zero problems, aside from the firearm shooting high until I changed the front sight with one of the other 2 included in the box. I've shot CCI Mini-Mags and Remington Gold Bullet Bulk ammo (This is a 525 bulk pack for sale at Bass Pro Shops for $15.99.) through it with 2 FTF's that fired using the double action trigger on the "retry". I have purposely left it uncleaned before going back to the range after firing 325 rounds through it. I wanted to see the worst side of the Mosquito. The next trip to the range, I fired another 250+ rounds with no problems. Having had 3 Ruger revolvers, I know the quality of their firearms. And the Ruger 22's are pretty much legendary. I chose the Mosquito and have no regrets. The mag release, the slide release and the decocker are in the same position as my Sig P220 Compact. My Mosquito came with 2 mags and a Sig Arms "Swiss-style" knife, 2 springs for different ammo, and 3 front sights so you can switch them out for shooting different distances. I paid $290 out the door with no regrets. Oh, yeah, it breaks down real easy, just like my P220 Compact. Judge the other 22lr firearms by the Rugers; buy the one you want. Good luck to you.