Your opinion on the Walther P22

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machinists_mate78

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Hello THR, this is my first post, but I've been browsing your site for quite some time. I am thinking of getting a Walther P22 for plinking. I was wondering what your views on this handgun are and what is the best ammo to use with it.
 
I got one 10 years ago when they first came out, and I can say it's a fun little plinkin' .22. Mine is unreliable with just about everything except CCI Mini-Mags, which is all I use anyway. With the Mini-Mags I report no problems at all. It has acceptable accuracy and is a fun, inexpensive alternative to a centerfire pistol. Had a Sig Mosquito, sold it because I didn't like as good as I do my Walther P22. Get one and have fun!
 
Same here. I had a couple of failure to feed issues and found out that the early mags had some problems. I called Walther customer service, they asked me to check the part number of the mags. If it didn't have an "A" suffix they would replace it...and they did. Haven't had a problem since. Like dullh above I shoot a fast round, CCI Stingers in my case. It's a fun, fairly accurate little gun and it sits very well in my hand. This reminds me that I need to take it out again....haven't shot it much since I got my new CZ.
 
My wife has one and loves it, shoots well with CCI round nose minimags, fun little gun, she even carries it sometimes and got it in pink.
 
I like my P-22 a lot but I would not vouch for it above the 5K mark due to too many stories of cracked frames on the web.
 
Like previous posters, especially in this day and age of ammo shortfalls, it is hard to beat a P22. I am still healing though after burning my inner arm from two nasty case ejections....straight over the top vice outboard....a generous helping of Hoppes #9 with a toothbrush should take care of it!
 
I have shot mine around 2K now without more than a few misfeeds. Always run CCI mini-mags and the cycle great. Not as accurate as my Buckmark but a great little gun for the money.
 
Contrary to some reports of it being picky with ammo, I've never run anything but cheap Remington Thunderbolts thru mine, and still never had an issue. :) Fun gun.
 
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Mine is great, handles all ammo except cci Blazer, other than that, no FTF.

I had to chuckle at the pink one, but... what ever works I say.

Regards,
Mike
 
You'll do well to run a search here. The topic has been covered numerous times in the past couple of months alone, with all sorts of folks weighing in. Some folks love the gun and think it's the best little .22 on the market; others don't like it so much and think that it's picky about all sorts of issues, not just the ammo to run through it. Everyone who is thinking about buying one should visit the Rimfire Central Forum and check out the P22 Bible there. It's an eyeopener and should be SOP before you plnk down your cash.

Good luck.
 
I enjoy shooting my Walther P22 but I have never considered it a personal defense weapon. Mine is fun to shoot and has never had a malfunction with any type of ammo including Remington and Federal bulk packs. The P22 does definetly feel like a toy in my gorilla hands and I am sure it has defensive capabilities but not for me.
 
I got the limited edition kit that came with both barrels and a nice hard case. I just bought mine on a whim.

The Good:
-fits small hands wonderfully
-100% reliable with CCI mini-mags; I tried everything else and was surprised that what I'd read was true; switched to mini mags and it's perfect and I mean perfect, with anything else you can expect some FTE or FTF
-Good training pistol for children; put in some bulk pack ammot and it's GOOD for training on jams etc. I have an 8 year old girl who loves the gun and can handle it well
-add a threaded adapter and buy a .22 surpresser (1/32) and you're in busieness for some cheap surpressed fun. Then get a Ruger 10/22, buy a threaded barrel and share the suppressor!
-buy the scope bridge and mount a red dot and it's definitely more accurate and looks pretty cool too
-with the cost of ammo today, I alwasy take this with me plus the gun I'm taking for serious work
-it's very inexpensive

The Bad
-Not accurage enough for squirrels
-Sights are not really rugged but adequate for a plinker
-can be unreliable with the various bulk pack
-can be too small in the grip for large hands


I still think a Browning Buck Mark or Ruger .22 semi-auto is the standard by which all other's are judged but they Walther P22 is a surefire good time plinker WITH THE RIGHT AMMO and I think young boys especially love the combat look.

Gideon
 
Got mine, a green one, for $200.00 a few years ago on an estate deal. It was new in the box and the box had never even been opened. Since that time I've used it to teach my wife and three of my exchange students to shoot. It's been fed a steady diet of Remington bulk pack ammo with a few FTF's that I believe are all ammo related. I get no more FTF's with the Walther than I do with my Remington rifle and for training purposes the occasional malfunction is a good thing anyway. I've used it on raccoon, ground squirrel, rabbit, feral cats and opposum none of which ever complained. I really want a S&W K-frame revolver in .22 LR but, until I get one, the little P-22 will take care of my needs. It's a great little gun and will probably outlast me. Don't know why people fuss about them.
 
Very fun, somewhat fragile. The front sight and takedown tab both snapped on my friend's P22 when he dropped it in the dirt at the range.

His was completely reliable with everything we put through it. 2008 model IIRC.

Probably the most fun 22 I've tried.
 
A friend just bought on a couple weeks ago Before first box fired front sight fell off This and other stories + I have seen a couple returned to my dealer with problems Tells me to stay a way.
 
My father has one. Has worked perfectly with good ammo. Bad ammo fed and ejected fine, but did not fire. Not a problem with the weapon.

The only downside is that it seems the rail is proprietary; you must purchase the Walther laser for it. That also means your Walther laser will not work on anything else.
 
Nice, light gun to take out hiking and camping.

Mine shoots CCI Blazers and Mini-Mags without a hiccup.

Any other ammo and it's like a big city at rush-hour...
 
I shot a suppressed one without hearing protection at the indoor range at Impact once, and it was a lot of fun. I'm not in a position to comment on its long-term durability.

It's not something I have a desire to buy, mostly because I stay away from compact guns in general.
 
I have two I got used. The better Remington bulk pack work well.
Federal bulk pack did not. My shorter barreled one will out shoot my Ruger Mark III,

On my longer barreled one, the sights are not adjustable enough to compensate how far it shoots off from point of aim.

I like the shorter one and can fix the longer one.


Tinker2
 
Go rent one at your local range. Push plenty of ammo through it, and see what you think. All we have to give you are our opinions, and on the P22, they are all over the board. My advice would be to NEVER buy a handgun without shooting it first.
 
I had one for several years. It was a fun gun and mine was fairly reliable with anything I put through it. But it was not accurate at all and the sites were flimsy and broke. If they put sturdier sites on it and it shot better (could have just been mine) I would buy another.
I ended up selling it and getting a Ruger which I like much better.
 
I got mine used. I've shot about 2k rounds through it. It only gets the cheapest bulk pack ammo (Remington or Federal). It has been very reliable and is very accurate. The only problem I have is the safety detent is somewhat light; the weight of a suppressor changes the recoil dynamics and causes it to drop onto safe on occasion while firing.
 
Mine was the worst gun I ever bought, by far.

I had every failure I can think of with it, with every ammo I used. I finally sold it for about a $170 loss and I feel bad about selling such a piece of crap to anyone for any amount.

Even when it did function 'semi' reliably (first 500-1000 rounds) it still put hot brass down my shirt after it pinged off my forehead.

Obliviously I wouldn't recommend buying one.
 
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