Walther P22 Opinions?

[Fred S]

Looked at A Walther P22 today. First time I took a good look at one. The thing felt like it was molded to my hand. Almost walked home with it but decided to ask what people think. I don't have 22lr semi so....

What do the TFLers think of this pistol?

The price in the shop for the Matt Black version is $259, what do you think about that?

[Handy]

It is a cheaply made gun that would sell for $99.95 if the name "Walther" wasn't injection molded in it's side.

[Marko Kloos]

It's a nice little gun. The slide is sintered metal with a steel breechface insert, but the .22LR does not exactly generate immense pressure.

The P22's cute factor is just off the charts. One thing I appreciate about it is the fact that it's a miniaturized "real" gun, not a target gun. It lets you practice on the cheap.

Mine's an OD green frame model. I think they're swell little pinkers for the money.

[kalibear45]

Got one before they decided to ban them here in Kalifornia. I have the 5" barrel version with the barrel stabilizer thingy. Nice little plinker, kinda picky on ammo (you have to use the high velocity brands for it to feed properly). I had trouble with the disassembly lever on the frame coming loose and disassembling the slide as I was shooting it! Sent it back to Smith and got it back quickly with a new frame. Haven't really seen a lot of range time with it as I have more fun shooting my 22/45.

BTW, thats an awesome pic Markos

[trebuchet]

I am no expert, but I have put 1000 + rnds through mine with the 5"bbl on it(I have the 2 bbl kit) with zero problems. I like it ALOT. and to boot, my 9 year old daughter's hand fits it perfectly! ( about time to get her to the range!!)

[burrhead]

I've shot exactly one. It is cute and a nice size but has too many "safeties" and the double action pull is so heavy as to be useless. The slide mounted safety doesn't decock the weapon. Ammo picky. Admittedly this is only one example but I was very unimpressed. I'd have to agree with Handy.

[PromptCritical]

I love my little "Assault Weapon." Now I just need a suppressor...

[Mac Attack]

I like my Walther P22 just fine. Especially with my Gemtech Outback. Great little .22 that feels like it was made to fit my hand. :D I really wanted a OD green frame but all they had was the Black and Grey. I ended up picking up a green frame and just have to figure out how to trade them out. Take notice of the big ++P++ rounds in the background. ;)

Mac

[9x19]

I have the 3.4” barrel version and have been utterly pleased with its performance and accuracy. I bought it used, so can't say how many rounds have been thru it, but the (Wal-Mart) Federal bulk-packs run just fine in it.

It's a good plinker, and informal target gun, and I liked the first one so much that I bought a second. The first, lately loaded with CCI Velocitor ammo, accompanies me while mowing my place, and this pistol/ammo combo has dispatched a skunk that thought it could take up residence in my tractor shed, and has quite a few turtles and two snakes to its credit as well.

Good little guns, IMO.

[s002cjs]

Just took mine out for the first time last night. Brand new, I put 100 mini mags and a few Velocitors through it with no problems. I've heard after more breakin, it will feed normal velocity ammo better, but just before leaving I tried a few rounds of some old Federal and the first one failed to eject.

Soooo, I'll stick with the high velocity stuff for a while longer (which the manual recommends anyway), but overall, I had a great time with it! It's a fun plinker, nice and compact, and lightweight. I know I've got less than 200 rounds through it, but I haven't seen any of the problems I've heard of with some older ones, so hopefully they've worked out the bugs and gotten quality control up on them.

[Mac Attack]

I haven't had a problem with any type of ammo other than CB's which wouldn't cycle the slide. I shoot my P22 with and without my suppressor and found that subsonic rounds, high velocity rounds and standard velocity rounds all function 100% of the time. Out of the several thousands of rounds I have fired I have yet to have a FTF other than CB's which are know to have that problem.

Mac

[Fred S]

Thanks to all who have posted. I've put one on hold at Cabela's. They $239.99 there and I have gift certificates!

[goodshot]

I bought a used 3 1/2" barreled p22 for $200. I love the way it fits my hand. But finding cheap ammo that would function reliably was a job. I finally found that Winchester bulk ammo (500 for $8.97) at Wallyworld has enough energy to cycle the slide reliably. I didn't want to have to shoot the expensive, high veleocity ammo like stingers for fun. We generally go out and shoot a few hundred rounds through it in an outing, so the cheaper ammo makes it a little more fun. I think it's a great, fun pistol. It won't shoot as accuratly as my rugers, but I didn't expect it to. It shoots pretty good though. I can roll a can with it !

[Handy]

While I already made my opinion known, I'm just going to rant a little.

This pistol is made of almost 100% plastic and MIM. It is sold as a companion to the P99, but shares almost no functional features with the larger gun. The features it does have are primitive, like the non-decocking slide safety and the heavy DA trigger. It is a recognized quality brand, but was introduced with magazines that needed to be recalled and is still well known to be a finicky feeder. In other words, it is about as cheaply constructed and untested as a gun could possibly be and still function.


If we, as consumers, continue to accept junk like this as a replacement for accurate, reliable products of reasonable materials, this will be the only kind of gun you will be able to buy anymore. The P22 is little different than a Lorcin, but people are buying them as if they're getting something that is the equivalent of a Ruger, Browning or S&W .22s that sell for the same price. Those companies are going to get a clue shortly and discontinue their good products so they can sell you all more junk built like toys.


So if you care about being able to continue buy quality, please send a message and leave these kind of overpriced cap gun on the dealer's shelves.

[Handy]

Some other opinions:

http://sigforum.com/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&...935&m=17510211

[Gazpacho]

:barf: POS!

< < Rant Mode = ON > >

While I haven't been blessed with a great number of POS weapons, the Walther P22 is at the VERY top of my list. Problems:

1) P22 couldn't decide what ammo it would shoot reliably. Nothing worked better than 80%
2) Neither magazine would reliable feed the second round from the top.
3) Manual safety broke. P22 would switch from FIRE to SAFE in the course of shooting one loaded magazine.
4) Stupid wench it came with for swapping barrels bent the first time I used it.
5) Front site broke off within the first 200 rounds. I never touched it, I swear.
6) Reassembly was a PITA. Yeah I know about the reassembly tool. Well you shouldn't need a TOOL to put it back together, after field stripping it.

< < Rant Mode = OFF > >

Good Points:

1) Cute
2) Fit my hand well
3) Extremely accurate for what it is. I could shoot 3" off hand, 5rds@25yds. I've never done that with another handgun.

[Mac Attack]

Gazpancho,
I am curious, was your P22 one of the first one's made available to the public? I know the first models had feeding and reliability issues. Those issues have been corrected and the new models, like the one I own, are very reliable. I have been extremely satisfied with my P22 which eats everything I have fed it without a hiccup.

I also wanted to comment on another point which you brought up. I do not intend this to come off as trollish, I just want to ask a simple question. You mentioned that the barrel wrench which is provided broke the first time you used it? I don't know if the supplied wrenches have changed between the different models but I don't see how you could have broken it. The barrel nut doesn't take all that much torque to tighten it down. Could you have been applying more torque than was necessary?

Mac

[jacklaura1]

The Walther P-22 is no "God Send" to the pistol world. It sells because it has "Walther" on the pistol. A Smith and Wesson, Ruger, Browning, is a far better pistol.

Consider this. If the Walther P-22 had Lorcen, or Bryco on it's body would it sell as well?????????

[Gazpacho]

Mac Attack,

I actually went well out of my way to purchase one of the later P22s. I don't know why mine was such a POS. I guess I spent all my good karma on the other guns, or saved up all my bad karma for this one. I personally know a couple of people who have reasonably well functioning P22s. As to the wrench, I was holding it with two fingers when the thing bent. (It was one of the two little thingies that go around the barrel that bent out of place. Do they have a name?) I bent it back into place with very little pressure with a pair of pliers.

Generally I am a patient man. All of these problems occured within a one month time frame. I ran about 1000 rounds through it. After all of that I was in no mood to deal with the gun. I had my dealer send it back for repairs, then I sold it without ever touching it again.

[New_comer]

I do believe i'd have more fun with a good 22lr rifle than the P22...

At less cost

[Tamara]

The features it does have are primitive, like the non-decocking slide safety

IIRC, the safety allows dry-fire practice without typical rimfire worries.

If we, as consumers, continue to accept junk like this as a replacement for accurate, reliable products of reasonable materials, this will be the only kind of gun you will be able to buy anymore.

Walther still produces the OSP and GSP for those who want target guns, just like the junky 422 and 22A didn't cause Smith to drop the 41, and Beretta continues to make the bucks-up 87 despite the debut of the plinking-oriented Neos.

The Lorcin jab is somewhat hyperbolic if spoken by someone who's seen a Lorcin. Yeah, the Walther is a budget plinker made from low-end materials, but it's also light enough to be easily used by youngsters and is fitted and finished nicely and comes attractively packaged with useful accessories.

[Handy]

Tamara,

I don't know where you're getting your info, but the P22 manual does not say to do anything but "let the hammer travel forward slowly". On many guns with this type of safety you are specifically NOT supposed to dry fire with the safety engaged because it causes peening. I doubt the miracle materials used in the P22s slide construction are really up to it.

I also don't know how you skipped right over the Ruger, Browning, Bersa and other most affordable .22s to bring up $1000 Olympic match pistols. As I said, the P22 is a $99 gun. I say that because an all steel Ruger will cost you $250 and an all metal Buckmark little more than $200, and both are known for very reliable function. Even pricey Beretta will let you have a steel and aluminum Bobcat for $190. The P22 might be the finest gun ever made of Lorcin grade materials, but it is still an enormously overpriced collection of untested throwaway parts.

In general, the argument that the P22 is a combat pistol-like-plinker for low money is just laughable. CZ will sell you an entirely forged steel .22 version of the CZ-75 for a mere $380! This has got to be the most profitable gun Walther ever fielded (unless you count the warrantee claims.) In doing so I can only hope that it comes back to bite them and people's P22 experiences reflect on the P99, rather than the other way around.

[jekla]

i would definitely get one if only for its looks. never mind the problems. the fact that it also shoots well is a bonus.

[denfoote]

My FFL has a Walther P22 with a threaded barrel and a Warp Three suppressor attached for just a little over $600 including the cost of the tax stamp!!
Drool, drool, drool!!!!!

[Fred S]

Well, I'm sorry to start such a poop storm about this pistol.

I picked one up yesterday at Cabela's and came home, read the manual, took down the gun and fully inspected it. ( I bought the 3.4 in barrel one, in my hand the 5 in one feels off balanced)

My first impressions are that it looks typically German made...well made. I took off the barreel nut and put it back on and tightened it. I really don't see how one could bend the wrench doing so, but I guess those things happen.

I thought it was neat that it came with four front sights so you can change for elevation and the interchangable backsatrap is nice too. I can now drive myself nuts trying figure out which one is better.

II don't understand Handy's "poor quality" statements after thuroughly inspecting the gun. But then I have yet to fire it and I'll let everyone know how it does when I do so (my range is closed this weekend for a Cowboy shoot but I may be able to find some woods to sneak into and pop off a mag or two)

I guess the issue Handy doesn'tt like is the material of the slide and frame (polymir frame, zince slide) I guess time will tell if the zinc causes issues but it slides against Ploymir and aluminum I don't really see how that can be an issue )I'm not a metallurgist nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn last night).

Glock proved the Polymirs are just fine for firearms. The M-16 proved aluminum works, now maybe we'll see something here with Zinc. (BTW, I read that the frame is made through the sintering process, using Zinc powder, am I right?)

(Handy: no jabs at you intended sir, I respect your opinion)

(Oh, I will agree that decocking is not as easy at it should be, that hammer falls hard and fast and can slip from the thump and go full force. I, embarassingly did it in the store when I first was chacing out the firearm)

I will say, the gun comes packaged well with goodies.

I did look at other pistols in the same price range. The basic Ruger Mark II was nice but I it felt too lugar like and was bigger and heavier than I wanted. ( I may use the P22 as a carry gun while running, my Glock Model 30 just beats me up). The Ruger 22/45 was too expensive The brownings were nice too byut, again, too big. The Berretta Neo was just too odd for me and is truely just a target/plinker.

The only one that almost came home instead of the Walther was the Sig Trailsman. That one just dropped into my hand, pointed right and had a great trigger. But, and this was the only stopper, it was over $150 more than the Walther. (oh, and it was a dull silver color, I don't like shiney guns.)

So I paid $254 total to bring the P22 home (although I actually paid $204, using gift certificates for the rest.)

I spoke at length to one of the guys at the counter. He said to keep the ramp clean (the manual also mentions cleaning during heavy shooting), maybe even putting a little lube on it and there should be failures to feed.

He and I also agree that many failures to feed are caused by "limp wristing." I have seen this in other people with other light .22s. Hey, its a .22, not need to hold it tight. I bet this is a subconscious thing and such a light gun reinforces this notion. So they don't really lock the wrist and the slide strikes them and slows down... and they never know its happening.

Other issues may be not taking the gun a part and cleaning and inspecting it before shooting the first time.

Initial magazine problems hopefully have been fixed.

There is a red sheet of paper that comes with the gun telling you to slap the mag against your hand to ensure the rounds seat properly.

It just seemed odd to me reading here on TFL, The Highroad.org and here: http://www.lesjones.com/posts/000238.shtml that there were so many happy P22 owners but a few but significant number of those who had problems but couldn't really identify why they were occurring.

OK, so I'll let you all know how it shoots,

Take care.