Walther P-22 Series Pistols

[9.3X62AL]

I may post this in the Handguns section as well.......

Has anyone here had any experience with the Walther P-22 pistols? My wife Marie is interested in trying one of these, but wants to avoid the SIG Mosquito debacle she dealt with in 2004. (FWIW, I shot the living daylights out of that Bug and got it to run decently after about 1200 rounds.) I would like the P-22 to run well after a 100-200 round break-in phase this time around. Any info--yea or nay--is welcome. Thank you!

[Rick Hodges]

I cannot speak from personal experience. I have heard they (Walthers) have a bad rep for functioning. They made the S&W M&P 22 full size series and it was plagued with malfunctions as well.
I picked up a new S&W M&P22 Compact....that is made in house in the USA by S&W. Supposedly their emphasis was to design a reliable little pistol. I just put 100 rds. of old CCI 40gr. (tarnished dirty cases) and 40 rds. of new bulk Federal 36gr HP's without a bobble. Brand new gun, cleaned and shot to adjust sights and function test.
The trigger feels odd but is very usable. I was just shooting offhand at 15 yds. the accuracy with the new Federal bulk ammo seems pretty good, the corroded CCI not so much. Although all 140 rds went into 4-5". I have medium sized hands and the pistol feels small in my hands....it might be too small for large hands.

I guess what I am saying is the M&P22 Compact is worth a look. Not a direct answer to your question but I looked at these (Walther and two S&W's) and the Ruger before settling on the Compact S&W.

[Drm50]

I did the SIG Mosquito thing too. Very disappointing to say the least. I bought when they hit the market $400, I had a laser on it and it was accurate- when it didn't jam, which was every other shot.
Got a Walther P22 and had the same issues. I have since wrote off plastic pistols reguardless of the
brand or caliber.

[Outpost75]

I've not owned one, but have shot those owned by others. They are less accurate than my older High Standards or Rugers and finicky on ammo. Possibly OK as a training gun, accurate enough for B27 target, but not for small game. Provides frequent opportunities to practice malfunction clearing drills....

I prefer:

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[fecmech]

I owned the Walther version a few years back. It fed and functioned just fine and did not seem to be very fussy in regards to ammo. The downside for me was a spongy,creepy 5 lb. SA trigger and 3" 25 yd accuracy. I did not keep it long.

[Bazoo]

I dont remember which buddy has one, but i've shot one. I dont recall any bad vibes about it, and it functioned well. Cant speak to accuracy as we was shooting coke cans as I recall.

[HATCH]

I haven't shot my P22 in a very long time.
I got one of the early models.
It was VERY sensitive to the ammo it shot.
I tried multiple modifications in order to make it run better.
It runs perfect with good ammo (CCI MINI-MAGS) and runs about 90% with bulk box now provided I keep it cleaned and lubed.
Maybe I should go shoot it some but to be honest my Ruger MK pistols run 100% with whatever I throw at them so I haven't found the desire to shoot the P22

[DDriller]

My wife and daughter each had one. Worked well when clean. After a few hundred rounds would have numerous failure to feeds. Went to Ruger for reliability.

[Texas by God]

Outpost- I have owned most of those classics you show and I seriously miss the Beretta m70 the most. My Cuz brought over a Walther P22 soon after they came out. We had to move the rear sight all the way over to get close to poi/poa. It functoned fine but the grip was too short/curved for me.

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[jcren]

Got one for my girls. Shoots fairly accurate, feeds mini-mags and the like flawless, but cheap ammo is hit or miss. Simple trigger group, a little light stoning and squeezing the hairpin hammer spring a bit did wonders for trigger pull. Light, fun little gun.

[jmorris]

I bought one just because it also came with a threaded barrel.

Feels “cheap” if you’re used to $1500-3000k custom pistols or even Glocks but I guess they are lots cheaper.

Mine has been more reliable than other more expensive 22 pistols but I have almost never fired it unsuppressed.

[TaylorS]

I have one and I like it I’ve also seen them work well with heavy bullet subs and a can. the light bullet and primer only subs won’t cycle the thing but they don’t cycle and any of the semi 22s I’ve tried em in. Really the only trouble I’ve had with it. And it’s a newer model I think 3-4 years ago now


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[9.3X62AL]

I appreciate the contributions, folks. Weighing the input.......the overall impression is that the pistols are a little uneven.

ETA--I think we are going to "pass" on buying one of the Walther P-22 pistols. Having a Ruger 22/45 or a 10/22 REALLY spoils you--both models eat anything and shoot most ammo types pretty well.