Walther P22 POLL FOR REAL OWNERS....
- Thread starter bennnn
- Start date
HilfigerCelica
New member
I own a Walther P22 and have put 3700 rds through it. The thing that I like most about the P22 is that it feels like a centerfire gun. The Sig Mosquito and the Walther P22 are the only pistols that I know of that mimic centerfire pistols. The main criticism of the P22 is that it jams a lot. I have put many hundreds of CCI Stingers and a box of CCI MiniMags downrange without a single jam. It does occasionally hiccup with bulk pack ammo but in defense of the gun it was designed for high velocity ammo. I mainly use Remington Golden Bullets and I get on avg. 10 duds per 550 rds which isn't too bad. Sure it won't hit bullseye like a Browning Buckmark but it sure is fun to shoot. Would I buy another one? In a second. The P22 is a love it or hate it gun. I'm keeping mine so I must love it
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.My wife owns a P22. She loves it even though she admits it's not as accurate as her other .22 semi-auto pistol (Buckmark). She is not a high volume shooter so I can't comment on the longevity of the pistol, but there have been no malfunctions or breakages of any kind to date.
My wife has been shooting Federal Premium Gold Metal with great results through hers.
I've always thought that alot of the bad rep surrounding P22's is from people trying to use crappy cheap ammo in them..
One time we bought a box of Winchester X-pert......... Uggg....
It does Good with the Remington 550 bulk stuff,, but that stuff seems to misfire more.
I've always thought that alot of the bad rep surrounding P22's is from people trying to use crappy cheap ammo in them..
One time we bought a box of Winchester X-pert......... Uggg....
It does Good with the Remington 550 bulk stuff,, but that stuff seems to misfire more.
spencer5650
New member
Great little gun, never had a jam in mine.
Ralph Allen
New member
I too have a P22. When it was new we had problems with ftf,fte on a lot of different ammo. Called S&W and explained the problems. They sent a UPS pick up tag and it was returned to S&W for repairs. They tuned it up and returned it to me in less than a week. The gun is FLAWLESS! Will digest all kinds of ammo without hiccups of any kind. Went out about 2 months ago and put around 800 rounds through this gun alone, along with at least the same through a Tactical Solutions Ruger MKII, High Standard Sport King, and a Ruger MKIII. Had a blast! If you have one, or are considering buying one, and you have problems, call S&W as there warranty service was impecable in my opinion. Happy shooting.
Ralph
Ralph
The Poll asked the wrong question
Have one and love it or hate it? I have one, do not hate it. I just recognize it for what it is. It is a pistol of inferior design, workmanship and materials. It also is not as accurate as its class competitors. It gets superior ratings in the light, small and cute categories. Mine has become a project gun with two objectives. First, I'm going to try to fix the problems designed into the pistol and then I'm going to learn to shoot it to the best of its accuracy.
If I am going to trash a pistol others have given positve responses for, I should state my reasons.
Inferior design, materials and workmanship: The picture below is my slide after 600-900 rounds.
The wear is caused by the trigger bar ears (tabs) being cut with sharp edges and chewing the zinc slide. I started getting metal shavings in the pistol. I sent it back to S&W to fix the problem. The return info said they replaced the barrel and "repaired" the slide stop. They also included a note that said the wear was normal for the pistol. I called them to confirm that. They confirmed the wear being normal. I said that I had a 22A with over 12k rounds and didn't see any wear like that. The response was that the P22 had a zinc slide, the wear was expected and the 22A was a superior pistol in both materials and workmanship. Walther wouldn't have this problem if they polished the edges of the trigger bar and rounded the ears a bit.
Second area for poor design and workmanship is the extractor. P22's are famous for weak extraction/ejection. Some tend to through the casings back in the shooter's face. Mine didn't through the casings straight back before I sent it in for repairs, it does now. Also the wear on the slide is not as bad as when sent it off. Looks like they either intentionally or accidentally put a different slide on the pistol. Now I have casings down the shirt, sleeves, bouncing off my glasses and off my hat. Walther doesn't have a fix for this yet and do not seem to be anxious to fix the problem.
The P22 does seem to be indifferent to ammo as far as firing it. However, like most .22's, the ammo greatly affects the results. I've had one session in which my P22 shot reasonably good groups with CCI SV and Minimags. Federal bulk and RGB's were all over the paper. Maybe the barrel replacement will solve the accuracy problem.
The rear sights on the P22 are inferior to other pistols with adjustable sights in it's price class. The sights adjust for windage only. Elevation is changed by disassembling the pistol and poping in one of three front sights or by Kentucky windage. There isn't any tweak the sights because the POI is an inch high at the range you are shooting and with the ammo being shot.
As far as accuracy, I'm not a great shooter. I can, and have, taken a Rugeer and Buck Mark out of the box and shot sub 2" groups at 15 yards. No way can I do that after several sessions at the range with the P22. I realize the first three reasons a pistol is "inaccurate" start with "shooter." I'm just stating my results with the P22 and other pistols.
Tech support/customer service for the P22 is the superior S&W customer support. I have almost no complaints with that. I'd have no complaints if they would send the extractor and springs I've been trying to get for a month. I also believe the P22 Warranty is for 12 months, not the lifetime warranty you get with S&W pistols.
My plan for my P22 is to fix some obvious problems and get it to shoot without self destructing. I also want to learn to shoot the pistol much better than I currently can. I'm not worried about those things that sweeten performance. In the end, the P22 may become one of my favorites because of the time and effort I will have put into it fixing things Walther should never have allowed into circulation. It certainly doesn't compare favorably with my two MKIII's, Buck Mark or 22A.
Have one and love it or hate it? I have one, do not hate it. I just recognize it for what it is. It is a pistol of inferior design, workmanship and materials. It also is not as accurate as its class competitors. It gets superior ratings in the light, small and cute categories. Mine has become a project gun with two objectives. First, I'm going to try to fix the problems designed into the pistol and then I'm going to learn to shoot it to the best of its accuracy.
If I am going to trash a pistol others have given positve responses for, I should state my reasons.
Inferior design, materials and workmanship: The picture below is my slide after 600-900 rounds.
Second area for poor design and workmanship is the extractor. P22's are famous for weak extraction/ejection. Some tend to through the casings back in the shooter's face. Mine didn't through the casings straight back before I sent it in for repairs, it does now. Also the wear on the slide is not as bad as when sent it off. Looks like they either intentionally or accidentally put a different slide on the pistol. Now I have casings down the shirt, sleeves, bouncing off my glasses and off my hat. Walther doesn't have a fix for this yet and do not seem to be anxious to fix the problem.
The P22 does seem to be indifferent to ammo as far as firing it. However, like most .22's, the ammo greatly affects the results. I've had one session in which my P22 shot reasonably good groups with CCI SV and Minimags. Federal bulk and RGB's were all over the paper. Maybe the barrel replacement will solve the accuracy problem.
The rear sights on the P22 are inferior to other pistols with adjustable sights in it's price class. The sights adjust for windage only. Elevation is changed by disassembling the pistol and poping in one of three front sights or by Kentucky windage. There isn't any tweak the sights because the POI is an inch high at the range you are shooting and with the ammo being shot.
As far as accuracy, I'm not a great shooter. I can, and have, taken a Rugeer and Buck Mark out of the box and shot sub 2" groups at 15 yards. No way can I do that after several sessions at the range with the P22. I realize the first three reasons a pistol is "inaccurate" start with "shooter." I'm just stating my results with the P22 and other pistols.
Tech support/customer service for the P22 is the superior S&W customer support. I have almost no complaints with that. I'd have no complaints if they would send the extractor and springs I've been trying to get for a month. I also believe the P22 Warranty is for 12 months, not the lifetime warranty you get with S&W pistols.
My plan for my P22 is to fix some obvious problems and get it to shoot without self destructing. I also want to learn to shoot the pistol much better than I currently can. I'm not worried about those things that sweeten performance. In the end, the P22 may become one of my favorites because of the time and effort I will have put into it fixing things Walther should never have allowed into circulation. It certainly doesn't compare favorably with my two MKIII's, Buck Mark or 22A.
That's how I feel as well, feed them well and keep them clean....
I have something like 3000 through the one in my house,,and it does not look lik ethe on ein the pics above.. I'll post a few pics tomorrow. I know that some of the early ones were hit or miss when it came to how the were made.
It defininately had a break in period,, but that was half the fun of getting my money's worth out of it.......
I have something like 3000 through the one in my house,,and it does not look lik ethe on ein the pics above.. I'll post a few pics tomorrow. I know that some of the early ones were hit or miss when it came to how the were made.
It defininately had a break in period,, but that was half the fun of getting my money's worth out of it.......
Bill DeShivs
New member
Grease, not oil, on the slide will mimimize galling of this nature.
I believe most do not. They probably look like the right side (bottom of picture). You probably have a small amount of wear and the slide coating is gone. I don't think my problem happened early, I'm fairly meticulous about cleaning and inspecting my firearms. When I found this, I had metal flakes in the action. When it was returned from the fix, I could get metal flakes simply by working the slide. I've attached a picture of where I believe the problem is coming from (all credit to M1911 on the Rimfire Central Walther forum).
Bill, if a little grease will alleviate the problem, I'm all for the simple solution. What kind would you recommend?
My point is that they made the slide out of a soft metal and did not take care in manufacturing to prevent it from being damaged. A steel slide or some care in manufacturing would make this a non-issue.
The ejection problem can be serious. Mine now has hot casings coming back into my face, head and shoulders. I've had them bounce off my glasses. No glasses, one in the eye. The bigger safety issue is a hot casing down the shirt. I've taken the burn rather than flinch, but one of these days someone is going to do a serious flinch with his finger on the trigger. It's a problem you should be aware of from other shooters, but from your own pistol? I think I know the fix for the extractor, but I'm waiting for a new extractor and spring in case I mess up the fix.
My experience with the P22 is that I can't shoot it accurately. I've seen a much better shooter spray rounds as badly as I was doing, so it's not totally the shooter. It came with design/manufacturing flaws that require a bit of work to overcome. I don't mean tweaking for better performance, I mean fixing problems that never should have been there. It does have great potential in the small, light and cute categories. It seems to have potential in the tinkering category.
predecessor
New member
[B]Hold Her Steady[/B]
I tried the "more expensive ammo will make the P-22 more accurate" thing. When I first got the gun (it was my first handgun) I was all over the place with either bulk or "the good stuff" ammo. Then I learned how to shoot a little better and when I hold this gun real steady, I do just fine and my best target of 10 rounds was delivered with Remington Golden bulk bullets.
Other advantages to the Walther? I don't think anyone has yet mentioned it's coolness versatility factor - all of the different "skins" and the ability to put on the laser and suppressor. Way fun!
I wish they'd make the P-22 in .380 ACP so you could own it along side a PPK for the "Then and Now" effect.
I tried the "more expensive ammo will make the P-22 more accurate" thing. When I first got the gun (it was my first handgun) I was all over the place with either bulk or "the good stuff" ammo. Then I learned how to shoot a little better and when I hold this gun real steady, I do just fine and my best target of 10 rounds was delivered with Remington Golden bulk bullets.
Other advantages to the Walther? I don't think anyone has yet mentioned it's coolness versatility factor - all of the different "skins" and the ability to put on the laser and suppressor. Way fun!
I wish they'd make the P-22 in .380 ACP so you could own it along side a PPK for the "Then and Now" effect.
wolverine350
New member
my wifes has been flawless
has been flawlessIZHUMINTER
New member
I have to check "didn't like"
The P22 was very picky about which ammo it would digest, did not like to function properly when dirty (like while shooting inexpensive ammo on a dusty Texas summer day), and was woefully inaccurate. I ended up just using it as a plinker during range sessions instead of as a primary skills trainer like I thought I would...and when a buddy of mine offered me what I paid for it I did the deal on the spot.
While I honestly liked my P22, I didn't like it enough to keep it (it's the only gun I've ever sold). I was much happier with my 22S.
The P22 was very picky about which ammo it would digest, did not like to function properly when dirty (like while shooting inexpensive ammo on a dusty Texas summer day), and was woefully inaccurate. I ended up just using it as a plinker during range sessions instead of as a primary skills trainer like I thought I would...and when a buddy of mine offered me what I paid for it I did the deal on the spot.
While I honestly liked my P22, I didn't like it enough to keep it (it's the only gun I've ever sold). I was much happier with my 22S.
Bill DeShivs
New member
Lubriplate or any regular automotive grease. Polishing the steel parts will help quite a bit, too.