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Walther P-22

Dave45-70
I've been looking at the Walther P-22 and like the feel and looks of the pistol but I'm more interested in reliability and accuracy. Does anyone have any experience with the made by S&W Walther? thanks
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Comments

12 comments

Date Votes
  • Dave45-70
    bought one at show, used but nice. Seems to be AOK but DA does not work. SA just fine. Any ideas?
    Morty
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  • rufe-snow
    Shot one a while back, it was reliable but not that accurate. If you want a pistol with the potential for better accuracy, ( accuracy actually depends on the person pulling the trigger ), go with one of the entry level pistols from S & W, Browning or Ruger. I recently shot one of The S & W Model 22 S's and was impressed, the sights, trigger pull and accuracy were outstanding for a $200 buck pistol.
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  • team roper ozzy
    the sig 22 cal seems to have problems with feed and the front sights popping loose..shot with a guy last weekend and he had nothing but problems with it even after ammo change ups
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  • gary wray
    DBuesching...I have had a P-22 for a couple of years and really like it. Have it set up with a laser sight which helps these old eyes. Mine has been very reliable and has never hiccuped on me (although I have heard from others who say they have had some problems...that has not been my experience). Accurate...yes, but not as accurate as a more expensive target grade .22. It is light and easy to operate, although I don't care much for the way the mag releases. I have quite a few Rugers, Brownings and Smith 41's and would not compare it to those as it is a different kind of .22. For what it is, it does fine in my book and I have never regreted buying mine. Good shooting!
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  • JoeFaz
    quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
    Shot one a while back, it was reliable but not that accurate. If you want a pistol with the potential for better accuracy, ( accuracy actually depends on the person pulling the trigger ), go with one of the entry level pistols from S & W, Browning or Ruger. I recently shot one of The S & W Model 22 S's and was impressed, the sights, trigger pull and accuracy were outstanding for a $200 buck pistol.


    Have you fired several of these 22a's? I seem to remember a post by you that you didn't think highly of it at all?[?]
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by JoeFaz
    quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
    Shot one a while back, it was reliable but not that accurate. If you want a pistol with the potential for better accuracy, ( accuracy actually depends on the person pulling the trigger ), go with one of the entry level pistols from S & W, Browning or Ruger. I recently shot one of The S & W Model 22 S's and was impressed, the sights, trigger pull and accuracy were outstanding for a $200 buck pistol.


    Have you fired several of these 22a's? I seem to remember a post by you that you didn't think highly of it at all?[?]



    I bought one when S & W first but them on the market app. 96/97? Had problems with it. Failed to fire intermittently, very frustrating! Took it apart, cleaned it etc. Problem still persisted. Recently got the latest model with 6" barrel as part of a trade. Quite impressed, no problems with 500 rounds through it, other then with some crappy Rem. .22's. Sights and trigger pull very good for a inexpensive plinker priced at just a little over $200. If your looking for a descent .22 pistol, at a lower price point then a Ruger, the 22A-1 will do just fine.
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  • lefty105
    Mine doesn't like low energy ammo - keeping it a bit on the hotter side works well.
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  • beantownshootah
    Not a fan of the Walther p22.

    For what it is . . .a plinker designed to look like a service pistol. . .its OK. Its a good gun for kids or total novices who want to feel like they're firing a centerfire pistol without actually doing so. Its an easy platform to put a suppressor on, if you are so inclined.

    As a "serious" target or hunting gun. . .not a good choice in my opinion. P22 doesn't have match sights or trigger, sight radius is narrow, and gun has a reputation of being more ammo picky than many .22 semiautos (lots of them are ammo-picky to some extent). FWIW p22 is also smaller in size than the Walther p99 it emulates.

    As to Smith 22A, with no sense of irony here, its probably the best $200 .22 semiauto pistol out there right now. While its not really a "match" gun (far from it), in my opinion its a more suitable "plinker" for an adult, *could* be used for low-level target shooting, and a step up from the p22.

    Good (but still not match quality) trigger, excellent adjustable sights, built in Weaver rail on top makes putting a scope or dot sight on a snap.

    22a is also a piece of cake to quickly strip for cleaning with no tools, and goes back together in seconds. Along the same lines, unlike pretty much all of the others, barrels interchange easily on these guns. New barrels only run about $100 each from Smith, and contain their own front and rear sights and Weaver rail. So if you like, you can have a 7" bbl with iron sights, and a separate 4" bbl with a dot sight or scope, and swap them in a matter of seconds without losing zero on either.

    I've got two (I think that says something) and so far both of them have run fine on every type of .22 ammo I've tried (match ammo, bulk pack ammo, and hypervelocity type ammo). They're also fairly accurate.

    Real drawback to the 22a is that the grip shape is a long from front to back. I'm OK with it, but if you have small hands, you might not like it, and except for the Smith "target" grips (that are also sort of bulky) replacement grips are basically non existent. Another possible drawback is that the square barrel profile means mounting a suppressor would be difficult. Its probably not impossible, but it would require considerable machining, and if you're after that, you're probably better off starting with a different platform.

    Also, the mag release is unusually located. Its recessed and located at the middle front of the grip (making it ambidextrous). While you think you might hit it accidentally, since its recessed, in practice you won't. You have to deliberately press it to get it to release, though doing so is fast and easy once you get used to it.
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  • JoeFaz
    quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by JoeFaz
    quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
    Shot one a while back, it was reliable but not that accurate. If you want a pistol with the potential for better accuracy, ( accuracy actually depends on the person pulling the trigger ), go with one of the entry level pistols from S & W, Browning or Ruger. I recently shot one of The S & W Model 22 S's and was impressed, the sights, trigger pull and accuracy were outstanding for a $200 buck pistol.


    Have you fired several of these 22a's? I seem to remember a post by you that you didn't think highly of it at all?[?]



    I bought one when S & W first but them on the market app. 96/97? Had problems with it. Failed to fire intermittently, very frustrating! Took it apart, cleaned it etc. Problem still persisted. Recently got the latest model with 6" barrel as part of a trade. Quite impressed, no problems with 500 rounds through it, other then with some crappy Rem. .22's. Sights and trigger pull very good for a inexpensive plinker priced at just a little over $200. If your looking for a descent .22 pistol, at a lower price point then a Ruger, the 22A-1 will do just fine.


    Thanks, Rufe. I am seriously looking at a 22A. In fact I'm currently the high bidder on one for under $200, but I don't expect that to last. I was originally looking at the NEOS (like the look), but the more I read, the more I like the S&W. Looked at the Sig as well, but have heard lots of problems with that. The 22A's I see around here (Nor-Cal) are all well over the $200 mark, though. Some as high as the mid $300's. Even here on the auctions they are always mid $200's.
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  • JoeFaz
    quote:Originally posted by beantownshootah
    Not a fan of the Walther p22.

    For what it is . . .a plinker designed to look like a service pistol. . .its OK. Its a good gun for kids or total novices who want to feel like they're firing a centerfire pistol without actually doing so. Its an easy platform to put a suppressor on, if you are so inclined.

    As a "serious" target or hunting gun. . .not a good choice in my opinion. P22 doesn't have match sights or trigger, sight radius is narrow, and gun has a reputation of being more ammo picky than many .22 semiautos (lots of them are ammo-picky to some extent). FWIW p22 is also smaller in size than the Walther p99 it emulates.

    As to Smith 22A, with no sense of irony here, its probably the best $200 .22 semiauto pistol out there right now. While its not really a "match" gun (far from it), in my opinion its a more suitable "plinker" for an adult, *could* be used for low-level target shooting, and a step up from the p22.

    Good (but still not match quality) trigger, excellent adjustable sights, built in Weaver rail on top makes putting a scope or dot sight on a snap.

    22a is also a piece of cake to quickly strip for cleaning with no tools, and goes back together in seconds. Along the same lines, unlike pretty much all of the others, barrels interchange easily on these guns. New barrels only run about $100 each from Smith, and contain their own front and rear sights and Weaver rail. So if you like, you can have a 7" bbl with iron sights, and a separate 4" bbl with a dot sight or scope, and swap them in a matter of seconds without losing zero on either.

    I've got two (I think that says something) and so far both of them have run fine on every type of .22 ammo I've tried (match ammo, bulk pack ammo, and hypervelocity type ammo). They're also fairly accurate.

    Real drawback to the 22a is that the grip shape is a long from front to back. I'm OK with it, but if you have small hands, you might not like it, and except for the Smith "target" grips (that are also sort of bulky) replacement grips are basically non existent. Another possible drawback is that the square barrel profile means mounting a suppressor would be difficult. Its probably not impossible, but it would require considerable machining, and if you're after that, you're probably better off starting with a different platform.

    Also, the mag release is unusually located. Its recessed and located at the middle front of the grip (making it ambidextrous). While you think you might hit it accidentally, since its recessed, in practice you won't. You have to deliberately press it to get it to release, though doing so is fast and easy once you get used to it.



    Great bunch of info, Beantown. Thanks!
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by JoeFaz


    Thanks, Rufe. I am seriously looking at a 22A. In fact I'm currently the high bidder on one for under $200, but I don't expect that to last. I was originally looking at the NEOS (like the look), but the more I read, the more I like the S&W. Looked at the Sig as well, but have heard lots of problems with that. The 22A's I see around here (Nor-Cal) are all well over the $200 mark, though. Some as high as the mid $300's. Even here on the auctions they are always mid $200's.


    I don't know about in Cali? But some of the dealers on the net have been selling the basic plain vanilla 22A for a little over $200. When I was checking out the S & W forum on Rimfire Central, a number of the posters were bragging on picking them up at that price. Of course that doesn't include shipping charges and dealer transfer fees. On the ones that are selling for mid $300's in Cali, isn't that S & W's top of the line Target Model with the Laminated Wood grips? I also think S & W made one in stainless for awhile that sold for a lot more money then their basic entry model.
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  • Mark G
    Can't comment on the S&W, but I do have a P22 and have had little problems with it. Shoot HV rounds down to subsonic with a suppressor and never a failure. It is a good plinking gun. I have never tried it at longer ranges. I also have a Browning Buckmark that I have shot alot at longer ranges and it is a very fine pistol. You might want to check out one of those as well.
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