Walther P22 - Good or Bad ?

imported post

So, I have been considering the P22 for a while now. The concept of a scaled down “modular combat Design” for practice, plinking and training really appeals to me. HOWEVER, I have read several horror stories (slide breakage etc.) balanced by even more who love and swear by their little P22. I understand the slide is made of some sort of Zinc Alloy, though Walther (umex) may have improved or changed that, not 100% sure. The design is around 10 years old, so hopefully there will be some good examples of wear and tear, or strength and endurance.

- Thus begins my query: Has anyone put countless thousands (10+ k) of rounds through their P22 ? What is the potential life span of this firearm in rounds ? Does anyone have any tell-tale stories to show durability and longevity ? Has anyone wore one out due to normal usage, if so how many rounds did you fire, what did the components look like ? Anyone have any good (or bad) stories to share about their P22. Are they still using Zinc, or have they updated materials or design ?
[/b]
I am not too concerned with Failure to feed (fixable), accuracy, size or comfort issues. I am more interested in the core mechanics and the mechanism’s materials, as to how they hold up over time and excessive round counts, fatigue, duress, severe usage. Will the P22 survive the test of time ? – lemme know your thoughts and experiences.[/b]

Thanks all.[/b]

:dude:Bat

P.S. If you have one, kindlyinclude fewanswers tohelp profile your pistol.

- 1) When did you buy it. 2) How many rounds have you fired through it. 3) Whats it's current mechanical condition?

[/b]Ty guys - helps us all to know what we are looking at.

imported post

Just got one for my wife and have the same questions/concerns. Hope there are those out there who can give good info. on this subject.

imported post

Fires good, but the sight broke off of it after it fell on the ground one time.

imported post

Aaron1124 wrote:

Fires good, but the sight broke off of it after it fell on the ground one time.

Click to expand...

Guess we just need not to drop it Hee Hee!

imported post

I bought a P22 for my girlfriend. I went with a 22 because she had never been near a gun in her life and with little or no recoil it was a good "starter" gun.

The P22 was back to the factory twice before it was 6 months old. The first time because the slight recoil would cause the safety to engage after each round was fired. The second time it was because it would fail to eject, fail to load the next round, and/or "stovepipe" after each round.

She still has the gun, and the only complaint we now have is that the gun will only function with CCI Mini=mags or CCI Stingers, or Remington Thunderbolt ammo. No other brand will work with the gun. That's ok, we can handle the extra cost of the ammo, but with today's shortage of ammo, those brands are very hard to find.

Would I buy the gun again ? NO ! I went with the Walther name based upon their history and other Walther's I've owned over the past 50 years..

Mitch

imported post

I think the pick of the litter for 22 autos has got to be the ruger mk 2 or 3, or the browning buckmark.

There have been several other very good 22 handguns made in the past, but those are the only two that I am aware of in current production I would go looking for.

imported post

Hi,

I own a Beretta Model 87 target - cal 22 pistol whichI use at the gun club at times for practice. Its been the most reliable pistols I have ever owned. Hundreds of rounds and not one hickup. I would recomend this to anyone looking for a reasonably priced reliable handgun in 22 cal.

imported post

Comes with 2 Xten round's magazines.

imported post

hundreds of rounds is not enough to really comment on reliability.

imported post

I purchased an anthracite frame/polished slideP22 for my wife a few years ago because she thought it was "cute". Actually I got it because it's a lot cheaper to plink with .22 than it is with .40. "Cute" was just a bonus and a selling point. I don't log rounds on our .22's, but if it doesn't have 10k rounds through it, it's damn close.

So far it has been 100% reliable with no breakage or parts falling of. It's accurate and fun to shoot too. The only problem, which istypical of .22 semi-autos, is that it's picky about ammo.Remington 550 and Winchester 333 good, Federal 550 bad. Also as is typical of Walther's disassembly and especially reassembly is more complicated than it needs to be. That being said, my mechanically challenged daughter-in-law can do it so it's not rocket science.

If you're just looking for a gun to plink with, I'd recommend an S&W 22A instead because it's cheaper, more reliable, more accurate and is modular so it can be configured as a 4", 5.5" or 7" barrel in minutes. But if you're looking for a .22 to use for training for self defense or even a carry gun, you could do far worse than the P22.

Disclaimer; The above is my opinion based on my personal experience. Your results may vary.

imported post

Double tap. Sorry.

imported post

I've had a P22 for 3 or 4 years & while it can be a little ammo picky at first, once mine was broken in it ran just fine.I don't think i have over 10k rounds through it but certainly quite a few thousand. Go for it!

imported post

marrero jeff wrote:

hundreds of rounds is not enough to really comment on reliability.

Click to expand...

maybe I shouldhave said many hundreds? Who counts target rounds on weekends?Now 5years old and has never malfunctioned.

Target lite: the Beretta 87 Target is a sleek, flat, smooth to run and sweet to shoot, elegant little .22 pistol
Guns Magazine, Nov, 2005 by Massad Ayoob
This 87 Target shoots its best with match-grade, standard-velocity ammo, but this one can still give champagne performance on a beer budget. I went to the bench with a couple of popular field loads. Remington's mass-market "Golden Bullet" high speed solid did 1.10" for five shots at 25 yards, with the best three hits in 0.55", as usual measuring to the nearest .05". Winchester's garden variety high-speed hollowpoint, a popular small game load, did 1.30" for all five at the same distance and put its best three in .90", with two shots through one hole.

Reliability


As I said of this gun in the Beretta book, "... my test 87 Target did not malf once. My friends and I all liked the way this little pistol was set up, and a bunch of. us have put a bunch of ammo through it. Not enough bricks to build a house, but enough bricks of .22 ammo to know that (this) Beretta Model 87 Target ... is an extraordinarily reliable little pistol."
A few more bricks have gone through it since. It still hasn't malfunctioned. I'm guessing cleaning occurred every 1,000 rounds.

imported post

5 P22 over the years. I have over 20 magazines.

The first 3 I have put at least 15,000 rounds. The 1st and 2nd overwere approching over 25,000.

The reason I have so many is I break them.I would send it in for repair and couldn't wait for it to come back.

Some may shoot 100 rounds in a session I have over that in just one reloading session. Figure I have 22 magazines when I shoot I don'thave to stop220 rounds later. I usually shot around 1000-1500 when I when shooting. Plus a couple hundred 9, 40 and 45.

The most common failure - break is the hammer spring. Over use with high velocity can do somemajor wear and tear. The second isactually the slidecracking (around 20,000 rounds).

1) when did I buy it around 2003 - 2009 (5 total)

2) how many rounds. #1 - had 27,000 #2 has 22,000 #3 has 15,000 #4 has 8,000 and #5 has 6,000 I say #1 had since they had to replace the gun (for FREE).

3) all but one are in good mechanical condition #2 I have to send back since the hammer spring broke.

If you ever shoot this much - I don't anymore since .22LR is harder to find and cost 3-5X more. I used to buy the Remington Golden Bullet 525 packs for $8 back in 2003-2006.



The most common error for new P22 owners: 1) not the right ammo - need high velocity to cycle 2) not tightening the 2 screws - 1 holds down the muzzle 2 holds the barrel to the frame. 3) not using enough lube - don't shoot it dry.



Great plinker and lots of fun. Plus woman and kids find it very easy to shoot. Great beginner's gun and also for the more experienced to get your muscle memory.