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Considering a P22

6K views 31 replies 16 participants last post by  doublechaz 
#1 · (Edited)
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#2 · (Edited)
There are only three choices in this type of pistol. Walther P22, Ruger SR 22 and S&W M&P .22 compact. I've not seen a good barrel in a Smith yet. Gave mine away after the third barrel and was told that was as good as they had. The Ruger is well liked. More expensive than a P22. What you are looking at is a Q model. The latest come with a captive recoil spring assembly. Which is a good addition. It is beefier than the aftermarket versions.

There is some question if the QD model is still produced. Some say no. I have a 2017 version with the decocking lever. Some say that has already been dropped. I can take it or leave it....or, simply remove the internal lever.

Early models of these pistols had plenty of problems....and the Ruger had more than a few itself. Most are sorted out for both pistols now. The slide is stronger on the Q model P22s beginning in about 2010. The Walther has a lifetime warranty. Comes with a threaded barrel so an adapter is easily screwed on to accept a silencer. Field stripping is very easy and there is really no reason to go past that unless you want to do some mods......sear work, etc. Accuracy from 25M using a mechanical rest. The 3.4" barrel is good for sub 2" groups, the 5" version is good for sub 1" groups.

These pistols have the easiest loading magazines of any I've ever used. The sights are polymer but properly installed are tough. You can damage the rear one if you drop the pistol but Walther will fix it for you.

These pistols have never been very reliable with weak ammo regardless of what people might say. That has been one of the biggest problems from day one. Full slide .22 pistols require more powerful ammo and a firm grip. No limp wristing. Buy Remington Golden Bullets or CCI mini mags until you have it well broken in. I paid $225 for mine new from Ky Gun Co. Keep your eye peeled if you are into on-line purchases. They go on sale pretty frequently. I'm still shooting a 2007 model that probably has 50K rounds through it. Walther keeps it up to speed if I need something. I've put up a detailed thread here somewhere on the Q model and QD model.....and we've seen every problem a P22 might ever have. Lifetime warranty and not much will rust on it. 1917
 
#3 ·
Have you handled a P22? They are tiny (and I don't have huge hands). The S&W .22 Compact is tiny as well, and they have had some issues. The P22 has had issues over the years also, but that may be corrected at this point.

As I usually say...check out the PPQ .22.

The PPQ .22 is full-size, and feels like a real gun. It shoots standard velocity ammo without any issues.

I have numerous .22 pistols,including a new Taurus TX22, and the PPQ is my favorite. They are about the same price - more than the P22 - but worth it IMO.

I agree with FlysAlot - I think 1917-1911M knows more about the P22 than all but a few designers at Walther!

PPQ .22 -

 
#4 ·
The PPQ is a good pistol. It is where the P 22 development money went. But, it is a full size pistol and also available with a 5" barrel which is the one I would want but the grip is too large for my hands. Walther also makes the full size Smith M&P compact but the Walther is the better looking pistol. Excellent trainer for the full size PPQ 9mm, .40 or .45.

The longer the barrel the less ammo sensitive these pistols are. The 5" P22 is more accurate and feeds a wider variety of ammo but I still don't like the stabilizer which is why I put up photoshopped ( at least as far as my poor skills go of what I would like to see in the P22. If you have large hands the grip on the P22 is small even with the large palm swell installed. For children it is a great size. A sleeve an always be installed over it if it needs to be a bit larger. I'm still pulling for an aluminum slide and I still don't see why the frame couldn't be made of mim'd steel. That would bring it up to almost Ruger MK quality. BTW, Ruger makes a lightweight series in the 22/45 pistol. 2x what a P22 costs though.

There is no way to add optics to a P22. You can add a laser. For the price it is pretty much a fun gun and easily suppressed. 1917



I keep showing Walther an option for a target P22 pistol but the money is going into the PPQ. :) 1917
 
#5 ·
Thanks gents. There is no CA-specific PPQ .22, and all have threaded barrels, so that gun is unfortunately a no go for me in California.

I have a 22/45 5" target model and I honestly don't expect much from a sub $300 gun w/3.4" barrel as far as accuracy goes. I'm looking for a fun .22 semi for my gf to shoot, she has small hands, and maybe someday my daughter. My LGS has a P22 that i will go handle this weekend.

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#6 ·
Thanks gents. There is no CA-specific PPQ .22, and all have threaded barrels, so that gun is unfortunately a no go for me in California.

I have a 22/45 5" target model and I honestly don't expect much from a sub $300 gun w/3.4" barrel as far as accuracy goes. I'm looking for a fun .22 semi for my gf to shoot, she has small hands, and maybe someday my daughter. My LGS has a P22 that i will go handle this weekend.
Gotta keep Cali safe ya know...

The P22 may be a good choice for you then.
 
#7 · (Edited)
based on your description (for girlfriend with small hands and wife) it should be a decent choice. i bought one early on and the wife has put a few rounds through it but it rarely leaves the safe these days. if i was the type to ever get rid of a gun, it would be on the list to go.

i ended up putting the 5" barrel on it, but the only ammo i ever had an issue with was thunderbolts...and i quit shooting that crap a long time ago, so i have no idea if the barrel helped much as far as ammo sensitivity. i did find that the barrel makes the firearm a bit more of a pain to tear down and makes it pretty much impossible to swap out the front sight.

i also added the tandemkross wingman bumpers, which in combination with the larger backstrap, helps with my larger hands, but it is still too small

oh...the safety stills feels backwards
 
#8 ·
My shooting partner has a Ruger SR22. He had a lot of problems with jamming. He returned it to Ruger and they replaced the gun. He got the new gun about three weeks ago. His groups were terrible and we took a look at the barrel. The crown was bad and there were machining gouges around the inside of the barrel close to the crown. You could look inside the muzzle with a light and see the gouges. The crown had small sliver of metal sticking out from the crown.

Ruger asked for the gun back and my friend is still waiting to find out what they are going to do. Ruger has had the second gun about two weeks, He likes the gun and Ruger has been good so far. But, it seems like Ruger has a QC problem with the SR22.

Frank
 
#15 ·
My shooting partner has a Ruger SR22. He had a lot of problems with jamming. He returned it to Ruger and they replaced the gun. He got the new gun about three weeks ago. His groups were terrible and we took a look at the barrel. The crown was bad and there were machining gouges around the inside of the barrel close to the crown. You could look inside the muzzle with a light and see the gouges. The crown had small sliver of metal sticking out from the crown.

Ruger asked for the gun back and my friend is still waiting to find out what they are going to do. Ruger has had the second gun about two weeks, He likes the gun and Ruger has been good so far. But, it seems like Ruger has a QC problem with the SR22.

Frank
Ruger has QC problems, period.
 
#9 ·
I said Walther makes the S&W M&P compact above. That is wrong. I can't edit. Walther makes the full size pistol. Smith makes the compact and everyone I've looked at has a bad barrel. Rough machining along the entire length of the bore.

The P22 safety works like the safety on all PP pistols. It's almost a two handed effort for me to operate it when pressing to fire. The Ruger safety has to be lifted....opposite of what you might expect. A 1911 has the pivot pin at the front of the part so pressing it down works very nicely. Many of the recent pistols, CCP, Smith, etc. have the pivot pin at the rear of the similar styled lever but for my hand they don't work as well because my thumb presses right down on top of the pivot pin. A Smith Shield has a small safety but it works very well, pivoting up and down like a 1911 with a small lever. But, the P22 is a plinker....so who cares how the safety works as long as it works. Same for the other two contenders.

Walther makes excellent barrels. The 3.4" barrel is very good for minute of can. If you are concerned about accuracy at 25M and need under 1" groups, go for the 5" barrel target version. Ruger also makes a 4.5" barrel SR 22 but they seem to be hard to find and are pretty expensive. 1917
 
#11 ·
Same here, my recently purchased S&W Compact is shooting just fine, granted I'm using it for a Suppressed plinker but any decent sized chunk of Clay Pigeon at 20 yards is doomed and that's good enough for me.
 
#12 ·
I've have a 22/45 Lite original gold one and an Walther P22. I prefer the 22/45 over the Walther for target shooting or plinking. But with a TandemKross guide rod and mag extension it makes the P22 a little more comfortable and easier to take down. The nag relseas is wonkey but the DA/SA trigger makes it good for training. Any gun that gets people out shooting is a good gun in my book!

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#18 ·
Hello there new member here. Well I went ahead and bought my daughter a new P22 Can version after reading all the issues and hoping I bought a good one. Took her to the range and out of 250 rounds of CCI mini mags only had about 2 or 3 mags that didn't have issues with FTE. I read with CCI mini mags it runs smooth. I have read through the P22 Bible and not sure yet if I try and use different ammo, break it in more, send back for warranty, it just start modding a brand new gun. I did install the captured recoil spring and ordered the volq ejector. I hope that helps but not counting on it. Bummer it didn't go good out the box, not fun for a kid when it is jamming over and over.

And advice I would welcome, I read try ammo like CCI but heavier like 40 grain? I was using 36 grain since I have thousands of rounds of it.

Thanks
 
#19 ·
Hello there new member here. Well I went ahead and bought my daughter a new P22 Can version after reading all the issues and hoping I bought a good one. Took her to the range and out of 250 rounds of CCI mini mags only had about 2 or 3 mags that didn't have issues with FTE. I read with CCI mini mags it runs smooth. I have read through the P22 Bible and not sure yet if I try and use different ammo, break it in more, send back for warranty, it just start modding a brand new gun. I did install the captured recoil spring and ordered the volq ejector. I hope that helps but not counting on it. Bummer it didn't go good out the box, not fun for a kid when it is jamming over and over.

And advice I would welcome, I read try ammo like CCI but heavier like 40 grain? I was using 36 grain since I have thousands of rounds of it.

Thanks
Try different ammo, my older P22 used to run well on Mini Mags, but not so well with the latest batch of Mini Mags I bought. Curiously it likes Remington Golden Bullet hollow points. :eek:
 
#20 · (Edited)
Hmm, didn't see an option to reply with a quote. Thanks for the ammo suggestion. I will give the Remington a try as well as some stingers and probably some 40 grain as well. I was a little upset hearing people say it runs with minimags but people don't want to pay for minimags. I have a bunch and don't mind shooting them, so when I had issues with minimags I thought oh great lol. I will take it to the range without my daughter and see if I can find what it likes. If all else fails I guess I will send it back to see if they can make it reliable. However, from what I have read it seems as if I need to let it break all the way in or apply the mods to allow the slide to move more freely.

I have this logged into my Tapatalk app now so I figured out the quote issue.
 
#21 ·
When I was teaching my niece and nephews to shoot a pistol I used my P22 QD. The gun was having issues with extraction/ejection, I watched them closely and they were "limp wristing" the gun when firing or jerking the trigger.
I had them tighten thier grip on the gun and hold thier wrist more rigid, also to slow thier squeeze of the triggers and MOST of the issues went away.

I had trouble with lower velocity ammo ("1200FPS" and below) in it when I first got it, I switched to Aguila Interceptors and CCI Velociraptors (both "1400FPS" advertised) and have had few issues since. Stingers work fine as well, and have an impressive fireball at twilight/dark lol.
 
#22 ·
When I was teaching my niece and nephews to shoot a pistol I used my P22 QD. The gun was having issues with extraction/ejection, I watched them closely and they were "limp wristing" the gun when firing or jerking the trigger.
I had them tighten thier grip on the gun and hold thier wrist more rigid, also to slow thier squeeze of the triggers and MOST of the issues went away.

I had trouble with lower velocity ammo ("1200FPS" and below) in it when I first got it, I switched to Aguila Interceptors and CCI Velociraptors (both "1400FPS" advertised) and have had few issues since. Stingers work fine as well, and have an impressive fireball at twilight/dark lol.
Lol, fireballs are always fun to watch. One of my childhood memories is shooting my dad's S&W 44 mag in the evening when it was dark and watching that fireball.

Thanks for the input! I thought about if she was limp writings as I have seen that often with people and their Glock 26's. So I %%%% a mag through with a solid grip and it did the same.

I am going back Thursday and will take stingers, some CCI minimags in 40 gr, some Remington Golden bullets, and Aguila. All those seem to have the best results from people shooting them. I was using mini mags but 36 grain. I have read to use 40 gr and up. I hope that fixes the issue. Thanks again!

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#23 ·
First, make sure the chamber is clean. A round should simply drop into the chamber with a plunk. If it does, the chamber is clean enough. Again, recently we have been running into a few complaints of weaker ammo working but mini mags not extracting. What appears to be happening in these cases is that there is a problem with the machining of the chamber. With the more powerful ammo the case is expanding against some irregularity in the chamber wall. This is not something that will go away with a few hundred rounds through the pistol. If mini mags pass the plunk test, you aren't dragging a hand on the slide, the pistol is being held firmly but not extracting and ejecting the spent case....you likely have a chamber problem. Until recently this was never heard of. A quick trip back to Walther on their dime should resolve the issue.

I've never had a P22 do this but we have discussed this at length several times and it is the only thing that makes sense. A couple of pistols went home and returned after a chamber polishing and then functioned fine. Rem Goldens should run about 100% also. The P22 requires a snappy round. I'm shooting CCI Quiets suppressed at present and some of them just don't have enough blow back energy....but they are quiet. If I really want to be quiet with them I add water to the suppressor and hold the slide shut with my left thumb. 1917
 
#24 · (Edited)
Thanks again, I will try Remington gold ammo also this Thursday. I did check the chamber and the bullet drops in and falls out with no issues. I did notice that the mini mags I was using seemed to have a good amount of wax and was wondering if that could have been and issue. However, the issue started on the 2nd mag of a brand new P22. I did break it down and clean and only applied a small amount of oil to barrel and then a clean patch after like normal cleaning.

Thursday I am going to just test function with different ammo. If problem continues I will send it back to Walthers. I will document what issues I am having if any and take pictures. I will be by myself this time and will have the time to really look into it. When I went over the weekend I had my daughter shooting it for her first time and just wanted her to enjoy it so just kept seeing it was the same issue and clearing it for her. I did install a Galloway captured recoil spring before going to the range. Half way through installed the stock recoil spring and had the same issue so that ruled out the recoil spring.

Oh and you make me so jealous. Being able to use a suppressor is not an option for me [emoji3525]. Being in California I have the CA model and stupid barrel nut that is on with some type of adhesive. Even getting new ammo to try out I will have to break down and do the background check and dros for ammo. I haven't had to buy ammo since they passed the stupid law.

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#25 ·
From what I read you are having an extraction issue (only), not a feeding or firing or ejection. Extraction, the spent case is sticking in the chamber. This of course can sometimes lead to ejection issues. If the case is sticking in the chamber what would likely happen is that the slide is blown back a bit, case still in the chamber and stuck or, the case can be barely blown out when overcoming whatever is causing to stick. In this situation the case might not eject and simply be shoved back into the chamber. Weak ammo, dirty pistol, hand on the slide can cause the same issue. But with a clean pistol and good ammo, firm grip this should not be happening.

Next, if the spent case has really expanded against some irregularity inside the chamber then even then trying to pull the case out with the extractor might not work. When firing the extractor plays no part in pulling the case out. It is used for pulling live rounds out. It does play a part in ejection direction but not extraction.

Remember, the case only goes into the chamber the length of the case...1/2" or so, no further unless you are shooting CCI Stingers or CCI shot which both have a bit longer case. So if there is a chamber problem it is at the rear of the chamber. You might not be able to determine this with a new round. The cases do expand though when fired and I find that fired cases do not always fit back into the chamber easily, particularly more powerful CCI ammo. Is the brass thinner and expands more than other brands. I don't know. I find it to be excellent ammo. You should not have to purchase Stingers or Velocitors. Mini Mags and Rem Goldens should run 100% (dud rounds excepted).

Limp wristing causes all manner of problems and is easy to do with this very light and short barrel pistol. Longer barrel pistols allow more blow back energy to be developed and generally function better with regard to weaker ammo. They are also more accurate.

What exactly are the issues you are having. example; We fire a round and the case remains in the chamber and the next round in the magazine remains there. Or, we fire a round and sometimes the spent case jams the slide open, or, we fire a round, the case remains in the chamber while the next round feeds into the rear of it jamming the slide. Those all tell me a different story. Do you see any odd marks on the case of spent rounds once they have been pulled from the chamber? 1917
 
#26 ·
I think it might help to put a single round in the mag and then work the slide and shoot. This will help eliminate drag from the rounds in the mag, but more than that you can focus on recovering that one spent case and examine it for marks such as 1917 has described. I'd do this a whole bunch of times to collect a good sample to examine. If you have a dial caliper you could also check the cases for odd shaped expansion, but I doubt you'll need to do that.
 
#27 ·
I've had all 3 guns, the S&W,Ruger and P22. I currently have the Ruger only.

S&W-nice gun but it stovepipes like crazy, and S&W is doing nothing about it.

Walther- liked it's looks the best, but it's the least reliable of the 3, FTF FTE, etc,etc. It has a pot metal slide.
I think a big part of it's issues come from the magazines, it went bbye-bye.

Ruger- this gun has given me zero issues, feeds well, reliability is excellent, it will shoot bulk ammo all day. This is the clear winner, S&W #2, Walther way last.
 
#28 ·
The CA (California) model P22 Q doesn't have the captured recoil spring, or the removeable barrel cap to allow for a threaded barrel end. I have a QD model (non-CA) and still had to replace the extractor with an aftermarket one to make it function reliably. Needed reshaping of the head of the new extractor to make it catch the rim of the shell better. Kept the original in case I need to send it in to Walther ever. So far it cycles perfect, and empty cases positively exit to the right, not overhead and down my neck. Make sure any additional magazines are the Q model ones, otherwise you may have issues.
 
#29 ·
Well just got my daughter's P22 back from Walthers. Took almost 4 weeks, they replaced the barrel. Says it was tested and passed. I look forward to testing it again, although I have to wait since they have the state shutdown at the moment.

Will give an update as soon as I get to run some mags through it. Hope everyone is staying safe during this crazy time.

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#30 ·
A new barrel is a good indication that you might have had a badly machined chamber. Until recently this was never heard of. We have run into this recently. CCI Mini Mags firing but not extracting and obviously not ejecting. Owners report that lower velocity ammo sometimes works but not CCI Mini Mags. If so, the first thing to do is thoroughly clean the chamber with a brass brush. Do the plunk test by dropping in a round.

The chamber/ammo passed that but after firing the case was difficult to remove from the chamber. That is either a chamber problem or an ammo problem. With proven ammo such as CCI there is a strong case for a bad chamber, especially if you don't see any split cases or other problems that might indicate an ammo problem. I have made the head of customer service aware of what we are seeing on a few pistols and the efforts we have taken to assess it. Two members got the chamber re-honed which cured the issue and GunDad got a new barrel. I don't know of issues that don't show up here or at Walther Forums.

Walther needs to figure out what is causing this and correct it pronto. 1917
 
#31 ·
A new barrel is a good indication that you might have had a badly machined chamber. Until recently this was never heard of. We have run into this recently. CCI Mini Mags firing but not extracting and obviously not ejecting. Owners report that lower velocity ammo sometimes works but not CCI Mini Mags. If so, the first thing to do is thoroughly clean the chamber with a brass brush. Do the plunk test by dropping in a round.

The chamber/ammo passed that but after firing the case was difficult to remove from the chamber. That is either a chamber problem or an ammo problem. With proven ammo such as CCI there is a strong case for a bad chamber, especially if you don't see any split cases or other problems that might indicate an ammo problem. I have made the head of customer service aware of what we are seeing on a few pistols and the efforts we have taken to assess it. Two members got the chamber re-honed which cured the issue and GunDad got a new barrel. I don't know of issues that don't show up here or at Walther Forums.

Walther needs to figure out what is causing this and correct it pronto. 1917
So finally got the chance to take my daughter back to the range since all this shelter in place. Never had a chance to test since we got the new barrel.

Happy to say with CCI minimags the gun ran flawless now. Ran close to 300 rounds of it with zero issues. Very happy with the repair! I did try some 40 grain Aguila at 1250 fps and it did not like it. I will try some Remington golden. Regardless CCI's ran flawless and my daughter had a great time!

Just wanted to report back. Hope everyone is doing well. Stay safe

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