Disappointed with Walther P22ca

[Pofoo]

Like the title says, disappointed. I thought this pistol would be the best of the limited choice that we have with the Ca. roster. Supposedly, all the early design problems were fixed. Well, not really. After a trip back to Walther where they replaced the slide, and trying different brands of ammo, it is now about 95% reliable for 200-300 rounds, when it needs cleaning to remain reliability.
I put on a fiber optic front sight that made it shoot low. There are no, aftermarket or factory, height adjustable rear sights made. I did make a higher attachment that I epoxied to the rear sight, then filed the groove depth to hit point of aim.
This is not a accurate gun. I think the problem is that the slide does not lock up very well or consistently.
When in battery, the rear of the slide can move about 1/8" side to side. The rails on the rear of the frame are only about 2" long to support the whole slide (not good), which is evidently too wide to lock up tight.
Is this normal? I didn't check it on the original.

[M76]

The design is great, ergonomic...CCI mini mags work fine.
A great alternative that won't break the bank; Buck Mark

[ojisan]

Barrel is fixed to the frame like most blowback designs.
So, a loose slide means nothing as long as it does its job.
There are several generations of magazines, I had Gen 3 mags when I had the Walther and it worked fine.
What concerned me was the rapid slide wear at the slide stop notch, due to the slide being made from soft zinc alloy.
This area immediately began peening out, requiring dressing with a file from time to time to keep the original shape.

I'm getting on in years, and now thinking about which select few guns that I will pass onto my sons.
That means selling off those that I won't keep for them.
Gone already are any and all guns with zinc parts, including the Walther.

I wish the Walther had a steel slide, it would have been a keeper if so.

[Skip_Dog]

I have had no issues with mine. Only had it for about a year. I will keep a close eye on it.

[MoondogIndustries]

Love the compactness and ergonomics of this pistol but HATE the sights. Sloppy with lots of play and an overly wide cut-out on the rear sight. Had to glue the rear sight to stop it from shifting on the screw.

At best, I can get 10rnd 4.5" group at 25yrds off-hand. Hardly a tack-driver but fine enough for plinking. The biggest factor in reducing its accuracy for me is its light weight. At 17oz, it's only half the weight of a Buck Mark or Ruger Mark II. Any slight twitch/tremor in my arm or hand makes for a wide flyer.

On the plus side, this pistol is a breeze to field strip compared to a Buck Mark or Ruger Mark II. And its featherweight and size would make it an attractive EDC backup gun.

For me, CCI Mini-mags, CCI Poly (Christmas Edition), Win Sup-X, and Rem Golden Bullets are hot enough for me to feed through 5 mags (50rnds) without issue on my range visits. Any Federal and Aguila Super Extra I found less than reliable in my Walther. If it's a new pistol, you can reduce FTF issues by breaking-in the slide recoil spring by keeping it in the chamber open position for a day or two.

The slide-stop wear is a worrying issue. I'll have to get out of my 1911 habit of using it as a slide release and always rack the slide from now on.

[chomorro]

I didnt like the walther I tried multiples at the range and they all jammed every other shot and I couldn't hit anything.

Ironically I picked up a sig mosquito that's runs super reliable with golden bullet crap ammo. And its bigger so it feels better in the palms yet everyone says they suck lol. I love mine.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Pofoo]

Barrel is fixed to the frame like most blowback designs.
So, a loose slide means nothing as long as it does its job.

With 1/8" slop in the rear of the slide, do you think the rear sight is always in the same place?

I probably posted too much info in my original post, so here's the question again--
Is it normal that when in battery--ready to fire--that the rear of the slide can be pushed side to side about 1/8"??

[steelholder]

It's why I went with with a Buckmark over a p22. Everything about it is better.

[FeuerFrei]

I did some research and found the P22 bible. Search for free download. That was the best thing I ever did. Explains the problems and fixes that improve the P22.

I have an older 5 " P22 and it ran great until the firing pin broke. I replaced it.
Ran great on HV 22 ammo du jour. Still does.

My P22 extractor got wonky and started to FTE. I did the extractor mod and it works fine.

*Use a combat hold on your targets and your accuracy will come around. I use the bigger back strap arch and original front sight.

P22 is a plinker. Don't expect premium accuracy/precision.

Fix it and/or sell it. Your call OP.

[FeuerFrei]

With 1/8" slop in the rear of the slide, do you think the rear sight is always in the same place?

I probably posted too much info in my original post, so here's the question again--
Is it normal that when in battery--ready to fire--that the rear of the slide can be pushed side to side about 1/8"??

The slide will move side to side. NOT 1/8". Micrometer vs eyeball?

[Tom-ADC]

There is lots of good info out there to keep these going and as noted fix any problems that pop up.
Rimfire central has a good Walther forum also.

https://www.waltherforums.com/forum/p22/

https://www.gunfactory.ch/download/Walther_P22_bible.pdf

[Pofoo]

The slide will move side to side. NOT 1/8". Micrometer vs eyeball?

Yes, you're right. I was just going by memory. I just looked at it and it moves about a 1/16". Still pretty substantial, especially coupled with the rear sight that is flexible. Probably the loosest pistol I own.
I also called Walther customer service, before looking at the pistol again this morning, and asked them if 1/8" slop was acceptable. "Within factory specs".

[Steve G]

The P22 is a piece of plastic and pot metal garbage. What did you expect for a bit north of $200?

[newbie1234]

The two Oh No pistols are : P-22 and Mosquito.
Some of you will say I am wrong, because you have a good P-22/Mosquito, because you never count how many posts bashing P-22/Mosquito and how many post bashing Buckmak/Ruger Mark/SR-22 .

[17+1]