Wather P22 are they any good?

[Napalm Bulldog]

I have been looking at getting a new .22, Have'nt made up my mind yet and am looking at a few different models. Wanted to know what people thought of a Wather? Is it a good semi auto .22?


The models I am looking at is

Wather P22
Ruger 10/22 target tactical
Henry 22 mag

I have a Ruger but its getting old and worn, So I could use a replacement but it still works. I would like to take my 7 year old out and teach him to shoot. He likes handguns so I thought the Wather could be a good option to teach him handgun safety with. As far as the Henry .22 mag it just looks like it would be fun.

Any thoughts?

[Whatisthis?]

Just got a Walther P22 last week or so. I went to the range once, put 180+ CCI minimag rounds through it... not one hiccup. The grip is smaller, so for teaching your young one, it would probably be pretty darn good. It wasn't hard to handle at all... for me... but I wouldn't be able to judge if it would be easy for a 7 year old. I can't imagine it would it be bad for him in any way.

Now, because I only have around 180 rounds through it, I can't say much about the break in period, but from all the recent reviews I've read, the majority said something along the lines of break it in with CCI mini mags for a while and then it should run some high velocity (I think anything 1200+ fps) bulk ammo without issues. I'm thinking around 1000 rounds of CCIs will easily be enough to break it in.

The double action trigger is pretty long, but the only way to actually fire it in DA is to chamber a round, then manually drop the hammer as there is no actual decocker. The SA trigger isn't bad at all from my limited experience, it's pretty light.

My only complaint is the take down lever. I don't know if it's just me, but I have to use a knife or some thin piece of solid material to take it down. My girlfriend can take it down because she has finger nails to get underneath, which I don't have, so I use a pocket knife to drop it down without an issue. You just have to be careful to not scratch the frame or cut your hand.

[good DOPE]

I've had my Walther P22 for about 3 years now, and its definitely my favorite .22 cal pistol to shoot..... Very accurate and feels cool in the hands
It does take some practice to take down quickly though, but once you got it.. you got it.
*Have fun shootin!
-Here's a pic with the Walther laser attached
.

[Napalm Bulldog]

Hey thanks guys, I keep trying to get one thru gun Genie and its blocking me! Will have to call my shop and ask why. hey just got some in with digital desert camo. I want one! If I cant get that one Im going green!

[JSpin]

i'm in the market for a .22 pistol as well. my local range has all the popular ones available for rent, and i really liked the walther. i actually like the buckmark best, but the p22 seems to handle more like a "normal" semi auto.

now something that may be helpful to you.......my girlfriend is a very petite girl, about 90lbs. she has very small hands and lacks the hand/grip strength of an average shooter. clean and clear, she is most comfortable shooting the walther p22.

[Centurion_D]

I love my P22. Don't hesitate...get one. You won't regret it.

[Whatisthis?]

Don't mean to thread jack in any way, but maybe other P22 owners can chime in. Mine tends to shoot a little low, even at 7 yards. It could easily be me, but I honestly didn't think it was me every single shot. I have the lowest front sight on, so maybe it's my sight picture, but it's something to keep in mind. If someone else with good skills chimes in and shoots me down, then it's probably just me.

[IEShooter]

Walther

My P22 (5" barrel, stainless) is my favorite gun out of everything I own. I never get tired of shooting that thing.

Reportedly, they had some issues with feeding when they first came out, but the newer models have corrected that issue.

When new, I had a couple of FTE's with cheap ammo, but after a 100 rounds or so, it now eats anything flawlessly.

Thankfully, it does real well with the 555 pack of Winchester that WalMart sells for $20 or so. They're FMJ hollow points that move around 1260 fps if memory serves. If you want some hot rounds, pick up the Aguilla's from Cabelas that move over 1700 fps. Those are fun to shoot.

I have a 5 year old and the small frame and light trigger pull work well for him. He really enjoys shooting it and the gun is darn accurate.

BTW, you probably know this, but kids love shooting reactive targets. Potatoes vaporize with center mass hits from hollow points. Best of all, cans of shaving cream, shaken up are a lot of fun to shoot.

My son will go through 8-10 cans of shaving cream every time we go out. The local 99 cent store is your friend for these while you can get 20 pound bags of baking potatoes for $4 at your local Costco or Sams.

Obviously, ask first if this is okay at your local range or shooting area.

Have fun!!!!!!

[Whatisthis?]

I take back my last comment. I checked out my targets from my first range trip with it. I totally screwed up with my last post. After I changed to a shorter front sight for 7 yards, anything that went low was my bad. Majority was where it they should have been. My bad. I haven't taken it out to 25 yards, but I don't think I have the skill set yet, so I can't comment.

[gunenvy]

The P22 is our standard training pistol when we teach novice students, its also the benchmark test pistol for any suppressors we are testing. Cant beat them, have thousands through ours and they still soldier on.

[sierratangofoxtrotunion]

P22 is a good gun. Grip feels really small, but would be fine for women, kids, teenagers, or otherwise small hands.

Ammo it likes: It likes higher velocity stuff, whether it's the Federal bulk packs or CCI Mini-mags. In fact, I've never heard a single report of problems shooting CCI Mini-mags. Slower ammo it will have trouble with, and somewhat dirty or sticky ammo will give it feeding problems.