Walther P22 vs Sig Mosquito

[Jax970]

Does anyone have experience with both a Walther P22 and a Sig Mosquito? How does accuracy (group size) compare between them? What are the pros and cons of each?

Thanks...

[Guest ab28]

I had a Walther P22, traded it in for a Ruger Mark 3. The accuracy was horrible on it, I fired at least a thousand rounds through it, and it didn't get any better. It is fun to shoot, but after you realize how inaccurate it is, it isn't fun anymore. I was getting like 10" groups at 20 yards.

[Guest 70below]

Honestly......I think the only real difference between them is which one fits you best. I've shot both. One buddy had a p22 and another had the mosquito. They both have ammo that works well for them, and some that doesn't.

I initially steered away from the P22 because of feeding issues, Walther seemed to have fixed that with a mag update. The mosquito seems a bit more finicky on ammo to me. I ended up going with the P22 because its size is a bit more woman/kid friendly in my opinion.

I ended up choosing the P22 for my pistol, and I've been very happy with it, its been a great investment. I also liked the fact that Walther has the PK380 coming out which is based on the P22. It makes the P22 seem like a good trainer for a woman that carries a PK380 (if it ever actually makes it to market finally).

If I were to get a Sig 22, I think I would get a P226, 229, or 220 with the 22 upper, and upgrade to the full power upper later.

[BrasilNuts]

This is my wife after taking her HCP range test with a Walther P22. She is a novice shooter, but if you notice only 3 shots were outside of the -0 ring.

I have had my P22 about three years now and have around 15k rounds through it. At first it only liked Federal bulk or CCI, but as it's worn in it's gotten less picky.

My Father-in-law was digging around in an old truck that I have and he found around 500 rounds of Remington bulk .22 that had been in there for at least 8 years. I took it to the range and fired all of it without a hitch.

As with all .22s the P22 gets dirty really fast and doesn't want to function properly when it's all gummed up. To fight this I started using Militec 1 and now I can get about 800-1000 rounds through it before a cleaning where as before I could shoot 500 at the most.

Edited August 20, 2009 by BrasilNuts

[Guest crotalus01]

Never owned or shot a Mosquito, but I have the Walther as a host for my .22 can. Love it, its great fun to shoot, eats any type of ammo I load up. Downside is its not very accurate, but for my shooting purposes that doesn't matter to me (my plinking gun).

My biggest gripe about it is that the takedown is a real bitch, as is putting it back together - the slide comes off to the front and the buffer spring can be a nightmare to get back in, even using the guide rod that comes with it. It does get easier with practice, but the first few times I tore it down to clean it it took me almost an hour to get the slide back on with the spring seated correctly. Or maybe I just suck

[Guest foister82]

i owned a mosquito for a few months... fun to shoot but had a heck of a trigger pull. A friend let me tinker a bit with his ruger markIII and it was pretty spot on. I have never shot the P22 however.

[Jasongar8]

I've shot both and the P22 would be my choice if I was going to buy one. Like some others have said the Sig's trigger pull is very heavy. Also in my experience the Sig would only fed certain kinds of ammo where the P22 will feed anything you put in it. The Sig does feel better in my hand though, more like a "regular" pistol instead of a .22. My vote is for the P22.

-Jason G

[mk19]

As majority shows I believe the Walther is a better choice out of the 2. I like the trigger on the target version of Walther, Sig however does not have that option. If you give me another choice, I'd buy a Ruger MK series instead, and not have as much headaches.

[Guest Marine03]

It also makes a differance on whether the controls match your other handguns. I chose the P22 because it was SA/DA and the mag release is a lever on the trigger guard just like my P99 and H&K USP. So for me I can practice with a .22 ammo bill and still get the muscle memory for my carry guns.

[jimic]

walters P-22 is my first choice.

I like the Sig. I have some problems with the factory sights and it a little picky with ammo type. the larger frame size is also a plus.

[kckndrgn]

I have the mosquito, and I don't have any problems with it, other than a stiff trigger pull in DA but that will soon be rectified.

I have had 4 failure to feed problems, and that was within the first 50 rounds. I have only shot Federal bulk, Remington Golden bullets and CCI mini mags through it, none of them have a problem. I do know that blazer .22lr will not work in it.

I did not like the P22 when I held it, it felt too small for my hands. And as far as the DA trigger pull being hard, well I almost never shoot it in DA mode, always SA.

Mine does have a threaded barrel as I have a can on order.

[Jax970]

Thanks to everyone...some great information. Keep it coming!

[Guest JHatmaker]

Jax, since you posted this in the Handgun Carry and Self-Defense Forum, are you interested in getting either one of these for concealed carry or home protection?

Just curious.

Both are great guns and fun to shoot...

[Jax970]

I guess I was in the wrong forum when I decided to post this question. Sorry about that. I carry at Glock 23. I have a buddy trying to decide between the P22 and Mosquito, so I posted the question on his behalf. His intended use is just plinking, but he likes reliable and very accurate guns even for plinking.

[Guest JHatmaker]

Ok good, I was worried for a sec...

[USMCJG]

His intended use is just plinking, but he likes reliable and very accurate guns even for plinking.

I can't speak for the P22, but I do have a Mosquito. It is not extremely accurate(it's decently accurate though) and it can be finicky about ammunition, but it gets less picky the more I shoot it. If your buddy wants something super accurate and stone reliable, then a Ruger Mark II/Mark III or Browning Buckmark would probably be a better choice. I also have a Ruger Mark III and it is much less ammo sensitive and much more accurate than my Mosquito, but the Mosquito is just a lot of fun to shoot and I shoot it more often.

Cliff

[strickj]

My Mosquito was picky with ammo when it was new,but what 22 isn't,yanno!

It'll eat anything I feed it without a hiccup now.

As far as accuracy goes,I can kill a golf ball with it at about 30 yards or so

[Guest ab28]

As far as accuracy goes,I can kill a golf ball with it at about 30 yards or so

Yeah, as a previous owner of a p22, I can tell you that the P22 wouldn't do that. I think it would be lucky to hit a plate at 30 yards. To me, a gun isn't fun to shoot unless it is accurate.

[Guest drcoffee]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this forum and really like the conversations taking place here. I'm not new to guns, been shooting since I was 8 years old (now 45). The P22 and Sig were two pistols I considered to get both my teen daughters involved in shooting sports. My original mistake was buying a Ruger MK3 for them to learn on. I had heard so many good things about th ergonomics and accuracy and how well designed it was. These people must be the same guys that yearn for the good old days of the Packard sedan. The break down and reassembly of this gun is nothing short of an engineering disaster. That was before ever shooting one round through it. I like to strip a new gun and get all the cosmoline out of the inner works. Then go and break it in properly at the range. I needed 3 hands and the manual in front of me to understand just how to put this back together. At the range, the gun is so heavy that prolonged shooting is near impossible and forget accuracy after the first two mags. Countless FTE and stove pipes. The only way I would get another one is with an integrated suppressor. Certainly not a gun for beginner girls to start with.

So I sold the Ruger and luckily lost no money on the deal. The best alternatives were the Walther P22 and Sig Mosquito. The heft of the SIG was a huge turn off. There's no way my girls would like prolonged shooting with the SIG. I bought a Walther P22 black on black for them to start with and my youngest had so much fun with it I gave it to her and bought a green on black for my older daughter who really did well on her first time out. It took a few mags for them to realize the recoil is fun and not something to fear. When both girls talked about how much fun they had, my wife wanted to go shooting again. I bought her a pink on nickel P22. I'm looking forward to getting them all out at the same time.

After the 2nd day out with her new P22, my 15 year old stepped up to my HK USP 40 and did very well. The Walther P22 is a great gateway gun to get women into our all boys club. I'm hoping that they will want to learn the sport for fun and not out of necessity.

The short answer, the Walther is more enjoyable for hours of shooting than the SIG. Forget accuracy. These are $300 guns with 3" barrels firing a .22LR. Just go and have fun. If they want to shoot better with a bigger caliber, this will help them cheaply find out their likes and dislikes before spending $800 on the next gun.

Sorry for the long winded response, I have insomnia.

Edited August 26, 2009 by drcoffee

[ncomarc]

My son is 8yrs old and can handle the Sig pretty good, but the trigger pull is a pain in the butt. We've shot both and even he says that the P22 feels like a toy, he's used to cleaning and helping me assemble my weapons so.... Maybe your friend can rent both at a range and really see what feels the best. Otherwise, it's like asking if Ford or Dodge trucks are better.

{Everyone knows Dodge is best!}

[lil*pup]

I am still forming my opinion but I like the sig as of now.

For what it is worth, I just purchased a real nice sig package from a TGO member last week. I sold my Walther P22 to make the deal happen.

I purchased a used Walther a couple years ago and was pretty happy with it but hadn't really shot it too much. The gun was pretty picky on ammo and had a tendency to jam. That all changed after my first NFA aquisition. With the addition of a can, the gun functioned flawlessly. And was more appealing to shoot. After now shooting it a good bit, it became less appealing as the accuracy became an apparent issue. I wondered if it was me or the gun and I puchased the factory laser. The laser proved to me that it was not my inability to command the firearm. I did some tests and found that it likes wildcat ammo for best group as well as penetration. This gun has the thinnest barrel I have every seen and I feel this has a good bit to do with it's accuracy. The gun is ok for plinking cans but it feels like a toy to me and that is where it stops. It is very light and without a doubt good for women and children to plink with.

I handled the Sig 22 and even put a few rounds through one a while back. I was wanting one to try out and put through the test. I was in agony while being out of town for a week while a good deal was listed on TGO. I claimed it upon my return. The gun was new and I was expectiong a break in period. After making my purchase I put 350rnds through it bufore the sun went down. It definately had plenty of failures with the slide not engaging the last 1/4" being the most common. I tried several brands of ammo for reliability and I have no opinion on that yet. The accuracy was good and I think an improvement over the walther. The gun feels better and the extra weight in the sig results in faster fallow up shots with less recoil. It didn't come with a thread adaptor so I have not tried it suppressed. I am hoping for better functionality with the addition of the can like I experienced with the walther, but I will not bank on that. I expect it to just take rounds down range to break it in.

I will post an update after I have some more experience with this sig. Assumeing that the raliability on the new sig improves and that the suppression level is on par, I can not imagine that I will ever regret my decision to switch from the walther to the sig.

I would be considering the Ruger mk very heavily in this decision. Very reliable and easily the most accurate choice for plinking.

Just my $0.02

Aaron

[Guest drcoffee]

lil*pup,

I had the MKIII with the longer barrel. It was accurate for the first few rounds and it had its share of FTE and stove pipes. The mag didn't feed well and cleaning is another story. Cleaning was a PITA. You need to be an engineer to disassemble and reassemble it. I couldn't wait to find someone to buy it off me. I still can't see why it gets so much praise. But do yourself a favor and hold one out in frot of you for an extended period of time. The weight makes shooting more than 2 mags accurately impossible.

Since the P22 was for the women in my house, the light weight makes it possible for them to shoot 300+ rounds a snap. Honestly, the recoil of a 22LR is very minor. Just go with the gun and when it peaks bring it back down rather than fighting it. Bend the elbows slightly and you get back on target quicker since the arms will absorb the kick. Good luck with the SIG. it was also heavy for prolonged shooting IMO.

Cheers

[GLOCKMEISTER]

the walther is twice the gun the sig is, imho

[lil*pup]

So it has been over a month since I got my sig and I thought I would chime in again.

I have fired probably 2000 rounds with the new sig and it is properly "broke in" now. No problems feeding and the gun is definitely reliable. And, It is more accurate than the walther ever dreamed of being.

Sound suppression with my can is almost as good as the walther was.

My biggest plus for the sig is the way it handles. It feels good to me and is fast to shoot. I have been learning double taps with this gun and am getting shots off in quick succession at about 2"-3" apart while standing 15yrds from the target. With the walther, I was lucky to get a 2" pattern at 15 yards taking my time to shoot.

So, this is my opinion based on my personal experiences with both guns. I would not even consider going back to the walther.

Aaron

[Guest Ae-35]

I bought a P22 a few years ago, 6 or 7, don't remember, cheap 22 at the time, gave 120 out the door( yeah they ain't cheap now) untill last year I shot at least a brick a month through it, barrel does heat up fast, but cold with Win. ammo I can cover a dine at 50 ft. 5 shots, SA 10 rds cover a nickle, thats not bad for a short barreled plastic gun, bifolicals have hurt my shoot'n too. trigger is 4lbs. SA the same as my G 19 so my wife likes it for practice, saves me a few 9s. If ya want to shoot dime sized groups at 25yds. get a Buckmark, or buy a Ruger an put an aftermarket trigger in it. For saving money while practicing drills, a P22 is ok.