Walther P22 (22LR) . Who has had problems with this gun?

[perstare]

We (my wife and I) bought a Walthers P22 for her use about ten days ago. It works fine (I should hope so!... we bought it brand new).

By accident, I came across a video in which the narrator described (and showed) several serious shortcomings in the basic design of the gun: (For example, the weakness of the takedown lever plastic suggested that it would fail. Secondly, the top of the hammer rubbed the top inside of the slide when a round was fired. The weapon actually DID malfunction because of that.)

I am a newbie. I own two .40 cal Glocks (#27 and #23 -- The smallest one, and the next size up). I love 'em.

My wife (strong of spirit, weak of wrist) couldn't handle the Glocks so we bought the Walthers P22 for her. If you are an experienced gun owner/handler and you have years of experience to call on, help me to put the Walthers issue "in proper perspective," That is, to put it simply, should I worry that my wife might be hurt in the future because of the criticisms that I saw in that video?

Just give me a clue. Thank you.

Mike B

[Sheepdog]

The front sight keeps falling off of my P22.

One of the magazines has lost the "loading button" on the side of the magazine. It's the part that you slide down with your thumb to facilitate loading, and it also lifts the slide lock when the mag is empty.

Other than that, it's worked perfectly well, when loaded with good ammo. Mine like CCI Mini Mags.

[A.J. Holst]

My wife put 200 trouble-free rounds through her P22 in our first range session with 4 different types of ammo.

Regarding the videos / reviews out there on any handgun, my opinion is there are more non-failures reported than failures.

The reviews are things that could go wrong, not stuff that will go wrong.

When you look at cars, how many hard-core "will never buy again" stories have you seen vs. the hundreds of thousands of satisfied owners.

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

I have not ever had any real problems with my P22, a couple of stove pipes in the first few hundred rounds is about all. I have noticed that the takedown lever seems to be a weak type plastic but I have shot 4-5 hundred rounds in a row with it and probably have at least 5000 through it and have not had any problems.

Your post did remind me that I have not fired that thing in quite a while, it needs to go back to the range as do I.

I would like to see that vid that you are talking about, if you can post a link that would be cool. Here is one link to a lot of info on them.. The P22 bible

http://www.freespeech.com/1917-1911M_P22_bible.pdf

All I have ever heard is that some of them are picky about ammo, but all I have ever fed mine is CCI mini mags and a few hundred of some Aquila stuff and it handled it just fine.

[seez52]

My son and I have put thousands of rounds through mine and it's a fairly early one, 4 digit serial. It is picky about the ammo. Federal bulk is a no go, but the Federal also won't shoot reliably in a Marlin 60 either. Remington bulk is fine and other "better" ammo works well. The only complaint I have is mine seems to shoot low. I've put the shortest front post on that it came with, but need one a bit shorter. Been meaning to call S&W and see if they can send me one. It's a fun little gun.

[R1100R]

I have two and getting ready to sell one. Both of mine have had zero issues. Shoots anything.

[perstare]

OK -- Thank you very much. Sheepdog, Gotthegoods, R1100R, seez52, Sgt. Joe have been generous with their interest and comments.

Before I forget, Sgt. Joe asked about the video. It can be found as

...the part of the video which describes the hammer problem begins at 5 minutes, 20 seconds.

First, you guys are good guys. I am surprised sometimes as to how many good guys are still around!

o Yes I am careful to use good ammo all the time. I use only CCI for the Walthers. (And I only use on Remington Golden Saber for the Glocks) My son's in the NYPD. He's given me multiple reminders about the ammo-quality issue. My son, and you guys, are right! I haven't had problems with ammo, but I've seen people who did.

o Second, you have "put the issue in proper perspective."

Sheepdog reminded me to use good ammo.

Gotthegoods pointed out the thousands of good-running cars compared to the few lemons (and the lemons get most of the publicity.)

Sgt. Joe, I downloaded the "P22 Bible." I will probably print it, punch holes in it, and keep it with the other material for gun maintenance.

Many thanks to everybody.

Mike B

[Guest buttonhook]

i have 3 never had a problem that wasn't ammo related (duds from the bulk packs) the fake suppressors they sell believe it or not really help. I dont know if it is the added weight or what but they def. change the gun. I guess I need to get a real one now and really have some fun. and it will shoot anything thats (high vel.) I do not like the golden bullets because of the lube on the bullet gets everywhere!!

[Mykltn]

My wife also has a Walther P22 but she doesn't carry. It is a safe queen mainly and she has only taken it to the range twice. I took it the other day just to put some rounds through it and had no issues with feeding or accuracy. Although I am not a fan of plastic guns. I found the P22 to be a fun little shooter. I put about 150 rounds through it and it ran great. Here are the last 50 rounds at 25 yards.

Now that's accurate!

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

All I can say in reference to the above target is that I need to get my butt back to the range and get back to going twice a week like I was the first of the year. I have tapered off considerably since then and have not been at all in near 3 months.......Yes I need whooped.

That kind of shooting is a whole lot more the shooter than the shootette.....excellent job.

Edited: I just watched that vid and of course this is just my opinion.

First and foremost if that man's gun came apart during firing he should have sent it straight back to Smith and not fired another round through it. I certainly would have.

The second issue I have with him is that he is using the slide "stop" as a slide "release" a function that it was not necessarily designed to do. My gun will chamber a round using the slide stop as a release 9 out of 10 times, but again that is not what it was designed to do, simply pulling back on the slide and letting it go will solve that problem every time in my experience and again IMO.

He is correct in that they can be a PITA to reassemble but he also has figured out the same thing I did and I am sure most others have about how to avoid that PITA.

I actually got mine out of the safe and checked the barrel nut and it is as tight as it can be after probably 5000 rounds through the gun.

The only thing he seems to me to be correct about is the hammer contacting the slide a bit, I also looked at that on mine and it does indeed make some contact but I can also see that it is smoothing itself out and I would expect a simple light sanding or filing would eliminate the problem completely IF it is a even a problem, it never has been for me. I also think simply sitting and racking the slide over and over will help with that smoothing process also.

I am certainly no expert and have only been into handguns for about two years but the P22 was my second purchase and I have had it for nearly two years and I think when the dude says "Serious design flaws" he is way over stating any issues.

I mean like WOW his gun fell apart during firing or so he implied and evidently he didnt have the common sense to send it back in??? That is one serious issue and he could well have a defective take down piece, I would send mine in today if that happened. I also did not notice the date of his video but all in all it seems irrelevant.

So Perstare I think you and your wife and your little 22 will be just fine, you can certainly use that video to watch for things that may happen but IMO the dude just got a lemon, that does happen with pretty much every handgun out there these days even some of the very expensive ones. The P22's are very popular and if they were all falling apart during firing I am sure we would have heard more about it.

The above posting is only the opinion of one old fart and should not be considered as anything other than such.

Stay Aware, Stay Safe, Shoot a Lot and Enjoy.

Edited October 3, 2010 by Sgt. Joe

[Guest The Highlander]

I bought one for my daughter, and I've been entirely underwhelmed by it, but that is a personal preference thing. I can't recall any failures to fire, and I feed a steady diet of Federal bulk to my .22's. Don't like the Remington bulk, just seems dirty for me, but never a firing related problem with Remington. The sights were a little off, but I changed out the front post and corrected the elevation problem in about 3 minutes. It is a very nice size and weight, and I've stuck it in my pocket while walking in feral dog areas a couple of times.

A P22 would never be my first, or second, or third choice for a .22 semi-auto, but again, that is purely personal preference only, seems to be a nice little gun, and hers has had zero problems. I do really like the size very much, and the mag release is nice as well. I have just shot and owned too many target-grade .22's through the years for it to be a favorite for me. It is probably a very good choice as a first pistol. And your wife may like the commonality between the P22 and the .380 version. Actually, me daughter may move up to the .380 for that very reason. I also like some of the Walther centerfire features, although I don't own one.

Again, I wouldn't worry about it flying apart anytime soon, Walther is an excellent company, with an excellent reputation.

The Highlander

[perstare]

OK

Thank you guys. You gave me a lot to think about.

Mykitn – I printed your target. Twice. I’ll show it to my wife. She is growing very quickly as far as her accuracy is concerned. She’ll faint, though, when she looks at the DISTANCE you were firing at when you made that grouping. She still surprises me…. She has taken an interest in gun skills. The other afternoon, we had this long meaningful talk about…. Targets. Life DOES go on!

Highlander – Good thoughts about different 22LRs. I want my wife to really really really be able to shoot to defend herself. …so I plan to upgrade her. (She has already remarked that she would kill anybody who threatened our grandkids. I sure hope her protective attitude would extend to me…. Food for thought, but nevertheless, a sign of her growing.)

I HOPE (!!) she can find a 9mm whose slide she can operate and whose kick is manageable. Thank you for your thoughts (personal, subjective, emotional, objective, it doesn’t matter……….it’s the voice of experience.)

Sgt. Joe reviewed the video, and I am going to look at that post LINE BY LINE. It is not a conversational post. It’s filled with hard information. As an example of experience, your reaction to the narrator’s description of the gun’s failures is very important: You would recognize that as being extraordinary and ***return the gun!!***

I again thank all of you for giving me your experience. I am at peace with our choice of the Walthers P22. I just think about my wife of 45+ years and I worry that she’ll be hurt. Thanks.

Mike B

[Guest TargetShooter84]

I have P22 Target Edition and I love it.

[Guest cheez]

I bought one for my wife a few weeks ago. We took it to the range and fire 250 rounds of various ammo. Had two fail to feeds early on but that was it. I was so impressed by the little gun that I went out and bought me one. It has a heavier trigger than my wifes gun but it is a great little gun.

I do not put a whole lot of confidence in what I see and read on the internet about gun reviews unless there are large numbers of the same problems with a particular gun. MOST of what you see and read about guns on the web is opinion and we all know what they say about opinions.

You have a couple Glocks that you love and have had no trouble with. Well I have five Glocks now and have owned about 2 dozen others. I have never had any issue with any factory Glock I ever had. I guarantee though that you can find some naysayers about Glock on the internet. Maybe even on here too.

[perstare]

Reply to everyone, prompted by the post by "cheez."

The impact of a video is hard to ignore. To his credit, the fellow who made the video did a good job in visual presentation, and made his case well. That is the reason why I asked advice after I had seen the video. The video made good evidence, but the experienced gun owners who replied to my post took the evidence of the video **and evaluated the evidence from the objective point of view of long-term gun experience.**

By coincidence, I saw a TV show the other night which showed various magic tricks (escape artist sort of thing). After the trick was presented, it was shown how the trick worked and how the 'escape artist' actually escaped. I'm not implying that the fellow who made the Walters P22 video was trying to deceive. I'm saying that his response to the problem was inappropriate, Namely: To remedy the problem, don't warn other people about your individual experience... just send the gun back and have the manufacturer make good for yourself.

Two replies of interest to cheez:

1. You're right about my affection for the .40 cal Glocks. I love 'em! ...especially the smallest one, the Glock 27.

2. Cheez, your avatar is one eye-catcher!

Mike B

[Guest cheez]

Two replies of interest to cheez:

1. You're right about my affection for the .40 cal Glocks. I love 'em! ...especially the smallest one, the Glock 27.

2. Cheez, your avatar is one eye-catcher!

Mike B

1. I too have an affection for the Glock .40 S & W. They are all good and I have had all the calibers except the 45 GAP. I settled in on the .40 for it's power, capacity, and availibility of ammo. Best of all three worlds.

2. I use this same avatar on several boards. Lots of people have asked what it was. If you could read the text on it it says something about beautiful shapes. Both the Glock pistol and the beautiful woman have beautiful shapes.

Edited October 4, 2010 by cheez

[~48_South~]

Ive had problems was out shooting one day and then next thing you know the hammers is just flopping around all over the place no tension what so ever. I didnt drop the gun or anything of that nature it just straight up broke while shooting. Sent it off to Walther for to get the repairs and it took forever to get it back which as soon as I got it back I got rid of it.

[monkeylizard]

I can't recall if it's mentioned in the P-22 Bible, but several of the improvements that the author made were incorporated into revised P-22 designs, directly because of his efforts working with the folks at S&W support. I know you bought it new, but if it was old stock, it's old design.

The magazine lettering will end in a number (oldest) or an A (revised) or a B (newest revised).

The receiver has a year encoded in it as a 2-letter code. A=0, B=1, C=2 ...(J is skipped)... I=8 and K=9 . So "AK" = 09 production year. I can't recall when major revisions were introduced, but newer is definitely better on the P-22.

The only issue I have is that my targets never look like mykltn's

[Guest Phantom6]

Bought one for my wife years ago and we have never had an issue with it as long as it is cleaned regularly and we use high velocity ammo in it. I have loaned it to a ton of folks that had gun issues while trying to qualify for their HCP's and it has never failed to function. You'd think with all the shooting this thing has done through the years the finish would be missing off the top of the hammer if the slide/hammer rub thing were an issue.

Certainly not my first choice as a personal protection firearm but for those with limitations it certainly beats a sharp stick in the eye. IMOH there are only three (3) componants of stopping power and those are;

1. bullet placement
   
2. bullet placement and of course,
   
3. bullet placement!
   

If your wife can hit her target she can stop a threat. Yes, she may have to hit it a few more times (she's got 10 rounds on board) but having a P22 or ANY .22 in your hand beats nothing but sweat in your hands.

[Punisher84]

Bought one as a "functional plinker" when I bought my wife her Springfield GI 1911. Ended up selling both those guns actually. Both due to feeding issues primarily, but the P22 just would never work for me. I loved the feel of the gun and the function, but no matter what ammo I used it would never cycle more than 2 or 3 mags without some sort of malfunction.

Still wanting to get another .22 pistol, but too many other non-gun related items I gotta take care of first.

[perstare]

48 South gave us the experience about the hammer flopping around. He also mentioned about the very slow service from Walthers. I was not happy about that.

BTW, am I mixed-up here, but I think I’ve seen references to S&W in connection with the repair of Walthers guns. Does Smith & Wesson service Walthers…? Tell me if I have that right.

Monkeylizard – Thank you for the explanation of the letter codes. Maybe am I reading too much into the sequence of letters and years that you described; I hope that the “L†(the first character of my Walthers serial number) means that the gun was made in 2010. Please let me know.

Phantom6 made his point (no pun intended) about BULLET PLACEMENT. Yes, and in connection with that, I was very glad to see my wife aggressively and systematically improve her **grouping.** She surprises me. Still.

In order for me to keep one step ahead of her, the next thing I must do is decide on a gun in the 9mm size for her. That won’t be easy for me because all I know is that the slide on the **Glocks** was impossible for her to move. On the other hand, she rocks and rolls with the Walthers P22 like a 21st Century Annie Oakley. I am choosing 9mm because my son (NYPD) uses 9mm Glock on the job and it would be nice if she could use the same.

Mike B

[Cherokee Slim]

I have the longer barrel version with weights. While mine shoots just about anything, the front sight/weight keeps coming loose. I have to loosen it all the way up, reseat the weight and crank it down again. It's a real pain even with Loctite. I've ordered the shorter barrel from S&W but it hasn't arrived yet.

Cherokee Slim

[crossfire]

48 South gave us the experience about the hammer flopping around. He also mentioned about the very slow service from Walthers. I was not happy about that.

BTW, am I mixed-up here, but I think I’ve seen references to S&W in connection with the repair of Walthers guns. Does Smith & Wesson service Walthers…? Tell me if I have that right.

Monkeylizard – Thank you for the explanation of the letter codes. Maybe am I reading too much into the sequence of letters and years that you described; I hope that the “L†(the first character of my Walthers serial number) means that the gun was made in 2010. Please let me know.

Phantom6 made his point (no pun intended) about BULLET PLACEMENT. Yes, and in connection with that, I was very glad to see my wife aggressively and systematically improve her **grouping.** She surprises me. Still.

In order for me to keep one step ahead of her, the next thing I must do is decide on a gun in the 9mm size for her. That won’t be easy for me because all I know is that the slide on the **Glocks** was impossible for her to move. On the other hand, she rocks and rolls with the Walthers P22 like a 21st Century Annie Oakley. I am choosing 9mm because my son (NYPD) uses 9mm Glock on the job and it would be nice if she could use the same.

Mike B

To bad it has to be a 9mm, the PK380 is a nice match up with the P22.

[sigmtnman]

I did a few of the p22 bible things to mine and it shoots flawlessly. Pretty accurate for what it is.

[LA_357SIG]

I am not quick to bash anyone giving a honest gun review on the internet but this guy sounds a little "off". Even my 10 year old son knows the difference between a slide/frame and upper/lower recievers. Modern polymers are hardly "just plastic". The thread protector has an O-ring between it and the barrel sleeve so it shouldn't just loosen under fire (mine never did in over 10-11k rounds). And the slide can easilly be put back on with a cleaning rod.

...Anyway, I bought my son (then 7 y/o) his P-22 (17,000 s/n range) 4 years ago and had none of the problems this guy describes (or claims). Initially he had some problems with Remington Thunderbolt ammo (which is subsonic) but since 2006 it doesn't have many FTFeed problems. (maybe 1 or 2 a range trip with lead bullets) With most of my semi-auto handguns I polished the feed ramp. My son always slingshots the slide and never uses the slide stop. There is a bump behind the barrel that slows down slide travel, I haven't altered it but I put a drop of lube there and no feeding problems (other than lead nosed ammo). We shoot Federal bulk (and Auto Match), Blazer, CCI green tag, and Remington Golden Bullet with virtually no problems. My son shoots this pistol exclusively and doesn"t have (m)any problems.