Firearm Review: Walther P22 .22LR Semi-auto Pistol 2nd Generation Model

My Walther P22 came from a dealer about 500 miles from my home. It was the only one I could find in the whole state. The newer versions of the P22 are very hard to locate and demand premium pricing compared to the older models. Mine cost $345 new. Older models can be found as cheap as $199. The original P22 was introduced soon after the turn of the millennium and quality issues dogged its reputation. Feeding issues made the gun unreliable with anything but CCI ammunition and magazines were problematic to load. While there was never a factory recall on these pistols, a Walther customer service rep I spoke to said any older models returned for repair are upgraded with the latest parts.

My P22 has the 5" target barrel with muzzle weight. It came with various accessories in the box including a assembly tool, muzzle nut wrench, three palm swell adapters, and three sight pins. Included were two ten-round magazines. Models can be bought with both 3.4" and 5" barrels in a kit form, but I have never been able to locate one. All testing of this gun was done with the largest palm swell adapter in place and using the #2 front sight pin. I also removed the muzzle weight as it made the gun muzzle heavy during shooting. the gun was broken in with 500 rounds of CCI velocitor ammunition (per Walther CS recommendation). Several failure to feed stoppages were noted in the first 100 rounds and no more after that during break in. After the 500 rounds were complete the gun was stripped and cleaned. Of note is the tool used for reassembly. it is a 3" long plastic rod that is used to guide the recoil spring into place on the 5" barrel models. This proved difficult to do at first, but once the technique is learned it is simple to accomplish.

After break in was complete, I shot a variety of ammunition through the pistol. Most was acquired locally, and I also ordered Wolf and PMC match ammunition to check accuracy. Most of the shooting was done with bulk pack Federal and CCI ammunition, but I tested all the varieties I could buy. They are listed below.

CCI blazer bulk pack
Federal bulk pack
Wolf Gold match pistol
PMC Match pistol
Winchester wildcat
CCI velocitor
CCI mini mag
Remington "Golden bullet"
Remington "Thunderbolt"
CCI "Zapper"

As this gun is a "plinker" and not renowned for its accuracy, the match grade ammo was tested for measured accuracy and the rest was measured on hit/miss basis. Targets were 12" bullseye for the accuracy tests and "pepper popper" targets for general shooting.

Accuracy tests took place at 10 and 25 yards. Both targets were shot with two, ten-round magazines and the overall groups measured. All shooting was done standing using a weaver stance. The Wolf match ammo was first and results were good but not great. The group was 6" on the 10 yard target and 11" on the 25 yard taget. The PMC match pistol proved much better. It shot 4" on the 10 yard target and 7" on the 25 yard target. One failure to feed was noted with the PMC ammo. As this was the expected accuracy of the gun, I dispensed with any further fine accuracy tests and went on to pepper popper shooting.

It should be noted at this time I noticed the muzzle nut was loose. It took two turns with the supplied wrench to tighten it. I called Walther customer service on my cell phone from the range and asked them about it. The rep I talked to said it may come loose during shooting for the initial break in period. He said if it became problematic after that to either send it in for replacement or add a drop of thread sealant to it. I purchased a bottle of medium strength Loctite and applied one drop. No further problems were recorded to date.

Pepper popper shooting was done at various ranges from 5 feet to 25 yards on a 20 target course. I expended 60 rounds of each type of ammunition and recorded the results below. Courses are labeled C1 (course 1) C2 (Course 2) etc. Match grade ammo was not tested on the popper courses due to cost constraints.

CCI blazer bulk pack
C1 18 hits 2 misses
C2 17 hits 3 misses
C3 20 hits

Federal bulk pack
C1 15 hits 5 misses
C2 12 hits 8 misses
C3 16 hits 4 misses

Winchester wildcat
C1 19 hits 1 miss
C2 20 hits
C3 20 hits

CCI Velocitor
C1 20 hits
C2 14 hits 6 misses
C3 13 hits seven misses

CCI mini mags
C1 15 hits 5 misses
C2 13 hits seven misses
C3 10 hits 10 misses
Of note, CCI Mini mags exhibited far more recoil that other ammunition and after the three courses of fire I discontinued their use. Later conversations with CCI reps revealed a faulty batch of ammunition.

Remington "golden bullet"
C1 10 hits 10 misses 3 failure to feeds
C2 2 hits 8 misses 5 failure to feeds

At this point i stopped and inspected the pistol far damage or other problem as I was getting a failure to feed every other round or so. A heavy waxy substance was caked around the feed ramp and chamber. The gun was cleaned a fire resumed. See paragraph below for info on this failure.

Remington "thunderbolt"
C1 16 hits 4 misses
C2 15 hits 5 misses
C3 18 hits 2 misses

CCI "Zapper"
C1 18 hits 2 misses
C2 18 hits 2 misses
C3 20 hits

As you can see the Winchester wildcat had the best overall performance. I also found this ammo to be the cleanest ammo I was shooting that day. It is a little more expensive that cheap bulk pack ammo at $1.21 for 50 rounds.

Remington "golden bullet" issues. The golden bullet ammo had a heavy, waxy substance coating the bullet. This coating clogged the feed ramp and chamber of the pistol causing failure to feed issues as noted in the shooting log above. Another shooter at the range had a Ruger 10/22 and I gave him 100 rounds of the ammo to test. His gun also clogged and jammed with the waxy substance. I called Remington customer service that evening when I got home. The first rep i talked to had difficulty speaking english and understanding me. I asked to be transferred to her supervisor and after a 10 minute wait on hold a very nice gentleman answered the phone. I asked him about this waxy substance and he became very hesitant to speak to me. When asked directly what it was he said it was a "lubricant" and should be OK to shoot in any firearm. When I replied that my pistol and another persons' rifle had both jammed repeatedly because of this "lubricant" he said that Remington doesn't expect their ammo to work in every gun on the planet and I should just "use something else". I knew I was getting nowhere with this person and asked to speak to either an ammunition engineer or technician. He said that "we don't do that here" and gave me another number to call. I did not get this persons name and was unable get anywhere with him. The number he gave me for technical services had been disconnected and no other number could be located. this issue remains unresolved to date.

Overall the P22 is an excellent choice for a budget plinker. if extreme accuracy is what you are looking for this pistol is not for you. You would be better off seeking a Browning, Ruger or Hammerli bull barrel target pistol instead. As a training tool it is invaluable as it allows alot of shooting on a budget. If you decide to buy a P22 do your utmost to find a second generation model. They were made after February 1, 2006 and all older models sent in for repair are upgraded. I was able to obtain an older model P22 for comparison and it proved to be a "jam-o-matic". I never made it through a full ten round magazine without a stoppage of some kind. When Walther upgraded the pistol they made a few subtle but important changes. They included changes to the feed ramp profile, changes to the hammer shape, and changes to the feed lips of the magazines.

Of note is the availability of aftermarket magazine followers that allow two or three extra rounds in the magazine. I obtained and tried several different models and all proved unreliable. They also removed the slide lockback on an empty magazine. They are cheap at around $10 each, but don't prove themselves in shooting.