The Walther P22 Semi-automatic Pistol

The Walther P22 is a semi-automatic .22 caliber pistol. I actually bought this gun for my wife to take to the range. Initially I had purchased a .357/.38 special for her. She thought it was a bit too much kick and did not like shooting it very much, but she did enjoy shooting. I figured I would get her something smaller so she would continue to enjoy our range time. This is actually the only hobby that either of us have that we both enjoy. I must say she really does enjoy this gun and is much more comfortable shooting because of the smaller caliber. She is also getting used to handling semi-auto pistols which is good since I shoot a Glock.

Most people are familiar with the name Walther because of their infamous Walther PPK. This was made famous by the James Bond movies as it's the kind that he often used. The P22 has a very similar weight and feel of some of the newer .380 cal models which is what the PPK was chambered in. This is part of why I purchased this for her. Her next self defense gun might be a .380 semi-auto. They are made in Germany and imported by Smith & Wesson. As such they are a very high quality firearm.

The Walther P22 is a really nice gun with some good features. All the ones I have seen hold ten rounds and you can put one in the chamber if you chose. The sights can be adjusted, but I found them to be fine out of the box. There is a two position thumb operated safety by the rear of the pistol. The action can be both single and double action. The lower part of the gun is made of a polymer and the slide is metal. It is very light at just under 1 lb. There are a wide variety of colors that you can choose from. There are two tone black and gray, black, pink and various other colors. There is a short and slighter longer barrel version as well as a version sold with a compensator (I personally don't use these). The Walther P22 comes with one magazine, a gun lock, and plastic case. You can often find these new for around $320 and I have seen them used for like $270.

Some of the main benefits are that it is a rather inexpensive gun that has very nice features and is made by a great name in guns. I have found it to be very accurate and the ammo for it is relatively cheap. I have tried a few kinds of 22 cal ammo and highly recommend the CCI mini mag hollow point ammo. I have found it will give you the least amount of problems. It is worth noting that just about all .22 cal guns will jam because of how cheap the ammo is in general as well as being rim fire as opposed to center fire ammunition. The cambering and action are just like larger caliber automatics as opposed to many .22 semi-auto pistols were just part of the top composes the slide. These models include Browning, Smith & Wesson, and the Beretta U22 model.

There are really not many drawbacks to the Walther P22. Since it's a small caliber gun I would not recommend it for a concealed carry gun or a home defense weapon. I will say that if you are a good shot and can get a head shot that will have the desired effect in a self defense situation, but I caution anyone to use this as a target gun or a back up and not think of it as a primary weapon. Overall I would rate it as probably the best functioning gun in its class. I am not sure if this is really a drawback, but this gun with not fire without a magazine in it.

Sources

www.impactguns.com

www.nra.com

www.cabelas.com