My range's pro shop has had three of these silver and black things in stock for over 2 years (even after trying to unload them for cost).  They can't get anyone to buy them.  Two are the M3 long barrel and one is the M1 short barrel.  Has anyone owned or shot these?  They look funny, operate funny (bolt actuating slide is in front of trigger), and the things won't dry fire even with a mag in them.  Do they have some kind of "dry fire" safety?

I've thought about buying one of them just to get it off the shelf and make room for more conventional guns.     Are they accurate?  Are they reliable?

when i started getting into 22s, the walther p22 was the first one i went to

however, further research led me away from this gun.
these were the things that bothered me.

1) "pot metal" slide. - never personally experienced, but have heard of them cracking. they say "zinc alloy blah  blah" i see "pot metal". i prefer a stronger metal that will "last longer". esp with current materials technology, there is no reason not to.

2) finicky ammo - i buy a 22lr handgun to shoot dirt cheap. i want to be able to run federal bulk(3 cents a round) at minimum without experiencing fte ftf, etc. most report CCI mini mags run best (6cents a round) in the p22.

3) mag release - i prefer the mag drop button over the mag drop lever.

I used a p22 form a friend and they are a blast.. when they work.

edit: and they can work wonderfully with modifications. i just prefer a gun that can run 100% out of the box.

currently there are a lot of 22s with new ones as well.
they are also built with better materials as far as i know (no "pot metal" slides!)

check out the:
- ruger 22 pistols. they do look funny and are a pain to strip and clean, but they feed reliably with all sorts of ammo.

- newer ruger sr22 pistol, they seem promising and work with all sorts of ammo as well. reviews seem to be only positive.

- advantage arms 22 conversion kits. - i own one and it allows me to have trigger time on my g17. mine feeds fed bulk with no issues, but some people dont experience the same. but i personally love this kit the best. no lie, i put 500+ rounds through this kit with 4 friends (2 being new to shooting) and only experienced 1 fte.

- tactical sollution 22 conversion kits -  i hear good things about these as well, similar to the AA kit above.

- S&W M&P22 - same makers of the p22 but the slide material is no longer pot metal iirc. it also now feeds all sorts of cheap ammo based of reviews. mags are expensive though.

im sure im missing some other models,  but these are what comes to mind right now.

SP22, not P22.

OHHHH, wow. reading owns me.

Sorry.


edit: for what its worth, i ran into 2 people with the SP22 (not P22) at the range. they said its a cool looking gun, but isnt the most reliable. they said they bought it because it was cheap. but YMMV.

junk i got one the first day it came out the hole trigger system broke after 50 rounds
send it back to S&W and got it back try it aging boom it happen aging on the first round

the guys at the gun shop took it back and got a ruger MKII for the girl i was dating at the time and never look back

btw, there is probably a reason why they have been sitting on the shelf for so long!

That's what I was looking for.  I own many different .22LR pistols/revolvers, so this was just a possible aquistion for the heck of it.  I don't like the way these look or operate, so add to that the fact that they're not reliable, and I've got no reason to buy one of them.

Thanks for the warning.  I shall avoid and spent the money on something else.

I've had one for three and a half years.  I've got the 6 inch version.  They're okay.  Here's my break-down:

Pros:
Very accurate.  In the hands of the right shooter they can print very respectable groups.
Mine has been reliable.  I never had a jam and it didn't have any more failures to fire than any other rimfire pistol I've shot.
Modular.  You can attach some rails for optics very easily.

Cons:
Feel a bit cheap.  From the weight to the overly-flexible plastic trigger.
Difficult to re-assemble after breaking down for cleaning.  The rear sight is attached to the lower, so when you reinstall the upper it gets boogered up half the time.

Also, I have no problem dry-firing mine with a mag in them.  Just cock it, seat the mag, turn the safety off and dry-fire.  As far as the bolt actuating slide- it's place forward because that is how a lot of target pistols have them; check out the design of a Hammerli 280, Benelli MP90, or Walther SSP to get an idea of what they were going for.  These were meant to be modestly price target pistols, which is why I bought one.  I have $250 even invested in mine.  For $200-250, they're okay, but I wouldn't pay more than that.  I bought a Ruger MK II yesterday with a target barrel and can't wait to shoot it!

i am glad i was able to help out

+1 on the ruger

I already have 5 Rugers (Mk I, II, III and 22/45).  Just considering the SP22 as a possible novelty pistol, but I don't like it so far.

i have this one
SIG 1911-22   i like mine so far i took the thread adapter for now ones my suppressor come in i will take some pics and videos
the only ammo it dose not like is the Aguila sub sonic ammo in 38 grain

Anyone get to play with an SR22 Pistol yet?

i have to wait and see on that one if they make a threaded barrel i mite considered  

User manual says that there are threaded barrels available from the factory.  On page 25.

This


I have no idea what Walther was thinking with these.  They are not quite bullseye pistol and not quite olympic pistols.  They really don't have a market.  Real oddball in a market with lots of other better choices.  They were certainly not for the euro market either.  The euro gun market are full-fledged gun snobs and would never waste money or space on their permits for something so obviously goof, unproven, and cheap.