I’ve used this gun once, several years ago. Rented it from the range I was at. It was fussy about which ammo it would fire, and a lot of what it fired ended up jamming. It was inaccurate. I really did like the aesthetics, however (I have a thing for Walthers). My original bout with the gun turned me off to the possibility of buying it, but I’ve heard from a couple other people that they like their P22s. I wonder if the one I was using was just a bad apple.
Has anyone else used this gun? What did you think of it? If you think it is a waste, can you recommend another .22? (fairly inexpensive, $300-500) If I were to get the P22, I’d probably get the longer barrel to help with the accuracy a bit. I’m not expecting whatever I get to be an amazingly accurate gun, but I’d like it to be accurate enough that it’s useful for me to practice with.
So it’s fussy about ammunition, it jams a bunch, and is inaccurate.
Why WOULD you buy that pistol? There are lots out there that fit nicely in your hand and don’t do the above things.
Try looking at the Ruger Mk III series - they’re pretty much the standard by which 22 automatic target pistols are judged.
I have a Ruger 22/45 Mk II, and love it. It doesn’t jam, it looks cool, and it’s a tack-driver. The only downside is that disassembly and reassembly is more difficult than most automatics, but hardly impossible.
The Browning Buckmark is a longer barrel, and is crazy accurate. And 22L rounds are as cheap as dirt too. I’ll get a rare stovepipe, but that’s with plinking rounds.
I wish I could afford an MKIII, but the Buckmark is much cheaper.
Can’t say that I’d personally recommend buying a firearm for aesthetics alone - and based upon the OP’s description, that’s the only thing he found going for the gun.
That said… My father owns a Walther P22, and finds it to be utterly reliable. It’s an expensive indulgence for him, but he’s quite fond of that piece. I speculate that as a range rental, the weapon the OP fired was in less than optimum condition.
I own an old Woodsman - Serial number in the mid-low numbers - and that’s what I plink with. It’s dead-on accurate, and points with almost unnatural ease. My elderly cousin used to use this pistol to take pheasant on the wing. Now, I’m never going to be that good a shot, but punching an entire magazine through the X-ring at the seven meter range has happened more often with this pistol than any other I’ve owned. If you can find a Woodsman in good condition, it’s a lovely choice, IMO.
Failing that, you could hardly go wrong with the Buckmark or the Mk II/Mk III.