I can't say enough good things about my P22. The did have issues in the past...however I don't believe that is the case anymore. Walther has fixed all the problems, and any new guns will run flawlessly. To be sure, make sure teh serial starts with an "L", and the magazine should have an "A" or "B" on it.

The only downfall to the P22 is it's hunger for expensive ammo. CCI mini mags work great for me. However, it seems that lately it's been doing OK with the cheap stuff. I buy the Federal high velocity hollow points now for $18/525. Not a bad deal, and the spring seems to have lightened up enough to limit any cycling problems I had when it was new. Also, magazines are hard to come buy, and are pretty expensive.

I don't think you can go wrong with it. I also prefer the 3.4" barrel. I don't think the extra 1" longer front sight you get with the longer barrel is beneficial.

They are a bit hard to track down, but the Firestore .22 has gotten good reviews in most of the forums I visit. It is the same size/shape as the Bersa BT380/Firestorm 380.

Many good .22 pistols out there my favorite is the Ruger Mk II bull barrel, S&W Browning are good also.

My. wife and I love our P22. No problems at all. Fun to shoot

I rented a P22 2 weeks ago when I was shopping for a 22LR semi-auto. On the 2nd shot, the slide locked in the rear position and would not return - it was jammed. I took it back to the counter to swap for another rental (a Ruger Mark II). When I apologized to the gunsmith for breaking the gun, his response was: "Don't worry about it. This gun was broken when it left the factory. I'd rather have a brick to throw at an attacker than one of these." During further discussion, he indicated that quality issues are common with the P22s. I wound up buying a Buck Mark Camper.

Musta' got a dud. My P22 has never had problems. You absolutely have to use high velocity ammo in them, otherwise they'll jam. They're typical Walthers and picky about ammo. But CCI mini-mags are a whopping $6/100 pack.

brad01...PM inbound.

Originally Posted by Brad01

I'm looking for a 22LR semi-auto smaller/lighter than my Ruger 22-45 but larger than any pocket pistol size. Basically full size but not as bulky as the Rugers/Buckmarks. Any ideas. The Walther P22 looks and feels good but there seem to be many disappointed owners. Any thoughts on the P22 or alternatives approximately that size? Thanks in advance.

Two ideas-

- Beretta 87 Cheetah in .22. Same size/frame as the model 84 .380 autos. Very reliable. Downsides: Expensive and only holds 7 rounds in the mag.

- Buckmark with an aftermarket Tactical Solutions Trail Lite barrel. This is an aluminum barrel with a rifled steel liner, and it makes the gun VERY light. It can be ordered in several different lengths; pick the one you want.

www.tacticalsol.com

i have close to 500 rounds of cci mini mags thru my p22 with laser
i love it and my friend i took to the range also loves it

Thank you all for the ideas.

Originally Posted by Brad01

Thank you all for the ideas.

Check your inbox.

1 vote for buckmark.... accurate and reliable.

Just as a side note, I've had my buckmark for about 3 weeks and I've already put 5000 rounds through it. It only jamed 4 times. 3 of those were due to shitty ammo and one may have been a misfire. But out of 5K rounds... that's jsut amazing reliability. I'll go to the range and shoot Five hundred rounds somedays and not a single hitch. Buckmark makes an amazing product.

I own 5 ruger .22s (including the 22/45). If you want to stay away from that size pistol, the P22 is great. The nephew and I have shot the heck out of his with no issues.

FHF, do you want to sell the threaded barrel for your P22?

What about the Sig Mosquito. Shot one a couple of weeks ago and it was a really nice gun. Price is about the same as the P22. Anybody have any longterm feedback on this gun.

Originally Posted by xjclassic

What about the Sig Mosquito. Shot one a couple of weeks ago and it was a really nice gun. Price is about the same as the P22. Anybody have any longterm feedback on this gun.

No long term feedback but I can tell you I just bought one and had a good time with it. I wanted something that looked like my Sig P220 Compact. The Mosquito has the decocker, the slide release and the mag release in the same positions. Mine shot high out of the box; the accompanying target from the folks in Germany that fired it also shot high. I changed out the front sight with one of the other 2 included and hope to find out shortly if that did the trick. 2 FTF's out of the 200 rounds I put through it; I believe that is attributable to rimfire ammo and not light strikes. The double action function fired both FTF's on the first try. I'm pleased with my purchase and with the way the Mosquito looks, feels and shoots. I bought it only after exhaustive lurking and reading about all of the pros and cons. I did read on one of the forums of someone that has 5000+ rounds through theirs and has had no problems. Of course, you will also read about others that have had problems. Such is true with every brand of firearm on the market. (I know someone that is currently plenty pissed at Kimber for example. Others love'em to death.) I shot CCI Mini-Mags. It breaks down easily for cleaning. This also added to my decision.