I own a P22 3.5" and like it. My wife really likes it. It is an accurate shooter and in my experience does good to around 200 rounds before it REALLY needs cleaned. The action gunks up pretty quick and will quit cycling. If you keep it clean, it's a blast to shoot. I had trouble initially with it (probably didn't clean it well enough when it was new) but once I had the factory grease out of it, it runs great. I would have to say that I am personally eyeing a Ruger 22/45 mark II or mark III. I have seen one of those run 3 full bricks during a range session with NO MALFUNCTIONS OF ANY KIND! I wish my P22 would do that! Like I said, about 200 rounds is all I get before it gunks up and I start having problems. It's not hard to clean, I just sometimes have to do it at the range to be able to keep shooting. I started out using CCI Stingers and now just use the cheap-o brick ammo. I haven't found any ammo that gives me trouble feeding or cycling in the gun and all seem accurate. I regularly shoot pop cans at 50 yards with it (probably 8 hits with a mag of 10 rounds).
I like the P22 and don't plan on getting rid of it. I am however looking at the Ruger as I said, maybe just for something different, but also because I saw one go over 1500 rounds in one afternoon with no cleaning. That impressed me.

My wife preferred my Browning Buckmark to a friend's P22. I do happen to like the look of the P22 myself but the Buckmark suits us just fine for plinking. I've not had any issues with it at all. I've even disassembled it totally and gotten it back together with no problem. Hearing that you have to clean a P22 as often as 200 rounds would make me steer clear of it altogether. My Buckmark regularly goes up to 500+ rounds before it even begins to object at all and most of the time goes to 1000 rounds till I get around to cleaning it. I find it hard not to have a range session of less than 200 rounds with my 22 so that means a lot of cleaning is in your future. I also tend to think more things get broken from disassembly and cleaning than from shooting so the more cleaning, the more potential for problems.

My Mark II is at over 2000 rounds without a field strip (I just spray G96 down the barrel and the end of a session...), and it hasn't failed me (I haven't cleaned it since I bought it...used...). This is also with the cheap Federal Bulk Packs. As mentioned above, if a gun had the reputation of needing to be cleaned every 200 rounds, ESPECIALLY a .22, then I would want nothing to do with it. Is the wife already a shooter? I have a feeling she is, but if not, then I would say go for it just to get her into shooting since she likes it. If she already is a shooter, then you may want to have a talk. Just my .02

-Jeff-

I have well over 1500 rounds thru my P22 and I have NEVER cleaned it. Never ever ever. Never lubed it, never stripped it, nothing. Never had any problems w/ it at all. That thing is my little range whore.

Originally Posted by Slick

I have well over 1500 rounds thru my P22 and I have NEVER cleaned it. Never ever ever. Never lubed it, never stripped it, nothing. Never had any problems w/ it at all. That thing is my little range whore.

That's great! What ammo do you use? Mine just seems to gunk up quick. Any .22 round I've tried just makes a lot of grit that, in a P22, goes right into the works. I've had it up to 400 or so rounds before cleaning but I usually end up around the 200 round mark when I start having problems. The problems are usually misfeeds. Maybe it's the solvent/lube I use just attracting crap? Doesn't bother any of my other guns though because I use the same stuff on them.

it's a fun gun, get it.

if you want something good it has to be made in germany like the walther or the sig mosquito. the other cowboy guns and rugers aren't as classy.

When I took my basic pistol class to get my NRA certificate they had P22's that we used. I remember that half of them jammed, and since my father and I were looking to get a .22 pistol that was enough to turn us away from the P22. Of course, it could have been that they weren't maintained well enough, but at any rate it wasn't just one or two, at least half of them jammed.

Seems like the P22's reputation is shaky at best, why not go with a .22 that has a reputation that has been well estalished. I'm saying go with the Ruger. I prefer my Mark II over my Mark III, but despite the shortcomings of the Mark III it is still a very well built handgun. I think the price of a Ruger is similar to that of a P22.

My wife will shoot only two of my 22's. The Walther P22 and the Walther PPK 22lr because she says the others are too big or heavy. Granted the MKIII SS Hunter w/67/8" fluted barrel is a handful but I think she just feels more secure with a smaller frame. She also likes the S&W J frame 317 w/3" barrel.
As far as the P22 is concerned (mine is one of the older ones) it's always been a great reliable little pistol that shoots whatever ammo I have at the time without any issues. Generally either WWB or Rem GBB's.
As far as the 200 round issue.....well I've never experienced anything like that. However, in my opinion a guy deserves whatever he gets if he doesn't keep his gun clean. I thoroughly clean after every range session as soon as I can and don't worry about it.
There's some great 22 pistols out there, but you better listen to the wife and give her plenty of honey for she can nix that next handgun your dying for.
Jim

i have a p22 with about 600 rounds thru it and no cleaning
never had a ftf or fte or anything
i use cci minimags exclusively
wife likes it also
but for me the trigger is just too short and i consistently pull my shots 2" right (i am left handed) and even with bullseye - i just haven't controlled my finger that is squished a little bit for my hand -
smaller hands should be just fine
the laser is also a blast - this one sold me on the lasers

We purchased a P22 because my wife liked the way it fit her hand. It proved to be a fairly reliable handgun, but it's accuracy was poor. Once we purchased a few other .22 auto's (Neos, 22A, MKIII, BuckMark), she realized what a really good auto is, and we dumped the P22.

I'm not a Walther hater - in fact it is my favorite brand. It's just that the P22 does not feel nearly as substantial as the above pistols, and isn't as accurate either. If you are a mediocre shooter, it's accuracy (lack of) might not matter. I for one couldn't stand it....

PhilR.

Its not looking to favorable for the purchase of a P22. From what I've read on this and other forums.

the think about the P22 is that it does not look like the rest of the majority of 22s out there thus it is pretty cool
so many of them have that similiar look which is why I bought it
HOWEVER
the other 22 that a lot of people like and mention on this forum is the sigsaure mosquito check it out at: (and there are 5 variations!!)
http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/Sho...?categoryid=30

IMHO between the Sig or the Walthler , I'd go with the Walther when talking about a "plinker" When it come to the "plinker" category IMHO Ruger Mk series and Buckmarks have then beat. Have your wife look at a Buckmark Lite Spash. Lightweight and with the "spash" or color she might change her mind.

Originally Posted by hideit

i have a p22 with about 600 rounds thru it and no cleaning
never had a ftf or fte or anything
i use cci minimags exclusively
wife likes it also
but for me the trigger is just too short and i consistently pull my shots 2" right (i am left handed) and even with bullseye - i just haven't controlled my finger that is squished a little bit for my hand -
smaller hands should be just fine
the laser is also a blast - this one sold me on the lasers

After reading your post to the wife, the one who wants the P22, She wants to buy it. I use Stingers in my Ber.21A When I carry it,Got some snap to it. So will put it on lay away for a couple of weeks and give a range report when we get it. side note, left handed also...

I bought a P22 for just some fun cheap shooting, and now my mom and my girlfriend will be getting one soon.

The only "problem" I have had with mine is that occasionally it won't chamber a new round, but this only happens with the super cheap bulk ammo. I think this is caused by the inconsistency/quality of the ammo... maybe some of the rounds are powerful enough to eject the casing but not quite strong enough to push the slide all the way back far enough to grab the next round. The gun has never malfunctioned in any way with any CCI ammo.

I think the gun is perfect for small women, too. This thing is pretty much the only thing my mom is willing to shoot. Her hand gets bruised by the .38 special she got so she wanted a .22, but the springs and trigger pulls are so stiff on .22 revolvers. She hates shooting the .38 so she won't practice with it or carry it, but with some CCI mini-mags or stingers I would consider it perfectly reliable to carry and she loves practicing with it. I know, I wouldn't recommend a .22 for defense either, but it's always better than nothing.

Although I don't own one, I do believe that the ruger .22s are generally more reliable and more accurate, but for the purpose my P22 serves I'm honestly more concerned with how much cooler it looks than its accuracy at 50 yards. I also have not needed to clean it any more often than my other guns.

Overall I am extremely happy with the P22, and it exceeds my expectations, especially for what it is... a semiautomatic rimfire pistol.

Hi from France,
I bought my P22 2-tone target last month and its safe to say I LOVE THIS GUN
I clean it after every visit to the range and put 200-300 rounds at 25mtrs per visit.
I shoot cheap CCI Blaser and nothing else. I have big hands but it's still a hoot to shoot and I have had no prblems with it (so far!!!).
fusil

I'd say about 95% of the issues I've seen with the P22 are due to having an older model (new ones don't have ANY problems), or an improper break in period. I doubt it's listed anywhere by Walther/S&W, but you should fire 500 or so HOT rounds threw the P22 before trying any of the cheap stuff. Once you do that it'll eat up just about anything.

I forget what to check for in getting a model that is newer (and trouble free), but I believe the serial needs to start with an "L". Also the mags need to start with an "A" or "B" in their serial.

It's a great gun, wish I hadn't sold mine. I'll probably buy another real soon. Threaded barrel means it's easy to add a silencer, too

Just bought a P22 short barrel in black today. Very nice feel to it and the fit and finish is great. Now I just need to get out and break it in. This is my very first hand gun and I wanted to start out small and decide later if I want something bigger.

Congrats Quickstarr. We want to see pics......

I shot my cousins P22 and went through about 100 rounds that day. He's only cleaned it once and forgets how long ago that was (if that tells ya anything!).

We used the bulk Federal rounds and had zero issues with it. Very fun gun to plink with. I think he's went through another 250 rounds since then and no issue.

I love mine. For cheap range fun...It's awesome! It is as accurate as you can shoot it (short gun, short site picture), and it's very easy mechanically to use. By that I mean the toggles (mag release, slide release, and takedown notch) are pretty ergonomic and uncomplicated. I started using cci's exclusively, had a few hiccups in the first few hundred rounds. After about 400 or so the thing has ran flawlessly. I now go through bulk Federal packs on a regular basis and have has no issues. I clean it every few range trips (500-700 rounds). Easily a few thousand rounds without a single issue.

Last time at the range I went with a buddy whose experience with .22s is limited only to his MarkII, We traded about halfway though and although I was happy with the accuracy of the Ruger (longer barrel, longer sites) The control funtions seemed crude and not at all instinctive. My friend commented then, and once again the last time we chatted about how much he liked my P22

[QUOTE=Joeywhat;151199]I'd say about 95% of the issues I've seen with the P22 are due to having an older model (new ones don't have ANY problems), or an improper break in period.
I forget what to check for in getting a model that is newer (and trouble free), but I believe the serial needs to start with an "L". Also the mags need to start with an "A" or "B" in their serial.
QUOTE]

Hi Joeywhat, just checked my P22 and the serial start with a "H" I dont think its a newer one? Can anyone tell me when it was made??
fusil

H prefix guns might be more recent models, I don't know. You can check the spent cartridge if it came with the gun, it'll have a test fire date on it. I know the "L" P22's have been out for a while, so yours may be new, may be old.