Firearm Review: Walther P22 .22LR Semi-auto Pistol 2nd Generation Model

My Walther P22 came from a dealer about 500 miles from my home.  It was the only one I could find in the whole state.  The newer versions of the P22 are very hard to locate and demand premium pricing compared to the older models.  Mine cost $345 new.  Older models can be found as cheap as $199.  The original P22 was introduced soon after the turn of the millenium and quaility issues dogged its reputation.  Feeding issues made the gun unreliable with anything but CCI ammunition and magazines were problematic to load.  While there was never a factory recall on these pistols, a Walther customer service rep I spoke to said any older models returned for repair are upgraded with the latest parts.  

My P22 has the 5" target barrel with muzzle weight.  It came with various accesories in the box including a assembly tool, muzzle nut wrench, three palmswell adapters, and three sight pins. Included were two ten-round magazines.  Models can be bought with both 3.4" and 5" barrels in a kit form, but i have never been able to locate one.  All testing of this gun was done with the largest palmswell adapter in place and using the #2 front sight pin.  I also removed the muzzle weight as it made the gun muzzle heavy during shooting.  the gun was broken in with 500 rounds of CCI velocitor ammunition (per Walther CS reccomendation).  Several failure to feed stoppages were noted in the first 100 rounds and no more after that during break in.  After the 500 rounds were complete the gun was stripped and cleaned.  Of note is the tool used for reassembly.  it is a 3" long plastic rod that is used to guide the recoil spring into place on the 5" barrel models.  This proved difficult to do at first, but once the technique is learned it is simple to accomplish.