I've decided to start this thread in the hopes that my experience with my new 2011 Walther P22Q (3.5 inch) will be helpful to anyone considering purchasing one of these guns. Below is the condensed version of my first three outings.
Note: This pistol (Walther P22Q 3.5 inch) is stock out of the box with no modifications. Just a standard field strip and cleaning after each outing.
Total rounds - 1600 A little over a brick per outing.
(the first 200 rounds were MiniMags for "break in" with zero malfunctions)
Reliabilty -
1600 rounds with ZERO MALFUNCTIONS!
My first outing I ran 750 rounds. The pistol was filthy but kept chugging along. I've had a couple of times when the slide didn't lock back after the last round but I believe these couple of instances were due to either an underpowered round or my thumb riding the slide stop lever. I've never owned any pistol (centerfire or rimfire) without at least some sort of stoppage within the first 1000 rounds.
The only other issue I've noticed (which doesn't affect function) is that sometimes on the last round in the mag the empty case will sort of plop out onto my hand. I think this is because there is not a round underneath it in the mag to aid in its ejection. Not a big deal. I've read other reliability horror stories regarding the P22 but so far my experience has been outstanding.
Ammo -
CCI MiniMag / Blazer / Stinger
Winchester* Super X / 333 / Wildcat
Federal AutoMatch / Lightning / Champion / 550(walmart) / American Eagle
Remington GoldenBullet
*When using any winchester ammo, the pistol cycles and functions perfectly however I get very erratic case ejection with quite a few flung back into my face. Hot cases to the face get old in a hurry. Will probably avoid winchester in this pistol in the future.
Wear / Cleaning -
This gun field strips very easily. I've mastered reassembling it with and without the supplied plastic guide rod extension. I perfer using the extension because I've sent the guide rod shooting across the room a couple of times trying to reassemble without it. (thankfully I was able to find it both times!) NOTE: If the slide won't go back far enough to go back on during reassembly, make sure the plastic take down bar is all the way down. If it creeps back up during cleaning you won't be able to get the slide back on without pushing it back down.
The only wear I've noticed are a couple of very small indents where the unpolished trigger bar ears contact the slide. They haven't gotten any larger and really don't concern me at this point.
The barrel sleeve nut was just slightly loose after my most recent outing. A quick tweak with the supplied wrench took care of that.
Noticed some slight leading in the barrel after my last outing. I shot six different types of ammo so I have no idea which one was the culprit. A little work with a bore brush took care of that.
I have inspected the slide closely for any signs of cracks and so far can't see anything.
Comfort / Fit -
Though I have larger than average hands I find this pistol fits and points very naturally. I perfer the mags with the pinky extension.
Accuracy -
I am by no means an expert pistol shooter but have found that I can group almost as tightly with the P22 as with my Buckmark. The trigger in SA has a nice pull. Not too heavy and breaks very clean. Very little creep. I can hit a 5" X 7" steel plate at 50 yards (yes, yards not feet) roughly 50% of the time. For me with a 3.5 inch barrel thats pretty good. My next time out I'm going to replace the #3 front sight with the taller #4 since my POI is a little higher than my POA. The taller sight should help bring my groups down a little. (this pistol comes with 4 different front sights to adjust elevation - windage is adjusted with the rear sight)
Overall accuracy may not be match grade but is more than adequate for casual target shooting/plinking.
Overall Impression -
This pistol is quickly becoming one of my favorites in terms of being just plain fun to shoot. Though not a match grade pistol in terms of accuracy its great for plinking and is so far dead on reliable. I bought this gun just for fun at the range and its been just that. So far, I highly recommend it. Will update soon...
Note: This pistol (Walther P22Q 3.5 inch) is stock out of the box with no modifications. Just a standard field strip and cleaning after each outing.
Total rounds - 1600 A little over a brick per outing.
(the first 200 rounds were MiniMags for "break in" with zero malfunctions)
Reliabilty -
1600 rounds with ZERO MALFUNCTIONS!
My first outing I ran 750 rounds. The pistol was filthy but kept chugging along. I've had a couple of times when the slide didn't lock back after the last round but I believe these couple of instances were due to either an underpowered round or my thumb riding the slide stop lever. I've never owned any pistol (centerfire or rimfire) without at least some sort of stoppage within the first 1000 rounds.
The only other issue I've noticed (which doesn't affect function) is that sometimes on the last round in the mag the empty case will sort of plop out onto my hand. I think this is because there is not a round underneath it in the mag to aid in its ejection. Not a big deal. I've read other reliability horror stories regarding the P22 but so far my experience has been outstanding.
Ammo -
CCI MiniMag / Blazer / Stinger
Winchester* Super X / 333 / Wildcat
Federal AutoMatch / Lightning / Champion / 550(walmart) / American Eagle
Remington GoldenBullet
*When using any winchester ammo, the pistol cycles and functions perfectly however I get very erratic case ejection with quite a few flung back into my face. Hot cases to the face get old in a hurry. Will probably avoid winchester in this pistol in the future.
Wear / Cleaning -
This gun field strips very easily. I've mastered reassembling it with and without the supplied plastic guide rod extension. I perfer using the extension because I've sent the guide rod shooting across the room a couple of times trying to reassemble without it. (thankfully I was able to find it both times!) NOTE: If the slide won't go back far enough to go back on during reassembly, make sure the plastic take down bar is all the way down. If it creeps back up during cleaning you won't be able to get the slide back on without pushing it back down.
The only wear I've noticed are a couple of very small indents where the unpolished trigger bar ears contact the slide. They haven't gotten any larger and really don't concern me at this point.
The barrel sleeve nut was just slightly loose after my most recent outing. A quick tweak with the supplied wrench took care of that.
Noticed some slight leading in the barrel after my last outing. I shot six different types of ammo so I have no idea which one was the culprit. A little work with a bore brush took care of that.
I have inspected the slide closely for any signs of cracks and so far can't see anything.
Comfort / Fit -
Though I have larger than average hands I find this pistol fits and points very naturally. I perfer the mags with the pinky extension.
Accuracy -
I am by no means an expert pistol shooter but have found that I can group almost as tightly with the P22 as with my Buckmark. The trigger in SA has a nice pull. Not too heavy and breaks very clean. Very little creep. I can hit a 5" X 7" steel plate at 50 yards (yes, yards not feet) roughly 50% of the time. For me with a 3.5 inch barrel thats pretty good. My next time out I'm going to replace the #3 front sight with the taller #4 since my POI is a little higher than my POA. The taller sight should help bring my groups down a little. (this pistol comes with 4 different front sights to adjust elevation - windage is adjusted with the rear sight)
Overall accuracy may not be match grade but is more than adequate for casual target shooting/plinking.
Overall Impression -
This pistol is quickly becoming one of my favorites in terms of being just plain fun to shoot. Though not a match grade pistol in terms of accuracy its great for plinking and is so far dead on reliable. I bought this gun just for fun at the range and its been just that. So far, I highly recommend it. Will update soon...
