Walther P22 slide wear

[P-11 shooter]

We are seriously looking into buying the p-22 for my mom.

I heard someone mention terrible accuracy. Is this true? It's a toss up between that, and the sig mosquito, with the walther winning in the size department. I honestly don't think my mom will ever wear it out. But it needs to be accurate. Is it an inferior pistol compared to the mosquito?

[Tomcat088]

I will say from first hand knowledge that Smith & Wesson does NOT replace slides on the Walther's very easily. I called about mine to see if they would replace it, due to slide wear and the slide not locking back. They said they would be happy to replace the slide, then they asked how old the pistol was. I told them how old it was (3 years old I think, I don't remember) and they said that the pistol is only warrantied for a year. I fit was older than a year that they could not do anything about it. I brought to their attention that a pistol that the slide randomly closes on it's own could chamber a round and not necessarily be safe, the guy didn't say much about it. He just said, well is there anything else I can help you with? I said no and thank you very much and that was it. So NO, they do not replace slides due to wear if the pistol is older than a year. They will send you recoil springs for free when you wear them out, and if you happens to strip the allen screws for the compensator.

[P-11 shooter]

What was the accuracy like with your pistol?

Was it decent?

[Tomcat088]

Originally Posted by P-11 shooter

We are seriously looking into buying the p-22 for my mom.

I heard someone mention terrible accuracy. Is this true? It's a toss up between that, and the sig mosquito, with the walther winning in the size department. I honestly don't think my mom will ever wear it out. But it needs to be accurate. Is it an inferior pistol compared to the mosquito?

I've never thought that my P22 had bad accuracy. I don't think it has the accuracy that the buckmark's and Mark I & II pistols have. Either way, I can ALWAYS hit a coke can 15 yards off hand without any problems. I have never held a sig mosquito, but I think they're nice looking pistols and heard great things about them. Either way, I've never thought that my P22 had bad accuracy. I wouldn't call it a competition pistols, but it's definately accurate enough to be a great plinker.

[P-11 shooter]

Originally Posted by Tomcat088

I've never thought that my P22 had bad accuracy. I don't think it has the accuracy that the buckmark's and Mark I & II pistols have. Either way, I can ALWAYS hit a coke can 15 yards off hand without any problems. I have never held a sig mosquito, but I think they're nice looking pistols and heard great things about them. Either way, I've never thought that my P22 had bad accuracy. I wouldn't call it a competition pistols, but it's definately accurate enough to be a great plinker.

Good enough.

I'm not too worried about the wear. It's not going to get shot as much as alot of you guys shoot. It seemed like a decent little pistol.

Good luck with your slide issues.

[Tomcat088]

I think my pistol has pretty decent accuracy, I can hit what I want with it. I've even shot a few prairie dogs at close range with it. To be honest, the wear on the slide hasn't really affected the function of the shooting aspects of the pistol. I don't think it'll ever wear out enough that it wouldn't shoot or would become unsafe. The wear on mine just means that the slide lock doesn't work anymore. I just make sure that it always stays closed, that way if a newbie who is learning on the pistol, or someone who isn't aware of the issue, accidentally chambers a round. I think you'll enjoy the pistol, best of luck

[RocketFoot]

I think they put the pin in the slide release notch to fix the lock back problem. I've seen some older P22's without the pin. I'll post a few photos soon to show what I'm talking about...

As far as accuracy, I think mine does a good job! I can nail pop cans at 15 to 20 yards with no problems! LOL

[Major_Mauser_57]

Tomcat, thanks for your posting, it has helped me quite a bit to understand what is going on with my P22. So far I have probably put around 1,800 to 2,200 rounds through mine. I was cleaning it today and found a significant degree of slide wear for the amount I have used it. I then rememebered that I have been using it similar to a large frame combat auto. The wear is around the slide release as I practice quick reloads, using the slide release. This may not be the best method for the pistol itself though. I did not realize it was made from a Zinc alloy and not "G.I." durable. I will have to modify my use of the slie catch in the future.

All that being said, I have found my P22 to be a fantastically accurate and reliable pistol. No complaints on my part.

[P-11 shooter]

So far so good with my mom's p-22. From day one we have slingshotted the pistol and never use the slide stop as a release due ot the softer metal of the slide. We've put alot of ronds through it n a short time and it's holding up great.

I've also been impressed with the accuracy of this little gun. It's a great little plinker.