Rimfires: CZ 75 Kadet or Walther P22?

[Kenan]

I'm planning to buy one of these two in the future, since the 22LR is a lot cheaper for target practice then a big calliber version. I kinda lean toward CZ but I would like to hear your experiences/oppinions on these guns.

Thanks in advance,

Kenan

[Wales]

Well,
I own a P22 and absolutely love it. It needed tweeking right out of the box, but after some very simple mods mine runs perfectly. I mean probably 3-4 thousand rounds with never a FTE or jam! I just need to get a can for it now. A super fun gun that wont break the bank.
As far as the Kadet conversion, I have heard good things about it. There are 2 reasons I did not get one for my PCR though. 1- The price and 2- I've read that most need hand fitting to run perfectly.
Finally the fact that the P22 has awesome S&W customer service with a lifetime warranty as well as toys available for it made my decision.
~Wales

[Holleta]

I only have first hand experience with the Walther P 22 and mine was much different from Wales' experience. My P-22 (NIB) quickly gained the name "Jamomatic" as it would jam with both supplied mags and no less than 6 different brands of 22 ammo. I dis-assembled, cleaned and checked it 4 or 5 times to no avail. I sent it back for repair, received it a few weeks later and traded it in on something else (telling receiving dealer this same story). I can assume it may have been right at that point but I didn't care to find out at that point. I was also surprised to find that it was much smaller than the P/SW-99 it mimicked. The Walther/S&W 99 fit and felt nice in my hand, the P-22 felt undersized and like a pocket pistol, especially with the non-extended grip mag. YMMV.

[Kenan]

To be honest, I've also heard some bad things about P22 (jamming) so, hearing this doesn't make me feel any more comfortable buying it.

As for the CZ 75, there are actually TWO versions:

1. Conversion kit
2. Full CZ75 in 22LR caliber

I was actually referring to the latter, and its price is like, 450$ which even for croatian standard isn't too expensive.

[The Drew]

Don't buy the full 22 CZ, buy a 9 or .40 and then convert it. WHile it is about $200 more to do this, you cannot buy just a 9mm/.40 top end for your standard CZ frame.

It is also cheaper than buying the two (CZ's) separately.

That said, my wife loves her P22, the only issue is that you must use HV ammo otherwise it may not cycle. I don't know about the CZ since the CZ's I own are centerfire.

Also the advantage there is that since you are in croatia, you may not have to get further licensing since you will only own one firearm but it will be convertable.

[Agent Ronin]

I own a P22, and love it just for the fun factor. I own a 3" version and its actually pretty accurate. Now, addressing the negatives about the P22.

It took about 1000 rounds of federal bulk ammo for it to break in. The first few magazines saw about 2-3 FTF's, less with higher quality ammo. However it slowly became more and more reliable with each mag. Now, i can go out to the range, put about 200-300 rounds down range without a issue, even with the cheap Federal bulk 22.

So, if you do get a P22, don't get frustrated. Give it some time and keep it clean.

[Kenan]

Hmmm...well, checked some prices online, looks like P22 is somewhat cheaper then the CZ kadet. Anyone can confirms this?

[Frenchy]

All depends what you want to do in the end, If your shooting a CZ and want a less expensive way to learn, go for the cadet top at $250 or so. You will get the same grip as when you shoot 9mm. and 2 guns on one frame. If you are looking at just a .22 then any .22 can do.

I shot a cadet quite a few times, it was a lot of fun, Kimber also had a kadet version for their .45 Persoanlly I would go with the Cadet/Kadet how ever you want to spell it, with the platform I am already using. As I can see a 9mm CZ in my future some where, I can see the Cadet being part of that.
That being said, if/when you oder a kadet, make sure you have mags that match it. Most times people buy a cadet and it comes with one mag, the "other" mags after are quite pricy.

[JayBell]

if you want a 22LR pistol, get a 22LR pistol, not a conversion, sometimes the kadet conversions need fitting, and that can be frustrating

I've had the misfortune to own a p22, and it was the absolute worst POS i have ever encountered, it went back to the factory 4 times for repair, the thing was falling apart as i shot it
the problems it had are too numerous to mention....the rollpin by the safety worked its way out, the slide stop carved the slide notch off the slide, front sight kept popping off while shooting, mags needed replacing, the trigger broke, the hammer broke, the hammer strut bent, the screw under the slide backed out and locked the gun up, and it pretty much only worked with my suppressor on it, or when using CCI stingers

the P22 is cheaper, but its also not steel, nor made for any kind of longevity, the Kadet is steel frame, slide, upper, sights mags etc, only plastic was the grips.

suffice to say the p22 is a throwaway gun, made with an aluminum slide, with a steel insert.
the barrel is cheap, the trigger is bad, the mags suck to load, mine was pretty inaccurate, and mine broke lots.

save your cash, and either get a Ruger MKII, a Browning Buckmark, or a complete CzKadet 22

I have several 22lr pistols, I shoot my Kadet22 the most, then my ruger MKIIs

I use my Kadet almost exclusively with my suppressor these days, its a blast!

without the can:



obviously with a can:

[Kenan]

Nice pictures JayBell!

Well..I don't wanna sound noobish but, I'm pretty surprised (although as I said, I'm aware of the reports) that Germans can make such a bad gun. IF anything, they're famous for quality and precision in terms of weapons, cars etc. (and Walther IS a big name in the firearms world).

Yeah I know it would be better to get a 9mm version and add a 22LR for it..but money is an issue and munition is also pretty expensive here.

32 ACP (for a really good bargain!) is like, 2,5kn per round x50 box = 125kn = 22$

Now, 50 rounds per sesson is not really enough to have a blast out of the shooting..so this is the reason I'm looking for a 22LR.

I don't know..I got some pretty good advices here so I'm gonna take those into account as well..and BTW, speaking of CZ, I also own their CZ 452 Lux rifle..real beauty.