The Walther P22 doesn’t have the solid steel construction of the more expensive Ruger .22 caliber pistols to which they’re often compared. If you’re looking for a target .22, this probably isn’t your gun. Unfortunately, complaints about how the P22 doesn’t compare to heavier, larger pistols like the Ruger are abundant in forums and reviews about the P22.
The P22 is meant as a fun plinker. It has rails and a threaded barrel that accommodates a number of different accessories that are usually only found on larger caliber handguns. And the P22 doesn’t look like a typical .22 caliber pistol with a bulky round barrel and internal slide. It’s made to look the part for which it was intended, a fun pistol to shoot.
Reliability and longevity are often brought up as weak points when evaluating the P22. The major sticking point for most is that the P22 has a cast-zinc slide instead of a more durable steel slide. I can only hope that the manufacturer’s reasons for using cast-zinc instead of steel go beyond that of cost, because this is arguably the P22′s only downfall that’s hard to defend. There are document cases of the slide splitting and cracking as the P22 ages and more and more rounds are put through it.
The zinc slide is the focal reason why the P22 shouldn’t be considered a durable firearm to last through the years. Its lifespan will reflect its $300 price tag, as well it should. If you’re in the market for a pistol that you can pass down to your grandkids; this isn’t the gun for you. But if you’re looking for a pistol that you can have a lot of fun with, perhaps with your own kids, this is definitely a pistol worth looking at.
So long as you follow the recommended ammunition requirements, the P22 is a reliable, fun firearm to shoot for all ages. And its .22 caliber round makes it as economical as it fun. If you’re on the fence about the P22, perhaps you can be swayed by the various color combinations of slides and frames that are available for the P22, yet another feature that you won’t find in other .22 caliber pistols.