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I Recently bought one of these from sportsman's warehouse and wanted to pass along my impressions after putting it through its paces on a few range trips.

Quick basics:

-10 round 22lr (mags can easily be converted to 15 round), comes with two mags
- $240 on sale
- P22qd is the second generation and specifically fixes being picky about ammo issues of the original p22 as well as grip improvement, safety decocker
- Light and compact
- Threaded barrel
- Hammer fired dual action/single action
- Last round bolt hold open
- front accessory rail
- 3 white dot sites

Pros:

A) Trigger - very nice, light single stage trigger. Better than I expected for this price range.
B) Reliability - After first few mags break in, handles pretty much any ammo. I used some ten year old blazer that was pretty bad and sound varied like crazy from shot-to-shot but it still cycled them (to my surprise). Also tried 3 types of regular, newer bulk ammo which all shot excellent.
C) Easy to field strip
D) Cost
E) Good white dot sites
F) Light and compact
G) Simple $25ish conversion (tandemkross brand) to make both included mags 15 shot instead of 10 shot. Available at brownells and other places.
H) Slide is very easy to rack not stiff at all (first time is harder due to double action but still very easy imo)

Cons

A) Grip - distance from back of grip to front ("width") is very short. I found this uncomfortable and causes me to use second digit of finger on trigger instead of first. I put quite a bit of grip tape on it and also switched out the backing strip (comes with extra back strip) and now it feels pretty good. I have average hands so if u have big hands this grip may feel too narrow for u (front to back I mean).
B) Safety location - I dislike safety location not easy to reach for me compared to 1911 style safety location. But since first pull is double action (long pull) u can just leave safety off if u want. The safety does safely decock hammer though so that is kind of nice to have.
C). Mag release - European style ambidextrous mag release (integrated into trigger guard) which I don't like.
D) magazine disconnect. Not that big of a deal for this type of gun but it needs to be listed for completeness I think.

Bottom line:

Well worth the money for a semi auto plinker imo. Build quality is solid and it's reliable and pretty easy to shoot for a small gun due to the good sights and trigger. Easy to make 15 shot capacity and the resulting slightly longer grip from that conversion makes grip better imo.
 
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I love mine and I have XXL hands.

I agree with pretty much everything except mine fits my hand pretty well.

Super easy to load ammo, eats all ammo I've ever shot in it and the slide is child easy.


The one con I have is that it is a compact gun and while I can hit what I'm shooting at, it is not a target pistol and doesn't group well for me. I use it as a summer edc at times because it is so small.
 
Cool piece, congratulations.

I'm glad to see that Umarex is apparently getting their QC house in order.
I own and carry (Ulm Germany made) Walthers daily and am on record as LOUDLY denouncing Umarex for killing, or at least diluting, the brand with their lowest common denominator, airsoft-grade jam-o-matics.

I swore I'd never own one (P22, PK380, etc), but if they're gonna go and up their game and make a liar out of me, I just might change my mind.

Just curious, was yours made in Germany or US?
 
Cool piece, congratulations.

I'm glad to see that Umarex is apparently getting their QC house in order.
I own and carry (Ulm Germany made) Walthers daily and am on record as LOUDLY denouncing Umarex for killing, or at least diluting, the brand with their lowest common denominator, airsoft-grade jam-o-matics.

I swore I'd never own one (P22, PK380, etc), but if they're gonna go and up their game and make a liar out of me, I just might change my mind.

Just curious, was yours made in Germany or US?

Thanks for the comments. The lower says "Carl Walther ULM/DO. Made in Germany". The slide says "Walther Arms Fort Smith, AR". So I wonder if that indicates that the slide is made in the U.S.? Or perhaps it is assembled in the U.S.?

That is very interesting about Umarex. I have seen big companies swallow smaller, more innovative companies resulting in cutting corners and reduced innovation so I can see how what you describe could happen and it's definitely unfortunate when it does.

I don't know much about Umarex but speaking only of the two firearms I recently handled, the Walther p22 QD and HK 416 22lr pistol (HK branded, made by Walther in Germany, imported by Umarex), it seems to me like Umarex is just the importer (but that is just a guess and I may be wrong on that)?

IMO the build quality is high on the p22 and very high on the HK 416 22lr. So I wonder if for those 2 firearms maybe Umarex is perhaps staying out of the design portion and is more focused on distribution? Just my thoughts/impressions/WAG based on very little experience with Umarex. I was very impressed with the build quality of the HK 416 22lr pistol, especially for the money. That one has lots of metal and a "higher end AR" feel. I have not shot the HK416 yet though.

P.S. I noticed that on the HK 416 22lr on the lower it saysin one place, "US importer Walther Arms Fort Smith, AR" and in another it says, "Licensed trade mark of [HK] Made by Carl Walther Germany"
 
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We have an older model. It runs great and it is a lot of fun to shoot suppressed. :)

View attachment 500850

Nice! I have a suppressor on order but it will be a long wait of course. I'm anxious to try out some of the CCI "standard velocity" (approx 1050 fps) ammo with the P22 QD (non-suppressed) but I haven't tried it yet. I'm thinking that would be a good fit for this gun when shooting with a suppressor?

I also have some Quiet-22 segmented and various other cci subsonic ammo which I wouldn't expect to cycle any semi auto firearm. But having said that, I wonder if the back-pressure of the can is helpful in making it cycle?
 
I love mine and I have XXL hands.

I agree with pretty much everything except mine fits my hand pretty well.

Super easy to load ammo, eats all ammo I've ever shot in it and the slide is child easy.

The one con I have is that it is a compact gun and while I can hit what I'm shooting at, it is not a target pistol and doesn't group well for me. I use it as a summer edc at times because it is so small.

Re "The one con I have is that it is a compact gun and while I can hit what I'm shooting at, it is not a target pistol and doesn't group well for me." I hear you. I shoot a small sig p938 and while it has great sights and a great trigger, it (and pretty much any real small gun IMO) is hard to group well.

FYI I saw a neat video from Rob Laethem talking about why it's hard to shoot small guns well. I always get a lot of insight from most any Rob Laethem video because he always breaks it down into specific things to work on. Among the things I took away from the video is that everything that causes shooter-derived inaccuracy is magnified in a small gun, so that good sights and a good trigger become even more important.

 
Nice! I have a suppressor on order but it will be a long wait of course. I'm anxious to try out some of the CCI "standard velocity" (approx 1050 fps) ammo with the P22 QD (non-suppressed) but I haven't tried it yet. I'm thinking that would be a good fit for this gun when shooting with a suppressor?

I also have some Quiet-22 segmented and various other cci subsonic ammo which I wouldn't expect to cycle any semi auto firearm. But having said that, I wonder if the back-pressure of the can is helpful in making it cycle?

I've run various brands through it. The only subsonics that I recall shooting a ton of was Gemtech's subsonic .22LR offering. It cycles great and is quiet in the suppressed P22 and 10/22. :)
 
The lower says "Carl Walther ULM/DO. Made in Germany". The slide says "Walther Arms Fort Smith, AR".
Yeah, it gets complicated... you have to decipher the proof marks to get the whole story and most people look at all that alpha-numeric gibberish as inconsequential, but it tells a story...

In short strokes: Umarex is a German company that also has a base in AR. They made their bones in the airsoft and pellet gun business and got big enough to buy Walther outright. Along with that they obviously got the rights to copy Walther's design language and put the Walther brand on anything they saw fit to... I mean, they own the name now.

Umarex has a manufacturing facility in Arnsburg Germany were many of the smaller caliber Walthers are made and tested. The "real" Walthers (P99, PPQ) are made and tested in Ulm Germany (same pruf hause as HK) and can be recognized by the "stag antler" proof mark on the right side of the slide (left side for HKs).

From Modern Rifleman:
"Typically, each manufacturer uses the same proof house for all of their firearms, but this is not always true. Heckler & Koch and the Walther products that are produced in Ulm all exhibit a set of antlers, the insignia of the proof house in Ulm. Meanwhile, Walther products produced in Arnsberg (usually their .22 LR offerings) undergo testing at the Cologne proof house and feature that facility's "three crowns in a shield" emblem."

He said it more succinctly than I could.

If you think you might be into Walthers (as I am), google "deciphering Walther rollmarks" or check out the Walther forum. I'm a member there, but I come here more... those guys can be stultifyingly boring.

I hope you enjoy and get many hours of enjoyment out of your new P22.

And please... don't get me started on the Walther/S&W mashups...:rolleyes:
 
Thanks Jonnyuma.

I just happen to have my 1st Gen. Walther P22 close by and had to look. I never took notice before. Or more correctly, I didn't care to find out more about my Walther. So anyway, here it is.....

The slide is marked :
SMITH & WESSON P22 Carl Walther Ulm/Do
Springfield, MA cal .22lr Made in Germany

And, the barrel does have the three crowns in a shield (Cologne, Germany) along with some other marking (I believe an indication of nitro proofed).

LOL......sort of like "reading" my Sigs.

Aloha, Mark
 
BTW....I've had some trouble recently with my 1st Gen Walther P22 pistol. However....I think that I've tracked the problem down to the ammo.

My bad ammo list:
Federal Auto Match 40 grn solid lead
CCI Blazer 40 grn solid lead
CCI Standard Velocity 40 grn lead round nose
Am Eagle 40 grn solid lead
Am Eagle 38 grn plated HP
Federal 36 grn plated HP bulk
Browning Performance Rimfire 40 grn lead bulk
GECO Bolt Action Rifle 40 grn solid lead

My good ammo list:
Remington Golden Bullet
Remington Thunderbolt

I've also heard that CCI Mini Mags are recommended by Walther. However, I won't use them due to the higher cost. Afterall, I think of my Walther P22 as just a "plinker".

Aloha, Mark
 
Yeah, it gets complicated... you have to decipher the proof marks to get the whole story and most people look at all that alpha-numeric gibberish as inconsequential, but it tells a story...

In short strokes: Umarex is a German company that also has a base in AR. They made their bones in the airsoft and pellet gun business and got big enough to buy Walther outright. Along with that they obviously got the rights to copy Walther's design language and put the Walther brand on anything they saw fit to... I mean, they own the name now.

Umarex has a manufacturing facility in Arnsburg Germany were many of the smaller caliber Walthers are made and tested. The "real" Walthers (P99, PPQ) are made and tested in Ulm Germany (same pruf hause as HK) and can be recognized by the "stag antler" proof mark on the right side of the slide (left side for HKs).

From Modern Rifleman:
"Typically, each manufacturer uses the same proof house for all of their firearms, but this is not always true. Heckler & Koch and the Walther products that are produced in Ulm all exhibit a set of antlers, the insignia of the proof house in Ulm. Meanwhile, Walther products produced in Arnsberg (usually their .22 LR offerings) undergo testing at the Cologne proof house and feature that facility's "three crowns in a shield" emblem."

....

That is awesome info.! Thanks!

FWIW here is my barrel stamp

IMG_4521.jpg
 
That is awesome info.! Thanks!

FWIW here is my barrel stamp

View attachment 501790
The DE means it was made in Germany (DEutchland). The CIP over N replaced the old eagle-over-n a few yrs ago. I think it was to standardize all European guns, yours may still have the German eagle in other places... the N means it's been tested as safe for use with nitrocellulose ammo. BH means it was made in 2017, and you know that the three-crowns stamp means it was proofed at Cologne.

Sometimes there will be other markings from Smith and Wesson who imports Walther into the US and also handles warranty service. S&W also manufactured a licensed copy of the PPK (PPK/S) and the SW99 (German P99 frame and a S&W made slide, barrel, etc). I have a P99, a P99c, and a SW99 (and some unrelated Walthers) and they're very nice guns.

I've read that they've made some improvements to the P22 in recent years so hopefully it's bad days are behind it.
 
Neat! Sort of Reminds me of trying to decipher old German car VINs and option codes.

My Hk 416 clone 22lr also has the Cologne proof mark.

Re "bad days behind it" Here is a video review of the P22qd qd I found helpful in terms of cycling various ammo. For me when I shot that really old c.r.a.p blazer ammo it told me a lot. Some of those rounds were quieter than cci cb ammo (sounded like primer only) and I was surprised it could cycle at all. I have some 1050fps, 850 fps, and 4 types of 710 fps ammo I want to try after I get the suppressor. I expect the 1050 to cycle but the others I expect not to (in any semi auto actually).

 
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BTW....I've had some trouble recently with my 1st Gen Walther P22 pistol. However....I think that I've tracked the problem down to the ammo.

My bad ammo list:
Federal Auto Match 40 grn solid lead
CCI Blazer 40 grn solid lead
CCI Standard Velocity 40 grn lead round nose
Am Eagle 40 grn solid lead
Am Eagle 38 grn plated HP
Federal 36 grn plated HP bulk
Browning Performance Rimfire 40 grn lead bulk
GECO Bolt Action Rifle 40 grn solid lead

My good ammo list:
Remington Golden Bullet
Remington Thunderbolt

I've also heard that CCI Mini Mags are recommended by Walther. However, I won't use them due to the higher cost. Afterall, I think of my Walther P22 as just a "plinker".

Aloha, Mark

Looking at that 22 plinkster video, it seems to me that perhaps all one has to do to make a first generation P22 cycle most any ammo is to replace the recoil spring with the gen2 spring?
 

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