P22 ammo choices - The Firearms Forum

lead · 06-22-2004, 05:44 AM

I bought a Walther P22 yesterday and took it out to the farm as soon as I could. I only had two kinds of ammo, Win. Wildcat, and Lapua trainer. Well the Lapua was a mistake. It wouldn't extract it at all. It did ok with the Wildcat. Anybody who owns one of these have any suggestions for other ammo to use in this? I really like this gun.

knitepoet · 06-22-2004, 07:30 AM

If it's a new gun, you probably need to stick with High Velocity stuff for the first 500-1000 rounds to break it in. Then I'm willing to bet it'll be more reliable with the standard velocity fodder.
Paul

cd45 · 06-22-2004, 12:07 PM

I bought a P22 last year. I found that even Federal ammo will not work well in my gun. I have found that Aguila Sniper Sub Sonic ammo will work every shot. It has a 60 grain bullet on a .22 short case and is rated at 950 fps.
It shoots very well out of my gun, and is accurate. At 30 feet I can keep all round in about 2 inches. At 50 feet you can keep a tennis ball bouncing all over the place. I have the 3.5 inch barrel. Nothing else I have tried in the gun has worked. The only problems with Aguila is that you can only get it by mail order or in a specialty or surplus store. Good Luck.

lead · 06-22-2004, 02:43 PM

cd45, that's not what I wanted to hear! I did get mine to work with Win. wildcats. I was planning to buy some CCI this week and try it out. Hopefully I can find some ammo it likes consistently, and reliably.

rglbegl · 06-22-2004, 09:36 PM

I now have over 50,000 rounds through mine( I can still count the ftf's on fingers and toes.) . I love it. I have posted many threads with my target results at 25 yards. I use high velocity only.
Federal high velocity SUCKS!!!
Winchester hv and remington hv have almost never failed me.
but my personal favorite is he aguila hyper velocity. Makes it sound like a 9mm, and boy does that stuff move fast.
If you have the 5" barrel, most any high velocity will work.
For the 3.4" barrel, use heavy grain high velocity. but for fun
HYPER VELOCITY!!!!!
I am a HUGE fan of this little gun. there are a few other tricks, but I dont want to bore everyone here. If you ever have any questions on your p22, let me know. I have researched these things for hours on end.

Searcher1911 · 06-22-2004, 10:30 PM

I had to return my P22 for service twice (S&W does the service). After the 2nd return I called and talked to a rep. She (!) told me that S&W experienced both P22's that would shoot anything and others that were ammunition sensitive. She said that the factory regulates them to shoot CCI Mini-Mags. I tried CCI's and they work great. My only problem with that is that I bought the P22 to equip with a silencer so I want to use subsonic ammunition. The S&W rep. sent me (free) 2 recoil springs to cut down to try and get my P22 working with the slower fodder. On the real plus side is the fact that S&W pays postage both ways to their service department on this pistol.

lead · 06-30-2004, 05:21 AM

Well, I took this out with about 5 different kinds of ammo. It definitely likes 40gr. round nose high velocity. It had a problem feeding the first round of hollow point stuff, but would then fire off the whole clip without a problem. All in all, this is a sweet little gun. I just have the standard 3.5" barrel. I may have to get the 5" gun too. My boy kept wanting to take it from me. I'll have to get him one of his own.

rglbegl · 07-08-2004, 01:33 AM

Hyper velocity first round then high velocity 2-10. Or get the polisher out on the action. ( they all catch somewhere ) Once it cycles smoother, you can use lower power ammo. Adjusting the smooth action to the right spring can also be fun. Wait till you discover sub-sonic ammo.
BTW - After a while, the spring on the mag will loosin. That trouble with the first round will go away. Pushing the round up too hard against an action that probably has a hold up snag on it somewhere can make it hard on a little round. Love your P22

--beagle

Remington597 · 07-08-2004, 05:31 AM

I have the P22 with the 3.5 in. barrel and I use the following with no problems whatsover.

1. CCI pistol match
2. Winchester Super X
3. Remington Golden .22LR bulk.

It loves all three. Its exceedingly rare that I have a jam. Maybe every 1/500 rounds at most. I consider the P22 one of the most accurate and ergonomic .22 pistols ever made. IMHO. Enjoy it.

lead · 07-08-2004, 05:32 AM

Thanks. It will be awhile before I go out again though. I got into chiggers last time out! I had sprayed Deep Woods Off on my pants and shoes, but somehow they found their way into my socks and now I look like someone took a shotgun to my ankles. For those of you lucky enough to live in a place that doesn't have them, come on down to southwest Missouri and I'll take you shooting on the families farm. You can take more than memories home with you.

Remington597 · 07-08-2004, 05:36 AM

I am glad you're having fun with it. I loved my P22 so much, I got a second one. I also love the ambidextrous magazine release. Its just a very well designed pistol. The Germans know their handguns. I would also recommend that eventually you get a PPK and a P99. There is a very distinct feeling you get when you shoot a Walther. Its just very damn unique in every way. You know you're shooting a high quality pistol.
They also now have a strong partnership with Smith and Wesson. There are alot of Smith and Wesson pistols now that are offshoots of the P99, and some are subcompacts also. Checkout both websites and refer to this months Rifleman and Guns & Ammo for more details.

SOT_II · 08-10-2004, 08:36 PM

Even the most powerful high velocity ammo will stay subsonic in the short barrel. I use Aguila standard subsonic (38 HP and 40) and they work great...

One other thing to note, when you attach the suppressor, often times it HELPS with the cycling of this gun...it creates a small bit of back pressure that seems to do wonders for a sticky gun.
Also the longer barreled gun is a little quieter, more complete burn of powder and all ammo stays subsonic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Searcher1911

I had to return my P22 for service twice (S&W does the service). After the 2nd return I called and talked to a rep. She (!) told me that S&W experienced both P22's that would shoot anything and others that were ammunition sensitive. She said that the factory regulates them to shoot CCI Mini-Mags. I tried CCI's and they work great. My only problem with that is that I bought the P22 to equip with a silencer so I want to use subsonic ammunition. The S&W rep. sent me (free) 2 recoil springs to cut down to try and get my P22 working with the slower fodder. On the real plus side is the fact that S&W pays postage both ways to their service department on this pistol.

06-22-2004, 05:44 AM	#1
lead Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,522	P22 ammo choices I bought a Walther P22 yesterday and took it out to the farm as soon as I could. I only had two kinds of ammo, Win. Wildcat, and Lapua trainer. Well the Lapua was a mistake. It wouldn't extract it at all. It did ok with the Wildcat. Anybody who owns one of these have any suggestions for other ammo to use in this? I really like this gun. __________________ The best things in life, are not things. -->

06-22-2004, 07:30 AM	#2
knitepoet V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Alabama Posts: 70	If it's a new gun, you probably need to stick with High Velocity stuff for the first 500-1000 rounds to break it in. Then I'm willing to bet it'll be more reliable with the standard velocity fodder. Paul __________________ "Good shooting will make up for poor gear, but superior gear will not make up for poor shooting" - Jeff Cooper American Rimfire Group ARG

06-22-2004, 02:43 PM	#4
lead Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,522	cd45, that's not what I wanted to hear! I did get mine to work with Win. wildcats. I was planning to buy some CCI this week and try it out. Hopefully I can find some ammo it likes consistently, and reliably. __________________ The best things in life, are not things.

06-30-2004, 05:21 AM	#7
lead Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,522	Re: P22 ammo choices Well, I took this out with about 5 different kinds of ammo. It definitely likes 40gr. round nose high velocity. It had a problem feeding the first round of hollow point stuff, but would then fire off the whole clip without a problem. All in all, this is a sweet little gun. I just have the standard 3.5" barrel. I may have to get the 5" gun too. My boy kept wanting to take it from me. I'll have to get him one of his own. __________________ The best things in life, are not things.

07-08-2004, 01:33 AM	#8
rglbegl Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dana point CA Posts: 531	Re: P22 ammo choices Hyper velocity first round then high velocity 2-10. Or get the polisher out on the action. ( they all catch somewhere ) Once it cycles smoother, you can use lower power ammo. Adjusting the smooth action to the right spring can also be fun. Wait till you discover sub-sonic ammo. BTW - After a while, the spring on the mag will loosin. That trouble with the first round will go away. Pushing the round up too hard against an action that probably has a hold up snag on it somewhere can make it hard on a little round. Love your P22 --beagle Last edited by rglbegl; 07-08-2004 at 01:36 AM..

06-22-2004, 12:07 PM	#3
cd45 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Mcloud, Oklahoma Posts: 63	I bought a P22 last year. I found that even Federal ammo will not work well in my gun. I have found that Aguila Sniper Sub Sonic ammo will work every shot. It has a 60 grain bullet on a .22 short case and is rated at 950 fps. It shoots very well out of my gun, and is accurate. At 30 feet I can keep all round in about 2 inches. At 50 feet you can keep a tennis ball bouncing all over the place. I have the 3.5 inch barrel. Nothing else I have tried in the gun has worked. The only problems with Aguila is that you can only get it by mail order or in a specialty or surplus store. Good Luck.

06-22-2004, 09:36 PM	#5
rglbegl Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Dana point CA Posts: 531	I now have over 50,000 rounds through mine( I can still count the ftf's on fingers and toes.) . I love it. I have posted many threads with my target results at 25 yards. I use high velocity only. Federal high velocity SUCKS!!! Winchester hv and remington hv have almost never failed me. but my personal favorite is he aguila hyper velocity. Makes it sound like a 9mm, and boy does that stuff move fast. If you have the 5" barrel, most any high velocity will work. For the 3.4" barrel, use heavy grain high velocity. but for fun HYPER VELOCITY!!!!! I am a HUGE fan of this little gun. there are a few other tricks, but I dont want to bore everyone here. If you ever have any questions on your p22, let me know. I have researched these things for hours on end.

06-22-2004, 10:30 PM	#6
Searcher1911 Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 4	I had to return my P22 for service twice (S&W does the service). After the 2nd return I called and talked to a rep. She (!) told me that S&W experienced both P22's that would shoot anything and others that were ammunition sensitive. She said that the factory regulates them to shoot CCI Mini-Mags. I tried CCI's and they work great. My only problem with that is that I bought the P22 to equip with a silencer so I want to use subsonic ammunition. The S&W rep. sent me (free) 2 recoil springs to cut down to try and get my P22 working with the slower fodder. On the real plus side is the fact that S&W pays postage both ways to their service department on this pistol.

07-08-2004, 05:31 AM	#9
Remington597 Former Guest Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 3,201	Re: P22 ammo choices I have the P22 with the 3.5 in. barrel and I use the following with no problems whatsover. 1. CCI pistol match 2. Winchester Super X 3. Remington Golden .22LR bulk. It loves all three. Its exceedingly rare that I have a jam. Maybe every 1/500 rounds at most. I consider the P22 one of the most accurate and ergonomic .22 pistols ever made. IMHO. Enjoy it.

07-08-2004, 05:32 AM	#10
lead Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,522	Re: P22 ammo choices Thanks. It will be awhile before I go out again though. I got into chiggers last time out! I had sprayed Deep Woods Off on my pants and shoes, but somehow they found their way into my socks and now I look like someone took a shotgun to my ankles. For those of you lucky enough to live in a place that doesn't have them, come on down to southwest Missouri and I'll take you shooting on the families farm. You can take more than memories home with you. __________________ The best things in life, are not things. Last edited by lead; 07-08-2004 at 05:33 AM..

07-08-2004, 05:36 AM	#11
Remington597 Former Guest Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 3,201	Re: P22 ammo choices I am glad you're having fun with it. I loved my P22 so much, I got a second one. I also love the ambidextrous magazine release. Its just a very well designed pistol. The Germans know their handguns. I would also recommend that eventually you get a PPK and a P99. There is a very distinct feeling you get when you shoot a Walther. Its just very damn unique in every way. You know you're shooting a high quality pistol. They also now have a strong partnership with Smith and Wesson. There are alot of Smith and Wesson pistols now that are offshoots of the P99, and some are subcompacts also. Checkout both websites and refer to this months Rifleman and Guns & Ammo for more details.