Ammo review for the Walther P22 (Windy with lots of pictures)

[Hellion_1]

The following is a review of functionality using 6 different kinds of ammo fed though my broken-in Walther P22.

First off, for all of you new Walther P22 owners out there, listen up. Be patient with your pistol and break it in with high velocity CCI ammo like everyone says. It will work the way you want, but the break-in is crucial to proper functionality with bulk ammo!! My break in method is disclosed below.



A little history first:

I acquired my P22 pistol as part of a trade with a fellow INGO member a few months back. It looked to be in pristine condition and fired VERY little if any. I had absolutely no experience with this firearm and immediately took it out back and let it loose. I was very frustrated to find that this pistol was jamming constantly. Almost every round had to be hand cycled. After trying about 50 rounds, I gave up and put it back in the gun safe.

After a couple of weeks of some reading and trolling INGO and other gun forums, I discovered the recurring theme of jamming P22’s and tried the much suggested CCI break in routine. My break-in consisted of 100 rounds of CCI Velocitor (1435 FPS) and 400 rounds of CCI Stingers (1640 FPS). No rhyme or reason to mixing the two, it was just what I could get my hands on at the time. It is important to note at this point that I had ZERO failures with high velocity CCI ammo.






Now on to the results :

I tried 20 rounds (10 in each magazine) of each of the following six brands of .22 ammo. The test was conducted on my freshly cleaned and lubricated P22 w/ 2 mags. The sun was out and the temperature was a balmy 27 degrees Fahrenheit. The ammo was fired in the following order:


1. Winchester Wildcats (White box) 40gr. / 1255 FPS
1 FTE in the first mag, none in the second mag.

2. Winchester Expert HV Lead HP (BULK) 36Gr. / 1280 FPS
2 FTE’s in the first mag, 1FTE in the second mag.

3. Winchester 555 copper coated HP (BULK) 36Gr. / 1280 FPS
No failures.

4. Remington Golden Bullet Copper coated HP (BULK) 36Gr. / 1280 FPS
No Failures

5. Aguila Supermaximum Hyper Velocity Copper coated HP 30Gr. / 1750 FPS
1 misfire, 3 FTE’s in the first magazine, 2 FTE’s in the second.

6. Federal 550 Copper coated HP (Bulk) 36Gr. / 1260 FPS
1 FTF in first mag, no failures in the second mag.

Extended testing:
During the firing sequences, I noticed one magazine seemed to have more failures than the other. So after completing the above, I went back out with the magazine that had the lesser mount of failures and re-tested 10 rounds of each type of ammo that had problems.

1. The Winchester Wildcats performed flawlessly. I was happy, as this is what I prefer to shoot.

2. The Winchester Expert HV experienced another 3FTE’s. I figured this would have performed better but alas, the pistol doesn’t care for it.

5. The Aguila SuperMax again suffered 3 FTE’s. Most of these where at the top of the magazine, but some were not. This ammo kicks some serious butt and will give your .22 rifles actual recoil, but my P22 does not agree with it. Maybe the round is leaving the barrel so fast that enough kinetic energy is not transferred to the slide to properly cycle???


6. The Federal Bulk fired off without a hitch. I chalked up the FTF in the first test to the magazine issue.

Here is a pic of the different rounds side by side in the order fired/tested:

Conclusion:

It seems my P22 likes copper-coated ammo the best that fires at average speeds. I am pleased that it liked the Winchester Wildcats (lead head), but disappointed that the Winchester Expert HV did so poorly. On the other hand, the Winchester 555 Bulk ammo performed great. Interestingly enough, the Winchester 555 bulk ammo is identical to the Expert HV in every way EXCEPT that the 555 Bulk is copper coated. It maintains the same projectile shape, weight, and speed. Hmmmmm. The Aguila was the big surprise of the day, as I thought it would perform the best. Boy was I wrong! Anyhow, there you have it!

This test was primarily a functionality test. However, I did note that all ammo seemed to be very accurate and easily held 3 inch groups fired in a standing, two hand, unsupported position at 25 feet. Not bad for .22 with a three inch barrel! I will be doing .22 accuracy tests at a later (read warmer) date. I hope this helps some current and future owners of the Walther P22. This pistol is really a lot of fun!!!


Here are some close-up pics of the ammo cartons just for GP:

 

[SKSnut]

i own 2 of this fine little guns and agree with you. They must be broke in. And they must stay clean. I have the best luck with Federal red box 550. Remington is finally putting out decent .22 rounds again. The winchester XpertHV are worthless in this gun(shoots fine in everything else) Wildcats are so-so for me.

 

[lovemywoods]

Thanks for a great range report! Will send rep.

I too was surprised the high velocity Aguila didn't perform better.

When you listed the 'FTE's, I'm assuming that means 'Failure to Eject.' Correct?

When you had FTEs, did the case stay in the chamber, or are you including stovepipes (e.g. the case stayed somewhere inside the gun) as FTEs?

I'd take a close look at the ejector claw to make sure it's not chipped or rounded in any way.

With direct blowback firearms (like the P22), the ejector's job is to hold the casing in-place until it hits the ejector. The force of the detonation is driving the casing backwards against the bolt. If the claw on the P22 is chipped, it may not be holding the casing securely enough, long enough to hit the ejector.

Thanks again for a great write-up and very nice pictures!

 

[LeeStreet]

Agreed on breaking it in. I just counted the number of different 22 ammo's that I fed through my Wallther, & it is 12 plus. So far I have had the best luck with Winchester 333, mostly in accuracy. I also added the 5" barrel to mine.

 

[Hellion_1]

When you listed the 'FTE's, I'm assuming that means 'Failure to Eject.' Correct?

Yes, that is correct.

When you had FTEs, did the case stay in the chamber, or are you including stovepipes (e.g. the case stayed somewhere inside the gun) as FTEs?

I guess I should have clarified. All FTE's were all casings in the chamber. No stovepipes.

Thanks again for a great write-up and very nice pictures!

You are welcome! I am trying to contribute more info, rather than just troll the forums.

 

[2cool9031]

Thanks for the Report...and your time to let us know....I have one of these pistols and haven't taken it out yet. When it warms up a little, I will be at the range.

 

[lovemywoods]

I was re-thinking the data you created.

You shot 500 rounds of high-velocity ammo with no issues.

Then you shot 160 rounds in your recent test with 16 FTEs; a failure rate of 10%! That's quite a difference.

Now I realize you're trying to find the best .22 ammo for the P22, but averaging a 10% failure rate across six ammo types isn't good. Makes me wonder what the root cause is and whether there is something that could be done to improve the reliability of the pistol so you can shoot a broader cross-section of ammo brands.

Perhaps the barrel breech is a bit too tight. You might want to put calipers on each brand taking measurement of several rounds each. It would be interesting to see if there is any correlation between average round diameter with the brands that had more FTEs.

Also, some brands of .22 ammo use wax on the bullets. I wonder if in the cold weather, the wax could be building up in the throat of the barrel, even though the breech area should be warm from firing. Perhaps it cools enough between strings to allow the wax to have an affect on the first few rounds of the next magazine.

Since you didn't mention any feeding issues, it sounds like the feed ramp is OK. You might want to consider lightly polishing the throat of the barrel so that more brands of ammo could be used.

Just some random thoughts.

Happy shooting!

 

[t413]

Sounds like you had lots of fun doing this.

 

[Scutter01]

Now I realize you're trying to find the best .22 ammo for the P22, but averaging a 10% failure rate across six ammo types isn't good. Makes me wonder what the root cause is and whether there is something that could be done to improve the reliability of the pistol so you can shoot a broader cross-section of ammo brands.

Perhaps the barrel breech is a bit too tight. Also, some brands of .22 ammo use wax on the bullets. CCI uses quite a bit of wax. I wonder if in the cold weather, the wax could be building up some, even though the breech area should be warm from firing. Perhaps it cools enough between strings to allow the wax to have an affect on the first few rounds of the next magazine.

I agree. Given the cold, I'd be wondering if whatever was used to lubricate the action wasn't gumming up, especially with known-dirty rimfire ammo adding its own crud to the mix.

 

[bobbystoney]

I shoot the cheapo federal 550 packs from Wally World through mine with no problems.

 

[TheDude]

I've wanted to get one of these for a long time. And while if you look long enough you'll find something bad on ANY gun, this one seemed to have too many bad reviews.

 

[Hellion_1]

I was re-thinking the data you created.

You shot 500 rounds of high-velocity ammo with no issues.

Then you shot 160 rounds in your recent test with 16 FTEs; a failure rate of 10%! That's quite a difference.

Now I realize you're trying to find the best .22 ammo for the P22, but averaging a 10% failure rate across six ammo types isn't good. Makes me wonder what the root cause is and whether there is something that could be done to improve the reliability of the pistol so you can shoot a broader cross-section of ammo brands.

Perhaps the barrel breech is a bit too tight. You might want to put calipers on each brand taking measurement of several rounds each. It would be interesting to see if there is any correlation between average round diameter with the brands that had more FTEs.

Also, some brands of .22 ammo use wax on the bullets. I wonder if in the cold weather, the wax could be building up in the throat of the barrel, even though the breech area should be warm from firing. Perhaps it cools enough between strings to allow the wax to have an affect on the first few rounds of the next magazine.

Since you didn't mention any feeding issues, it sounds like the feed ramp is OK. You might want to consider lightly polishing the throat of the barrel so that more brands of ammo could be used.

Just some random thoughts.

Happy shooting!

That is some good info. I will check the barrel for wax build-up and caliper the ammo tested. However after firing ammo that did poorly, other ammo performed fine. All of the Failure to Ejects seems to be the slide not coming back far enough to eject the round. It didn't even attempt to feed another round from the mag(no stovepipe or jam). I still believe I have a magazine issue in the mix as well. I will repeat the test at warmer temps. I want to thank everyone for the rep! Stay tuned!

 

[Scutter01]

That is some good info. I will check the barrel for wax build-up and caliper the ammo tested. However after firing ammo that did poorly, other ammo performed fine. All of the Failure to Ejects seems to be the slide not coming back far enough to eject the round. It didn't even attempt to feed another round from the mag(no stovepipe or jam). I still believe I have a magazine issue in the mix as well. I will repeat the test at warmer temps. I want to thank everyone for the rep! Stay tuned!

If you're having slide problems I would definitely look at the lubrication.

 

[Hellion_1]

If you're having slide problems I would definitely look at the lubrication.

I don't believe lubrication was an issue as the last ammo I fired was Federal, and it performed great! The pistol was well oiled to start, but not over oiled. I have heard these pistols prefer a dry lubricant, but I have none nor do I even have an idea on what kind to use. I will break the pistol down tonight and post my findings.

 

[JohnP82]

nice report thanks for sharing. my p22 works best with minimags and i will be trying out the federal bulk packs as soon as i can get to the range next.

 

[eldirector]

Hellion_1, this follows my experience as well. Great job documenting things! My Walther will eat Remington bulk-pack all day with no issues. It also likes CCI MiniMags and Stingers. Other, random, ammo is hit and miss. I've grabbed a handful of .22 when shooting with friends, and had some feed issues. Switching back to the Remington has always resolved them.

 

[MrFive]

An excellent and in depth report.

Its a shame I didnt have better luck with my P22. First 1000 rounds were nothing but CCI Mini Mags and it failed quite a bit. After that no matter what went it in 2 or 3 rounds, jam, 2 or 3 more, jam. However a friend has a P22 that will eat almost everything.

@Hellion_1 A good dry lubricant is called Dri-Slide. It uses graphite in a alcohol based carrier, apply sparingly to where its needed, let it sit long enough for the alcohol to evaporate off then reassemble. Tough to find but works wonders on the 22s and AR15s.

Company website...sucks they dont sell to individuals
https://www.russack.com/

 

[Hellion_1]

Its a shame I didnt have better luck with my P22. First 1000 rounds were nothing but CCI Mini Mags and it failed quite a bit. After that no matter what went it in 2 or 3 rounds, jam, 2 or 3 more, jam.

Sorry to hear that. Some of the earlier P22's had Hammer profile issues, and the saftey bar protruded enough from the inside of the slide that the hammer would catch it. If you still have it, you may want to check out this:

http://www.freespeech.com/1917-1911M_P22_bible.pdf

It is an owners manual, advanced breakdown guide, and mod guide. I have found it VERY helpful. It points out several key issues with some of the first P22's and how to fix them. If you are mechanically inclined, you can perform these mods. If not, leave it to a smith!

A good dry lubricant is called Dri-Slide. It uses graphite in a alcohol based carrier, apply sparingly to where its needed, let it sit long enough for the alcohol to evaporate off then reassemble. Tough to find but works wonders on the 22s and AR15s.

Company website...sucks they dont sell to individuals
https://www.russack.com/

Thanks! I will check it out.

 

[nighthawk80]

If you haven't already checked it out, there is a "P22 Bible" put out on Rimfire Central that everyone who has a P22 should read.

Walther - RimfireCentral.com Forums

Dang, I was bested by Hellion_1!

 

[Scutter01]

I bought a can of Strike Hold (dry lube) at the 1500 but I haven't had a chance to try it out. The demo was fairly impressive, though. I'm looking forward to trying it on my P22 because the P22 is such a pain to clean when you use wet lubes.