Preferred .22 plinker: Ruger SR22 vs. Walther P22

[JERRYS.]

Only between the Ruger SR22 and Walther P22 which would you or did you pick, and why? Try to be specific with your answers if you're articulate enough. I'd really like to get a forum consensus. Thanks.

[Rhodester]

I bought the Ruger because you can dry fire it (per the owner’s manual) although I usually use snap caps. I have no knowledge about the Walther. My Ruger SR22 does just great with any ammo I have used.

[JERRYS.]

Originally Posted by Rhodester

I bought the Ruger because you can dry fire it (per the owner’s manual) although I usually use snap caps. I have no knowledge about the Walther. My Ruger SR22 does just great with any ammo I have used.

Thank you for your input. I had hoped to get some input from folks that have or had tried both and decided on one based on first hand experience.

[dakota.potts]

We just got an SR22 for mom (arthritic) to plink with around the farm. Great trigger, easy gun to shoot. Only put a couple hundred rounds through it but it eats standard velocity ammo and ejects the cases with gusto. Only issue right now is you're going to pay more than MSRP for one most likely by the time you track one down.

Never shot the Walther personally but heard reports of ammo pickiness.

[jetinteriorguy]

I had an SR22 years ago and it was a great little gun. Like a fool I traded it for a Taurus .22 revolver, big mistake. Got rid of the Taurus because of the trigger which was too heavy even by .22 revolver standards and the insanely heavy long under lugged barrel. This gun was so unbalanced and had this weird ribbed rubber grips. I really couldn’t find anything I actually liked about it. Since then I’ve picked up an extremely nice Ruger MkII 5” stainless bull barrel that is dead nuts accurate and more than fulfills my need for a .22 pistol.

[Carl the Floor Walker]

I have had the Ruger SR22 for years. Bought it when it first came out.

Pro's
Feels good in the hand for me, like the sights
Extremely reliable with all kinds of Ammo
Easy to place Fiber Optic on front sight.
Smooth DA
This gun as a strange phenomena for not getting dirty.
Great Customer Service. I put thousands of rounds down range after years of ownership with this gun, and decided to replace a lot of parts. Ruger sent them to me for free.

Cons-
Absolutely stupid design of Safety
Trigger sucks-That crazy Ruger style trigger where you have insane long free play that feels like the trigger spring is broken until you meet the wall.
Not very accurate- but fine for fast point and shoot accuracy for which this gun is designed for.

I have shot the Smith and lovely firearm even though I do not own one.

What I would recommend is the Ruger LCR22

[Carl the Floor Walker]

With respect. You cannot dry fire the SR22. The manual is wrong. Place a dry wall anchor in it and you can see very clearly the indentation from the firing pin. Same with the LCPll 22.

[JERRYS.]

I already have a Walther P22, its a great gun. I was considering the Ruger SR22 because the Walther has the pot metal [zmack] slide, while the Ruger SR22 doesn't.

[Onward Allusion]

I was tempted to buy the Walther when I had been in the market for another 22 plinker, but its zinc-alloy slide was a major concern, especially on a gun which would see tens of thousands of rounds through it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with zinc, just not on a plinker that would see that kind of round count. I have Hi Points and Heritage Rough Riders but they will never see the hi round counts like that of a 22 LR semi-auto plinker.

I went with the SR22 even though the slide is aluminum - still stronger than zinc.

[Aguila Blanca]

I have just deleted about half a dozen posts for being off-topic. For anyone considering posting, I strongly recommend reading the question before engaging the keyboard. In this case:

Originally Posted by JERRYS.

Only between the Ruger SR22 and Walther P22 which would you or did you pick, and why?

Comments about any guns other than those two have no place in this discussion.

[44 AMP]

When you ONLY want information about gun A vs gun B, its a good idea to include that in the thread title.

Ruger SR22 and Walther P22 which would you or did you pick, and why?

Would have been a better thread title.

[JERRYS.]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

When you ONLY want information about gun A vs gun B, its a good idea to include that in the thread title.



Would have been a better thread title.

done as far as I'm allowed.

[blchandl2]

I looked at both and bought the SR22 based on reviews I read. I am really impressed with the accuracy of the SR22. I would like to get the long slide model also.

I loaned my SR22 to a friend and they put a 525 ct bulk pack through it without a single malfunction. He bought one for himself after that.

[sparkyv]

IMO, the Ruger was a good choice. Of course, I'm biased since I've had one since 2012.

[PSP]

The Ruger has been a fun and reliable pistol. The Walther was not reliable and frustrating. I sold the Walther but kept and still enjoy the Ruger. Today though I'd choose another over the Ruger.

[RUT]

>>The Walther was not reliable and frustrating<<

Yes, that was true of the P22, but my PPQ/22 5" hasn't failed to to feed anything I've put through it. So far so good.

[JERRYS.]

the reason I ask is once (if ever again) gun prices come back to normal I'm looking to get another .22lr plinker. I like the Walther P22 I got for my daughter 10 or so years ago, and they've only gotten better from what I've read. However, the pot metal slide still gives me pause, needless or not?

[gc70]

My wife has had the P22 and still has the SR22. The P22 was an early model and had feeding problems until our son (an armorer) worked the bugs out. Unfortunately, my wife had lost interest in the P22 by that time. The SR22 has been totally reliable, but my wife sometimes gets frustrated when she forgets about the magazine disconnect.

I don't think Zamack versus aluminum in a .22LR slide is a big issue, although I do understand potential personal misgivings as I prefer steel (in a revolver).

[R_P_K_]

It can be dry fired safely. A drywall anchor is thicker than the rim of a.22.

[Brian48]

I've owned both. The SR22 was a much better shooting pistol over the Walther. Both were equally reliable so long as you fire the right ammo that it likes, but the SR22 felt better in my hand.

In any case, I eventually sold off both. They were OK, but I prefer my plinking be done with my Ruger MKIIs or Single-Six when I'm in the mood for non-autos.

[Carl the Floor Walker]

Originally Posted by R_P_K_

It can be dry fired safely. A drywall anchor is thicker than the rim of a.22.

I would highly suggest that if the OP does choose he Ruger, to do some home work on drying firing it without snap caps. You can damage the gun as shown by pics. Regardless, of, if you can or cannot, I would see no reason to not invest in snap caps or dry wall anchors. Cheap insurance.
One former gun smith on another forum actually broke the gun down and did a rather lengthy post. (You should be able to find this with a google search) At the end, he said he would not dry fire the gun.
Your gun, your choice.

[GarandTd]

I don't have either one, but I deliberately didn't buy the Ruger SR22 because the safety is backwards from what I am accustomed to. I chose a comparable handgun from a reputable competitor.

I never considered the Walther, but it's slide mounted safety would also bother me.

[Shadow9mm]

get the Ruger. I had a friend who had a Walther P22. Very ammo sensitive, somewhat unreliable, and only accurate enough for plinking, and he had bought the target model. Plus i have seen lots of issues with cracked and damaged slides on the Walther. Granted it was a blast to shoot, but when you had to feed it CCI Velociters to get it to cycle reliably it got kinda spendy to shoot.

[cc-hangfire]

I can play on this post since I’ve got both. (Actually, one Walther P22 & three Ruger Marks, but who’s counting?). Preferences in my house depend on who’s shooting.

Ruger Mark II - my 30-yo son LOVES this gun. It goes to the range every time regardless of what else we’re shooting, and he burns 200 rounds every time. Reliable with anything we feed it, even the cheap (at least it used to be cheap) bulk ammo. Accurate: it’s capable of hitting the 2” steel at 30 yards if you're steady enough. All steel so very little recoil, light single action trigger. By the way, I love it too.

Walther P22 - this is my wife’s preferred 22 plinker. She is a small woman with hand strength and wrist strength issues, and has chosen the Walther PK380 for her self defense pistol (I know, not a great choice but we’ve literally tried all possibilities). The P 22 is as close to a trainer for the PK380 as possible. It allows her to practice the correct manual of arms (trigger-guard paddle mag release, slide mounted safety) for longer shooting sessions without hand fatigue or wrist pain. It’s been almost as reliable as the Ruger but likes hotter ammo. I must report that we have shot the gun enough to crack the aluminum slide (thousands of rounds). I have no complaints because Walther sent me a new slide at no cost. Good customer service.

Hope that helps!

[JERRYS.]

thanks to all who responded.