Pistol Review: Walther's P22 - An Excellent Plinker!

Again and again Walther delivers original firearms that far exceed our expectations and become industry standards. The P22 is no exception with it's consistent reliability, ergonomic style, practical features and outright affordability.

Easy to use, comfortable to shoot, virtually no recoil all without breaking the bank, that about sums up the P22.

The controls are all laid out in an ergonomic manner making them easy to operate on the fly. A nice new addition is the European-style paddle release and while this may take some getting used to for us American shooters I find the practical use of the paddle release to be tremendous. Having the capability to operate the magazine release with either the thumb or index finger makes quick reloading a breeze. Moreover, being a hammer-fired pistol, the P22 does also feature a manual safety which is conveniently made in a lever style and can be easily operated by the thumb when firing.

As for the quality of the P22, made in Germany, its frame is made of polymer, the slide is zinc alloy and the barrel, recoil spring guide, extractor and ejector are all made of steel. It doesn't end there, the P22 is packed with practical features such as windage adjustable rear sight, captured recoil spring, double-action/single-action trigger, and threaded barrel. Not only that, but to really showcase the reliability of the P22, Walther covered it with their Legendary Lifetime Limited Warranty.

All in all, the P22 is an excellent .22 pistol and is ready for anything from varmint control to recreational shooting right out-of-the-box.