Looking for a little .22 semi plinker

Texas Star said:
Look for a gently used Ruger standard auto, preferably in stainless. Even a new one will probably cost a lot less than that PPK/S, which will be unreliable in most examples. Some do work okay most of the time, but only with high speed loads. I've read posts by men who say that only the hyper velocity ammo like Stingers will cycle their Walthers.

German police experienced an average of one jam per 50 shots fired from 7.65mm PP and PPK arms. The .22 version is even less reliable, on the whole. You might get a good one, but it's a dart toss.

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I don't know where you head that rumor star, but the Walther PP & PPK in all calibres are extremely reliable. I confess to no shooting myself with the 6.35auto(.25ACP) , or .22LR in pre-war/war-time guns, they are worth too much too shoot..........it would be my guess they are as easily reliable as any Browning or Colt.

The post war Walthers in.22LR & 6.35 versions of the PPK, PP, TP & TPH are known to be the most reliable of any brand of small gun in those calibres. Pocket pistols & subcompacts are notoriously picky on 22ammo. all these guns are sub compact/compact but find the brand of .22 & stay with it, that includes any brand listed below too........ a lot of semi-auto .22 rifles are picky too.

The 7.65auto (.32ACP) & the 9mmK /.380ACPwartime. pre-war-postwar are both dern dependable handguns, never had a failure with either.

'd urge him to look at a S&W mod 41, High Standard , Colt Woodsman, Browning Challenger, Nomad, Ruger .22auto to whatever suits his fancy. All are well made decent lil .22 plinker/target guns.
 
Check out the Ruger SR22, mine has been 100% reliable and has become one of my favorite pistols.
 
I got excited when the new Walther PPK type .22 came out a couple of years ago. It looks good at a distance but up close it is not even close to the quality of the original PPK series pistols. It's pot metal with a 20 pound trigger pull and it looks like a much cheaper version of the Bond gun (which it is) that won't hold up very well over time. I bought the Bersa .22 that is very similar to a PPK and it is quite accurate and has excellent ergonomics. It has a double action trigger as good as any Sig P226 and a nice and light single action trigger. It is perfectly reliable with any ammo CCI makes but no so much with other brands. Normally I would trade a gun immediately if it is not perfectly reliable with ALL ammo, but this little gun is really a sweet little trail/kit gun so I just feed it CCI ammo and it runs great.
 
I've owned a plethora of 22 semis, and still possess quite a few. The one that I most regret selling was a Walther TPH. They had a reputation as "hand biters" but mine never did that. It was very well behaved, well made, was constructed of stainless; very much like a 1/2 scale REAL PPK. The new 22PPK's are reported to be mostly made of zinc alloy (of some kind) and they aren't particularly well regarded over on RimFire Central. All that said in favor of the TPH, it sure wasn't accurate and it was never intended to be a target gun.

After a while of shooting 22 hand guns, accuracy may become more interesting than plinking. For accurate plinking, you can't do much better (value-wise) than the Ruger Mk-II's as previously recommended. S&W 41's are generally a little more accurate (...flame suite on), but much more expensive. I've still got a couple of them, but I find that the Ruger's are getting used more than the S&W's.

If you've gotta have a Walther plinker, then I'd recommend holding out for a TPH, if you can find one. Doubt that you'll loose any money on it if you ever have to sell it, too. The new 22PPK: probably not so much. -S2
 
Picked this little guy up a couple years ago-- had the stocks & holster made and picked up a handful of extra magaines as well-- did I need it, no, but when does that have anything to do with it. :D

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Comrad said:
Yes it is, my LGS wants $447.00 plus tax and NICS probably out the door for 500+.
Love NJ
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They got em in stock at the link I posted for $350 plus $5 shipping. First class operation. I've ordered guns from them.

If you're having second thoughts about the Walther... There simply is no better plinker than the Ruger Mark series of pistols. They have them in every imaginable configuration and are in the same price range as what you're looking at.

This is my favorite. It's a Mark III Talo edition. It came new suppressor ready... man it's a lot of fun to shoot.


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I just shot my brother in law's Beretta U22 semi auto pistol last week. It shot great with no malfunctions. Trigger could use some work though. $299.
 
For a fun, cost effective .22 semi auto plinker I recommend a Ruger SR22. Plenty accurate and eats just about any .22LR ammo you feed it, even the cheap stuff. Also, very simple to field strip and clean.

I've got half a dozen Ruger MK II/III's and I really like them, but for plinking and such the SR22 usually gets more rounds run through it than all the others combined.

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I picked up a, Sig Mosquito used but nearly unfired a few months back, and IIRC I paid lees than 250 OTD. Good and reliable with MiniMags, not the most accurate .22 in the world (not bad though) but lots of fun to shoot!
 
Zamak is the Zinc alloy most commonly used in handguns. It is much cheaper to work with for the maker than steel or aluminum alloys. It is also what the classic Saturday Night Special...and some old die cast cap guns... used. The Jimenez JA 22, the current version of the "classic" Jennings and the Phoenix guns use it. At $150 I have no qualms about a .22 pistol made with such. More than that....eh.
 
I'll agree with the Ruger Standard.
I got a beautiful, blued, 90%, 1976 model, with period Pachymers for less than $200 four years ago.
It's so nice, I fired it a few times, then it became a safe queen.
I tried to get a pic, but the Kindle pretty much inhales air at photograpy.
 

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I have a Walther P22 That is a great small .22. If you want to go a little heavier, go with a Ruger. I also have a Browning Buckmark Hunter with a Bushnell TRS-25 red dot that will put 10 shots into a 3/4" at 15 yds for me. You might do better.
 
I bought a Walther P22 when they first came out..It really is a fun little gun to shoot..I have let many of my friends shoot it and most will buy one for themselves..Women in particular really enjoy shooting it as well..What with the ease of racking the slide..
I only shoot CCI Mini Mags and Stingers out of it..Never a hiccup..
The only downside, is the rear sight as it has a wide notch..But I can make a soda can "dance" at 25 yds..;)
 
I have a Walther PPK in 22 (new production) and find that it is a very accurate pistol. It also goes bang every time I pull the trigger. I would suggest a Ruger if you can't get a PPK. I'm personally taken with their new "Buck Rogers" looking Lite Blue, but I suppose it's a matter of taste.
 
I'm throwing in with the guys who are telling you Ruger. Sure, Mark I or Mark II should you come across one, but if you don't, there's really no practical reason to shy away from the Mark IIIs. My Mark III Standard is as sweet shooting a gun as I own, and good for at least 1000 rounds between cleanings.
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Of course, If I saw a SR22 in the case, and happened to have a little extra money on hand, I could easily take one home on an impulse.
 
da gimp said:
I don't know where you head that rumor star, but the Walther PP & PPK in all calibres are extremely reliable. I confess to no shooting myself with the 6.35auto(.25ACP) , or .22LR in pre-war/war-time guns, they are worth too much too shoot..........it would be my guess they are as easily reliable as any Browning or Colt.

The post war Walthers in.22LR & 6.35 versions of the PPK, PP, TP & TPH are known to be the most reliable of any brand of small gun in those calibres. Pocket pistols & subcompacts are notoriously picky on 22ammo. all these guns are sub compact/compact but find the brand of .22 & stay with it, that includes any brand listed below too........ a lot of semi-auto .22 rifles are picky too.

The 7.65auto (.32ACP) & the 9mmK /.380ACPwartime. pre-war-postwar are both dern dependable handguns, never had a failure with either.

'd urge him to look at a S&W mod 41, High Standard , Colt Woodsman, Browning Challenger, Nomad, Ruger .22auto to whatever suits his fancy. All are well made decent lil .22 plinker/target guns.
Click to expand...


The average of 1 jam per 50 rounds in 7.65mm was from an article in Guns & Ammo, written by a German author who had access to government reporting on such things as the German police (both Federally and in all states) were seeking replacement pistols in the early 1970's.

I used to be a range officer and saw occasional jams in Walthers and had them in a prewar PP .32 that I owned.

There are small differences in the semi-rimmed cases in different brands of .32 auto/ 7.65mm, and some guns may feed some brands better than others.

Also, some men with fleshy hands suffer slide bite as a PP/PPK slide cycles. Worth thinking about, if one has large hands.

If you have one of these Walthers that you've found to be reliable, congratulations. Better hang onto it. I'm sure that some fare better than others.
 
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