Walther P22 v. SIG MOS-22 V M&P 22

Which of the three pistols would you prefer?

  • Total voters
    37
J

johnwilliamson062

Moderator
So, if you were going to buy one of the three, which would it be? Probably get one that is used with an aesthetic scratch or something on it, so price could vary a lot. I do not own and do not plan on purchasing any of these pistols larger counter-parts.

I already have a Ruger MKII slab side. I also have a single six. It is one of these three guns or a gun that is very similar. No the 22lr 1911s are not similar. A scaled down modern combat style pistol chambered in 22lr is what I am after. Not looking for any of the 22lr sigs that are standard size and price.
 
Actually, both it and the other two were designed by Umarex, the airsoft company that owns Walther and that prostitutes Walther's good name by stamping it on its own low-quality products.

At least the M&P appears to have an aluminum slide (unless "aluminum aerospace alloy" is deceptive code for something else) instead of a pot-metal slide like the P22 and Mosquito. If that's the case, and one insists on buying one of these three guns, then there's one, and only one, clear choice.
 
Try a S&W M&P Compact, made in USA by Smith and the best feeling .22 pistol I have held for some time. Mine has a few thousand rounds through it without a burp. This pistol is different than the Walther produced full size S&W which I do not think is still offered.
 
The ruger sr22 is a good one as well.

Of the 3... The m&p, either the standard or the new compact.

The full size may be on the way out, not sure. From my understanding the compact is an "improved" version and shrunk down. If it really is improved, then I would like to see the full size get the same treatment.

Though I only hear good about the full size as it is.


The Walther and Sig have a very spotty reputation.
 
Was gonna do quotes but I don't have time, so, in no particular order... :)

As I write this, the M&P22 FS is still on the S&W website, and I have yet to see any definitive indication that they are discontinuing the pistol. The fact that the Compact is a ground-up design made in the USA strongly suggests that S&W intends to drop the German-made FS, but it's speculation at this point.

I've shot the M&P22 FS and I regard it to be a step up from the P22 and Mosquito. Most significantly, it's a full-size pistol that doesn't feel as toylike as the other two, and it seemed more accurate to me, although I honestly haven't had much trigger time with the others, and these results may reflect my shooting experience with the centerfire M&P rather than any intrinsic lack of accuracy with the P22 or Mosquito.

The M&P22 Compact is smaller than the FS but not by much; significantly, it's NOT as small as an M&P9/40c. It's more comparable to an M&P9/40c upper on a FS lower, or a M&P9/40c with a full-length mag and an X-Grip, and it's significantly lighter.

Although the M&P22 and 22 Compact are different designs, FWIW both use aluminum alloy slides, and both have internal hammers rather than strikers. IOW they're closer to one another than to the centerfire M&P line, if this is important to you.
 
From the choices I would go with the M&P 22.

However I was at a factory shoot this last weekend and Walther had a really nice display there and I tried the PPQ .22 which is the same size as the PPQ with the medium backstrap.

I really like the PPQ .22 and may get one already having the PPQ 9MM. It shot really nice and is supposed to be made quite a bit better than the P22.

Review at this link:

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2014/08/jeremy-s/gun-review-walther-ppq-m2-22-lr/
 
The worst firearm I own is my Sig Mosquito. It rarely gets through a magazine without malfunctioning. If you want one, I'll sell you mine cheap.
 
M&P22 was designed by Walther...if that matters
Click to expand...

No. It was designed by Umarex.

Frankly, I wouldn't consider any of these potmetal firearms, considering the availability of much higher-quality .22LR pistols available in the same price range.
 
None of the above. My wife just got a Ruger SR22 yesterday. It won out over the M&P 22 because she can rack the slide on the SR22 easily and there is no restriction against dry firing with it.
 
I know Umarex gets a lot of flak over their "pot metal" clones but I have two phony pony Colt/Walther/Umarex replicas in 22lr, the 1911-22 and M4-22, that function very well and look great. I would expect other models from Umarex to be good too. Of course I am coming from a small sample of two firearms. With all the negative comments there must be some lemons out there.
 
I have the M&P22, the P22 and the SR22. The SR22 will shoot anything you feed it and for me it shoots the best. The P22 shoots really well after some work (my wife likes it the best). It was very ammo picky at first. The M&P22 shoots good but it feels too big. I sold the Sig shortly after I got it.
 
I liked the feel of the M&P compact,but the reliability of the smaller SR22 sold me...it feed & fires everything I put in it.
 
I've got the Walther P22. My only issue with it is it's picky about the ammo it will shoot. I believe all of the above are to some extent. It'll shoot CCI Mini Mag all day long without a failure. The cheaper stuff not so much. The only reason this is an issue for me is that the hoarders still buy up every box of 22LR they can find in my area so it's hard to find the good stuff without paying out the nose for it.
 
Choices...

Interesting choices you offer... Among my .22 autos, I currently own all three of your selections (although my M&P is the American-made Compact). I regularly use all three, with great satisfaction and reliability. Not from the beginning, as the Umarex-made Mosquito needed minor polishing and +/- 800 rounds of break-in. Maybe an exception, but the diminutive Umarex-P-22 has been highly reliable from Day 1, the only issus being mediocre accuracy, and ammo-dependent ejections toward the shooter's face. The lack-luster overall satisfaction level had prevented me from trying the Umarex-M&P .22 (full-size) when introduced, and the early reports of dissatisfaction eased any regrets.

If you haven't had the chance to handle them yet, here's some observations to consider; the P-22 and SR-22 are really small. Great for the young or petit, still manageable for an average hand. The Mosquito is smaller than most other Sig-branded offerings, yet the grip is about "medium" sized, overall. The Smith & Wesson produced (not Umarex/'full sized') Compact is about the same grip size as their Shield.

When Smith & Wesson announced their in-house Compact with a freshly developed design, I read all I could, and found one locally. Very glad I did! Ho-hum trigger, pretty good accuracy, and exceptional reliability. Just under 2,000 rounds so far, and less than a dozen failures to feed, extract, or eject that I can recall. With all sincerity, I believe that anyone who shoots plinker-level, rimfire, auto-loading handguns will admit (at least to themselves) that that's pretty darned good.

All three of these were purchased with my young son and wife in mind, and they have ultimately turned out to be good choices. If I knew then what I know now, I could have saved some tinkering & ammo, by skipping the Mosquito. My son has grown quickly, and the extra-small grip of the P-22 no longer offers any advantage. The S&W Compact could be considered a 'trainer' for the Shield, if I had or wanted one. Overall, the Smith eats everything from cheap, cheap imported low-velocity ammo to domestic high/hyper velocity ammo, without a hitch. No break-in to speak of, this is the one I would probably suggest to someone who only wants one, and is limited to the choices you have offered.
 
Got out to the desert today to shoot some steel with the wife. She doesn't shoot all too often, so I like getting her out once in a while.

We took along the M&P 22, P226 w/ 22lr conversion, P320 fullsize, P320 compact, and VP9.

She really like the M&P 22. I up to about 2,600 rounds through it now and it has never had a single malfunction. I would never believe it if it wasn't my own gun, so I don't blame you if you don't either, but it is what it is. The P226 w/ 22 conversion malfunctions once ever other mag or so, which is about what I'm used to for the 22 trainer type pistols on bulk ammo. And my P226 has never had a single malfunction while shooting the standard 9mm slide on it over about 6k rounds now.
 
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