I just bought one yesterday at MC sports in Bloomington. Took it out and fired it. Seems very good. It was very finicky at first. It really doesnt like Aguila Subsonic ammo. However, It functioned near flawlessly with the CCI ammo. I'm sure once it breaks in a little it will function much better on more types of ammo. I really like it. I wish I would have bought one years ago.
I had handled the P22 and the M&P22 extensively, and for the extra 40$ I picked up the M&P. I did this with myself, my lady, and my nephews in mind. Yes, the frame is more akin to a full size handgun, but the M&P grip is very small and has great ergonomics. The M&P felt like it might stand the test of time where the P22 didn't instill that confidence. With the M&P I can plink with a platform closer to the size and reliability of my EDC weapon AND the nephews and lady friend can comfortably shoot as well.
I have a friend who has a relatively recent Walther P22. Shooting it side-by-side with my (slightly larger) recent SR22P, several of us preferred the Ruger - including the Walther's owner. That said, the Walther functioned fine.
Not sure on the model differences, however keep in mind, you will need to buy good ammo to cycle the pistol. My wife was ready to take hers back, 1 in 5 ftf, fte, etc...
After doing a little snooping, we tried some diff ammo and the pistol performs flawlessly.
My daughters love to shoot mine. I like to screw a can on the end and shoot it. I've run a lot of rounds through it and it will function on about anything now. That was not the case in the beginning. It liked hotter loads back then.
Glad to hear the mostly good reviews. I'm looking in to getting one to use as a target pistol since 22 ammo is soooo much cheaper than 9mm. What's the price difference between that ruger and the walther and are there any other big differences?
A friend of mine has one that he truly loves. I have been thinking of buying a .22 pistol myself and this is one i might end up with. My brother has a Bowning Buckmark that is pretty nice also. So many choices.