Sig Mosquito or Walther P22?

[The Annoyed Man]

Does anyone have a Sig Mosquito or a Walther P22, and if so, how do you like it?

I have a 22/45, and it is a pretty accurate little gun, but I’m considering picking up something like a Mosquito, or a Walther P22, something that is more “carry gun-like”.

If you have another suggestion, I’m all ears. But my guideline is more like a carry gun, and less like a target pistol.

[lowdogtx]

I bought the P22 for my daughter it's a great gun now she has the PK380 too

[Middle Age Russ]

I had heard that early Mosquitos had issues, but that they got them worked out. The P-22s I have seen seemed OK. I think the grip frame on both of these is on the smaller side, the girth being certainly smaller than most carry guns in 9MM or .45. S&W makes two different ones, the M&P 22 and the M&P 22 compact. The compact is supposedly the same size grip frame as the Shield and the non-compact version is about like the full-size M&P. I know SIG also makes rimfire versions of their full-size guns, and I have seen a Walther PPQ-22. All of these should not only have controls similar to their like-branded carry guns, but also ben pretty close to the same feel.

[jason812]

My dad, brother, and I all have P22's and we got them when they first came out. They are fun little plinkers but by no means as accurate as the Ruger Mark series. I believe a lot of that has to do with the sights. The P22 has sights more like your carry guns were the Mark series are finer for target shooting. I have found a +5 magazine extender for the P22 that I'm thinking about getting as everybody knows, .22 seems to empty quite fast when you're plinking. We have shot a bulk pack a piece in a day before.

The good:
Seem to eat everything you feed it. I haven't tried CCI Quiets yet but bulk packs of Remington, Winchester, and Federal work just fine. Of course CCI standard and Minimags do as well.
Threaded barrel retention makes adding a suppressor easy, just buy the adapter.

The not so good:
Like most .22 pistols, the slides are made of zinc and if you have the 5in barrel, the target weight/extension can cause the slide to break. My dad's broke but I bet his round count is close to 10k if not more. This was last year after 14 years of use and Walther replaced it free of charge.
The take down requires tools but is by no means complicated.

I like mine and would buy another one if I were in the market. I don't think my dad would trade his for anything.

[The Annoyed Man]

I had heard that early Mosquitos had issues, but that they got them worked out. The P-22s I have seen seemed OK. I think the grip frame on both of these is on the smaller side, the girth being certainly smaller than most carry guns in 9MM or .45. S&W makes two different ones, the M&P 22 and the M&P 22 compact. The compact is supposedly the same size grip frame as the Shield and the non-compact version is about like the full-size M&P. I know SIG also makes rimfire versions of their full-size guns, and I have seen a Walther PPQ-22. All of these should not only have controls similar to their like-branded carry guns, but also ben pretty close to the same feel.

Russ, thanks for the M&P suggestion. I didn’t realize that there was a .22 pistol in the M&P lineup. I like the compact with the suppressor adaptor, because it comes with suppressor-height sights......and one of my intended uses for this pistol was as a “hush puppy” kind of thing as well as just a plinker and training aid. And kudos to S&W for giving it 1/2-28 thread too. If buying either the Sig or the Walther, I would have gone for a threaded barrel model too, but I already own a M&P45, so the ergos and controls will be familiar.

[SQLGeek]

Of those types, the S&W M&P .22 Compact seems to have the best reviews and would probably be the one I'd go with.

[mot7981]

TAM,
Since I gather from your posts you are a refined gentleman I would not be surprised to know that “carry gun-like” for you included 1911’s so don’t forget about all the 22 conversion options out there. As far as other alternatives go… I had the original M&P 22 and I liked it and it felt an awful lot like my friends M&P 9. I think it had a 4” barrel and may have been threaded too but not sure about that. There’s also the Ruger SR22 which I think may have a slightly better rep than the Walther although they look very similar. You could also check out the ISSC M22. I had one a while back but replaced it with a Browning Buckmark. The ISSC was VERY Glock 19ish although I never held them up side by side. Let us know what you pick in the end.

[Teamless]

Mosquito only likes CCI ammo

P22, with the short barrel, is finicky to cycle properly all the time, with other than CCI ammo
If you get the P22 and then the extended barrel, it will eat all ammo easily

[The Annoyed Man]

TAM,
Since I gather from your posts you are a refined gentleman...

We obviously haven’t met yet. Thank you anyway.

...I would not be surprised to know that “carry gun-like” for you included 1911’s so don’t forget about all the 22 conversion options out there. As far as other alternatives go… I had the original M&P 22 and I liked it and it felt an awful lot like my friends M&P 9. I think it had a 4” barrel and may have been threaded too but not sure about that. There’s also the Ruger SR22 which I think may have a slightly better rep than the Walther although they look very similar. You could also check out the ISSC. I had one a while back but replaced it with a Browning Buckmark. The ISSC was VERY Glock 19ish although I never held them up side by side. Let us know what you pick in the end.

I actually did consider the idea of a .22 conversion kit for one of my 1911s, or even a complete .22 caliber 1911 clone. I also thought about a .22 conversion kit for one of my Glocks. Not a terrible idea.....but I decided I just wanted a complete pistol instead. Back when I was considering a .22 conversion kit for one of my ARs, versus getting a complete .22 LR AR, I went for the complete gun when I had the opportunity to buy a used but like new M&P15-22 off of a friend.

I guess if the price was right, I might buy a kit. But I like the idea of a complete gun that was engineered to function as a complete gun.

[Middle Age Russ]

GSG markets a 1911-22, and SIG also sells the gun with their brand on it. The one I had, which I am pretty sure was a standard SIG model, had a barrel that could accept a threaded converter for suppressor use. The base model M&P 22 full size barrel has a similar "collar" at the muzzle end that can be removed to put a converter on (but then you'd want to change out the sights if you used a suppressor). Since I already have the M&P 22 and the DIY suppressor (with tax stamp) that needs to be drilled and etched, I guess I'll end up having to get some suppressor-height sights and the converter.

[Soccerdad1995]

A friend of my wife's bought a P22 and has had a ton of cycling issues with it. I took it for an extended test run using everything I could find, including CCI mini-mags, CCI stingers, and other high velocity .22 LR. 500+ rounds later, it is reliable using the mini-mags, but still has failures to return to battery using anything else, and also with the mini-mags after it gets dirty (50 rounds or so). It may be a break-in issue, or may just be a lemon. She is far from being a "gun person" and doesn't feel comfortable shipping a gun back to the manufacturer, so hopefully it won't come to that.

I also have a Ruger SR-22 that looks almost identical to the P22. My little Ruger has been extremely reliable with all brands of ammo including standard velocity stuff. Personally, I would recommend the Ruger just because of the bad experience she has had with the Walther.

[LDB415]

If you are leaning toward carry maybe look at the SR22?

[SigM4]

TAM, Sig has divested itself of the Mosquito so you’re either going to find used, or as noted the GSG 1911-22 (same gun, different branding).

I had a Mosquito for a while, a later model, and as much as I’d like to say it was trouble free, it was not. So long as you fed it the HV stuff, it was ok, but SV CCI and the like would cause it to choke on a pretty regular basis. Not saying it’s a bad gun, but probably not what you’re after for a suppressor host.

P22? I’ve never owned one but only because I’ve seen enough friends enticed by them over the years only to be disappointed.

My suggestion, S&W M&P22c. It’s very close to a full size gun and actually made by S&W; careful the full size M&P22 is not, instead being made by Walther. The M&P22c is a hammer fired gun, though the hammer is shielded/enclosed. This is done as .22 ammo takes more firing pin impact than most striker fired systems can impart to ignite, especially in a smaller frame.

I have an M&P22c in my .22 pistol collection and it plays host to several of my rimfire cans. It happily eats most ammo without issue and so far has required minimal cleaning. I really owe it to that poor gun to scrub it down properly before long, but as it is I haven’t had any cleaning related stoppages so I guess it’ll go for a while longer still.

[Sport Coach]

I have a Mosquito and it is pretty finicky with ammo - various failures. I haven't shot it in a while but another friend who shoots quite a bit said don't clean it and it will run better. I tried that last time and it seemed to do better although it doesn't make sense to me.

[The Annoyed Man]

If you are leaning toward carry maybe look at the SR22?

I don’t actually intend to carry it, but I want a .22 that looks/feels like a carry gun to use as a training aid for people I teach how to shoot. The 22/45 I own is a fine .22, and I like it a lot. But it’s function seems to be initially confusing to people who’ve never fired a pistol before, and my theory is that it is at partially because it does not resemble what they expect, and at least partly because they are intimidated by the light single action trigger. I don’t know for sure.....but I wanted to just try something else.

Sounds like the Mosquito would be out of the running. I’ll take a look at the Ruger. Right now, the front runner seems to be the M&P.