| P22 owners have long awaited a reliable high capacity | | | | Enter the 45-round drum magazine. It's a big leap to |
| magazine. Until now, the temperamental P22 has | | | | go from nothing to 45 rounds for such a small pistol, |
| stubbornly refused to operate reliably with even | | | | but it's been done and done successfully. A high |
| standard capacity 10-round aftermarket magazines, | | | | capacity drum magazine is now available from a |
| let alone an extended magazine. But thanks to the | | | | limited number of distributors including SpentBrass. |
| introduction of an all-aluminum, 45-round drum | | | | The price tag of the magazine is a little hefty at |
| magazine for the Walther P22, the long wait is over. | | | | about $170, but it's built to last. |
| Even Walther had a tough time working out the | | | | Manufactured using machined aluminum components, |
| kinks that kept the P22 magazine from feeding | | | | the drum magazine will probably outlast your P22 |
| rounds reliably. It wasn't until the introduction of the | | | | pistol. The drum operates on using the same |
| second generation magazine that featured, among | | | | principals as the old Thompson 45 caliber machine |
| other improvements, a slit in the side that allows | | | | gun. Rounds aren't stacked on one another. Instead, |
| rounds to sit staggered that the magazines were | | | | they're neatly arranged around a sprocket and fed up |
| able to feed ammunition reliably. If the manufacturer | | | | through a factory Walther magazine tower to ensure |
| had a tough time getting working through issues, you | | | | reliable feeding. |
| can imagine how aftermarket magazine makers are | | | | The use of the factory Walther magazine tower is |
| fairing. The answer is not so well. | | | | the key to this extended magazine's success. Not to |
| The inability of the market to introduce a reliable | | | | discredit the ingenuity of using a drum to feed .22 |
| standard capacity magazine made the prospect of a | | | | caliber rounds, but the reliability and performance of |
| high capacity product somewhat of a pipe dream. | | | | the factory magazine seals the deal. |
| Aftermarket followers have been available for some | | | | The failed ejections and feeds that the P22 |
| time, but these modified pieces of plastic only | | | | experiences are often a result of poor back pressure |
| increase ammunition capacity by two rounds (even | | | | rather than a magazine issue. Anyone using a P22 |
| though they're advertised as increasing capacity by | | | | with a 3.4-inch barrel is advised to use a barrel |
| three rounds). It's better than nothing, but a 12-round | | | | adapter and pressure booster to help rounds feed |
| capacity is a little less than what Walther P22 | | | | reliably. This is also true with the P22 high capacity |
| enthusiasts were hoping for. | | | | drum magazine. |