Shooting P22 and P99 with suppressors

**submessenger** · Posted On: 3/19/2012 9:23am

So, this weekend I had the opportunity to shoot two suppressed handguns. Oh, what fun! This was my first time ever shooting with a suppressor. It presents some interesting challenges.

The weapons in question were a Walther P22 and a P99. I should do a proper review of these guns, but some quick notes. Both guns shoot like a dream. Very low recoil, super ergonomic designs. Each gun had its quirks, but on the whole I rate these models very highly.

Challenge number one is the extra weight on the barrel. It is difficult to keep the gun steady, especially after putting a couple hundred rounds down range.

Challenge two is that the suppressor messes with your sight picture. The attached lasers made this less of a problem, but for the laser-less I found that it was possible to shoot a 1" group at about 8 yards by just pretending that big black circle wasn't there. With the P99, that is; I had no such luck with the P22.

Now, I'm referring to it as a suppressor, not a silencer. These things don't work like they do on TV. The 9mm was still loud, I would say about like a 16-penny pneumatic nail gun. With subsonic rounds, it was possible to hear some of the rounds hit the backstop, if you were straining for it.

The .22, on the other hand, was truly quiet. With subsonic rounds, the loudest noise was the plink of the bullet on the backstop. I'm pretty sure I could hear the paper target being hit, too. With normal rounds, you definitely hear the sonic boom before the backstop is hit. I'd rate it approximately like the crack of a bullwhip.

Shooting with suppressors is definitely impractical, from a self defense perspective. They are bulky, expensive, and increase the amount of overall maintenance. But, they are really cool to play with. It was a great experience, and made for a very fun day of shooting.

**IMightBeWrong** · Posted On: 4/30/2012 4:25pm

Per the gubment, whether they're that quiet or not they're still called "Silencers". Sounds like you had fun. What did you think of the P99? I recently picked up a PPQ and the last time I held a P99 was years ago and now I can't find one to compare. Was it the AS model? And if so, did the reset feel like a striker pistol reset with a big click or just a normal reset?

**submessenger** · Posted On: 4/30/2012 5:19pm

Originally Posted by IMightBeWrong

Per the gubment, whether they're that quiet or not they're still called "Silencers". Sounds like you had fun. What did you think of the P99? I recently picked up a PPQ and the last time I held a P99 was years ago and now I can't find one to compare. Was it the AS model? And if so, did the reset feel like a striker pistol reset with a big click or just a normal reset?

I'm pretty sure it's the AS (it's my buddy's gun). The reset is not noticeable, that I recall. We went shooting yesterday, too, but I was concentrating on marksmanship with my guns, and only shot one mag each of the P99 and P22. Next weekend I'll try to remember to take notes and do a proper review - I'll be shooting a suppressed Armalite SuperSASS, a suppressed AR-15 of some sort, and maybe the P99/P22 again (depending on which range we go to).

**Permalost** · Posted On: 4/30/2012 5:47pm

Originally Posted by daddykata

Shooting with suppressors is definitely impractical, from a self defense perspective. They are bulky, expensive, and increase the amount of overall maintenance.

From a self defense perspective, it also seems like you'd want the loud bang of a gun to announce itself.

**Devil** · Posted On: 4/30/2012 7:13pm

Daddykata - in case your buddy isn't aware, do him a favor and let him know the P22 is notorious for cracked slides after a few thousand rounds. Same with the Sig Mosquito. Suppressors seem to increase the likelihood of breakages.

Eye protection is a must.

**submessenger** · Posted On: 4/30/2012 8:12pm

Originally Posted by Devil

Daddykata - in case your buddy isn't aware, do him a favor and let him know the P22 is notorious for cracked slides after a few thousand rounds. Same with the Sig Mosquito. Suppressors seem to increase the likelihood of breakages.

Eye protection is a must.

Acknowledged - thanks for the heads-up.

**IMightBeWrong** · Posted On: 5/01/2012 1:27am

Originally Posted by Permalost

From a self defense perspective, it also seems like you'd want the loud bang of a gun to announce itself.

I've heard a few people speak of the use of silencers for home defense pistols. Firearm report indoors is much worse on the ears than outdoors and could cause some serious hearing damage. I can sort of see the practicality of it there. But in terms of CCW, definitely not.

**submessenger** · Posted On: 5/01/2012 4:17am

Originally Posted by IMightBeWrong

I've heard a few people speak of the use of silencers for home defense pistols. Firearm report indoors is much worse on the ears than outdoors and could cause some serious hearing damage. I can sort of see the practicality of it there. But in terms of CCW, definitely not.

It doesn't really matter how loud the gun is if your first shot is true.

**Devil** · Posted On: 5/01/2012 7:51am

Theoretically, I can see the value of suppressors for home defense use. I've never been woken up from a deep slumber in my bed and had to instantly jump up, wake up, focus on readying my weapon, deal with an adrenaline dump, confront an intruder, make sure I know where my family is and fire shots indoors all within a few seconds. I'm sure it could be overwhelming. I can see where the sound reduction would mean one less factor contributing to that sensory overload.

And from a purely tactical standpoint, the reduced muzzle flash is an advantage in a dark house if you miss your target the first time or if there are multiple intruders.

Having said that, it's definitely not something I would spend much time fretting over.

**DaTedBear** · Posted On: 5/01/2012 9:51am

Using suppressors causes additional maintenance and mechanical issues, true. reduction in report helps a lot if using indoors and/or with team members or family members in a tactical situation. Keep eye/ear protection on and keep checking your muzzle. When you pop a round and it rips a teardrop hole in your suppressor, you will not be happy.