TargetTalk

This seems like a resonably priced gun and comes with what looks like the same grips as the SSP. If anyone has any experience or feedback about this gun, I would like to hear about it. How does it compare to the Ruger MKIII and Buckmark?

from what I've read it's one to avoid not well made

The M4 was the top of the line in this pistol. If its real cheap might not be a bad buy. It would have to be real cheap. Might make a good plinker!!!

I saw the M4 on the CDNN catalog, and at $399 it looks like a real bargain, so much I am also tempted to buy it. the grips looks wonderful, they say it has adjustable trigger ( not sure if it includes weight, or it is only for position and stop).
Rugers and Brownings for that same price range are better proven and tested. you can purchase a trigger set and have it at 2.25 pounds legal. Randall Fung can make a pistol grip with palm rest comparable to the Europeans ( perhaps a bit heavier due to the wood he uses). you start to add up and the Ruger will end up costing a bunch of money, sometimes even close to a used Hamerly or Pardini.

I say, buy the M4, there is nothing to loose, if it doesnt work as an Olympic or BS pistol, then sell it or keep it as a plinker.

I own a Walther SP22 M4 and have put a little less than 500 rounds through it. I got it through CDNN.

The match grips for the M4 come in two sizes: medium (which seems to be the only size available if you order from CDNN) and large (which can be bought online for about $180 the last time I checked). The medium grip is a snug fit for my medium-sized adult male hand, so anyone with largish hands should expect it to be too small. The only option for lefties is to use the ambidextrous plastic grip that's also available.

Although the grip texture is a comfortable grey grit like the SSP's, the grip angle is quite different. The SP22 uses a squarish grip angle similar to that of a 1911 or a Buckmark. The palm rest is adjustable but the range of adjustment is very limited.

Good points:

1) It looks cool. This won't win any matches for you but it might impress your friends when you aren't shooting.

2) The pistol groups very well, not only at 25 meters but also a 50 yards where the American bullseye shooters shoot.

3) The magazines hold 10 rounds, which is no advantage for an ISSF shooter but does give the SP22 the flexibility to be used in other competitions.

4) It's a lightweight pistol that can have its balance adjusted with a weight set that mounts under the barrel.

5) It seems to be quite reliable, functioning with low velocity ammo that wouldn't cycle a Ruger Mk II. The only stoppage I've had happened the first time I took it to the range and only after about a hundred rounds of mixed ammo.

6) There's a low bore axis so the muzzle doesn't flip much in recoil.

Bad points:

1) The SP22 has a magazine "safety" that makes dry fire practice a bother. It's not hard to disable but some match rules require all safety features to be functional.

2) The iron sights are small and cheaply made. The width of the front sight blade can be adjusted but this requires disassembly of the pistol.

3) The trigger is much longer and heavier than you would expect from a match pistol. It feels a little like a Glock trigger but it doesn't have the short reset of a Glock. It's more like the offspring of a Kahr and a staple gun. Although the M4 trigger is supposed to be adjustable, anything more than a very minor tweak from the factory settings makes it inoperable.

4) Disassembly and re-assembly are a pain, requiring two different hex keys to field strip and a punch and hammer to drive out the roll pin that holds on the grip if you want to get at the internals. The parts don't fit together easily and sometimes it takes multiple attempts to get everything put back in the right place.

5) There's an awkwardly placed safety button that protrudes from the left side of the pistol when off. It's possible to accidentally engage this safety by setting the pistol down on its side.

6) There's a lot of aluminum and plastic parts. I would not be comfortable feeding my SP22 much in the way of high velocity ammo because I question its durability.

All things considered, it's a hard pistol to love but it does get the job done. It just requires a commitment to keep pressing that clunky trigger until the shot finally breaks.

thanks for the replies. sounds like it is a pistol I do not want. I shoot a Morini but have been looking for some .22s for general training for a junior program. I ended up buying a Buckmark, a Trailside, and a conversion for my Sig 220. The Trailside is my favorite follwed by the Sig 220 and then the Buckmark and Kimber. After a trigger job, I think the Buckmark will be the best for competition as well as general shooting. Also planning on adding a Sig Mosquito and MKIII to the collection shortly. Several of the kids shot all of them yesterday and they each had their favorites. However, not all of them are for competition shooting but all are fun to shoot and have decent triggers

USMC0802 wrote:Also planning on adding a Sig Mosquito and MKIII to the collection shortly. Several of the kids shot all of them yesterday and they each had their favorites. However, not all of them are for competition shooting but all are fun to shoot and have decent triggers

I have a SIG Moqsuito that I aquired as payment for a small job I did for a gun dealer. I wouldn't in my wildest dreams say that it has a "decent trigger". The sear is a piece of pressed metal and there's not much you can do to improve it. It's a pistol to avoid in my opinion. Any Ruger would run rings around it.

Have you considered a Margolin?

j-team wrote:

USMC0802 wrote:Also planning on adding a Sig Mosquito and MKIII to the collection shortly. Several of the kids shot all of them yesterday and they each had their favorites. However, not all of them are for competition shooting but all are fun to shoot and have decent triggers

I have a SIG Moqsuito that I aquired as payment for a small job I did for a gun dealer. I wouldn't in my wildest dreams say that it has a "decent trigger". The sear is a piece of pressed metal and there's not much you can do to improve it. It's a pistol to avoid in my opinion. Any Ruger would run rings around it.

Have you considered a Margolin?

I would have to agree with j-team on the Mosquito...it might pay to search the "other rimfire pistols" forum on Rimfirecentral.com for more info.

Hi all,
I agree with Orpanaout, the M4 looks cool,, very cool and the price is very attractive, thanks for the feedback we all wanted to hear before purchasing it from the CDNN site.

But, sometimes I think it is better to stick with what is considered all time tested and proven.
I have a buckmark with a trigger job that I managed to bring it down to 300grms ( about half pound and totally illegal other than for free pistol). it never failed with anytype of ammo, and it never slam fired either, I think that is a good testament of the reliability and magnificient ( simple) design of the pistol. And for plinking, that buckmark with half pound trigger the shooting was just a delight.

Next time I will not go into that much work, and get a ruger with a match trigger kit ( $125) and perhaps to ask Randall Fung to make me another grip ( another $200) , but well,, you end up with a gun that any gunsmith is familiar with. and parts are available everywhere.

I had my share of experience with non common gun brands or types,, sometimes I excitedly took them to the gunsmith for trigger jobs, just to hear that they will not even touch it.

that M4 is good looking and very impresive,, but my trigger adjustment doubts were confirmed by the views from Orpanaout, thanks,
coker.

sorry,, I meant about one pound on the trigger job.
I dont want to scare anybody.

coker.