Which to buy first 22 or 32

Tony57 · Post by **Tony57** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:54 pm

Hi I am new here, my name is Tony

I have been shooting airpistol for 2 years and want to graduate to firearms. I have been offered a Walther 32 GSP in excellent condition at an excellent price which fits my hand like a glove. My friend thinks it would be better to buy a 22 first because of the price of the ammunition.

What would be the general opinion on this decision.

Secondly can I get a 22 barrel system for the Walther 32.

I was also offered a hammerli 215 at a reasonable price but would have to buy a grip for it maybe a Rinkgrip. Overall the out lay would be about 50% more than the 32.

Bob-Riegl · Post by **Bob-Riegl** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:06 pm

I don't know how deep your wallet is but the .32 is not what you want to "begin" shooting Standar Pistol or Bullseye.. You may buy the .32 and let it lay around for awhile, you will get to use it soon enough. The .22 is the best deal for a raw beginner as the cost of ammo is much cheaper. After you buy a couple of boxes of factory made FIOCCHI you won't be happy with the cost, you should reload IMHO for a .32. I am not conversive with Walther so I don't know if your model could be switched to .22---and BTW that ain't a cheap solution, if that's what you were thinking. "Doc".

brakarzac · Post by **brakarzac** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 11:46 pm

Buy a .22 first and learn how to shoot that before you step up to a .32

.22 is much cheaper, and you can shoot 3 different ISSF events with the one gun (4 depending on where you shoot)

Events include:
Standard, Rapid Fire, 50M (it can be done) and Mens Sport (thats the wildcard)

shooting ,32 only gives you one match - centrefire
it becomes very expensive when shooting factory, and you need to spend a lot of money setting up a reloading press too.

cheers

milevsport · Post by **milevsport** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 7:07 am

You should definitely go to .22 first. I'm now at the NRA Nationals at Camp Perry and I know a lot of people shooting the 2700 with only .22 and .45. The course starts with .22, goes to .32 or above and ends with .45.
If looking to shoot international pistol and be competitive, you should look at Pardini. Out of the top 10 shooters in the World ranklist nine use Pardini. On the WC Ft. Benning 80% of the rapid fire shooters were with Pardini. Pardini SP gives you wide range of personalization. Look at www.PardiniGuns.com.

Good Luck

lastman · Post by **lastman** » Wed Jul 13, 2011 3:24 am

Hi Tony,

Don't even think about it. Just get the .22 and be done with it.

You can shoot more matches with it and the ammo is a lot less.

Good luck

orionshooter · Post by **orionshooter** » Wed Jul 13, 2011 8:39 am

I agree the .22 is the way to go and would only add that the Hammerli 215 is one of the very finest Swiss guns ever made. It is every bit as accurate and beautifully made as the 208s and you will get a lifetime of enjoyment from it. It's also about two thirds the price of a 208s.

Good luck Tony

oldcaster · Post by **oldcaster** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:01 pm

The only way the 32 can be justified is if it is an extremely good deal that you are afraid you can't duplicate later and are willing to also buy a 22 and are going to start loading 32's very soon. A lot of if's.

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 6:25 pm

From a shooters perspective the 22 would be the first choice in terms of ammunition cost. You might determine that the Walther is not the perfect gun for you. I had both the Walther GSP and Pardini SP/HP in 22 and 33. The Walther is built like the proverbial tank and you could pass it on to your grandchildren. I shot the walther for several years but finally opted at age 70 for the Pardini's with a lighetr front end. As an aside the Walther 32 was motre accurate than the Pardini and it was easier to obtain a custom barrel for 50 yard bullseye matches.