Finally saw a P17 in tan available at Buds on Saturday, so I decided to make a range trip and take a look at it. I've had my eye on the P17 since it was announced. $249 on the shelf, so I suffered from the currently inflated market but I couldn't pass it up with how rare they have been. I'll buy the next one I find too. I plan to keep one with my backpacking gear and use one for range fun and teaching/training friends and family. This is my first 22LR pistol.
The highlights: 13oz with an empty mag, 14.8oz with 16 rounds of CCI Mini-mag; decent sights with a light-pipe front post and fully adjustable rear; threaded barrel; comes with 3 mags, a barrel nut wrench with a thread adapter for muzzle devices, and an allen key for the rear sight.
I put 15 mags worth of various rounds through it, right out of the box with no cleaning or lube, as a function test. Two mags each of CCI Mini-mag 40gr 1235fps, Browning BPR 40gr1435fps, Winchester SuperX 40gr 1300fps, Remington Golden Bullet 40gr 1255fps, and the rest was bulk Federal AutoMatch 40gr 1200fps. I'm not a particularly precise pistol shot, and was shooting quickly, so I won't speak to its accuracy other than to say that I did adjust the sights during the first couple of mags, and as far as I can tell it's well more accurate than I am.
Other than the Federal, the only issues I saw were two hard primers out of the Remington which fired on the next try. With the Federal, the first two mags saw repeated failures to clear the spent case from the slide before closing on the next round - the rounds fed in, but the case was captured by the top of the "slide" above the new round. After that, it ran through the rest just fine minus one squib load. I suspect it wouldn't have seen any failures if I'd given it a quick clean and lube beforehand, but 1200fps rated loads may be right at the low end of what it will tolerate.
Next time I have it out I'm going to rent a suppressor and see how that effects how it runs with the lower power ammo and maybe some subs.
The trigger is... interesting. Some take-up, a little mush, and then a surprise break right at the end of travel. It's not heavy at all, and although it doesn't feel great dry firing it initially, when I was actually shooting it I loved how clean it felt. No tendency to pull/jerk it nor to flinch from being unpredictable. 22 is obviously very mild and the same trigger might likely be obnoxiously vague on something like a 9mm.
The sights are great, easily adjustable and clear.
The grip feels a little bit long in the front-to-back dimension for my less than medium sized hands, but it's slim and so light that being less than ergonomic doesn't effect how it shoots.
Overall it's a fantastic little shooter and I'd highly recommend checking one out if you find one.
As a follow-up, I have a request...
I'm starting research on a holster for the backpacking use case. This is one of many seeds I'm planting in various places to see what folks might suggest.
My requirements are light weight (this is a must; 5oz max with the caveat that I could go for a minimal thigh holster that's a bit heavier if it doesn't hinder movement), sturdy for moderate to heavy outdoor use, owb (but convertible to iwb would be neat), and ideally with some kind of retention mechanism if it doesn't break the weight requirement and isn't prone to complications from the elements. A chest holster isn't doable due to my backpack and gear unless it's very highly positionable.
I'm not picky about material, so long as it's sturdy; and I'm not picky about fitment so long as it stays where I put it, so generic holsters are fine.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
One last addition after I've had it home and cleaned it.
I love that it's just two parts for cleaning - frame and slide. But the real interesting thing for me is that with the thread adapter on the barrel, you can pull it back, pull the takedown tabs down, and lift the rear of the slide up - and then it's captured by the thread adapter. No loose parts, but everything that could need routine cleaning is accessible: the barrel for a short cleaning rod and all of the wearing surfaces.
This entirely self-contained situation is invaluable as a backpacker. No loose parts to drop or lose, quick and convenient. I think this might be actually unique for a factory pistol design. Sure, other pistols with threaded barrels could partially disassemble like this, but you wouldn't be able to access anything inside because of the sides of the slide. Though I'm not sure if there are many other pistols with threaded barrels that also disassemble from the rear like this one.