Although given some praise for its innovative concept, affordability and accuracy, it was widely panned for its frequent mechanical malfunctions, with failures to feed ammunition and eject spent casings being reported by a large number of shooters.

[2] The ZiP .22 is a straight blowback-operated semi-automatic handgun in a configuration, with a box-shaped, futuristic-styled polymer frame featuring two holes for the trigger and the user's middle finger, and a flat buttplate on which the shooter's palm rests.

This design choice drew significant criticism, because it required the shooter to place their hand next to the muzzle in order to chamber a new round, putting them at risk of injury from accidental or negligent discharges.

The ZiP .22 could also itself be converted into a rifle through the addition of a carbine stock and a suppressor, although these accessories as well as a .22WMR conversion kit never made it past the prototype stage due to the commercial failure of the weapon.

[2] The ZiP .22 was first revealed to the public in an attempted viral marketing stunt, when a YouTube user, believed to be designer and company CEO Douglas Donnelly, uploaded a video titled "Unidentified Firing Object", which showed the gun in action at a range.