[stvns78]

Hello, I was at the range the other day, struggling with my P22 faling to feed like normal. The slide was getting stuck. After i got home and removed the slide the fire pin safety and spring fell out.

My main question is can the fire pin safety and spring be installed without taking apart the slide completely and if so how? Another question would be what would cause it to come out in that direction in the first place unless it is broken?

Thanks!

 

[SkippySanchez]

Following.....


-------------------------------------------
I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

 

[1917-1911M]

Something is worn or broken. The firing pin block has to be installed from the top. To access the part you have to remove the breech block. Your pistol has a lifetime warranty if you are in the States. You can call Ft. Smith and they will e-mail you a shipping label. I don't see why they need more than the slide but they will advise. The breech block consists of a retaining roll pin, the breech block, drop safety, tiny spring, firing pin and firing pin reset spring.

It isn't hard to replace but you do have to very carefully insert the assembled system into the slide without displacing the tiny spring that sits on top of the safety.

In the interim, you can't safely fire the pistol. I fired a pistol for months without the safety installed... until one day I took a close look at my brass....there were double firing pin marks on them and I was lucky none ever fired. I assume the firing pin was slamming into the rim when the slide closed. Fortunately not quite enough to ignite one...but, the indentation was very clear and I think right on the edge of ignition.

Above is a picture of an original breech block and a later style. The newer one is on the top and the change was to add an additional block on the right side of the channel to support and guide the nose of the firing pin. To remove the breech block you have to rotate the safety levers to safe, support the slide and drive out the serrated roll pin. Then, rotate the safety levers to the fire position in order to unlock the firing pin so the breech block can be tapped forward and removed from the slide.

Also, your extractor retaining pin has dropped down. Ask them to look at that also while it is there. This is the first time in over 15 years I've ever read of anyone having this problem. You need a new breech block and safety I expect. 1917

 

[1917-1911M]

For some reason when I click on the picture to enlarge it....it gets huge. So large that if you look at the tiny blocking surface on the firing pin safety you can see how small the area is and that this one shows considerable wear although it is still functioning. It is a tiny part and only a small portion catches in a notch on the steel firing pin. 1917

 

[stvns78]

This gun was new a few years ago and probably has around 1000 rounds through it. I have emailed Walther about it but am awaiting a reply. This gun has been extraordinarily difficult. Failure to feed, extract, etc. I replaced the guide rod and spring with a captured one and that helped a little. I always thought the slide was getting caught on the hammer and found a video where a guy polished the hammer to make it cycle better. The front sight fell off. I want to love this gun but I have had a ton of issues with it. Makes me gun shy, pun intended, about buying more Walther's but the CCP feels great in the hand

 

[1917-1911M]

I've worked on these pistols since about day one. Walther modified the extractor and hammer based on some modifications I did to the pistol years ago. The so called P22 bible is simply a collections of threads I did here and at Rimfire Central. If you are interested we can sort through your pistol and probably get it running 100%. If you are interested I need to know the year of the pistols manufacture. This is determined by a two letter code as viewed through the ejection port. AD series pistols are back in the 2000 specifically 2003 and BD would be 2013. Most of the B series pistols are called Q models and come with a thicker slide.

The sights have to be properly installed but can be knocked off if banged into something. I've never lost one. I did the hammer modifications years and years ago. The original hammer shape was prone to catching in the gap between the safety drum and rear of the breech block. A simple fix but it must not be overdone.

Two of the most important items required for a smooth running P22 is a firm grip and ammo that is powerful enough to cycle the slide. I'd suggest sending the pistol in with a list to Ft Smith. When you get it back we can sort through the issues you might have if any. You can get the Walther captive spring but you have to modify the guide rod hole and then you cannot return to the older style stock long recoil spring. Just holler if you are interested and good luck. There is no cure for the drop safety...you need new parts there. I have some of these with 50,000 rounds through them that still run 100%. 1917

 

[stvns78]

Walther sent me a shipping label to send it in. I will see how it shoots when i get it back. I am not optimistic.

Thanks!

 

[1917-1911M]

I hope you made note of the problems you have been having. They don't like people working on the pistol...like filing on the hammer face....even if it makes the slide glide over the hammer better....which it definitely does if the work is done neatly and properly. Good luck with it. Firm grip and CCI mini mags is a good ammo when the question is...ammo or gun.

I work on the P22 from one end to the other....it's my pistol. If I ruin something I fess up. Seriously, holler if you are interested...I bet we can sort those issues out. The only feed issues I've ever had were due to some short slot magazines that came out in about 2006 or so. You wouldn't believe how bad improper functioning mags will screw a semi auto up. Double feeds, a live round jumping out of the pistol while the next round chambered. I've never had a firearm of any kind do that....and it was all caused by the magazine.

Put a long slot mag back in the pistol at it returned to 100%. 1917

 

[stvns78]

As a follow up I sent the P22 to Walther. Within a week i received it back with a brand new slide. I took it to the range and I had issues with the 10th round feeding. I tested other ammo and had better luck here are my results:

Remington Thunderbolt: Fed and ejected perfectly except for the 10th round. 100% of the time it would NOT feed the 10th round. The slide would eject the 9th round then close.

Reminton Golden Bullet: Fed and ejected perfectly except for the 10th round. About 50% of the time it would feed the 10th round.

CCI Mini Mags:Fed and ejected perfectly except for the 10th round. Again about 50% success rate for the feeding the 10th round maybe slightly better than the Golden Bullet. A few 10th rounds jammed.

Aguila Super Extra: I shot a box of 50. The very first round did not eject. The second stove piped. After that the remaining 48 bullets fed and ejected perfectly including the 10th round. Every mag fed and ejected the 10th round.

I think Aguila is the ammo my P22 likes.

Cheers

 

[1917-1911M]

Something is wrong. This should not be happening. Regarding the 10th round I am assuming you are talking about the last round in the mag, the bottom one. This is usually a very reliable round in the stack. Some owners have problems with the top round stopping the slide...the top round is the hardest for the breech rail to remove from the mag due to the pressure on the stack of a very compressed mag spring.

Here are a couple of thoughts. Stick with Rem Golden Bullets or CCI mini mags for your testing. We have more experience with them. I would leave the Thunderbolts out for the present. The bare lead can foul the barrel more quickly than plated ammo. What you are describing is a classic short stroke where the slide does not move far enough rearward for the breech rail to get behind the next round so it can be shoved out of the mag and into the chamber.

But I don't think that is what is happening. There is nothing different about how the magazine handles that last round except that the last one sits on the follower and not on top of another round.

1. I'd take the mags apart and make sure they are clean on the inside and that the follower moves freely all the way to the top and nothing appears damaged.

2. I'd load the mags and take a close look at how the top round sits against the feed lips on top of the mag.

3. I'd remove rounds, looking at each one to see if there is any difference in how they sit as the stack goes down, and,

4.. I'd especially look at how that last round sits. Does it sit at the exact same angle as the others, same height, etc.

Assuming you don't see anything obvious with the magazine (s), round sitting properly, enough pressure under the follower to keep it firmly in position under recoil, etc. Yes the mag spring is stretched out but it must place and keep the last round in place for chambering just as much as the 1st round.

I can see no reason the slide is moving rearward enough on 9 rounds and not on the 10th unless you are suddenly dragging your hand on the slide...and I highly doubt that is the reason.

If something under the slide is whacking the slide catch lever ( it only touches the slide when the mag is empty though) it could be hitting the follower button which could knock the follower down momentarily.

Do you have more than one mag, is this happening with both? I'm going to have to think about this one. Look at the follower button to see if it is hitting something. You can even remove it for testing purposes. Make sure the follower is pressing that last round up solidly under the mag lips and that there is nothing wrong with the follower and that it is moving freely. 1917

 

[1917-1911M]

You should also be able to place one round in the mag, insert it, pistol safety on safe and manually cycle the slide slowly paying careful attention to how the breech rail engages the round, shove it out of the mag and into the chamber. One round, ten rounds....it should be exactly the same. Of course this happens very, very fast when firing...but something isn't right. 1917

 

[stvns78]

I have two mags and both will not feed the last round consistently with the aforementioned rounds. I clean everything after every outing.

I shot several dozen test mags through it yesterday. Enough to rule out other variables. It was doing this before i sent it back to Walther. It would seem if it was the mags it would not matter what ammo i ran through it but the Aguila ran perfect. Sometimes i would run just 5 rounds in a mag sometimes 10 and other than the Aguila it would (almost) always not feed the last round. The slide would always close after firing the second to the last round. It didnt jam on the last round EXCEPT for twice with the CCI Mini Mags.

I am going to run more Aguila through it and if it continues to perform flawlessly then i will just start buying Aguila and call it a day.

Thanks!

 

[1917-1911M]

Well, that is following one of the rules of .22 firearm ownership....rifle or pistol, pump or semi auto. Find an ammo your firearm likes and stick with it.

But, I find these problems interesting since I have been following all issues P22 since about day one including discussion with the head engineer in Germany. Honestly....I'm a bit puzzled by your problem. I could understand it if the ammo was simply not powerful enough to cycle the slide. That is pretty common. If I put quiet ammo in the pistol not all of it will cycle. Some of it will, most of it just gets the spent case shoved back into the chamber. If I shoot some weak Federal or Winchester ammo I can get the same thing. A short stroke where the spent case may or may not eject but the next round is not picked up and chambered. This can happen at any time though and not especially on the last round.

For some reason it seems that your magazines are not presenting the last round properly for the breech rail to shove them out of the magazine. If short stroking were the problem it would occur randomly if the ammo was minimally powerful enough to sometimes blow the slide back and sometimes not quite enough. The proper function of magazines is just as important as any other part of the firearm. Mini Mags are certainly powerful enough to fully cycle the slide. 1917

 

[stvns78]

I put some rounds in the mags today and manually racked the slide and it always fed the last round wether I racked it fast or slow. I have an idea I will try the next time I get it out and see if it helps. If it does I will post what I did.

 

[1917-1911M]

Sounds like the mag spring is weak...stretch one. Or something is hitting the top round and knocking it down during the cycling process. You can't hand cycle anywhere nearly as fast as the slide moves when firing. I've never had this issue....not really read about it. If the slide isn't short stroking then either the mag isn't positioning the round fast enough or something like a bump under the breech rail is knocking the round down momentarily so that as the rail comes forward it isn't engaging the rear of the rim. I'd inspect the bottom of the slide to see if anything seems to be hitting the mag and I'd inspect that last round for any marks that should not be there. Remember, all rounds, 1 or 10 i the mag are pressed down when the magazine is inserted.

That resistance you feel when fully inserting the mag on any semi auto is the breech rail shoving the stack of rounds down deeper into the mag. Why is this.???..because when the slide moves rearward of the magazine the stack needs to pop up just enough so that the now forward moving rail under the breech block can shove the top round...whether the first of 10 or the last one...out of the mag and into the chamber. For some reason that last round isn't getting shoved up fast enough or is being knocked down or the slide is short stroking.....but that seems pretty unlikely.

When you hand cycle....the slide should be moving about 1/4" rearward of a round in the magazine. If not, the slide could rebound too fast for the mag. This is very unlikely but when I install an O ring on the guide rod as a buffer it doesn't let the slide move as much rearward...still, I've had no issues. 1917

 

[1917-1911M]

I'm thinking you only need to test all of this with two rounds at a time. Load two, chamber one and fire.....repeat until you figure out why that last one isn't being stripped from the mag. No need to fire a full load of 10. 1917