P22 Unhappiness

[1917-1911M]

https://www.waltherforums.com/thread...strated.22328/

Thread from the FAQ section at W forum. This thread is here too somewhere. Shows all the internal parts and describes function. Old pistol with the trigger safety which has now been deleted from the pistol. New pistols are still 99.9% the same with exception of the P22 QD which has a decocking lever in the breech block. I have one and did some photos of it at Wforum for any that might be interested. 1917

[morsinger]

I bought two P22s a few years ago to use in my pistol classes. I had numerous boxes of Federal bulk ammo boxes. Both guns single fire with Federal. Went to White Box Winchester and the problems went away. Of course, as an Instructor, Benchrest shooter, pistol competitor,
I checked all the lube, cleanliness, etc. issues. My best guess, not making enough pressure to cycle the action suitably. YMMV

[Amirian]

Thanks for the input. Although I've used Winchester White Box centerfire ammo, I've never seen it in .22.
Finally found some CCI Mini Mags. I'll try them this week.
I ran about 50-70 Remington bulk through the gun, and it started getting cranky near the end. Had to pry out a few empties with a knife.
Got home, and did the plop test. NG. So, 50 rounds and the gun went from plop to stick.
A thorough cleaning today, and I'm ready for another session.
Thanks to all for your input.
Just for giggles, I bought a Ruger LCPII .22 this week. It operated flawlessly from the first round. Crap sights, so I can't tell if the gun is as accurate. Put a bit of white paint on the sights, and I'll try it again as well.

[1917-1911M]

Your chamber is too tight. That little bit of firing added just enough dirt to stop a round from seating and is causing the sticking. i'd let Ft Smith sort it out on their dime. They are usually pretty quick on the turnaround. 1917

[1917-1911M]

Originally Posted by morsinger

I bought two P22s a few years ago to use in my pistol classes. I had numerous boxes of Federal bulk ammo boxes. Both guns single fire with Federal. Went to White Box Winchester and the problems went away. Of course, as an Instructor, Benchrest shooter, pistol competitor,
I checked all the lube, cleanliness, etc. issues. My best guess, not making enough pressure to cycle the action suitably. YMMV

Yepper, think your assessment is 100% correct. Never seen any WWB .22 either. Plenty of CF in various calibers. 1917

[Amirian]

A friend gave me an open box of Mini Mags. Upon closer inspection, I saw that some were jacketed, and some weren't, leading me to believe it was some Mini Mags and some mystery ammo.
After a thorough cleaning, the jacketed rounds (CCI?) ran flawlessly. The non-jacketed rounds must have been low velocity/sub-sonic bunny fart loads. They wouldn't throw the slide all the way back, and wouldn't cycle.
Went to some Remington bulk, and the gun shot fine.
Have some CCI Mini Mags on order, so I'll see what happens.
Bottom line, after some work, a few hundred rounds, and much cleaning, the gun seems to be fine.
Very handsome piece, and pretty accurate.
Shameful that it took this much effort to work well. A Ruger LCPII I bought at the same time has been flawless with the same ammo that made the P22 have all sorts of grief.
Thanks again to 1911 and others for advice.
Next is to work up the nerve for a complete strip so I can work on the innards.

[dsk]

If only Walther would put $50 worth of additional build/quality control into these guns they'd be fantastic. I bought a P22Q years ago but had to fluff n' buff the snot out of it until it became reasonably reliable. And then I started worrying about the pot-metal slide breaking someday so I sold it. They're fun guns to shoot (when they work) and fit the hand like a glove, but good grief for a gun with the name Walther on it you shouldn't have to fluff n' buff it like it's a Kel-Tec after buying it.