Originally Posted By AR_prof: I'd still like to see a database of S/N vs. reliability. Most claim that one doesn't exist, but at least I'd like to see the dates of manufacture for various S/Ns.

Yup. I think alot of that is "urban legend" material.

The VERY FIRST P22s had too stout of a recoil spring to reliably shoot subsonics out of the shorter barrelled version. That was a change in spec. that could be attributed to serial numbers. So, too, there was a problem with the original magazines, and I suppose one could track the point in time when they started shipping the "-A" improved versions. Third, they DID start "staking" the pin that holds the steel insert in the slide at some point, but I don't know when. Other than these changes, I'm not aware of a "major" overhaul of the pistol that would be evident from viewing when the gun was produced.

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First, I love my P22 esp. with a silencer, but I have to say its reliabilty compared to my Ruger 22/45 sucks.

It will not fire any subsonic ammo (PMC Moderator, Federal GM Target, Wolf/Jagd Match, Aguila Match Rifle) in anything other than single shot mode. It eats up Stingers and Remington HV bulk from Walmart. It will not fire the Federal HV bulk if you've fired more than a magazine in it. It has an AD marked barrel but a L serial number, FWIW. Aguila SSS will cycle, but it also won't stabilize and keyholes all over the freaking place so I do not fire it.

The first mod I did to it was to remove the magazine safety. Then I started on the hammer because it hangs up on the juncture between the steel insert and the safety on the slide. I also reshaped the extractor to have a nicer, sharper hook, I haven't had extraction problems when firing (if the gun is dirty, and I'm pulling a live round, I've found that putting my finger on the extractor as I pull the slide will usually do the trick).

I went to the gunshow this weekend and bought two more magazines. Neither of them would fire. I mean, put them in the gun, the gun will NOT go bang. I put the originals back in... bang. New ones (stainless ones that look like the G22 mags)... no bang. It turns out that after I used my calipers on them, the raised tab magazine catch portion of the mags on the new ones was 1.092-1.097" thick (front to back) and my original ones are 1.088". So I take a hammer and lightly start on them (I mean lightly) and get them to 1.088". Now they go bang, just like the originals. With the longer thickness in the magazine, the trigger was being prevented from travelling back far enough for the sear to release.

Also, I found that my P22 does not like the firing pin return spring. I've burned through two of them. Walther told me to quit dry-firing the gun because the spring is going solid too often and the spring is taking a permanent set. When that happens, the firing pin becomes an inertia pin that does not like being dirty so it gets stuck half way inside the gun. It won't go bang, the safety won't activate, and it will jam the firing pin block (which will then start hitting the disconnector each cycle causing hammer follow). I have one or two more springs being sent to me by Walther/S&W. Right now I have two of the spring-set springs interlaced. Its working for now, but I've also gotten a couple FTFs that never occured before.

If someone can tell me how to make it more reliable with Subsonics, I'd be ever so grateful... :)

Mine shoots all manner of subsonics without a hitch of any kind whatsoever. Remington, CCI, Wolf, and even the 'spensive "boutique" stuff.

Is yours failing to extract/eject, or are the rounds hanging up when chambering?

No, it goes into single shot mode. Pull trigger bang. Case moves back just enough (literally) to get stuck between the breach face and the rear of the barrel. Rack the slide to eject it, then hope the slide doesn't get stuck on the safety/hammer interaction, pull trigger again, bang. Gun pulls case just enough to stop it again, rack slide, repeat... It doesn't matter if I'm firing Wolf/Jagd, PMC Moderator, Remington Target, Federal GM target, Aguila Match Rifle, Federal bulk, etc. They all might as well be Aguila Colibri.

It's very irritating. Aguila SSS cycles fine, but will not group as it's keyholing like mad (I will not fire this when the silencer is attached for obvious reasons). I filled a magazine randomly with a combination of Remington HV bulk from Wally World and Federal HV bulk from Wally World. The Federal _every time_ would not cycle the action.

I called Walther to ask about this and they said I could only shoot the gun with high quality, clean burning high velocity or the gun won't cycle. The tech specifically said it will only shoot CCI Stingers because anything else is too dirty and the gun will gum up. I don't know about dirty, but I know that that isn't true about the cycling with only CCI as the Rem HV works. I loaned it out at the range to a guy so he and his friend could try the silencer and it also cycled with CCI Mini-Mags.

ETA: you asked if it had problems chambering. Yes it does from a fresh mag with the slide locked back. The slide just sort of half pushed the top round off of the mag when you hit the slide release. If you flick your wrist forward and back or just tap the slide with your thumb, the slide jumps forward and there's no problem from then on (if you're using a round that cycles).

I have never gotten more than 250 rounds through it before it became so completely unreliable that I felt it needed a good cleaning or had to be using something with more oomph. Even with all these problems I really like it (I think it's a combination of looks and ergonomics). I just really wish it could approach the reliablility of the Ruger (and I have yet to hit a squirrel with the P22 where the Ruger+silencer hit the first squirrel dead on with Federal GM Target).

Oh, another mod that had to be done, the barrel sleeve notch in the receiver (the little tab that fits in the groove) was peened. I don't know how, but it was (when I first disassembled it) causing the sleeve to rock around on it. I deepened the groove in the sleeve and its no longer a problem, but the gun no longer needed the sight thrown all the way to the left to be close to the target.

Also the little wrench that came with mine was badly heat treated. It splayed out, bent, and then marred the barrel nut. S&W/Walther sent me a new one of each for free when they sent my first replacement firing pin return spring. The new wrench works as the old one should have...

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Originally Posted By GonzoAR15-1: I am aware that the FIRST generation of P22s had a recoil spring that was too stout. You may wish to consider swapping the spring out for the equivilent of what they're shipping in current generation guns.

I thought this did have the current generation of springs. Its marked AD and I got it... let me think... Early 2004?

round it off a bit. Don't take off too much material, or the gun will go to double action only (there needs to be enough material to bring the hammer back far enough to catch the S.A. sear engagement).

Yup. Actually mine needed more than rounding. The steel insert that meets the safety has been peened so much by the hammer that it's curled inside and there's about a 1/32"-1/16" wide dent where the hammer would sit. I had to create a large flat on the hammer to get around it. When I was done, I had a bunch of hammer follow that didn't make sense, that's when I noticed the firing pin was stuck half way in (again) and the firing pin plunger was jammed hitting the disconnector. Next day I called Walther for a new firing pin spring. If the springs are to be weaker, I'm wondering if the hammer spring needs to be a touch weaker, esp. if mine was peening the slide like that.

I wish it would work with subsonics as that's what the can is really good with, but I'm looking right now at a .22 Federal GM target case stuck between the breech and the barrel and it's not very encouraging. It its still canted towards the left so I don't even think it had enough oomph to reach the ejector. There were a lot of burrs on the barrel itself near the breech face (eta: on the outside, not near the chamber), and with the originally canted barrel due to the peened receiver notch, there were wear marks all over the barrel sleeve from the slide rubbing. I polished the worn areas on the barrel and sleeve and re-blued them with Oxpho-Blue, so if they keep wearing, I'll notice (the aluminum slide has grooves worn on the inside from burrs on the barrel).

Is there a way to say, weaken the springs a touch? I've been leaving the pistol with the slide locked back for a few days, but I don't know that it'll make a difference. I was wondering if someone (Gonzo?) could tell the group (and me) what the free length of your recoil spring was as/if yours functions fine with subsonics?

I'm not convinced the springs are the thing either, but aside from buffing everything, the only thing I can do is hope the springs will solve it or send it back to S&W (something I'm trying to avoid).

Anyway, my recoil spring, after being in the slide lock back position for a couple days (not that I think it will take a real set to it, but I "gotta try") is 3.85" in free length. On the chance that I somehow mis-reassembled the pistol WRT the hammer spring, which side of the hammer do you see the spring end in the gap underneath the hammer at the rear? Mine is on the left, looking at the rear of the pistol with the hammer lowered.

On a side note, anyone thought of beveling the mag well on theirs at all? The grip seems easily enough trimmed with an Exacto or Dremel (I'd think the Exacto would be more precise less easy to accidentally gouge the rest of the gun).

tagged but no problems with mine running remmy subsonic and an outback can.

just did mine ..works good also took out the damn safety lock

Originally Posted By jchock: What did you do to yours? Anyway, I took the P22 out this weekend again. After leaving the slide locked back for a week or so, I loaded it with Aguila Match Rifle. First shot, it cycled, next shot, it didn't, next one it did for two, this continued. It would fire two, then on the second, it wouldn't cycle. I tried Federal GM Target. Some single shots, others functioned. When it doesn't cycle, it does one of two things: 1) the slide does not move. The hammer does not get charged, emtpy brass stays in the chamber. 2) the slide moves just enough to cycle back to jam the empty case against the breech face. If I"m lucky, I can get to the last shot, but using anything that has no oomph, (Aguila Match Rifle, Federal GM) the thing doesn't cycle, and won't lock back on the last shot. It fired 100% with Stingers, Aguila Super Max, Remington Golden bulk from WM, and Aguila SSS (and it grouped which was wierd, but I won't fire it with the can). Wear was noticed again on the rails (non-symmetric), the side of the barrel sleeve, inside of the slide at various points (including the barrel opening), and on the side of the barrel hood/chamber/breech. These (non-Aluminum) areas had been previously blued with Oxpho-blue and are now worn again. ETA: Also, the roll pins for the extractor and the slide block moved repeatedly, they won't stay in place. It hadn't done this before.

1 leaving the slide locked back wont help ..the recoil spring is made of coiled wire which holds its elasticity

2 read the manual it says it willnot function with a low propellant charge.."match ammo" it states use hi velocity only....

3 i am going to order a few extra recoil springs and try cutting them down a few notches so they use match ammo if it works i will post about it

the can should be ok to fire with low velocity...the backpressure created witll cause the slide to function in mine ..i can make the mags hi cap ..and hold about 13-15 ..should i try this? if i do i will post about it also

Originally Posted By thebomber: Mine worked pretty reasonable for the first 1000 rounds, then I cleaned it . Now it doesn't cylce at all. Forget subsonics. It jams every other round....POS. I scrap it if I didn;t already have a Pilot for it. Bomber

Not cycling at all seems to me to be a function of a loose barrel nut. The SLIGHTEST bit of play in the barrel with SUCK energy away from the recoil cycle.