Problem with S&W 22A

[Ala Tom]

I took my new S&W 22A to the range today for its second shooting session. I had cleaned it and checked it after its first session though the CCI Mini-Mags I use did not leave it very dirty. I shot 100 rounds the first session and the same this session. It went well. I first used a standard 50-yard small rifle target and then started on a new target design I devised. With both the first magazine and the next reload, I was surprised when the second or third shot failed to fire. Actually what failed was the trigger. It had the full throw of a trigger after shooting and before cocking. I removed the cartridge and checked everything. The cartridge looked good and the chamber looked good. I reloaded the round into the top of the magazine and racked the slide. It seemed to chamber okay. I fired it at the target and it worked fine. I finished that magazine without incident, loaded the magazine with another ten rounds and fired the first one with no problem. But again it failed to fire on the second round. Again I cleared the round, reloaded it, racked the slide and fired the first round. It fired and ejected. Then the trigger would not fire the second round. Repeated the process and fired all the remaining rounds with no problem.

I think it happened a total of three times out of the ten magazine loads fired. I used the same magazine for the first 8 and then a spare magazine for the last two sets. There was not another problem. My shooting was greatly improved over the first day and I was happy. The problem did not bother me. The .22 is not a defense gun - just a fun practice gun. The probelm was easily cleared.

Later, I began to think the problem was related to something that happened when I was assembling the gun after cleaning it. The recoil pad came off the recoil rod. I pressed it back on and made sure I had it sitting the right way. It went together without any additional problem and seemed to dry-fire all right.

I don't think this was an ammo problem or a loading problem. Each time the gun was fired, it seemed to eject the brass all right. The it just failed to cock the striker.

Any ideas?

 

[richardKatts]

Keep shooting, ignore it.
Make note of which ammo chambers and fires the best.

 

[MidwestRookie]

it's 99% of the time the ammo with a .22...just find the ammo that yours likes and shoot it.

I actually had a mini mag that was a dud in my .22 kit, but it went through the box of remington thunderbolts I bought with no problems.

rimfire is a different animal than centerfire...dont be so quick to blame the gun.

 

[MrWesson]

Seems to consistent(2nd of 3rd round) to be ammo related.

I would check to make sure the mag isn't coming loose under recoil or that the mag disconnect/safety is functioning.

Try the other mag that comes with it and see if you have the same problems.

 

[Ala Tom]

There was one time in this session when I noticed the mag had slipped down. I pushed it in and made sure it clicked in place. That could very well have been the problem. I had thought it was related to the recoil pad somehow but I stripped the gun again and that pad was correctly in place. I had thought maybe if it was out of position or broken, it might have prevented completion of the cocking stroke.

Yes, that must have been the mag disconnect when the mag slipped out of position just a bit. I'll watch for that.

It certainly was nothing to do with the ammo because I reloaded each of those rounds that failed to fire and they fed into the chamber and fired properly.

Thanks for your help.

 

[MrWesson]

I have a 22a that had a problem with a mag not seating all the way when I first got it but worked fine with another.

At some point the other mag got mixed back in and has worked great every since. I have no idea what happened to fix it but I did notice that mag had more play in the mag plate(bottom black piece).

Take both mags, play with them and compare them carefully.
Range test to see if the problem happens with both mags.(smack them in pretty good)
if you can trace it to one mag then replace it(S&W will send you one free) if both then you need to check the gun. Id place my bet on one mag giving you problems though.

 

[Geckgo]

is your grip on the gun putting tension on the mag release??? I've seen that problem when people fire my keltec P3AT.

Also, check with someone who knows, but I don't think that dry firing a rimfire is safe for the gun, so you may want to knock that off. On centerfires the point on the firing pin doesn't hit anything, but on a rimfire it may smack the edge of the chamber and mess it up over time. Threw up a red flag when you said that.

If it isn't cocking, is it DA or SA? If it's DAO then you may also want to make sure that the trigger is resetting all the way before you fire, but that doesn't sound like your issue. Just food for thought.

That's all I got, sounds like the S&W 22 is a fun gun, which is reassuring. I've been eyeballing a Phoenix Arms 22a, but I'm tired of hearing bad stuff about 22 handguns. It's refreshing to see someone having a good time with one.

 

[Ala Tom]

I thought of another things that contributes to the problem. maybe it is the main cause. When I was just exercising the gun after buying it but not firing it (no CCW at the time), I found even the empty mag would hang up a little on the hole for the mag release when loading the mag. So I developed the habit of holding in the mag release briefly when loading the magazine. The other day at the range, I think I may have held the release too long so the mag failed to catch. I will develop the habit of slapping the mag while loading. i will also test for differences between mags.

I appreciate all the advice. It's a great gun and has renewed my interest in target shooting.

 

[KP Texan]

I just picked up a 22A this past weekend while it was on sale at Cabela's for $199. I'll start by saying that, for the money, it would be hard to beat. I fired mine back to back with my Dad's Buckmark Target and the Buckmark is not worth twice as much to me for what I do. Although I didn't fire off more than 250 rounds, I really couldn't tell a difference in accuracy between the two. I simply needed a nice little shooter because shooting .45 and .40 every time I go to the range is getting expensive, and this 22A fits the bill nicely.

Now back to the subject at hand: I am having a few little problems with the second round not chambering on a fully loaded magazine. The first shot would fire and eject fine, but the hammer would click on the second pull because a round was not chambered. I noticed that this would not happen when I only put 9 rounds or less in the magazine. After looking at a few things, I realized that when the magazine was loaded with 10 rounds, one of the hollow tips on the bullets was hanging up on the protruding portion of the magazine catch which engages the release. Load yours and you'll see what I'm talking about. I only had Remington Golden bullet and had no round nose bullets to test. The next day, I bought a box of 325 Federal Match round nose bullets and they feed perfectly reliably with no hangups. I also found another forum where someone said their gun had this problem but after running a brick of round nose bullets through it, it would then cycle hollow points just fine.

Hope this helps,

Wes

 

[wally]

Now back to the subject at hand: I am having a few little problems with the second round not chambering on a fully loaded magazine. The first shot would fire and eject fine, but the hammer would click on the second pull because a round was not chambered. I noticed that this would not happen when I only put 9 rounds or less in the magazine. After looking at a few things, I realized that when the magazine was loaded with 10 rounds, one of the hollow tips on the bullets was hanging up on the protruding portion of the magazine catch which engages the release. Load yours and you'll see what I'm talking about.

For some reason this is a common problem. The HP hangs on the mag catch notch. I tried filing and smoothing the mag insides and it didn't seem to help, since I really liked the gun (7.5" fluted bull barrel, green fiber optic front sight) I just started shooting lead RN only in it. A few bricks later all I had left was Federal HP from Walmart and lo and behold the problem was gone!

Others have reported the same thing. Mine didn't seem to be the mag catch because if I carefully removed the mag after the click on the empty chamber there was no spring tension on the rounds above the mag catch cut out and the rounds at the catch cutout and below didn't move.

 

[KP Texan]

I think my issue is with the magazines as well. Hopefully after quite a few rounds this will fix itself because I really do like the gun...which is more than I can say about these crappy .22 Remington Thunderbolts I bought (the Federal Match are way way better).

-Wes

 

[og2b]

its a really cool pistol. its got that robocop vibe. i was stoked today when i purchased it brand new at cabelas. after i had shot 1 mag ( ie 10 rounds) of copper plated .22 lr stingers through it , the slide slammed back super hard and the firing pin jammed. now is stuck. it protrudes the breech and blocks the mag. any one else have this happen? plus, its kind of a bitch to field strip it .you have to hold the button down and get your flex on. it takes enough power to make your forearms do that top of your strength spaz wiggle , then, all of a sudden it will come off and you gouge your knuckles across the exposed slide edge causing you to drop the frame and have the slide and spring and guide rod fly across the room. remember to have a blood rag handy so you dont bleed on the carpet while crawling around looking for the spring. awesome.:banghead:

 

[KP Texan]

I've heard a lot of things about the 22A (pretty much all good, some bad), but I don't think I've ever heard of that happening.

As far as the field stripping goes, it may just take a bit to break in, but that's one of the things I love about my 22A; much easier than any other semiautomatic pistol I've ever owned!

-Wes

 

[Jim NE]

I've heard a lot of things about the 22A (pretty much all good, some bad),

I bought my 22A several months ago, and it's performed as good as it's fans have claimed. Maybe my favorite handgun to shoot, and I generally prefer revolvers. I was surprised, however, when the local gun shop guy said he's run into a sizeable group of people that aren't fond of 22A's. He said that some people are claiming that reliability becomes an issue if the guns aren't kept real clean.

So far, that hasn't been my experience, or the experience of the people I talk to, but then, I keep my guns pretty clean.

Also, to anyone shopping... if you buy at Cabela's, I wouldn't buy at any price above $199 (for the basic model), They seem to go on sale for that price at least two or three times a year.

 

[Jrob24]

you have to hold the button down and get your flex on. it takes enough power to make your forearms do that top of your strength spaz wiggle , then, all of a sudden it will come off and you gouge your knuckles across the exposed slide edge causing you to drop the frame and have the slide and spring and guide rod fly across the room

When I field strip it I push the takedown button against the edge of a table.