Walther P22 disassembly problem

Mike Davies · January 1, 2002, 12:33 AM

My brother recently purchased a new Walther P22, and after firing a few hundred rounds through it, decided to field strip it and remove the barrel for cleaning. It has the compensated/weighted barrel installed. Now, he's just telling me this over the phone, but he says that he cannot remove the slide, because he must first remove the compensator assembly from the barrel. He has removed the locating screws, but still cannot remove the compensator to remove the slide. Any ideas? Is he missing a step somewhere? His instruction manual has no information on this...only on removing the standard, uncompensated barrel.
Thanks,
Mike

Swamp Yankee · January 1, 2002, 09:59 AM

There is a little set screw just behind the front sight. The screw actually goes through the compensator and into the barrel about .03 to .060 inches. Remove the screw with the small allen wrench included with the pistol. Back off the the two srews on the bottom with the large Allen wrench that came with the gun. Compensator should slide right off.
Upon re-assembly have a thin screwdriver or other such implement of destruction to help guide the recoil spring and guide rod assembly into the hole in the slide as you pull the slide back on the barrel and on the frame.
Just did this myself last night as I bought a P22 yesterday and gave it a good cleaning. Mine came soaked in oil.
Going to the range with it today. How does his shoot? What ammo have you tried? Inquiring minds want to know.
Take Care

Mike Davies · January 1, 2002, 01:13 PM

Thanks for the info....it's the set screw that my brother has missed. I'll pass your very good instructions on to him this morning.
Joe fired some Remington "Target" ammo with no problems. I tried some T22's and they would not feed reliably....one even misfired! I tried some Blazers and they not only fed nicely, but got better groups than the Rem. Target. I suspect that the P22 is a little fussy about what you feed it, unlike a Ruger MkII. Very accurate.....I'd say that a poor group is not to be blamed on the pistol...It's the neatest little .22 pistol that I have ever fired. Very tiny grip, but that's not really a problem. Watch for the roll pin working its way out beside the safety lever.....Joe mentioned that he didn't notice it until he got home, and found the lever hit it when he operated it.
Thanks again,
Mike

johnwill · January 1, 2002, 04:48 PM

Obviously, the roll pin should NOT be working it's way out, I'd consider complaining to Walther about that. Of course, I'd probably just pick a matching size pin and hammer a new one in there, but I'm lazy...

Mike Davies · January 1, 2002, 06:57 PM

Howdy, John...

Joe was quite perturbed when he discovered the roll pin moving out like that....He's not the most mechanically adept person I know, so I'll have a look at the P22 next time we're out at the range. I did suggest that he contact the importer here...if there is one. The store that sells the guns just refers folks to the manufacturer. I have a feeling that he may have to contact Walther USA on this one if the roll pin insists on drifting itself out when the gun is fired. I'm glad it's .22 rimfire, otherwise we'd be blaming my reloads.....

Mike

johnwill · January 1, 2002, 09:41 PM

Quote:

I'm glad it's .22 rimfire, otherwise we'd be blaming my reloads.....

And we'd have recent history to back us up!

trapshooter · January 2, 2002, 08:36 PM

On the P22 re-assembly, mine came with a small plastic rod designed to aid in holding/placing the guide rod and spring. The plastic job fits in the guide rod hole, holding spring, and in contact with the end of the guide rod, which is placed in the recess on the frame. As you pull slide back, the spring compresses and the guide rod pushed the plastic jag out the guide rod hole. Slick, but I discovered that you want the plastic rod only partially through the guide rod hole. If you push it too far so that the end is flush with the muzzle end surface, it seems to bind things up.

In the stuff that came with the gun, there was a little green card with two drawings of this procedure. No other explanation, but it was pretty easy to figure out. I surmise this problem was caught after delivery of some, and they added this plastic rod and stuff later on.

I can't find this part on the diagram in the owners manual (or I would know it's proper name). Hope this helps.

oneshot1251 · January 5, 2002, 06:25 PM

So thats what that piece of plastic was for !!! I have been watching that stupid spring flop around every time I've cleaned my pistol. I have gotten good at it through time but the plastic does help. One of these days I will have to break out the owners manual and see what else I might be missing.
For the guy who posted first..... Whenever you get a new weapon always, always clean it before firing it for the first time. I like others have gotten weapons that were coated with oils and other unknown substances used in the manufacturing process. Besides, it is possible the barrel may be blocked with something even if it doesn't look very dirty on the outside and we know how ugly a situation like that can turn out.

I have used every kind of ammo I can find for my P22 and whatever brand it chews it up and spits it right out. My pistol loves CCI Stingers. They seem to burn cleaner than most other rounds for some reason. Accuracy is as good as I can shoot. If the grip seems small install the larger grip insert and use the finger rest magazine. You should have gotten one with and one without with your pistol. The day I got my pistol I ordered two more magazines with the finger rest from Earls Repair Service.
I love this pistol almost as much as my P99QA 9mm.

trapshooter · January 6, 2002, 10:22 AM

Oneshot,

Now that you mention the Stingers, when I opened the little envelope that came with my P22 that holds the case of the round fired at the factory (in Germany), guess what?

CCI case.

Along the same line, I used Stingers in a PP in .22lr I had for a while. Same deal. No jams. But then, that PP did the same thing you report for the P22. It ate everything I fed it, dirty, clean, slow, fast. It just didn't seem to stop. I can't wait to get mine to the range.

January 1, 2002, 12:33 AM	#1
Mike Davies Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 376	Walther P22 disassembly problem My brother recently purchased a new Walther P22, and after firing a few hundred rounds through it, decided to field strip it and remove the barrel for cleaning. It has the compensated/weighted barrel installed. Now, he's just telling me this over the phone, but he says that he cannot remove the slide, because he must first remove the compensator assembly from the barrel. He has removed the locating screws, but still cannot remove the compensator to remove the slide. Any ideas? Is he missing a step somewhere? His instruction manual has no information on this...only on removing the standard, uncompensated barrel. Thanks, Mike

January 1, 2002, 09:59 AM	#2
Swamp Yankee Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2000 Location: Northeastern Ct. Posts: 1,019	There is a little set screw just behind the front sight. The screw actually goes through the compensator and into the barrel about .03 to .060 inches. Remove the screw with the small allen wrench included with the pistol. Back off the the two srews on the bottom with the large Allen wrench that came with the gun. Compensator should slide right off. Upon re-assembly have a thin screwdriver or other such implement of destruction to help guide the recoil spring and guide rod assembly into the hole in the slide as you pull the slide back on the barrel and on the frame. Just did this myself last night as I bought a P22 yesterday and gave it a good cleaning. Mine came soaked in oil. Going to the range with it today. How does his shoot? What ammo have you tried? Inquiring minds want to know. Take Care

January 1, 2002, 01:13 PM	#3
Mike Davies Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 376	Thanks for the info....it's the set screw that my brother has missed. I'll pass your very good instructions on to him this morning. Joe fired some Remington "Target" ammo with no problems. I tried some T22's and they would not feed reliably....one even misfired! I tried some Blazers and they not only fed nicely, but got better groups than the Rem. Target. I suspect that the P22 is a little fussy about what you feed it, unlike a Ruger MkII. Very accurate.....I'd say that a poor group is not to be blamed on the pistol...It's the neatest little .22 pistol that I have ever fired. Very tiny grip, but that's not really a problem. Watch for the roll pin working its way out beside the safety lever.....Joe mentioned that he didn't notice it until he got home, and found the lever hit it when he operated it. Thanks again, Mike

January 1, 2002, 04:48 PM	#4
johnwill Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2000 Location: PA Posts: 3,451	Obviously, the roll pin should NOT be working it's way out, I'd consider complaining to Walther about that. Of course, I'd probably just pick a matching size pin and hammer a new one in there, but I'm lazy...

January 1, 2002, 06:57 PM	#5
Mike Davies Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 376	Howdy, John... Joe was quite perturbed when he discovered the roll pin moving out like that....He's not the most mechanically adept person I know, so I'll have a look at the P22 next time we're out at the range. I did suggest that he contact the importer here...if there is one. The store that sells the guns just refers folks to the manufacturer. I have a feeling that he may have to contact Walther USA on this one if the roll pin insists on drifting itself out when the gun is fired. I'm glad it's .22 rimfire, otherwise we'd be blaming my reloads..... Mike

January 2, 2002, 08:36 PM	#7
trapshooter Junior member Join Date: January 2, 2002 Location: Missouri Posts: 902	On the P22 re-assembly, mine came with a small plastic rod designed to aid in holding/placing the guide rod and spring. The plastic job fits in the guide rod hole, holding spring, and in contact with the end of the guide rod, which is placed in the recess on the frame. As you pull slide back, the spring compresses and the guide rod pushed the plastic jag out the guide rod hole. Slick, but I discovered that you want the plastic rod only partially through the guide rod hole. If you push it too far so that the end is flush with the muzzle end surface, it seems to bind things up. In the stuff that came with the gun, there was a little green card with two drawings of this procedure. No other explanation, but it was pretty easy to figure out. I surmise this problem was caught after delivery of some, and they added this plastic rod and stuff later on. I can't find this part on the diagram in the owners manual (or I would know it's proper name). Hope this helps.

January 5, 2002, 06:25 PM	#8
oneshot1251 Junior Member Join Date: October 13, 2001 Location: Ga. Posts: 13	So thats what that piece of plastic was for !!! I have been watching that stupid spring flop around every time I've cleaned my pistol. I have gotten good at it through time but the plastic does help. One of these days I will have to break out the owners manual and see what else I might be missing. For the guy who posted first..... Whenever you get a new weapon always, always clean it before firing it for the first time. I like others have gotten weapons that were coated with oils and other unknown substances used in the manufacturing process. Besides, it is possible the barrel may be blocked with something even if it doesn't look very dirty on the outside and we know how ugly a situation like that can turn out. I have used every kind of ammo I can find for my P22 and whatever brand it chews it up and spits it right out. My pistol loves CCI Stingers. They seem to burn cleaner than most other rounds for some reason. Accuracy is as good as I can shoot. If the grip seems small install the larger grip insert and use the finger rest magazine. You should have gotten one with and one without with your pistol. The day I got my pistol I ordered two more magazines with the finger rest from Earls Repair Service. I love this pistol almost as much as my P99QA 9mm.

January 6, 2002, 10:22 AM	#9
trapshooter Junior member Join Date: January 2, 2002 Location: Missouri Posts: 902	Oneshot, Now that you mention the Stingers, when I opened the little envelope that came with my P22 that holds the case of the round fired at the factory (in Germany), guess what? CCI case. Along the same line, I used Stingers in a PP in .22lr I had for a while. Same deal. No jams. But then, that PP did the same thing you report for the P22. It ate everything I fed it, dirty, clean, slow, fast. It just didn't seem to stop. I can't wait to get mine to the range.