A buddy of my brought over a S&W 622 that will not fire sometimes. He has had it to three different smiths and they've replaced parts, but nobody can get it fixed. The pistol is really starting to frustrate me so, I need to ask for some help. If you load both mags it'll fire maybe three times, eject the spent round, load a new one, but it wont fire. What makes it really frustrating is it might go thru both mags just fine and then you'll get a failure to fire on the second round after you reload the mags or it might be the fifth round after the second mag. I've tried four types of ammo so that's out. What do you guys think? Anyone had this problem?

I bet....
One of your safeties is not adjusted right. Maybe a trip back to S&W will solve the problem.

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One thing to check is, See if the round is fully seated by pushing on the back of the slide (Watch to see or feel if it moves)when you get a misfire.I had one awhile ago with such a problem.

Ken

On the lines of what Ken just said... pull the barrel. Drop every round into the chamber as a final size check. When I was carrying for real, every round of defensive ammo got checked. An odd out of spec round can spoil a gunfight! If they chamber ok, they should feed ok.

As Ken said, is the slide fully forward in battery. A tad off can kick the safties/disconnecter in. Or disipate some energy cushoning the firing stroke.

Hope this helps,
Russ

What is the best ammo for a 622

I have a 2206 and found that it prefers copper plated ammo. Have had really bad luck with no-fires and jams with leaded bullets--plus extemely dirty. Worst bullet experience was with Winchester Xperts. Have had very good luck with CCI Mini-mags, more on the expensive side, but after you fight with the gun to clear jams for half and hour, it is worth it.

On a side note, and I hope this is not the case, the firing pins in this series of 22's is prone to breaking, and S&W does not carry a replacement for it. There was a company that had some machined, but not sure if they have any in stock still.

Novalty-
Winchester expert ammo is a flatnosed design, which is why you are having problems with it. It really has nothing to do with the plating. It will cause feeding problems in a lot of auto's. It is generally quite accurate in most all of my .22's, but it doesn't feed well in either my, or my neighbor's 422's. It doesn't work too well in his Ruger MkII's either. It shoots great in my 17-3 though.

All .22 ammo is lead. The plating doesn't really do anything other than look pretty. The lube they use on the bullet on the other hand does matter. Some of it is greasy/sticky, some almost like a hard shell. The expert ammo has both the flat nose, and the greasy lube, both of which make feeding less than perfect.

Gun 4 Fun, the problems I experienced with Winchester Xperts were not just because of the nose design. More than half the box had bullets with leads not seated firmly, most would spin at the top of the case, and some the lead would actually pivot. I think this weak lead attachment contributed to the majority of the jamming issues in my 2206.

Unfortunately, with all the ammo shortages going on, and everyone needing ammo, the ammo companies are really turning out some junk as far as the bulk packed ammo goes. Every week at our club, someone brings in another brand of bulk ammo to try, but it's always the same story. Misfires, loose bullets, poor lube, FTF's (both kinds). Hopefully things will eventually get back to normal and the ammo will be better. The companies are trying to keep everyone supplied, but in doing so, QC has gone right out the window.

Try some of the brick packed stuff (if you can find it). I know it usually costs more, but it is worth the the extra expense right now. It is always more consistant, accurate, and gives lower extreme spreads in velocity across the chrono.

All that said, the winnie xpert ammo does have a flatnose HP design, and it that is not conducive to proper feeding in most auto's, or even in a lot of lever guns for that matter. If you look at how the feed ramp is set up, and the angle that the round has to take upon leaving the magazine, the flat nose hits the ramp at a sharp angle, then hits the top side of the chamber, then the nose has to slide along the chamber wall until the entire round is seated. Round nose type ammo does that a lot easier.

If you hunt with your .22, that flatnose design kills a LOT better than the round nose designs, even when they are both hollow point, but especially if they are not. It is the same thing that happens on big game with a good hardcast semi wadcutter. The flatnose makes a world of difference.

I've been shooting 100 packs of CCI Mini-Mags, more expensive, but as said before they function flawlessly. Wanting to pick up a bulk pack of Federal Auto-match, as I have heard they are a decent round. In regards to the Winchester Xperts, I contacted Winchester, they paid to have the remaining bullets I had for testing. Then they sent me a $20 Winchester Ammo coupon, took about 2 months from the date of shipment to the date I received the coupon, but at least I got my money back. Ended up buying their value pack centerfire ammo, which has always worked well for me.

Push up hard on the mag while trying to fire. If it works steadily while doing that, you know where your problem is. I just had a 422 returned from the factory for that reason. Works like a charm now.

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For 622VR that fires partial clips. The magazine safety lever could be telling the pistol there is no clip inserted.
The magazine safety lever (under the right grip) will "jump over" the pressed out "ear" on the clip. This tells the pistol there is not a clip inserted and activates the safety device preventing the pistol from firing.
To test this, remove the spring by pulling gently from the top, out, then up. Put the grip back on and fire the gun with each clip.
I was almost ready to hang up my 622 (I don't sell faulty firearms) when I spotted this. It took me hours to figure it out. I have never worked on a handgun before.