Greetings...
At the range today my friend had a problem with the slide lock on her 22A. It had slipped forward of its normal position, and wasn't moving freely. After field-stripping and removing the left grip panel, we could see that when the slide lock moved forward it got stuck between the frame and what I believe is called the "spring plate assembly". Also, the spring that pulls the slide lock down (except when the magazine follower is pushing it up) had moved out of position.
It was easy enough to get the parts back in place, and it seems to be working now. However, right now the slide lock is basically free-floating except for the spring tension and I'm wondering if there's supposed to be a pin helping maintain the orientation.
I'm attaching a couple pictures (with and without an inserted empty mag), and pointing with a pen to the location where I'm wondering about a "missing pin". The spring plate, slide lock, and frame each have a hole there that appears to be where they should align.
Can anyone tell me whether anything is really missing here? If so, is it addressed by replacing the spring plate assembly, or just an individual pin?
Also, is my friend's tendency to use the slide lock as a "slide release" (rather than slingshotting the slide) putting unnecessary stress on the assembly?
Thanks!