Weird 22A-1 Problem

buck22 · Sep 2, 2012

22A-1 with 7" fluted stainless barrel, black frame, hi-viz front sight, etc.. I believe it's called the Talo edition.

At any rate, this is strange but it appears as though the firing pin is actually cutting through the brass on the rim of the casing. Not both sides, but one. It's making a very small hole almost like someone took a pair of snips and snipped the edge.

It still functions fine...but I'm concerned...is my beloved pistol about to stop working on me??

buck22 · Sep 2, 2012

Nevermind. It stopped doing it. Strange...

forresth · Sep 2, 2012

was it just 1 batch of ammo?

buck22 · Sep 2, 2012

forresth said:
was it just 1 batch of ammo?

No. Tried it on different kinds just in case. Did it to all of them.

After inspecting some of my old spent casings from previous trips to the range (I save them to recycle), I noticed they all have very very thin but deep strikes on them. Guess it's just the way the firing pin works.

Federal, Aguila, CCI, and Remington were the brands I tested when I suspected the gun was malfunctioning...all produced the same results...deep cuts into the casing. After re-seating the barrel, it stopped cutting through them.

varmint243 · Sep 2, 2012

I took a small fishook hone and reshaped the firing pin on mine just a little.

I have the same model and have been shooting it a whole lot this last year. After I started having misfires in each mag I ran thru it, I took it all apart to try to find out why. I was very dissapointed in how that gun is made on the inside. The takedown button on the front craked in two. I had to make a button out of an old 38 case with a dremel just to release the barrel so I could fix it.The firing pin banged a dent into the back of the barrel, the front of the firing pin lost it's shape, the back of the firing pin got mushroomed, the top edge of the hammer got mushroomed, the firing pin spring lost it's tension. I was able to dress all the surfaces up with a hone and shim the spring, it is working reliably again. It sure doesnt compare well to my ruger's or my model 41 on the inside. It shoots well and I like it. but it was not made to have a brick or two of ammo run thru it every weeekend for over a year.

buck22 · Sep 2, 2012

varmint243 said:
I took a small fishook hone and reshaped the firing pin on mine just a little.

I have the same model and have been shooting it a whole lot this last year. After I started having misfires in each mag I ran thru it, I took it all apart to try to find out why. I was very dissapointed in how that gun is made on the inside. The takedown button on the front craked in two. I had to make a button out of an old 38 case with a dremel just to release the barrel so I could fix it.The firing pin banged a dent into the back of the barrel, the front of the firing pin lost it's shape, the back of the firing pin got mushroomed, the top edge of the hammer got mushroomed, the firing pin spring lost it's tension. I was able to dress all the surfaces up with a hone and shim the spring, it is working reliably again. It sure doesnt compare well to my ruger's or my model 41 on the inside. It shoots well and I like it. but it was not made to have a brick or two of ammo run thru it every weeekend for over a year.

Did you have the Talo edition or the regular model? I've owned both and I have to say that the Talo with the black frame is made considerably better than the standard version.

varmint243 · Sep 3, 2012

buck22 said:
Did you have the Talo edition or the regular model? I've owned both and I have to say that the Talo with the black frame is made considerably better than the standard version.

It's the Talo edition. It has the 7" stainless fluted barrel, a black frame, the nice laminated target stocks. I often get asked about it when I am at the range because "they have never seen one like it before" I like it, It shoots well. I got a deal on it slightly used at the LGS. It had a chip out of the black paint on the back of the stainless slide. I think I paid around 250. It's a nice shooting gun, I was just really disappointed in the internals. It will require mantainence and parts replacement with heavy use. I can post a pic if your interested.

konertjm · Sep 3, 2012

Is there a plastic tab at the back of the slide that holds the firing pin? This piece is like a shock absorber for the firing pin. You say that the back was mushroomed out, this could be possible if the plastic piece is missing.
Check Fig. 28 in the Owners manual. It shows the full firing pin with spring and recoil spacer, which is mentioned the in Warning directly above the illustration.
My 22A came with the original plus 2 replacements.

If you are aware of this, well as Rosanne Rosannadanna said "Never mind"

varmint243 · Sep 3, 2012

konertjm said:
Is there a plastic tab at the back of the slide that holds the firing pin? This piece is like a shock absorber for the firing pin. You say that the back was mushroomed out, this could be possible if the plastic piece is missing.
Check Fig. 28 in the Owners manual. It shows the full firing pin with spring and recoil spacer, which is mentioned the in Warning directly above the illustration.
My 22A came with the original plus 2 replacements.

If you are aware of this, well as Rosanne Rosannadanna said "Never mind"

The recoil buffer is in place and fine. The mushrooming was not extensive. I stoned it off, I think the main problem was the little spring on the firing pin loosing its tension. This would have accounted for the inconsistancy I was seeing and the light strikes. I just shimmed the spring a little so that the firing pin is now pushed back towards the hammer waiting for the hit. I wish I had taken pics tho.

buck22 · Sep 3, 2012

Ah, I have the standard rubber grips on mine, though slightly different texture versus the flat-side 22A-1 you see in most stores. Likely it's the exact same gun otherwise though.

I probably shoot about 2-300 rounds through it a month.

The good thing is S&W has a lifetime warranty on their stuff SO...if anything breaks I'll get them to either send me the part or repair it.

varmint243 · Sep 4, 2012

buck22 said:
Ah, I have the standard rubber grips on mine, though slightly different texture versus the flat-side 22A-1 you see in most stores. Likely it's the exact same gun otherwise though.

I probably shoot about 2-300 rounds through it a month.

The good thing is S&W has a lifetime warranty on their stuff SO...if anything breaks I'll get them to either send me the part or repair it.

I finally took a pic. It was a total impulse buy at the time. I think the stocks were what I liked the most about it.

Weird 22A-1 Problem

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