M&P 22 compact back from the factory

[Capt. Bob]

Got it back yesterday after being at the factory for a month. Did not get a chance to shoot it because of the late arrival time. They put a new barrel in it and test fired it they said. I did check it over pretty good and the new barrel is bright and shinny as opposed the dull and dark bore of the old barrel. If they test fired it they sure cleaned it afterward. Looking down the bore you can really see the tool marks very well. I sent it back for poor accuracy and judging by what I see looking down the bore I am real curious as to how well it will preform.

 

[martybee]

Capt Bob:
Keep us informed. I am anxious to see if the new barrel cured the problem! I am interested in acquiring an MP22c, but so far... the jury is still out!

 

[Capt. Bob]

I got to shoot my newly barreled 22 compact yesterday. I will be be calling customer service again Monday. I put several hundred rounds down range trying to get a good group at twenty five meters. The best I got was with one brand of ammo a 4 1/4 inch group. I cleaned the barrel after trying each load. Now I have different problem. All but one load was still around 8 inches or more except the one, Winchester white box but this load leaded the barrel so badly at the mussel end that after 3 mags it had lead tags hanging out of the end of the barrel. I have never seen this before with any gun. I had to scrub the barrel with a bore brush to clear it and 3 mags latter it was right back and if I didn't clean it bullets were flying all over the place. The only good thing was I only had two failures one was a FTC and the other was a miss fire.

 

[martybee]

Capt. Bob:
Thanks for the update. I think I will wait a while before purchasing a MP22c! Maybe the QA will get better at CS, (and at the factory). When I hear more positives, I will consider it!

 

[hostler]

I got to shoot my newly barreled 22 compact yesterday. I will be be calling customer service again Monday. I put several hundred rounds down range trying to get a good group at twenty five meters. The best I got was with one brand of ammo a 4 1/4 inch group. I cleaned the barrel after trying each load. Now I have different problem. All but one load was still around 8 inches or more except the one, Winchester white box but this load leaded the barrel so badly at the mussel end that after 3 mags it had lead tags hanging out of the end of the barrel. I have never seen this before with any gun. I had to scrub the barrel with a bore brush to clear it and 3 mags latter it was right back and if I didn't clean it bullets were flying all over the place. The only good thing was I only had two failures one was a FTC and the other was a miss fire.

A "compact" .22 caliber pistol shoots a 4.25" group at 27 yards and you are sending it back to the factory for poor accuracy?
Sorry, I don't see anything to complain about.

 

[martybee]

Sounds like a poor, or rough machining process on the bore! Not smoothed, nor polished afterwards! I imagine that that would improve the accuracy also.

 

[Ranger17]

I would never consider my compact to be any sort of target pistol; i picked it up for a fun plinker and it does that well. I wont even bother shooting it at longer distances; i have a Buckmark for that.
If there are actual mechanical issues to resolve then it should go to SW; just saying with its short barrel i dont know what realistic accuracy can be expected at 25+ yards.

 

[Jim1392]

25 meters=82.021 Feet. I'm pretty sure the 22C was never meant to be shot at that distance. I have 2 with one having over 36,000 rounds through it. I've never tried to shoot it over 10 yards and most of the time I shoot it at 7 yards and under. It's a great cheap trainer for the Shield and a great little plinker. If I was going to attempt to shoot that kind of distance I would pick up a Ruger Mark IV target model or a Victory.

Now the leading is another story. I've shot every brand available and I don't have that kind of leading.

 

[spirit4earth]

I haven't had any problems with mine after 600 rounds. Accuracy is pretty good. I'm selling it because I need the money, not because I'm unhappy with it. It's a great pistol.

 

[Capt. Bob]

A "compact" .22 caliber pistol shoots a 4.25" group at 27 yards and you are sending it back to the factory for poor accuracy?
Sorry, I don't see anything to complain about.

I would be okay with this if it were not for the leading. It did the leading with the most accurate load I tested. I test for accuracy at 25 meters with all my guns. Some do good some don't do so well. I don't think 30 rounds should do this kind of fouling.

 

[Capt. Bob]

I would never consider my compact to be any sort of target pistol; i picked it up for a fun plinker and it does that well. I wont even bother shooting it at longer distances; i have a Buckmark for that.
If there are actual mechanical issues to resolve then it should go to SW; just saying with its short barrel i dont know what realistic accuracy can be expected at 25+ yards.

I talked to S&W about what I was doing and the accuracy I was getting and they are the ones that told be to send it back. If the rep had said to not expect better accuracy than I was getting I would not have went through the trouble. He even told be that that is why it had adjustable sights because it was meant to be "a target gun not just an informal plinker ". Not my words.

 

[Out West]

Are the M&P 22c barrels made via a new process? Seems like I read somewhere that the lands and grooves were made by an electric metal removing process. Every 22c barrel I've looked at is rough with perendicular lines etched across the lands. Never seen anything like it in any other S&W barrel.

 

[lscocoa]

I posted a while back asking how they shot well I bought one today to find out myself , and I'll let you know as soon as I get to the range. It has adjustable sights for a reason other than blasting at 7yds. I shot an sr22 that the ruger rep. gave me to shoot and he informed it shoot as good as I could . I had 20 rds of cci small game bullets, I shot ten to test function then got down and shot 10 as best as I could resting my wrist on the plastic bench and got just under 3" at the max 50' of the range. With a better rest and more ammo I should've got better. Well I feel the compact should shoot better at least 1 1/2-2" at that range and I'm going to try . Capt Bob I agree 4" is unacceptable!

 

[jbtrucker]

I had a.22 Compact that leaded the same way after firing six mags of Auto Match. I cleaned out the barrel best I could and thinking may have damaged the crown sent it to S&W. They sent back with repaired on the form. I fired several rounds of CCI and started leading again , I said heck with it a kept on shooting and it cleared out

 

[Targets Guy]

Mine leads up quite a bit with thunderbolts; especially when I shoot mulitple mags at a rapid pace. I think the warm barrel helps the lead buildup process.

 

[jbtrucker]

Mine leads up quite a bit with thunderbolts; especially when I shoot mulitple mags at a rapid pace. I think the warm barrel helps the lead buildup process.

I found out the hard way it doesn't take long for a short thin barrel to get hot. I sold the .22 Compact and bought a 10/22 .

 

[lscocoa]

Well I took my 22 compact to the range today with 8 different kinds of ammo. There was no leading issues, function was flawless and it feels great in the hand . Starting at 7yrds all the ammo stayed mostly in the 3" circle . The best I got at 50 feet "the max of our indoor range ", was 5" and the worst only had 7 rounds out of 10 on the 11"x7" paper target. I wish I could say my arthritis was the cause but it wasn't,even had two bullseye shooters try it with the best ammo"Armscor H.P. " that is my new squirrel load and they couldn't do better. We cleaned the gun looked all over it and couldn't find a reason . The barrel is fixed with no play, the rounds were checked by chambering and ejecting,no damage. The average reply was ***!! and you couldn't even give it to the grand kids to plink pop cans because of the inaccuracies. Well send it in or sell to someone as a close range practice gun? Maybe S&W could figure it out if we all sent them back !