M&P 22 Compact ?

[buckshotshorty]

I have a new M&P 22 compact. It has a barrel cap to cover the threads at the end of the barrel and it presents a problem….after firing one magazine (10 rounds) the cap is unscrewing from the end of the barrel. I'm thinking of using some blue Locktight on the threads but I'm not sure if that's the way to go. What do you think?
BTW when I unscrewed the cap I first called Smith and spoke to a man called David because at first the cap made one complete counter clock turn and stopped….he told me to use a bit more force and it should come off, which it did I guess there was some debris on the threads and a ton of oil

 

[sophie]

Mine came loose also after shooting, so I used clear fingernail polish on the threads and after several more range trips the bushing is still secure on the barrel of my S&W M&P .22 compact. I still check it frequently.

 

[Tom S.]

Here's how I would do it:

Mark where the cap stops on the barrel threads. If the cap covers all the threads, this step isn't needed. Remove the cap and clean the threads with dry gun patch to remove the oil, then repeat using either an alcohol wipe or a gun patch soaked in alcohol. If you removed the barrel from the slide to perform the above steps, put it back in the slide. After the alcohol dries, put a dab of blue thread locker on the last two threads using a toothpick. Screw on protective cap.

 

[rbuzz]

Go to your local hardware and purchase an O-ring that fits snugly over the barrel threads. Push it on as far as it will go and then screw on the thread protector lightly compressing the ring..
The O-ring will prevent the protector from backing off.

 

[ken158]

Nail polish or try the O ring rbuzz mentioned. Remember the cap has to be off to remove the barrel. My compact has been a very reliable and accurate light carry gun for outdoors activities.

 

[NukeRef]

Nail polish or try the O ring rbuzz mentioned. Remember the cap has to be off to remove the barrel. My compact has been a very reliable and accurate light carry gun for outdoors activities.

Assuming that you do not intend to use a suppressor, you can use blue or even red Loctite to secure the thread cap.

I'm not sure what ken158 means above but the cap does not have to be off for field stripping, as the barrel is not readily removeable from a Compact. Perhaps he was thinking of the suppressor adapter, which must be removed in order to disassemble the slide from the frame.

 

[smoothshooter]

Blue Loc-Tite is what I had to put on mine.
Has held for 3 years.

 

[Kaarde]

My brother's 22 compact has the suppressor adapter, mine does not. I used the wrench that came with his to snug up the thread protector on mine. Hasn't come loose yet after several hundred rounds. I wish S&W included the wrench with both versions.

 

[dbfman]

I had the reverse problem with mine. The barrel nut was torqued down so much from the factory that neither I or the gunsmith at the shop was able to safely break it. It took a trip back to the factory to do it. I'm also a blue Loctite user and a drop has held it safely in place.

 

[mckenney99]

My M&P 22 compact came with the standard barrel profile thread protector installed. A friend gave me a S&W 1/2x28 thread adapter so I could use the pistol with my suppressor. The adapter kit came with a little stamped sheet metal wrench to fit the slots on the factory installed thread protector. The factory installed thread protector was slathered in ThreadLoc and torqued on incredibly tight. I finally resorted to clamping the pistol barrel trunion in the vice and I had to very carefully apply a little direct heat with a propane torch to the thread protector to get it released. I can tell you, there were some very choice words used and there was some question as to whether I was going to be able to get it removed at all.

 

[Dave Lively]

I kept having trouble with my thread protector becoming loose and didn't have a good wrench to tighten it. I finally broke down and bought a sturdy wrench from EWK Arms specifically designed for this purpose. At $25 it wasn't the cheapest solution for a single purpose tool I used once four years ago. But it did let me apply enough torque to fix the problem.