New S&W M&P 22 Choking - Is it the Bullet or the Pistol?

[Filibogado]

I took my brand-new straight out-of-the-box S & W M&P 22 to the shooting range today and started firing using Winchester Wildcat 22 - 40 - grain lead round nose ammo that I bought at VA's The Nation's Gun Show last weekend. I didn't bother to wipe off the factory oils that were on the gun. I was a little disappointed because, while it appeared that all the ammo ignited, some empty casings, as many as 2 per magazine load, would not eject automatically, I had to chamber the next round by pulling the slide to eject the stuck empty casing before I could activate the trigger on the next shot. Is this because I was using el cheapo round nose lead bullets? If so, what would be the least expensive bulk ammo that would eliminate this problem or at least minimize it? I can't imagine this brand new pistol could have a factory defect. The only thing I've done to it was reverse the magazine release by poking a screwdriver inside to move the spring so the button can be pulled out and reinserted on the other side.

I would appreciate some advice for this newbie shooter. Thanks!

 

[lhump1961]

I have a Smith Talo 22a that HATES Wildcat ammo! It has shot anything else I have fed it...bulk Federal, bulk Remington or bulk regular WWB. I chokes big time on Wildcat. I gave the Wildcat to my son-in-law and his Buckmark choked on it, too. If you want to keep trying it I have several hundred rounds you can have!

 

[vario]

My 22A only like brass nose. It does not like lead at all.

 

[Lost Lake]

Rule #1: Always clean a new gun before shooting it.

 

[Dragon88]

using Winchester Wildcat 22

I didn't bother to wipe off the factory oils that were on the gun.

Those are your two problems right there.

 

[Arctic Driver]

Rule #1: Always clean a new gun before shooting it.

Is there a video (or, possibly, a more thorough set of instructions than the factory manual which came with my M&P22) that would show proper cleaning/oiling of this pistol?

I haven't even fired mine yet but have been gleaning quite a bit of knowledge from the posts here... I pulled a wad of (shipping?) grease from behind the guide rail but there's still quite a bit of grease left in the nooks and crannies that I can't get to...

Other posts (regarding larger bore M&P's) say grease along the slide is a good thing... I'm assuming a 'visible' dollop of grease, or a 'puddle' of oil anywhere on the gun would be a bad thing...

Re: ammo... I bought a 'brick' of 500 Yellow Jacket HP's... anyone have experience with these in the M&P22? Just want to prepare myself so if I have one or several that fail to eject I'll know what to look for (gun issue or ammo issue)...

 

[Lost Lake]

i have used a solvent like GunScrubber to remove thick gook in areas that are hard to reach. An air gun would also get the worst of it, but I prefer it to be GONE. I think most any good gun solvent would work, I'd try CLP next.

Then I have a gun lube bottle with a needle tip that can get back into tight spots and put small drops of lube right where the gun needs it.

When I grease my rails I put a very small amount on a q-tip and rub along the rails and slide contact points just to leave a film. It will be shiny but you won't see the actual grease. Some people just put a small drop in one spot and cycle the action hoping it gets everywhere contact occurs. Your choice. The key is get the shipping grease out and get a good gun lube in.

 

[spad124]

My opinion is he protective packing grease/cosmoline should have been removed before firing per the instructions. The instructions will explain how to field strip for cleaning. As far as the initial cleaning, there seems to be a glob of packing grease/cosmoline behind the take down lever that is somewhat difficult to totally remove, but if you slide the take down lever carefully out to the side you can get to it. The rest is pretty straitforward: clean the barrel from the breech end, clean the trigger assembly/mechanism with aerosol Gunscrubber or CLP followed by compressed air and then lightly oil (I always follow up CLP with actual gun oil). Light grease on the rails- wheel bearing grease will work if you have nothing else- it's a high temp environment grease. Then you should be good to go.

I purchased a M&P 22 pistol three months ago to teach my adult daugher to shoot as she has developed an interest. First thing I did was to strip, clean and lightly lube the pistol including putting a film of grease on the slide. (if it slides, grease; if it rotates, oil) We then shot some 20 year old Wildcats and Thunderbolts I had to break it in. Then new Remington Target, Federal AutoMatch and CCI Mini Mags. No problems whatsoever. All ammo fed and functioned. Accuracy improved after about 250 rounds. Cleaned again after about 300 rounds. The accuracy is getting better, but I don't think it has reached its best accuracy yet.

I've shot 22LR for a while and seem to get 1-2 duds per brick of the inexpensive ammo. Given the cost of a brick compared to more "premium" ammo, 1-2 duds/500 is acceptable to me. I've even had an occasional CCI Mini Mag dud, but those are much less frequent. Also, I wouldn't discount the accuracy of Wildcats or other bulk 22. Wildcats are the most accurate of of my 5.56 AR with a Ceiner 22Lr conversion kit--even over Mini Mags. 22LRs are very particular when it comes to ammo.

 

[BP_Z28]

CCI mini mags/Walmart Federal 550cnt

 

[Keystone70]

I just bought one myself. I did clean it before shooting.
CCI no problem
REM Thunderbolt no problem and cheap
FEDERAL/American Eagle many many FTE
I stay away from hollow point because I've had problems with them on my Rem rifle

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jagrmaister]

Federal bulk .22 always chokes regardless of what I'm shooting in my experience. The only thing that likes it is my M&P 15-22. All the handguns end up with many FTEs.

 

[Amedeus]

The shell casing will not fully eject after firing. Sounds like the round to me. Your weapon probably just doesn't like the rear lip of the casing and will not grasp it properly, or worst case scenario is the shell itself is thin and weak that after igniting the round it manages to expand the casing just enough to lodge it into the chamber.

I would hope it is the first problem cause that would just mean your weapon doesn't like that ammo, the second one would mean that ammo is beyond salvation and should be dumped in a hole, buried and forgotten about.

 

[Maddmax]

The shell casing will not fully eject after firing. Sounds like the round to me. Your weapon probably just doesn't like the rear lip of the casing and will not grasp it properly, or worst case scenario is the shell itself is thin and weak that after igniting the round it manages to expand the casing just enough to lodge it into the chamber.

I would hope it is the first problem cause that would just mean your weapon doesn't like that ammo, the second one would mean that ammo is beyond salvation and should be dumped in a hole, buried and forgotten about.

The problem is,he never cleaned the weapon when he first got it. Then there is more gunk being built shooting "naturally dirty" 22 ammo. That's the FTE problem. There is a VERY simple fix,when all else fails,READ the manual FIRST. Weapons ARE NOT dealer prepped like cars.

 

[Maddmax]

i have used a solvent like GunScrubber to remove thick gook in areas that are hard to reach. An air gun would also get the worst of it, but I prefer it to be GONE. I think most any good gun solvent would work, I'd try CLP next.

Then I have a gun lube bottle with a needle tip that can get back into tight spots and put small drops of lube right where the gun needs it.

When I grease my rails I put a very small amount on a q-tip and rub along the rails and slide contact points just to leave a film. It will be shiny but you won't see the actual grease. Some people just put a small drop in one spot and cycle the action hoping it gets everywhere contact occurs. Your choice. The key is get the shipping grease out and get a good gun lube in.

Just wondering. Being our weather is about the same. Do you use an artic rated grease in the winter ? Or mainly shoot indoors ? I have experimented with 5/30 motor oil and had great luck in the cold. I figure if it will come out of a lube bottle when it's cold,it should be good to go.

 

[sonoran]

I took my brand-new straight out-of-the-box S & W M&P 22 to the shooting range today and started firing using Winchester Wildcat 22 - 40 - grain lead round nose ammo that I bought at VA's The Nation's Gun Show last weekend. I didn't bother to wipe off the factory oils that were on the gun. I was a little disappointed because, while it appeared that all the ammo ignited, some empty casings, as many as 2 per magazine load, would not eject automatically, I had to chamber the next round by pulling the slide to eject the stuck empty casing before I could activate the trigger on the next shot. Is this because I was using el cheapo round nose lead bullets? If so, what would be the least expensive bulk ammo that would eliminate this problem or at least minimize it? I can't imagine this brand new pistol could have a factory defect. The only thing I've done to it was reverse the magazine release by poking a screwdriver inside to move the spring so the button can be pulled out and reinserted on the other side.

I would appreciate some advice for this newbie shooter. Thanks!

I did a pretty decent job of getting most of the goo off of mine with cue tips, etc when new but the entire box of 500+ Winchester M-22 40gr were problematic. I had FTEs on every other mag.

I have not had issues with 36 gr CPHP - Federal Champion after another 500 rounds or so.

 

[kbm6893]

I usually use non-chlorinated brake cleaner instead of gunscrubber because it's cheaper, but on a polymer gun, I would use the polymer safe gunscrubber to blast out the frame.

 

[VMaxSplat]

Try CCI Mini Mags or AR Tactical. If the gun won't run on CCI, you've got a problem.

 

[garyjandfamily]

My M&P22 has 1200+ rounds through it, without a single misfire, failure to eject or misfeed, except that it does not like to chamber a round when I just thumb the slide release. I put my first box of 325 rounds through it without cleaning it first without a problem.

I only shoot Federal Automatch.

 

[Brass Nuggets]

Try CCI Mini Mags or AR Tactical. If the gun won't run on CCI, you've got a problem.

Bingo.... my M&P 22 (low # number) needed a big time cleaning before I fired any rounds...

I have run CCI min-mags... 5k at least, I may of had 2 or three issues.

Clean the grease... all of it... use quality oil...

 

[spad124]

Just wondering. Being our weather is about the same. Do you use an artic rated grease in the winter ? Or mainly shoot indoors ? I have experimented with 5/30 motor oil and had great luck in the cold. I figure if it will come out of a lube bottle when it's cold,it should be good to go.

I'm in the unenlightened state just east of the Mississippi from you, so we have similar weather. (Although our General Assembly defeated our governor's semi-auto ban legislation just yesterday!! There is hope for no change.) For winter outside shooting I change from grease on the slide to oil. A while ago I had a Taurus 99 and had used light grease to lube the firing pin channel for the summer. At 30 degrees the pin moved too slow to set off the primer. Wiped off the grease and had no problems.