Picked up my 15-22 Pistol Today. Some issues

[couch]

I just picked my 15-22 pistol up today at a Shoot Point Blank in town. I have the rifle version and it's always run great.

I put my AAC Element suppressor on it and went directly to the range. I didn't clean it or lube it and had a lot of failures with 100 rounds of CCI mini mags.

I would hit the bolt release and it was having trouble chambering a round. I started sling-shotting the charging handle and that seemed to help but I kept have issues with it chambering a round. It would fire the first round then a click. I'd clear a round and it would fire the next one then another click. It also seemed like the first few rounds of the mag were the worst. I'd get to the last 15 rounds and it seemed to run better.

Any suggestions other than cleaning and lubing it? I know 22lr can be finicky but I've always just taken my guns straight to the range no cleaning or lubing with little to no issues.

 

[couch]

Just switched the BCG from my old 15-22 and it seems the spring in my old 15-22 is a lot stiffer than the pistol BCG. It really slams the bullet forward unlike the pistol BCG that kinda limps it forward. I think this may be what the problem is.

I'll do some searches and see if people have had issues with BCG springs.

 

[strobro32]

Well that's not encouraging. I'm sure it will work better with a good cleaning.

I noticed on the new manual the pictures of the new bolt seem to be the same as the rifle BCG. On the old pistols, S&W removed weight from the bolt to compensate for the 6" barrel. I wonder if they removed force from the recoil spring on the new pistol.

Thank you for posting the review. I'm looking forward to more people's experiences before my purchase.

 

[MajorD]

First clue is didn't clean or lube. Take it down lube it and try again. Probably be fine. They do seem to prefer to run on the wet side. Only after through testing in a properly lubricated condition can you determine if there is an issue. Cci mini mags are usually good for reliability
Consider due to the design the springs may be different in the pistol version, so comparison to your rifle is a bit apples to oranges

 

[cjt50]

Well my local shop got a couple in and I was able to snag one sub $500 out the door. Upon post purchase inspection I notice the pistol was very dry and the white identification paint they used on the recoil spring was flaking all over the place making a mess. Action was noticeably gritty when hand cycled.

The bolt is a direct copy of the older pistol bolt with regards to weight reducing cuts. The recoil spring is lighter than it's rifle bothers. Other than that it's a standard 15-22 with shorter barrel and hand guard.

Gave it a good cleaning, lubed up the bolt group, (gritty feeling greatly reduced) slap on an optic and headed to the range.

Well, 600 rounds later and a lot dirtier than it started "MY" pistol functioned flawlessly. I had no issue of any kind this range session. (kinda surprised really) I ran 200 rounds each of 40gr Mini Mags, Federal Auto Match and Aguila High Velocity (redish box) With the ammo listed, the action really bottoms out with authority, no indication of short stroking at all. It's feels like it will handle standard velocity without issue. (I'll test that next time )

Overall I happy with the purchase and look forward to testing it suppressed

 

[strobro32]

Excellent review and 1st day shooting. Thanks for taking the time to post.

I will contact them about the pistol recoil spring as my 4.5 inch barrel SBR may benefit from some replacements.

 

[BSA1]

I put my AAC Element suppressor on it and went directly to the range. I didn't clean it or lube it and had a lot of failures with 100 rounds of CCI mini mags.

Any suggestions other than cleaning and lubing it? I know 22lr can be finicky but I've always just taken my guns straight to the range no cleaning or lubing with little to no issues.

I am curious as too why you refuse to clean or lube your guns.