Why some have issues, others don't? Mainly luck?
As I posted above, I have had great experience with my 22A. It may be in part that I broke it in with CCI Mini Mag, and since only shoot the Federal bulk pack (as recommended somewhere on this board); but mine has been perfect.
Yet many people have a very different experience. It seems luck may pay a huge part in this.
One of my friends had heard such bad things about 22A, that when I told him I bought one, he suggested taking it back before even attempting to shoot it (he likes to give me a hard time). He questioned my judgment and my sanity (often does). He is a huge SW fan, but thinks I should have bought a "real one" and spared myself the jams (and him having to hear me "whine like a little girl" about it, no offense intended here Ladies, he said it not me
). Whenever we shoot now, after every clips the 22A empties perfectly (and that's all of them) I look at him with a smart @$$ smile, and he tells me to shut up.
What are friends for if you can't annoy them?
But I did self inflict one easily correctable issue:
One Saturday morning, I had 4 clips in a row, that the 2nd bullet failed to feed. Also the clip did not always drop out then the release was pressed. So I took the gun apart and reassembled without the spring. Clip out=slide was silky smooth. Clip in=drag.
Taking it apart again, and inserting the mag with the slide off I noticed the part (don't know what it's called) that catches the top of the mag, and enables the slide lock.
With the pistol pointed away from you,that little clip catch should be resting on the left side of the top of the clip (need a picture here). Mine had gotten bent slightly to the right (center), in that position it falls nearer the center of the clip. There it would rub the side of the rail on the bottom of the slide. I think that upon reassembly, when pulling back the slide, it slipped off and wiggled before I forced it back into place. I think I must have bent this clip slightly right then. That causes the slide to drag, and downward pressure on the clip. I bent this slightly left, next couple reassemble I did with the clip in to make sure this was always falling in the correct position; and I have not had another single issue.
There may be a lot of different 22A problems out there; but I wonder how many others may be having this issue. Besides this (which was caused by me, and easily corrected) this has been one (so far, only just over 1000 rounds, so it's still brand new) of the most reliable 22s we have (we have 7 others: Ruger 10/22, Ancient Marlin bolt action, Ancient K-Mart special bolt action from the 1960s, Mosberg Plinkster, Sig 522 rifle, Sig P226 pistol in 22LR, and a SW MP22-15 that is being replace after the 109 bullet fired OOC and took out the extractor).
We break everything in with CCI Mini Mag, then use Federal bulk pack in all (as suggested by someone here). Well after the Federal was what OOC in the 15-22, I'll probably just use CCI Mini Mag there for the first 5,000 rounds just to be safe. We also clean all gun well before firing new (I read here this is very important with the 22A so put extra effort there before it's first outing).
BTW - thanks to everyone on this forum for great advice/info. I've been reading from the shadows for a long time, and only recently joined so I can post.
