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Rimfire Firearms .22, .17 and other Rimfire Handguns and Rifles |
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Walther P22 CA Upgrades?
Updated with pics of the upgrades starting at post #25!
I have been wanting a P22 for some time but never seriously looked for one. Today, I walked into my lgs and there was a brand new P22CA military, in FDE, in the display case for $309.00. I pulled out my wallet and laid cash on the counter. It was a bit of an impulse buy, but I'm excited and can't wait for the next 10 days to go by. What upgrade parts should I get for it? I just looked on amazon and found an upgraded spring and steel guide rod combo for $20. I ordered it. What else should i get for it? What's the best ammo? I just read that they prefer to eat higher velocity .22lr. Amazon also has the threaded barrel part, with thread protector cap for $20. I'd love to get one of these, just for the look, but I'm sure that's against the law to install in CA, right? Thanks for the advice, everyone! Last edited by alabamacoastie; 05-29-2016 at 12:38 PM.. |
#2
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Amazon also has the Volquartsen extractor, I've heard it helps a lot with ammo reliability. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003F6HZ18/...=IDPW92FMNTZUE
I got the captured guide rod and spring too, it makes reassembly so much easier. Threaded barrel is a no-go in CA. |
#3
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First thing I bought was more magazines. I bought aftermarket ones from keepshooting.com, they work great and I have had no issues with them. For ammo I usually use golden bullets, thunderbolts and federal auto match without issues.
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#5
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Congrats on the P22!
More magazines is always good. Mine also has the SS guide rod. Mine is pretty reliable with different ammo as long as I keep it really clean and lubricated. I've had the best luck (even when the gun is dirty) with CCI-minimags and Remington Thunderbolts. I'm thinking about getting the fiber optic sights, but haven't yet. |
#6
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Thanks for the comments! I have now ordered the steel guide rod and spring, the aftermarket extractor, two additional mags, and 500 rounds of Remington Thunderbolts.
I found a video on YouTube which shows how to disable the "magazine disconnect". I'm thinking about disabling this california feature. This is my first "california safe handgun" and all of my other handguns will fire even when there is no mag inserted. It should be an easy procedure. Have any of you tried to disable the magazine disconnect? |
#7
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Here is a great reference: http://www.waltherforums.com/forum/p22/ and http://www.waltherforums.com/forum/faq-p22/
This is mine
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10 +1 in the chamber |
#9
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Thanks Glock_This. I'll check that out.
Do you like the laser? I have a laser on one of my railed 1911s but i never use it. I see you comment on a lot of threads. It seems like you know a lot about MANY different weapon systems and accessories. How do you find time to fit range trips into your life so that you can enjoy all of your toys? I never have time to go to the range. I have guns that i haven't even shot yet. Do you find yourself in this situation? |
#10
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Ha... well I work for myself and work from home - so I do what I want when I want and how I want it is a life choice that - thanks God - I am fortunate to be able to make.
And BTW, I love guns and they love me and I try to vary my selection so it seems I get involved in all sorts and styles. Except revolvers, which I am trying to acquire 1 now. PLus, I never leave a gun stock, I always customize them to some degree. My P22 has several improvements like polished innards, HiViz sights, that laser (it's cool but I don't use it much). The P22 is very well known to be finicky with ammo, so use GOOD ammo on these like CCI mini-mags that are HP powered. Low power and lame rounds (Golden Bullets) may not cycle the slide. The links I gave you are good P22 research and I have several Walther pistols and love them and participate on that Walther forum as well.
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10 +1 in the chamber |
#11
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Quote:
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#13
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Good point. I bought this p22 for fun, but also because i intend to let my friends shoot it at the range. I enjoy taking friends to the range for the first time, and this p22 will be great for the first timers.
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#14
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OP might like this info
http://www.waltherforums.com/forum/p...her-laser.html it is about a holster I have that holds the P22 + Laser
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10 +1 in the chamber |
#15
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Love my military green P22. Have shot nothing but Remington Golden Bullets and only 2 FTFs ever, and that was after shooting over 300 rounds in a day. If cleaned, no problems. Shoots accurate and no hang ups. I bought a lot of CCI mini-mags thinking I would need them for my P22, but nope, just the bucket of bullets Remingtons work fine.
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#16
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No upgrades here but I bought this same pistol in black. I've only tried cci, federal and two different kinds of Remington. All have been good. No failures whatsoever. I do keep it pretty clean lubed though.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
#18
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I'm excited! I still have to wait several more days to pick her up. But, the captured spring already arrived. The new extractor and ammo are on the way. I also ordered a few more mags.
I plan to make the modifications before my first range visit. Hopefully there will be no ftf's due to the combination of upgrades listed above. I still haven't heard anyone speak up about the magazine disconnect. I found a video on YouTube which shows a guy dismantling the magazine disconnect. This way, the handgun will still fire, even when the magazine has been removed. And i will be able to drop the hammer, even with the mag removed. Has anyone else followed through on removing the magazine disconnect? |
#20
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The screw down FO front sight is money well spent.
The stock plastic press in front sights will get lost. You will like the P22! I have an older model (2004) that just recently came back to me. I have an H2 barrel and laser for it. I also recently bought a new model to replace the first one I regretted selling years ago. Don't know if I will keep both, one, or sell both because I just ordered a Browning 1911-22. The thing is...kids and women really like shooting the P22 and so do I.
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"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." "No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms" -- Thomas Jefferson |
#21
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To tell you the truth, i haven't even tried to find out how hard the extractor replacement will be. I'm assuming it won't be hard. I have done all of the upgrades on all of my guns. I just watch a youtube video first and then do it. Glocks, 1911, ARs, Remington 1100, HK45C, keltec p11, etc.; I've done the work on all of them. Once you get a set of punches, Allen wrenches, tiny screwdrivers, a few specialty tools, and youtube, you usually don't need anything else.
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#22
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Quote:
Quote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhLN4IHmSHQ |
#23
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__________________
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul; the other for your freedom. George Patton |
#24
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__________________
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." "No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms" -- Thomas Jefferson |
#25
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I just finished upgrading the captured spring and the extractor. I also totally disassembled the weapon, removed the magazine disconnect springs, and then reassembled. Now the gun can fire even when no magazine is inserted in the mag well. I can also drop the hammer now before putting it on the safe, when it's clear and safe.
All the upgrades took a total of 45 minutes, and that included stopping to take detailed pics at each step of the magazine disconnect disassembly process. I took pics for two reasons: 1. So that if the hammer or trigger assemblies fell apart, i could look at the pics and put it back together. 2. So that i can post the pics on this thread so that everyone can see how easy it was! I am not a gunsmith. I'm just a competent guy who likes to watch youtube videos and then do things (especially when i can save money). I even watched a youtube video on how to replace glow plugs on a diesel engine. I drive a 2007 Silverado 3500 dually and changed out all 8 of my glow plugs at about 150,000 miles, after one went out. (I'm also not a mechanic). Stay tuned for the pics. I'll try to post them this evening with a few notes on the upgrades processes. |
#26
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For all three upgrades, I only needed a couple of tools... I picked up the new extractor and the new captured spring from two different gun stores on the internet. No tools were necessary to install the captured spring and stainless steel guide rod. To install the extractor, I only needed a punch. I used a 1/16th punch for the roll pin which held the extractor. The 1/8th punch was used later to disassemble the trigger mechanism and disable the magazine disconnect. Last edited by alabamacoastie; 05-28-2016 at 2:05 PM.. |
#27
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In this pic, you can see the slight differences between the stock extractor and the extractor made by Volquartsen. The Volquartsen is on top and it comes with a longer, stronger spring. You can't see it from this pic, but the Volquartsen is also thicker and feels more heavy duty when you hold both extractors in your hand at the same time. |
#28
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The factory spring and guide rod are on top, in this pic. You can see that the spring and guide rod are not attached to one another, so the spring can easily slip off the guide rod. This makes re-assembly of the weapon difficult and frustrating because you have to manipulate the spring, guide rod, barrel, and slide in a very precise way when attempting to reattach the slide after cleaning. The new "captured" spring is permanently attached to the guide rod. This configuration makes re-assembly of the weapon MUCH faster and easier. |
#29
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After popping in the new extractor (which took about 2 minutes) and playing with the new captured spring, I decided to tackle the magazine disconnect (MD from here on out)...
I found a YouTube video where a guy with a horrible speaking voice stammers through the process of undoing the MD. Here, i needed the punch and the phillips screwdriver. The screwdriver is touching the dual spring which must be removed to disable the MD. The small spring rides INSIDE the larger spring. Both must come out... After removing the two springs, you reassemble, and then safety function check the weapon. Now, my weapon functions perfectly whether the magazine is inserted or not! |
#31
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I did the extractor swap yesterday, took all of 5 minutes. I had it out on Saturday to shoot and it just stopped- FTF and no primer strikes. Every single search for a vid on how to disassemble the slide came up empty, everyone said to just spray the hell out of it with brake cleaner, so I'll have to get around to that fix later.
Side note, mine looks just like the one glock_this posted. I really don't like the new "kickball" texture on the grips. |
#32
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Quote:
I agree with you on the grip texture. I like the look of the texture on yours better than mine, too. |
#33
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I put on a Hi-Viz FO sight at the same time, it'd been sitting in a bag for over a year because I also bought a target barrel and planned on installing that, but then found out you can't change the sights on the target barrel unit. Man, what a screwed up design mess.
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#35
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I also polished my feed ramp to make it work better congrats
__________________
I mainly shoot .22lr, 9mm,45 acp, 357 & 38, 12G, 7.62x39, .308, .223/556, 7.62x54r, 300 win mag, 8x57 God Bless USA |
#36
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Here is another easy upgrade... HI VIZ Litepipe front sight. I needed one small pair of pliers to get the factory front sight off... Then I applied one drop of blue loctite and screwed in the new front sight with the provided allen wrench. Probably one of the fastest upgrades i have ever done. It took about 4 minutes...
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#38
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I'm surprised no one has recommended The Walther P22 Bible - Disassembly, Assembly and Functional Improvements
"Everything you ever wanted to know about the Walther P22 but were afraid to ask!" http://www.gunfactory.ch/download/Walther_P22_bible.pdf Last edited by Pinto; 07-07-2016 at 10:23 PM.. |
#40
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I replaced the extractor and recoil spring new out of box. Cci minimags and golden bullets were 100% for me cci standard velocity, auto match and m22 were 90% function rate. I only took 4 diffrent ammo that day but the golden bullets are my go to for this postol. The Buckmark is a great .22lr and totally diffrent in terms of pistol to the p22 don't own one because I have the mark 3. From what I have read they eat everything loaded in them. All in all I'm very happy with my p22 rather of had a sr22 but thank cali.
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