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Walther P22

• easy
• Shop tier 2
• medium confidence
• Rimfire Pistol
• rimfire
• blowback
• fixed barrel
• training

field strip ~1 min · reassembly ~2 min · detail strip ~20 min

Specifications

Model-specific safety

• A .22 LR round can be fired by a blow to the case rim, not just the centre. Keep ammunition out of the work area.
• A .22 LR case in a chamber is small and dull-coloured and is genuinely easy to miss. Use a light and a finger, every time.
• The P22 is a fixed-barrel blowback. The recoil spring sits around the barrel and is under compression when the slide comes off.
• The takedown catch is a small lever at the front of the frame ahead of the trigger guard. It is small and needs a deliberate press.
• Do not dry fire.

Under spring tension

• Recoil spring around the barrel
• Magazine spring

Easily lost parts

Takedown catch · Recoil spring

Tools

No tools required for the field strip.

Shop difficulty

Shop tier 2 Tier 2 — moderate among pistols, for the full job: strip to the parts that get coated and put it back together working. About 71 key numbers (144 pieces in Walther's list counting old-design and variant rows) for a small zinc-slide rimfire with decocker, hammer and many small springs; Walther needs a mounting pin tool to run the slide on over the recoil spring and does not support going past the field strip.

Parts: 71 numbered parts (Walther's P22Q spare part list (drawing p.1, list pp.2-5) incl. 'old design P22' rows, per this page's transcription; 139 rows, 71 distinct keys.), from Spare Part List — Walther Mod. P22Q cal. .22 l.r. (279 31 05, Revision D 212/16) — Carl Walther GmbH, p. 1–5 carl-walther.com [3].

Bench time: about 30 min to strip, 45 min to rebuild (estimate). Slide (decocker/safety, firing pin, extractor, sights) and frame (hammer and spring leg, sear, trigger bar, slide stop, mag catch, barrel nut if coating barrel); rebuild longer for the many small springs and the slide on the mounting pin.

Small parts: 8 pins, 11 springs, 1 detents or plungers (counted from the manufacturer's parts list (one per key number unless a quantity is given))

What comes off for coating

• Slide: safety/decocker and springs, firing pin and spring, extractor, pin and spring, rear sight, front sight — pin punches
• Frame: barrel nut and barrel (P22Q interchangeable barrel), hammer, mainspring and pin, sear and spring, trigger and trigger bar, slide stop and spring, magazine catch, takedown lever — pin punches, mounting pin 512.40.21.1

Special tools

• Walther mounting pin no. 512.40.21.1 — Running the slide onto the receiver over the recoil spring
• barrel nut wrench — P22Q interchangeable barrel nut

Known pain points

• Walther uses a dedicated mounting pin to run the slide back onto the receiver over the recoil spring. (reassembly)
  Source: Safety & Instruction Manual P22Q (8.512.95.02, 2014-12) — Carl Walther GmbH carl-walther.com [2] — “Install recoil spring. For running the slide onto the receiver, use the mounting pin no. 512.40.21.1”
• Walther says there is no need to strip further and that improper assembly voids the warranty. (both)
  Source: Safety & Instruction Manual P22Q (8.512.95.02, 2014-12) — Carl Walther GmbH carl-walther.com [2] — “It is not necessary to disassemble the pistol any further than as is described in this manual.”

Fit or check on rebuild

• Barrel nut tight — Walther checks the barrel nut before fitting the stabilizer; a loose nut loosens the barrel
  Source: Safety & Instruction Manual P22Q (8.512.95.02, 2014-12) — Carl Walther GmbH carl-walther.com [2] — “It is to be made sure that the barrel nut (fig. 15/ part no. 1) has been properly tightened before the stabilizer is mounted.”
• Function check: trigger reset, sear/striker engagement, safeties — Standard post-reassembly check on any pistol whose fire-control parts were removed; a mis-seated spring shows up here, not on the bench

This is Pew-Takedown's rating, not the manufacturer's. How tiers are rated. Forum reports are owners' experience, not specifications.

Manufacturer videos

Official videos from Carl Walther GmbH's own channels, linked rather than copied. Where a video and the steps on this page differ, follow the manufacturer's manual and video.

• Walther P22 Field Stripping WaltherFirearms field strip · 2014-11-25
  Covers: Walther P22 (P22 Q / Target not named)

Procedures

Torque specifications

No sourced torque values from the manufacturer are recorded for this firearm. Where a fastener has a specified torque — action screws, scope bases, muzzle devices, barrel nuts — get it from the manufacturer or a gunsmith rather than estimating it.

What the manufacturer does say: The manufacturer's documents give no torque value. They say: "After that thread on the barrel nut. Hand tighten nut and use wrench for 1/4 turn more." (Safety & Instruction Manual P22Q (8.512.95.02, 2014-12), p. 13 (Interchangeable barrel / reassembly)) "It is to be made sure that the barrel nut (fig. 15/ part no. 1) has been properly tightened before the stabilizer is mounted." (Safety & Instruction Manual P22Q (8.512.95.02, 2014-12), p. 14)

Materials and factory finish

As stated by Carl Walther GmbH. Prep, masking and cure depend on these; a polymer or aluminium part, a nitrided or anodised finish, and a blued steel part are each a different job. Variants with other finishes may exist — check the maker's page for the exact SKU on the bench.

Parts list

Transcribed from the manufacturer's parts list (Spare Part List — Walther Mod. P22Q cal. .22 l.r. (279 31 05, Revision D 212/16) — Carl Walther GmbH, p. 1–5 carl-walther.com [3]) — Walther's official P22Q spare part list (exploded drawing p.1, list pp.2-5), including 'old design P22' rows for the original P22. English 'Designation' column used; German 'Benennung' and price-group (PG) columns omitted.. Key numbers refer to the exploded view in that document.

Function check

• Verify the pistol is unloaded with no magazine inserted before each check.
• Rack the slide and press the trigger. The striker should release cleanly.
• Hold the trigger to the rear, rack the slide, then release slowly and confirm the reset.
• Press the trigger again to confirm the striker releases.
• Confirm the slide locks open on an empty magazine and the magazine drops free.
• Confirm the takedown catch has returned to its locked position.

Maintenance

Lubrication points

• Frame rails where the slide rides
• Barrel hood and locking lug
• Outside of the barrel at the muzzle end
• Rear barrel lug where the recoil spring assembly bears

Cleaning notes

Fixed-barrel rimfires foul heavily around the barrel and inside the slide. Clean the barrel exterior as well as the bore, and keep lubrication light.

Suggested inspection interval: roughly every 500 rounds. This is a general guideline, not a manufacturer specification.

Wear parts to inspect

Recoil spring assembly · Extractor · Magazine springs and followers

Common issues

Similar manual of arms

• Ruger Mark IV
• Walther PPK / PP

Sourcing