How to Disassemble a Walther P22

Disassembled Walther P22

Introduction & Disclaimer

Firearms are deadly weapons. Improperly disassembling a firearm can result in damage that may cause the firearm to malfunction causing serious injury or death. This tutorial is meant for informational purposes only. By viewing this content you acknowledge that there are no warranties whatsoever to the accuracy of this information. It is strongly suggested that you take your firearm to a licensed gunsmith for servicing.

The following information illustrates how to disassemble a Walther P22. I tried to err on the side of too much information rather than not enough. You'll notice that the slide lever release "j" spring isn't pictured anywhere, and that's because I didn't have a nice step-by-step guide the first time I disassembled my P22 and I lost it. Luckily, the pistol functions just fine without it.

The pistol used in this information has not had the necessary modifications yet, so you'll notice some pretty bad knocks in the slide. It also just come off of the range, so it's pretty dirty.

The number that corresponds to Smith & Wesson's Walther P22 manual is listed in parentheses after each part.

Clicking any picture on this page will cause a larger image to open over the existing content.

Your comments and question are welcome. Please submit them using the form at the bottom of this page or email me

Tips before getting started

Tools

Ensure pistol is not loaded

Before you get started taking breaking your pistol down, give it a thorough check to make sure that it's not loaded. Drop the magazine, lock the slide back and check the chamber and action for rounds. To be extra careful, I also remove all ammunition from the vicinity of my work area and put it in a drawer or cabinet where it's sure to stay secure.

Remove the slide

Remove the action

Spring Warning:
Be careful not to lose slide stop spring(16) that sits just under the lever. Once you remove the action there's nothing to hold the lever on anymore and it will fall off. Under the lever is a small srping that has a tendecy to go flying. Some people like to put the pistol in a Ziplock bag before removing the action to ensure the spring doesn't get lost.

Note:
This is the point at which to stop for cleaning the pistol. The action is exposed and there's not much that you can't get to with a good can of polymer-safe spray solvent.

Separate the slideplates

Separate the slideplate (left half (2), right half (3)). This is where stuff can get lost if you're not careful. Take a look at this entire section before you do anything so you see that there are two spring and one part that can potentially get lost if you're not careful.

Remove the trigger assembly

Remove the hammer assembly

Remove the barrel

Remove the breech

Remove the safety

Disassemble the receiver

Disassemble the magazine

Questions & Comments

First Name:
email:
Receive Newsletter:
Seven plus one equals: (to help combat SPAM)
Comment/Question:

- Please note that comments are pre-moderated. I'll post your comment ASAP, usually within an hour or so.

On January 15, 2010 dick61434 said:

thank you for such detailed break down. i came in possesion off a p22 in peices and missing peices and you have the best break down i have found so far

On February 10, 2010 David said:

Hi, I have a Walther PK380 and loveit. I have ordered thru my gun dealer a P22 for plinking. Mine will have the nichel plated slide and the price seems a little high at $400.OO out the door. My PK380 only cost $340.00 out the door. My PK380 is very easy to break down and clean. Your disassembly info on the P22 seems difficult. Is it necessary to break this weapon completely down to simply clean it? Does this weapon have a plastic key to turn anti clockwise to break it down or do you just use the take down blocks? Will the barrel lift out of the slide like the PK380 held only by the rod and spring? My P22 will be here in about 2 weeks and itlooks very much like my PK380 and I assume the manuel will address the disassemby for cleaning.Just trying to get a head start on it. Thanks for anything you can tell me.

On February 10, 2010 Ben said:

Hi David,

This page illustrates the steps to completely disassemble a Walther P22. There's no need to get this crazy if you're just going to clean the pistol. There's a note in the page above about where to stop taking things apart if you're just cleaning the pistol.

The P22 has a fixed barrel that screws directly into the front of the chamber. It's not a float barrel as is typically found with higher caliber handguns.

I hope this helps. Remember to use the recommended types of ammunition with your P22 and you'll have a blast (no pun intended).
SpentBrass | Privacy | Contact