I don't know if it was the ammo or the gun, but something went pooof today at the the range. I was shooting .22LR CCI Mini Mags 36 grain HPs out of my Walther P22. I'm not quite sure what happened though. I pulled the trigger and it felt strange. I took the next shot and there was a cloud of black smoke, I got hit in the face with gas of some sort, and after I opened the slide the next round had a giant slice in the bullet. I packed it up and put it away. I haven't taken it apart yet, but any ideas on what the hell happened?

Possibly the strange feeling round was a squib stuck in the bore and the secind round shot it out? Hard to say. Check the barrel to see if there is a ring inside which usually happens when this occurs.

GRIZ is most likely correct. If you are lucky, all there will be is a visible ring - more likely the barrel may be bulged. Anytime you are shooting and something doesn't feel/sound/smell/look quite right....STOP SHOOTING until you check things out. If this had been a more powerful weapon, there could have been disasterous results. Hope everything turns out OK.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

Hope it's Okay Chris, keep us updated.

Hope it's Okay Chris, keep us updated.

I haven't checked it yet. It had enough umph to eject the case and chamber the next round. The important thing is that my hands and fingers were still there after it went off. Good thing I had my glasses on as I got peppered with crap.

Yeah man, you got your fingers and eyes! Dude, good thing you did have safety in mind cause some people don't bother with eye and ear protection with 22s

A 22 is a relatively low pressure round. It is possible there is no ring in the barrel. If there is a small one you might want to see how the gun still shoots. Sometimes there is no effect on the future functioning and accuracy of the pistol.

 

Me? I'd replace the barrel.

It is possible there is no ring in the barrel. If there is a small one you might want to see how the gun still shoots. Sometimes there is no effect on the future functioning and accuracy of the pistol.

Would the ring be a physical deformity or just a powder burn mark? I don't see anything in the barrel that appears to be warped, burned or bulged.

It would be a physical deformity. You would be able to see it and feel it as you pushed a patch down the bore. It appears you did didn't do any damage.

 

I've fired hundreds of thousands of rounds and had exactly one squib (on a factory load). Maybe you've had yours. Just remember to check things out if you're at the range and something doesn't feel right.