Problem with a Walther SSP

[rgwellsjr]

I have a new SSP that is clean and oiled that is experiencing multiple rounds being fired with 1 pull of the trigger. I've tried all types of ammo including HV and SV and the problem is worse with HV (once 3 rounds fired with 1 trigger pull). I just got the pistol back from Walther where they said the "adjusted trigger stop to correct order and checked". I went to the range yesterday and had the same problem. Twice in 100 rounds it discharged 2 rounds with 1 pull of the trigger. I haven't made any adjustments to the trigger. Can anyone suggest something? The manual talks about the "pawl intersection" and I'm not familiar with that term, is this the sear adjustment?
Thanks

[SlartyBartFast]

Just throwing this out there, my knowledge of the gun and what might cause this mechanically is zero.

Could it be a combination of a light/short trigger and a loose grip/trigger pull?

Would it be possible for a pistol to bounce in a shooters hand and cause the trigger to be pulled multiple times?

[rmca]

rgwellsjr

You probably have too little sear engagement.
Add a little.

Hope this helps

[jerber]

Don't have experience with the SSP
Just trying to help
I wouldn't use HV ammo
They could damage/wear your pistol pretty fast
What brand ammo have you tried?
I ask because sometimes when I use CCI SV
I get a double shot( it happened maybe 3-4 times)but usually during rapid fire
I now stick to Eley and S&K standard
The CCI has an inconsistent recoil(to me)
Sometimes strong sometimes weak

[rgwellsjr]

Thanks for the replies. I'm sure it's the sear engagement and since posting this I've found an article on how to adjust it. There's 7 or 8 adjustments you can make to the trigger group.

[Zipp0]

If it is not an SSP-E - I suspect it is fixable....

[FWB_700_Alu]

That "AutoFire" usually happens when you Extreamly slowly pull the trigger. You are basically pulling the trigger real fast again.

1) Try and keep the trigger pulled when the trigger releases. (That will also help you in not jerking the trigger)
2) Increase pawl engagement (Screw "a"
( Warning: Only certified engineers qualified in also Rocket Science should even try this as the Walther is OverEngineered for what it is supposed to to)
3) Use a Standard Velocity Munition. Decreasing recoil helps alot.

PS: I have at least 70,000 rounds thru mine

[rgwellsjr]

I wish it were that easy (me pulling the trigger twice) and if I could post the video you could see that's not what is happening. I'm pulling the trigger once and in the video you can see that 3 bullets were fired. I've sent the pistol back to Walther and they said they fixed it. First mag and 3 bullets were fired. Then I sent it to a smith that specializes, this time it took to the 3 mag. It's back at Walther now for a replacement of the trigger group (I think) (they've seen the video)

[j-team]

You should also check the headspace. Too small headspace can cause slam fires.

I once chased trigger adjustments for ages to prevent double shots from one of our club pistols, only to discover it had too little headspace. Once that was fixed it only fired one shot per trigger pull!

[rgwellsjr]

j-team,
I believe you are right. After A LOT of work on the trigger, including sending back to Walther where they installed a new trigger group I think I've settled on the problem. First the problem only happens with certain ammo. Until now I've always used CCI SV as that works in all of my other pistols. Yesterday I went to the range with 7 different types of ammo. I loaded 5 and waited for the double. It only doubled with 2 of them Eley Club and Fed target. After each string of 5 I collected the spent brass so when I had a double I could find the brass. What I found was NO FIRING PIN STRIKE on one of the rounds. Not a light hit! A completely clean rim. So it seems that the bolt is hitting the rim and causing it to fire. Too little headspace? If that's the case where is this corrected; the breech face or the bolt? (I won't be trying to fix this myself, just wondering)

[jerber]

j-team,
I believe you are right. After A LOT of work on the trigger, including sending back to Walther where they installed a new trigger group I think I've settled on the problem. First the problem only happens with certain ammo. Until now I've always used CCI SV as that works in all of my other pistols. Yesterday I went to the range with 7 different types of ammo. I loaded 5 and waited for the double. It only doubled with 2 of them Eley Club and Fed target. After each string of 5 I collected the spent brass so when I had a double I could find the brass. What I found was NO FIRING PIN STRIKE on one of the rounds. Not a light hit! A completely clean rim. So it seems that the bolt is hitting the rim and causing it to fire. Too little headspace? If that's the case where is this corrected; the breech face or the bolt? (I won't be trying to fix this myself, just wondering)

Wow! Sorry to hear about your problem
Do you think that the bolt is slamming that round so hard that it just fires ?
Just a thought,have you checked the extractor for wear and movement?
Hope you get it solved
The SSP is one that I'm considering getting
Jerry

[aprilian]

Does the round drop easily into the barrel? It sounds like the chamber may be slightly undersized so a "second" round needs to be forced home - igniting it.

Did you compare the OD of the Club and Fed (unfired) vs the ones which did not double. If the OD (just before the rim) is larger, you have found your culprit. If not, check the rim thickness as a thicker rim on those two brands might be leaving insufficient space to the breech cut out (sorry, not familiar with the technical name).

[jbshooter]

Also check trigger overtravel adjustment. If it is far too long then the trigger may not reset due to linkage geometry of the trigger mechanism not allowing it to. Found this out recently on a Matchguns MG2. Everything back to normal once overtravel was shortened.

[rgwellsjr]

jbshooter - I chased trigger adjustments for nearly a year including 2 trips back to Walther. I'm now certain that it is slam-firing as I recovered the spent brass that hasn't been hit by the firing pin.(I wish I had thought of this months ago) The pistol is only 10 months old and it's happened from day one!

I've tried a bunch of ammo with varied results.

Some will misfire (light hits) (CCI SV or Wolf Match) there are always 2 or 3 misfires for every 5 shot magazine.

Some brands (Aquila & Eley Club) don't misfire but once in every 2 or 3 magazines they double

Some (SK standard Plus and Eley Edge) work perfectly.

I plan to start measuring rim thickness and overall length to see if I can see a pattern there.

[-TT-]

I plan to start measuring rim thickness and overall length to see if I can see a pattern there.

I wouldn't bother - the pistol should function safely with any commercial ammo. The issue is headspace (bolt face to chamber face clearance) and a very dangerous one. You should get it to a Walther or a good gunsmith and not risk using it at all. The pistol could go "full-auto" quite easily.

[Gregbenner]

Have you tried calling Earl and Earl's repairs? He is an authorized Walther distributor, and I have found him to be extremely helpful on the phone, but couple of times I had issues with my GSP, including when it started to double fire (he walked me through it over the phone, specifically which screw to turn a 1/4 turn counterclockwise, which fixed my problem)

[jbshooter]

Sounds like slamfire then like jteam says.
I wonder if the round is fully chambered before it goes off?

[fc60]

Greetings,

I encountered a similar issue with the Russian "Ivan" pistol.

Check the headspace of the bolt.

Is the edge of the chamber sharp; or, does it have a slight radius?

It is a fairly new pistol, I suspect Walther would want to fix it properly to maintain their integrity.

Cheers,

Dave

[hansb57]

Interesting!!

In my Hammerli SP20 I had problems with misfires with Eley club.
I normaly use CCI SV and did not have 1 misfire in 4500 rounds.
With Eley club every 4 to 6 round.

Mailed Eley and they came back with the answer that there rims are thinner.
I measured several boxes and indeed Eley is several thou thinner than CCI SV (and Lapua Pistol king that I often use)

I then sorted through my remaining boxes of Eley and got 15 round with the thinnest rim and 15 with the thickest rim.

Of the thin rim only 3 fired. On the thick rim 11 fired.

[spektr]

This almost sounds like lead ring buildup. The ring gets in the way of the round fully seating and you can ger firing on bolt closure on thicker rimmed ammo.......