TargetTalk

I just started training for 25m rapid fire using a Walter SSP. After a few rounds, the pistol starts jamming frequently during the timed 5-shot event. I was told that the gun is jamming because of shaky/trembling hold, but I didn't buy it. Anyone else faced the same issue?
My hand needs strengthening and I will need to perform holding exercises for few months anyway before the trembling goes away
Regards

You MIGHT buy it. A limp grip causes several different problems with different guns. In any case, you need to strengthen your grip.

In order to help, we need more specifics about the jams. There is a big difference between (for example) not ejecting the fired case and not feeding the next one.

Besides proper lubrication, the biggest problem (assuming no broken parts, like the extractor) is often a dirty chamber. Running a .22 caliber brush down the bore won't clean the chamber well, especially if the brush is worn. See:

http://www.targettalk.org/viewtopic.php ... sh#p232791

It is also very easy to have a mis-match between the pistol and the ammo. You may find that some ammo just doesn't work reliably. See if you can try some European standard velocity ammo in it. That is what it's designed for.

If it is "limp wristing", have an experienced shooter try it & see if the problem goes away. Also, if the pistol is new, it may just need a little breaking in.

Many thanks for the quick response. The jamming happens while feeding the next bullet in the chamber. The empty shell of the previous bullet has no issues in ejecting.
Let me check the cleaning option, and also if other shooters have the same issue with the SSP.

Feeding can often be a magazine issue. Do you have more than one you can try?

Don't forget to test other brand of ammo too to make sure it is not brand related.

A blow back action can not be jammed through "limp wristing". There is no locking mechanism that must be held in place.

Since almost all semi-auto 22 rimfire actions are blow back, and also because the cartridge is a low pressure cartridge, it's very dirty. Most 22lr jams are due to carbon build up. Clean the gun, take apart the bolt and clean it, take apart the magazines and clean them.

Blow back actions use simple physics, think equal and opposite reaction. Most match .22lr are low velocity and sometimes fail to kick the bolt all the way back. You can do two things, find a higher velocity ammo that will work the bolt or clip the recoil spring a half coil at a time until the ammo your using now works.

The problem could be caused by not loading the magazine properly. Make sure you load it EXACTLY like the picture in the manual. The rounds MUST be staggerd.

ghillieman wrote:A blow back action can not be jammed through "limp wristing". There is no locking mechanism that must be held in place.

Sorry, but that is not true. The mechanism (locking or not) requires the energy of the recoil to operate properly. If your arms soaks up that energy, less is available to operate the pistol correctly. Some pistols are fussier than others in this regard, and a lot is ammo dependent. The symptoms can be similar to a dirty chamber, because the dirt slows things down by wasting energy on friction.

The clearest case I've seen of this was at a Junior Olympics qualifying match. There was a small boy, probably no older than 13, shooting a S&W Model 41. It worked fine at the start of the sport pistol match, but by the end, he had worn down to the point where he could barely hold it up. Jams started occurring increasingly frequently, to the point where he couldn't even finish his alibi strings in rapid. His coach tested it after the match, and it worked fine.

Gwhite wrote:

ghillieman wrote:A blow back action can not be jammed through "limp wristing". There is no locking mechanism that must be held in place.

Sorry, but that is not true. The mechanism (locking or not) requires the energy of the recoil to operate properly. If your arms soaks up that energy, less is available to operate the pistol correctly.

Gwhite, you should think about what you just said.

The bolt in a .22lr blow back action absorbs all of the recoil energy until it stops against the back of the action. Then the recoil energy is transferred to the pistol and travels into the hand. The bolt has already traveled to its most reward position before the hand has any chance to affect recoil.

ghillieman wrote:The bolt in a .22lr blow back action absorbs all of the recoil energy until it stops against the back of the action. Then the recoil energy is transferred to the pistol and travels into the hand. The bolt has already traveled to its most reward position before the hand has any chance to affect recoil.

That's not actually true either.

As soon as the bolt starts to move and compress the spring there is a force being applied to the hand.

I remember trying to instruct a small lady newcomer in the early '80s using a model 41. She was getting a high proportion of malfunctions (over 50%).

When I tried test firing the gun, and I was/am considerably larger than her, it was faultless.

She tried again and the malfunctions returned.

I had one hell of a rebuttal going citing physics equations and ballistics, but I'm tired of typing.

I just started a 4 day weekend and I'm opening this new bottle of bourbon.

To the OP, I hope you get the issue solved.

Ice, stir, cheers everyone.

ghillieman wrote:Gwhite, you should think about what you just said.

The bolt in a .22lr blow back action absorbs all of the recoil energy until it stops against the back of the action. Then the recoil energy is transferred to the pistol and travels into the hand. The bolt has already traveled to its most reward position before the hand has any chance to affect recoil.

Wrong again. If you really limp wrist a pistol, you can absorb enough energy that the slide NEVER HITS the back of the pistol. The bolt is a rigid piece of metal, and can't absorb ANY energy without deforming. It pushes on the spring, which pushes on the frame, which pushes into your hand. I've seen instances of limp wristing where the slide didn't come back far enough to pick up the next round, which means it never hit the back of the pistol at all.