Grand Power K22 Xtrim discussion/trouble shooting thread

[cote_b]

So I recently picked up a really nice K22 xtrim off the EE. The fit, finish and overall quality is beautiful on these pistols. The trigger is wonderful, aswell as the accuracy. However, I am running into the usual issues with these not feeding and firing reliably. I'll load a mag and it will run through flawlessly, fill it up again and then have to manually rack it every round. I realize I am running bulk Winchester 555 ammo, but I have had pistols in the past that ran these flawlessly.

Looking for advice from other current or past owners on how to go about addressing these issues. I have read bits and pieces of posts here on cgn saying that people have gone to grand power for newer better mags and recoil springs. Who in Canada would I deal with for this? Does this pistol have to be super clean at all times to run well?

Also, am I the only one that finds the safety on these obnoxiously large and the slide release so slim that its hard to hit?

Any advice/discussion is appreciated!

 

[jimbo14]

Yes, new mags will help as will the recoil springs, with these first gen pistols. Mine is still crazy picky with ammo and I can only use two types reliably. CCI AR Tactical and CCI Blazer. Any other ammo has problems. The slide release has never been a problem with mine, because it's hanging on by a thread and the slide slams home when I put a mag in.

It's a wonderful shooter, great feel and accurate. I just wish the slide was a lot lighter. That's a key source of many problems. Newer versions have a lighter slide.

Another source of info is the Grand Power forums. That's where you will see more help. Google it, and sign up.

 

[MBJ]

So I recently picked up a really nice K22 xtrim off the EE. The fit, finish and overall quality is beautiful on these pistols. The trigger is wonderful, aswell as the accuracy. However, I am running into the usual issues with these not feeding and firing reliably. I'll load a mag and it will run through flawlessly, fill it up again and then have to manually rack it every round. I realize I am running bulk Winchester 555 ammo, but I have had pistols in the past that ran these flawlessly.

Looking for advice from other current or past owners on how to go about addressing these issues. I have read bits and pieces of posts here on cgn saying that people have gone to grand power for newer better mags and recoil springs. Who in Canada would I deal with for this? Does this pistol have to be super clean at all times to run well?

Also, am I the only one that finds the safety on these obnoxiously large and the slide release so slim that its hard to hit?

Any advice/discussion is appreciated!

Check under the foam at the top of the case. If it was imported recently it will have the thin safeties in the box.

Try Mini Mags, Golden Bullets, Thunderbolt, Blazer etc.

The slide release is somewhat redundant as the gun will autoforward if you slap the mag in.

 

[VanMan]

So I recently picked up a really nice K22 xtrim off the EE. The fit, finish and overall quality is beautiful on these pistols. The trigger is wonderful, aswell as the accuracy. However, I am running into the usual issues with these not feeding and firing reliably. I'll load a mag and it will run through flawlessly, fill it up again and then have to manually rack it every round. I realize I am running bulk Winchester 555 ammo, but I have had pistols in the past that ran these flawlessly.

Looking for advice from other current or past owners on how to go about addressing these issues. I have read bits and pieces of posts here on cgn saying that people have gone to grand power for newer better mags and recoil springs. Who in Canada would I deal with for this? Does this pistol have to be super clean at all times to run well?

Also, am I the only one that finds the safety on these obnoxiously large and the slide release so slim that its hard to hit?

Any advice/discussion is appreciated!

Which version of K22 X-Trim do you have? An easy way to tell is looking at the recoil spring & guide rod. If it's a single spring and there is an aluminum ferrule on at the base of the guide rod, it's most likely an original version sold by Dlask and will have the mags that needed to be slightly tweaked. The serial number will start with DA___ also. If you contact the Canadian Distributor through h ttp://www.grandpowercanada.ca/index.html, you may be able to work out an exchange with him. This version of the K22 X-Trim came with two springs, a large and a small. You can try the small spring if you find the slide is not cycling back far enough to pick up a fresh round. You can also contact the Canadian Distributor to get the new recoil rod and spring setup which may help.

If it's a dual recoil spring setup and no aluminum ferrule on the guide rod, you have the newer version of the K22 X-Trim and it will have come with the improved version of the mags (you can check to see if the follower moves up and down freely).

The X-Trim came with wide safeties installed, and there were slim safeties included in the box - behind the foam padding of the top. It's pretty simple to pop them on, just need to pop out the small roll pin in the back of the frame, tilt the internal frame up a bit, rotate the safeties ~20 degrees and they pop right off.

I never actually use the slide release. You will find that when you insert the mag with a good smack on the bottom heel of the mag, the slide will auto-forward. That's a feature designed in to the Grand Power handguns, although some others will do it as well.

You are best to run 40gr ammo with your K22 X-Trim, mine prefers Blazer, M22, CCI Minimag, and Federal 510. I've found the Winchester 555 will only run well in my Ruger 22/45's and Buckmarks.

The original version recoil springs, small and large



The original version recoil guide rod on the top, new version on the bottom


The new version of the K22 X-Trim dual recoil springs are the first ones on the left.

 

[cote_b]

Thanks for all your help guys! I'm away from home for a couple qe a so I can't check the case to see if the other spring and safety were included. It has a K prefix serial number and I recall seeing 'mk12' on the slide somewhere. Since the majority of my 22 ammo is bulk Winchester, would the pistol ever be able to reliably feed this? Even with the mag, spring and guide rod upgrades? I could buy some better quality stuff but I absolutely detest the current price of 22 ammo. It's obscene.

 

[VanMan]

The K prefix serial numbers are definitely the new version. You should have the dual recoil spring, plain plastic recoil rod (no aluminum ferrule), and the updated mags. You can try taking out the smaller recoil spring and just running it with the larger recoil spring. Don't try it with only the small recoil spring, your slide may start battering against the frame.

I've always found that all my various .22's handguns have been very sensitive (ie prefer) specific ammo when new, and get a little less picky once they are broken in after a 1-2k rounds. Maybe get 2k of Blazer or Minimag to run through first and then try you Winchester 555? That brand only runs ok for me in my Ruger 22/45's but even then I notice there can be a wide range of sound/recoil shot to shot.

 

[MBJ]

Most ongoing feeding problems with the K22's boil down to;
1) garbage or just under powered ammo
2) Owners thinking that wishing and dreaming will fix #1 rather than adjusting ammo type.

 

[VanMan]

I did some testing at the range yesterday with my K22 X-Trim. I hadn't really tested a variety of ammo since I swapped to the newer dual recoil spring.

Both springs: CCI Blazer, Federal 510, Remington Bucket O'Bullets ran great
Large Spring only: Winchester 333, American Eagle 40gr ran great

Still could not run Federal 36gr bulk or American Eagle 38gr, even with just the large recoil spring only. Usually would eject the spent brass, but sometimes the slide didn't go back far enough to pick up the next round from the mag.

For reference, here's what I measured the various recoil springs at:

1. Original version large 8.5 lb
2. Original version small 5.5 lb
3. Dual recoil spring - both 6.75 lb
4. Dual recoil spring - large only 4.5 lb
5. Dual recoil spring - small only 2.25 lb

The new dual recoil spring setup lets me shoot a wider variety of ammo. I would not recommend running just the small recoil recoil spring (2.25 lb). The slide may not always go back into battery if your ammo is waxy and/or gritty which most bulk .22 ammo is notorious for.

 

[cote_b]

Awesome! Thanks VanMan!!

 

[happiness is a warm gun]

Try some Aguila high speed(red box). l get great accuracy in my K22 xtrim with that ammo. Product support is excellent and Grand Power distribution has a webpage you can look up. I own three Grand Powers and they are a very well made gun.

The k22 l did a T and E on was fussy on ammo, but l believe the recoil springs were just worn out on the test gun. My k22 feeds everything except the light target loads.