cracked ppq slide. why, And what now??!

[johnfkingmatrix]

how common is this, i have maybe 30-50k rd
-how do i get it off?!? now slide seems stuck internally
- it's serialized frame and barrel, does that mean a replacement is ffl item?

totally caught by surprise, bullet started impacting about 2 ft right. I noticed that the rear site which operates on a spring and plunger was loose and then notice the very obvious crack. why would both the slide detent plunger loosen ,and frame crack simultaneously

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Numrich gun parts has a used PPQ 40 SW slide for 263.73. So used ones are out there, didn't see anything about having to ship to a FFL.

 

[Bob3700]

That looks like a call to Walther is in order. Possible defect in materials or workmanship warranty.
I am sure they would want to examine the pistol.

 

[lb-ft]

Who knows, maybe Walther will send you a no-charge replacement. Wouldn’t hurt to try.

 

[johnfkingmatrix]

sheesh, thanks for the heads up! Will try..

any advice on getting the slide off? it still racks/fires normally, but when i depress the catch to release it . it goes about half way forward and hangs up internally.

 

[DRK]

I would call Walther & see if they will let you send the whole pistol for repair.

 

[troupe]

Send it back to Walther, call them and may send you a return label as well.

 

[rwj]

Neither was made by Walther, but I know of two slides that cracked at/near the ejection port. Both were high round count competition pistols. One was mine, the other belonged to a friend. Mine was discovered during cleaning, my friend was not so fortunate and the slide completely fractured during a match and the back half struck him in the cheek!

Now that I’m aware of three such failures, I would say it is a rare, but not an unheard of event. The grip tape on the frame for your thumb suggests the pistol has been used in competition which most never experience. That usage, combined with firing ~50K rounds, likely fatigued the slide in a high stress concentration area (the small radius cut for the barrel hood) from which the crack propagated. Though it will be costly to remedy, it is part of playing the game! Consider youself lucky to have avoided injury!

 

[Bill K]

I would call Walther first and proceed from there. I.E. looking for a slide as mentioned by one other poster, unless you happen to want a spare.
But I bet Walther will take care of your needs and maybe for free.

 

[johnfkingmatrix]

thanks again for all of the input! does anyone have any advice on how to get the slide off? is it as simple as just depressing the guide rod or ? the reason I ask is that I'm currently in southern California but I don't permanently reside here so it's almost impossible for me to do an FFL transfer which is why I was hoping I could just send the slide in. you think Walter is going to want the entire gun?

 

[tmwinds]

thanks again for all of the input! does anyone have any advice on how to get the slide off? is it as simple as just depressing the guide rod or ? the reason I ask is that I'm currently in southern California but I don't permanently reside here so it's almost impossible for me to do an FFL transfer which is why I was hoping I could just send the slide in. you think Walter is going to want the entire gun?

I don’t think you have to do a FFL transfer to return a firearm to the manufacturer for repair.
In my case the manufacturer sent me a prepaid label to ship it and returned directly to me after repairs. No FFL involved.

 

[Tad_Earhart]

I do not know what to recommend on your California situation, but I can tell you that when I had a P22 slide break and shoot off the pistol a few years ago, Walther was extremely good to deal with and sent me a prepaid label to send the broke slide in. About a week and a half later, I got a new slide in the mail that was their updated version. Pistol has ran fine since. Unless something has changed big time or I got the luckiest draw of customer rep, you will not be disappointed.

 

[rwj]

… I don't permanently reside here so it's almost impossible for me to do an FFL transfer which is why I was hoping I could just send the slide in. you think Walter is going to want the entire gun?

If you’re expecting warranty work, it is highly likely Walther will want the entire pistol to ensure that it can be safely repaired and that no unauthorized modifications were made. The frame may also be needed to properly fit a new slide. To my knowledge, a serialized pistol frame can not be shipped other than via a FFL.

 

[Walt Krafft]

Walther will know. Ask them to get the correct answer.

 

[shoot4fun]

how common is this, i have maybe 30-50k rd
-how do i get it off?!? now slide seems stuck internally
- it's serialized frame and barrel, does that mean a replacement is ffl item?

totally caught by surprise, bullet started impacting about 2 ft right. I noticed that the rear site which operates on a spring and plunger was loose and then notice the very obvious crack. why would both the slide detent plunger loosen ,and frame crack simultaneously

First, even though that "30-50k" is a very wide estimate, have you ever changed out the recoil spring?
I would hazard a guess that the manual recommends a new spring every 5k.
Second, as my experiences with Walther products have shown, they are notorious for slide failures. Especially true of the P22.
Next item of interest. How many of the 30-50k have been reloaded ammo? Manufacturers do not like anything of reloaded persuasion and there are many factory loaded brands they don't care much for either.
"........why would both the slide detent plunger loosen and frame crack simultaneously "
"......... now slide seems stuck internally"
I am going on record here that the possibility of an over pressure round may be the culprit of the entire situation.

 

[johnfkingmatrix]

First, even though that "30-50k" is a very wide estimate, have you ever changed out the recoil spring?
I would hazard a guess that the manual recommends a new spring every 5k.
Second, as my experiences with Walther products have shown, they are notorious for slide failures. Especially true of the P22.
Next item of interest. How many of the 30-50k have been reloaded ammo? Manufacturers do not like anything of reloaded persuasion and there are many factory loaded brands they don't care much for either.
"........why would both the slide detent plunger loosen and frame crack simultaneously "
"......... now slide seems stuck internally"
I am going on record here that the possibility of an over pressure round may be the culprit of the entire situation.

are you saying if walther asks, the correct answer is that i change the spring every 4999 rd and its exclusively factory ammo?

 

[shoot4fun]

are you saying if walther asks, the correct answer is that i change the spring every 4999 rd and its exclusively factory ammo?

I'm saying they will know the truth no matter what you tell them.
They will ask that you send them the pistol for inspection and repair rather than send you parts.
I am afraid the litigious society we live in forces things to be done differently than in "the good old days".

 

[johnfkingmatrix]

gotcha lol. while I do reload and i never mess with the spring... i honestly didnt notice any overpressure or issues. was just another range sesh. the last 10k of that 30-50k was all berrys 115g 4.7g hp38. i have bulk and there really isnt much room for double charging that without an evident overflow, nor do i own other pistol powders or have other weight 9mm floating around that isn't like a lead hard cast bear round. literally just massive tubs of 1 recipe for range

i have taken a Catastrophic excursion once with a rifle reload i did, that cost me a barrel..
so yeah thats why it was baffling

thank you for your ongoing assistance

i will heed the advice and reach out to walther about how to best proceed, before trying to monkey the slide off

thanks all

 

[Bill Rodolph]

Federal law states that you can return a firearm to the manufacturer or gunsmith for repair and they can return it direct to you. No FFL involved. California and state laws may have other ideas. I don't know.

 

[Sniperhandle]

Send them the slide with a note, It's broke and junk anyway, If they don't send you a new one, It doesn't really matter, All you lost was a junk slide.

They are well aware that the slides are junk, Here's a google search with plenty of them.

walther ppq cracked slide - Google Search