22 mis fires

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  • happysmitie

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 10, 2016
    75
    8
    crawfordsville
    happened this wk end at range with my mk 2 22/45 ruger . it has been sighted in with rws 22 lead heads standard velocity . i picked up several bxs of this ammo several years ago ( have some more recent ammo of the same type .)

    this ammo i was using was 18 years old , BUT has been kept in controlled condition .... no direct sunlight, with moisture absorber used. will take the same ammo to range , when time permits , to try in a semi auto ruger of same type.

    questions : is 22 ammo prone to going bad over time ?
    " would the brand off ammo make any difference ?

    asking these questions because i have used center firs ammo that was old , and kept in the same conditions , without problems !

    thanks in advance !
     

    oldpink

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 7, 2009
    6,660
    63
    Farmland
    It sounds as if you properly stored your ammo to keep it from deteriorating.
    Most people believe that rimfire ammo is more prone to deterioration than centerfire ammo, there's plenty of inexpensive Winchester and Remington .22 LR ammo that fired the first time every time, even though decades old.
    You're using upper tier ammo, thus less likely to be a quality control issue, so I'd look to the handgun first, starting with shooting some other type of ammo to see if that changes anything, then going for a limited breakdown (the MK2 is notorious for being tough to take down all the way, and even harder to reassemble) to thoroughly clean the firing pin and its channel and spring.
    See if a good cleaning helps, then try again.
     

    halfmileharry

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    65   0   0
    Dec 2, 2010
    11,450
    99
    South of Indy
    Ammo can deteriorate but...
    It may just be one batch or lot of it.
    May be a dirty firing system in the gun
    May be a problem with the gun.
    I've got some old, tarnished, sat in a metal cabinet in the barn for the last 25 years, oxidized .22 LR, L, and short ammo. Brands are CCI, Winchester Wildcat, Federal, and even some weird crimped nose assumed bird shot.
    I shoot this stuff all the time and haven't had one single misfire out of the stuff. Hell, I tried to give it to DoggyDaddy but he didn't want it. I guess some people don't like "ugly". OOPS, it might just be me that's ugly.
     

    Old Dog

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 4, 2016
    1,376
    97
    Central Indiana
    Age, storage condition, bad lot, dirty weapon can all be a cause. Recently had some old 22lr out, about half of it went bang, half did not. Passed bad ones through 3 different weapons, 2 autos and 1 revolver, just would not go bang. Used up the good stuff and disposed the non working. Sometimes it just happens.
     

    noylj

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 8, 2011
    284
    18
    It is common for there to be some dud .22s. Check the ground at the range and you'll usually see one or two with one or more primer hits.
    Happens all the time. Did enough priming compound get added? Did it get into the rim and distributed well? Did it get dried properly? Is your firing pin hitting with full force or is it getting weak or dirty?
     

    gregr

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 1, 2016
    4,300
    113
    West-Central
    I had a very similar incident in which, while squirrel hunting with my Remington 552 I had several .22 rounds misfire, costing me squirrels. The ammo was 20-25 years old, but like you, I had kept in in very controlled conditions.
     

    Bigtanker

    Cuddles
    Emeritus
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Aug 21, 2012
    21,688
    151
    Osceola
    Cleaning the firing pin and channel it real easy. Pull out the bolt, remove the recoil spring assembly and push out the cross pin that holds in the firing pin. Give it a good cleaning. Be careful not to lose the small spring that is in the channel. Clean it all up and reassemble. I don't lube anything when I put the bolt back together. A light coat on the outside of the bolt works fine. I've got a MKII with at least 15k rounds through it, probably closer to 20k. It gets cleaned about every 500-1,000 rounds or so. Misfires are really rare for me, even with cheap bulk ammo.

    I just tore down the bolt in about 10 seconds.


    Also. I keep the space where the extractor clears the barrel extremely clean. Carbon/grit can build up in there and once in a while, it can keep the bolt from closing entirely.
     
    Last edited:

    m82mike

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    18   0   0
    Nov 28, 2009
    329
    28
    Milton,In.
    I still have a bunch of old Remington 22 shorts, plain lead hollow points, that were in very old white boxes. The boxes have disintegrated, someone said they were from the 30s or 40s. They still work find in my wife's high standard 22 short semi-auto.
    We. Have not had any mis- fires, they still shoot fine.
     
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