My cousin bought a 15-22 last July (2017). This piece of junk has had light strikes since the outset. It was going to be his steel challenge gun, but we could never get the thing to run reliably, and over the winter he built up a beast of a 10-22 for that. We have another match we shoot which is a knockdown match, and that requires a 25rd magazine. Well, his 10-22 doesn't have any 25rd mags that it doesn't eventually choke on at least once in a 5 set match. So I told him he needs to use his Smith 15 for that. We pulled it back out, threw a C-More on it, got it cleaned up good again, and same result.

Its on its 2nd firing pin. Chamber is clean, firing pin channel is clean. Doesn't matter what ammo, we've put plenty of stuff through it from Aguila to CCI. After you clean it, its good for 100rds and the light strikes begin. I don't want to dog on the model anymore, because I watched a bunch of folks shooting the same gun with utter reliability, but his gun straight sucks. And always has. Must have been built on a Monday or Friday or something. I don't know if his bolt is is bored shallow to where the pin doesn't have as much travel or what.

Seems like someone came out with a new firing pin for a 15-22 in the last few months. Anyone know who that was. We're to the point to where we'll try just about anything to make this thing better than a 2-7 shot rifle. Frustrating as can be. He could always send it back to Smith, but they are going to run 40-50rds through it and call it good. Thats not going to work. Shoot, it took 4 calls to them just to get the right person that would send out a new pin the first time around instead of requesting the whole gun be sent in. In the end, that may be what it needs, but I've got zero faith in that working out.

...then send it back so that it will be ready to clog up. Include how many rounds had been fired because they may say, "Well, you need to clean it."

It's hardly any good to you know. If it's in warranty that work usually goes through there within a few weeks.

The firing pin channel may be rough or small.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Send it back to S&W.

Other than time and packing it up, it won't cost you anything to have them look at it. I had one that would not fire Federal ammo reliably. Well, a few measurements latter and I found the one that didn't like Federal breach's face was slightly too deep compared to my other ones.

I sent it back to S&W and I guess they agreed since they returned to me with a new bolt. It fired everything reliably after that. The other 4 I own never had a problem with ignition as long as the ammo was good.

He probably should have done that the first day when the extractor blew out of it. But he's a testy one, and just kept badgering them to send him a new extractor. Same thing on the first time it started with the light strikes. May just tell him he needs to bite the bullet and do it.