I just acquired a 5 screw M1955 Kit Gun Airweight (pre M43).

While researching holsters for the gun I came across this article which made mention of problems with the gun not firing in DA.

Shooting with Hobie

My original thread is below, the heading is "Holster and questions about the M43 Airweight" and one of our members stated he has also seen the occurrence described.

Holster and questions about the M43 Airweight

I realize my pre M43 is an I frame but it seems the evidence, lthough anecdotal" concerns both variations, I & J frames.

I am curious to know if anyone else has ever had problems firing a .22 in an I or J frame when fired using double action mode.

thanks, Rob

I have only fired a few hundred rounds from my I frame 22. It has not had any failures to fire in DA. Failures to fire in .22lr ammunition is common with some of the cheap stuff. Remington .22 ammo is the worst and well known for it's poor priming.

__________________
Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

I agree with the Remington miss-fires. At one time, at our local small bullseye club, we were accumulating all the Remington miss-fires to present to a Remington Rep which came to town. After a couple hundred from the same case we gave up, and have not used it since. I do not seem to have had this same experience with my Model 63. It is as reliable in double action as in single action.

__________________
H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Is it possible due to "limp wristing" an airweight gun? Just asking.

__________________
Dick

Limp wristing? OK I'll bite... is that not holding a gun tight enough so the firing pin energy is not completely transferred to the cartridge, some of it moves the gun backwards?

Don't know how common it is , but certainly more so than the Kframe 22's or any of the centerfires. Just do a search.

My worse offender is a 1974 mod 34-1. It only takes 3 cylinder fulls shot until the misfires start. I have recently changed the firing pin (which incidently measured shorter than the original one) and it is doing better. The firing pin spring looked to be set in crooked, so I was careful to put it back straight, and cleaning the firing pin hole I believe helped too. I have fired a couple boxes through it since and it is now less prone to misfires.

My 4 digit model 1953 2" kit gun has misfired, but on the order of one or two per box. A mid 60's 2" does about the same. My mod 63 has yet to have a misfire. All examples have tight chambers except the 63, and shells fall in and out of it nicely. I gotta believe tight chambers is a major culprit.


Charlie

I have owned 2 S&W 34's and shot several others quite a bit without issue. It is common knowledge that the Taurus J frames are prone to snap's in DA.

Something like that.

__________________
Dick

I have never heard of limp-wristing being applied to the function of a revolver.

Centerfire semi-autos of the polymer frame variety, yes.

My Model 63 has fired DA flawlessly, fast or slow. I also have a Rossi Model 511 from back in the '80's. It was intended to be a copy of the Model 63 and works great single action with excellent accuracy. Double action, however, is next to worthless...you may get 2 or 3 out of a cylinder to fire at best, with any sort of ammunition you care to try.

No thoughts on Remington ammo because I don't use it. I have several I-frame .22s and have shot most of them. Mostly I shoot single action, but double action shooting has not produced any misfires for me. For the most part I put various kinds of Aguila or sometimes German match ammo through these small guns.

It wouldn't be hard to get a misfire out of a timing problem. Only part of the firing pin needs to strike outside of the recessed cartridge rim in order to be blocked from igniting the primer.

__________________
David Wilson

I currently own two Model 43s and sold off a third. All three have/had numerous misfires with any ammo when firing double action. I'm with the theory that the alloy cylinder absorbs enough of the hammer energy to make the guns unreliable. The first 43 had spring changes, firing pins replaced, and end shake adjusted but nothing solved the misfire problem.

My 63s, 34 and 317 are all 100% even though the 317 is all alloy. Maybe I should try a 317 firing pin in the 43 to see if that helps.

I don't have a .22 revolver so I can't address your specific question, but .22 ammo is not as reliable as it used to be (come to think of it, what is?) I now pull the bullet on any .22 misfire I experience. Without exception, if you dump the powder and peer down the case, you will see the priming compound is distributed in a horseshoe or "U" shape, and is missing from the area where the firing pin hit is. Really burns my biscuits!

I can't comment on Remington ammo either way, but I will say that when I shot NRA Bullseye I used CCI standard velocity exclusively because I NEVER had a misfire with it. That's just my experience.

Back in the early '70s, I shot on a Navy/Marine smallbore rifle team and we used Remington standard velocity .22 LR. It was very inconsistant-some was loud, some was quiet, some didn't go off. Of course, it was bought on government bid!

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I've had this 34-1 since the 70s and don't recall ever having a DA ftf. However, I've had LOTS of duds with Remington 22 ammo in all kinds of 22s. This is old info as I haven't bought Remington brand in many years. The guys at Rimfire Central still (by-and-large) think it's of poor quality. I have good luck with Federal and especially WW Power Points.