When posters describe dirty ammo, does it mean that the cartridges are dirty -- or does it mean that they leave dirty residue in the chamber/barrel of the gun? I have an unused brick of Thunderbolts, which have been described as dirty by some forum members. They appear to be no different from other lead bullets I have in other brands. I'm hesitant to use them though.

All it means is that you will get some residue form the powder after firing. It has nothing to do with how clean the outside of the case or bullet is. Built up powder residue can cause various issues, but it is very easy to clean out of a gun. Remington thunderbolts are pretty dirty but you have absolutely no reason not to shoot them. They will just leave behind more residue than some other brands will.

Dirty AMMO is in reference to the amount of fouling left from the bullets discharge residual. Left in the internals of the firearm including the barrel, chamber and bolt. You also may notice more smoke from the discharge of your barrel. Some ammo does have a waxy or greasy fell to the externals of the cartridge.

Yes, it refers to residue or unburnt powder after firing.
It can build up inside the action and cause problems with
fail to feeds, fail to extract, etc....
Some brands just burn cleaner and have less residual
effects after firing than others.
In my autoloaders i have had good luck with the Federal
"AutoMatch" ammo in my .22's
I'm sure there are other good ones as well.
Hope this helps,

Chuck

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They hold no Quarter

They are talking about a residue left on the weapon, All ammo does this to some extent some just a little more than others. I always wipe down or clean my firearms after shooting, it's just part of shooting. As far as using the Thunderbolts, I would just use them particularly with the present ammo situation, if you still feel uncertain about using them send them my way, I'll take them off your hands and dispose them for you.

like MWC2068 said, all 22lr ammo is dirty to a point, some leave more resideue than others, it all comes down to how often you want to clean the rifle, and how much you shoot. I find some brands i can shoot a couple k before cleaning, and some leave the rifle nasty after 500 rds or so. Price is also not always a factor in how clean the rounds will be.
I seem to have best luck with federal, cci, and some aguila.

Last year my wife and I were at Cabelas (or Gander Mtn) and they had a good price on Thunderbolt bricks. After reading many complaints about the ammo, I was very hesitant in buying. But, 22LR was so hard to find... I figured I'd give them a try anyway so we bought two bricks. A week later, I hadn't tried the Thunderbolts yet, and we found two more Thunderbolts at a good price (around $20) at the same store. we bought two more bricks.

A couple of weeks later we finally had a chance to try them... they worked just fine in our 617s.

Bring a brush with you to the range and check your barrel once in a while, they might just be fine.

Will

I'm a big proponent of cleaning your firearms after every range trip. It keeps them in tip-top condition and you get to learn the inter-workings much better. I totally get not everyone has the time to (no kids here yet!), but if you can make the time, do.

I've had no problems with any kind of ammo in the 15-22, "dirty" brand or not. As many have said here, dirty ammo leads to build up (fouling/wax/grease/powder/etc.) A clean weapon is a happy weapon!

I've shot 3,000+ Thunderbolts through my M&P 15-22 Rifle and M&P 22 Pistol over the last year. After shooting 250-300 rounds or so I clean my guns and experience "0" problems. I use a little Gun Scrubber and then some BreakFree with a bore snake being careful near the Extractor on the 15-22.

RP

The issue I had with Thunderbolts was leading of the bore. Thirty rounds down my Ruger mk3 and rounds were key holing. It was a pain to clean up. When .22lr ammo was plentiful, I'd stay away from Thunderbolts. Today, it would be difficult to turn away from any .22lr ammo.

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-John

A few ago my brother got invited to go on a dove shoot at a Mexican ranch. He was told to bring shotguns only, no ammo. The ranch furnished that. He took two Remington 1100s, a 12 and a 20. The furnished shells were Mexican made Remington's.
After only a day or two, those shells completed destroyed the gas seal o rings in both guns. He finished the hunt with a borrowed over/under.
Now that is dirty ammo!

I recently experienced dirty while shooting a CVA magbolt 150 during black powder deer hunting. If I didn't run a patch through after every 3-5 shots the bullet drop was massive. I have heard complaints about Aguilar interceptors(made in mexico) being dirty and smelling funny. I bought some of these and some supermax for the listed velocity. Can't beat CCI minimag for clean shooting 22lr.

FWIW, a week ago I had the first squib load in a lifetime of shooting all kinds of .22 ammo. The culprit - Remington Thunderbolts. By coincidence, another member of the Maryland Shooters board found an unfired Thunderbolt in a brick he had that had a sort of crescent-shaped gash in the side and (naturally) no powder. Another squib waiting to happen.

I wouldn't have bought Thunderbolt, or indeed any Remington ammo, if it weren't for the shortage. I've had it with the stuff, and won't be using the 300 or so rounds I've got left on my hands. I've still got to clear the barrel of my Ruger Mark II of the obstacle the stuff left in it.

BTW, in my experience most Remington ammo is "dirty". Give me almost anything else.