Just got back from the range where I ran into repeated feed/ejection problems with my M&P 22LR (not the compact model).

Out of about 200 rounds, I must have had a dozen feed problems. The slide either didn't feed at all or only partially fed a round into the chamber. In half of those cases, the round "stood up" out of the ejection hole.

In other cases, the round simply didn't enter the chamber.

And then there were about a half dozen failure-to-eject issues, most of which resulted in double-feeds/double-feed failures.

This is a nearly-new M&P 22, only had it a week and a half and has only had about 200 rounds put through it prior to today. All 5 of my magazines are brand new S&W originals.

Thoughts?

All the same ammo?

Cliff

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Cliff
Shield 9mm

Yep. All Remington Golden Bullet Value Pack, Brass-plated Hollow Points. Purchased because it was inexpensive (~$.05/round) and I thought Remington was a name-brand.

Try something else. I've had brands of ammo that for some reason don't work well in some guns. Not that there is something wrong with what you have, it just might not be compatible with that gun.

Cliff

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Cliff
Shield 9mm

My M&P FS 22 can be picky. Just because it is good ammo your gun might not like it. I would hope you field stripped and cleaned and oiled if according to the manual. I shoot weekly with a bunch of old guys and we compete against each other will 22LR pistols. It doesn't mater the make or model they all have ammo they don't like. I shoot the M&P FS 22, Ruger III Competition, and the S&W Victory, and a Beretta U22 and they all have something they don't like to eat.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

This is a "real thing"? Seriously...???

Hmm. Never considered the pistol might be "picky". I'm a new guy and would never have thought that a commercially produced weapon wouldn't shoot all commercially available ammo in its caliber.

Do a search on this forum and you will see many discussions on different guns that just don't work well with certain ammo. What doesn't work in one may well be the best in another.

Cliff

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Cliff
Shield 9mm

You believe that and you are dreaming. That is why when we get new SD guns we run a lot of ammo through them to make real sure they like what we are feeding them.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

Anyone know anything about an MP22 CA. Recently purchased one and at the range today had an issue with the slide jumping off the frame on recoil. Ammo was CCI 22 mini mag 40Gr. Switched to 37 Gr still intermittent issue. Any thoughts?

I had to learn this about .22's when i started several years ago as well. Found it was best to buy and try a couple boxes of various brands/styles to see what each pistol worked best with. Now i only buy what works well and leave what does not.
My knowledge is still pretty basic but i believe part of the trouble many can have with 22lr is due to how rimfire works vs centerfire (ie 9mm, 40, etc). Next time you take your 22 to the range take a look at the fired casings and see the markings where they were hit. You probably will see some variation and mix that with how those rounds could be loaded and you can get an idea on why some issues could pop up.
Now for me on my S&W 9's, i am heading to 3000 total rounds fired thru 3 different MP models with zero ammo issues. So i have only seen potential ammo issues on 22's.
Good luck!

Ummm, kinda slow here...Can you amplify what you mean here?

Sorry as i know it can be explained better by others. On a .22 casing thats been fired you may see the mark of impact off to the side, on the edge, etc and not in a uniform and exact location. So if the rounds are not loaded or built at the factory to exact uniform specs some may not fire the first time. Or if the ammo is dirty it could stick instead of ejecting cleanly. Failure to fire and failure to eject are the main issues.
On higher caliber rounds that are 'centerfire' like 9mm you can see that firing impact in the center each time. I assume those rounds are in general built to better specs than average plinking .22 rounds.
Again apologies as i have an idea on what to say but likely dont put it on paper correctly lol.
Long story short is .22 can and will be finicky but can be worked thru

I get the sense of what you are saying now. Didn't think to look at the troublesome round casings. I will next time.

Thanks for the idea.

You are one of the lucky ones. Most people that I know have found a brand or two that just doesn't work well in their gun. I have had several 22lr pistols and they have all had an issue with some ammo. I believe consistency is the culprit. Some companies seem to hold better tolerances in their 22 ammo. I've seen a few through the years that the bullet is crooked in the case for example. For most people it is just an inconvenience since they are not using it for defense.

Cliff

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Cliff
Shield 9mm

My M&P22 has had no malfunctions with CCI MiniMags, but when I recently tried some Federal AutoMatch, it gave me about a 10% malfunction rate (failures to feed, failures to eject).

I only have about 500 rounds through the pistol. I will probably try the Federal again after running another 500 rounds to see if the thing loosens up a bit.

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MP40FS,MP40C,MP22
NRA,ISRA

I have had some similar problems as well. I try to use the high velocity 22lr ammo and it seems to help. The gun can be pickey but I have never worried to much about it. It's just for plinking anyway. CCI Mini Mags run flawless in my gun but are hard to find in these parts.

Another 5-6 misfires/failure to ejects out of ~170 rounds today.
I've got too many of the same type of Remington rounds left to just throw them out or not shoot them, so I guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and deal with it.

It does throw off my shooting rhythm, that's for sure.

Buy a few of a different kind to see if that is the problem. If it is, shoot these for plinking. If it doesn't fix the problem, call S&W.

Cliff

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Cliff
Shield 9mm

Just buy a gun that will shoot them. Sounds like a good excuse to buy another gun to me.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

My Buckmark didnt like Remington and can have issues with some Federal. A handful of issues in an hour range time is not out of the question with that ammo. Mini mags and std velocity is near perfect in it though.
My S&W compact 22 has near 600 rounds thru it with zero ammo issues so is what i use to clean out the ammo stock that my Buckmark left behind lol.
I also save ammo that gives me trouble for other family members to try and use up as well.

Seems if there is any consistency among .22lr it's that it can and will vary not only on ammo brand but gun brand for how well it works. And it can take some range time to determine what works best in your setup.

I save stuff that won't group well for friends and family the stuff that don;r feed goes in my Savage bolt action.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

Went out to shoot the M&P 22LR again today....

I wound up shooting only ~60 rounds/5 magazines due to maxing out my frustration level pretty quickly.

Of those ~60 rounds, I probably had 1/3 of them malfunction via refusal to feed properly, failure to eject properly, stovepiping and feeding the first round of a magazine up into the ejection port rather than into the chamber.

As I said, I used 5 different magazines..5. So it shouldn't be either a magazine malfunction issue or an issue with the type of round itself. I was using Remington's btw.

I got so frustrated I simply packed up and left the range.

On the drive home, I figured, what the heck, maybe I'll take it to a gunsmith and see what he has to say. Drove 65 miles to one and had him look at it. 5 minutes in the back room and he comes out and says "nothing wrong with this pistol"... and I was dissapointed!

So, now I'm stuck. I have a pistol I no longer have any confidence in and am wondering what to do with it/where to go from here.

I'm even considering sending it via UPS to the S&W CEO with a note saying, "Here. It's yours. You keep it. I wanted to like it but it won't fire consistently for me though a gunsmith says it works fine."

Yes, I am serious about the last comment....

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USPSA A_97882

Unfortunately the moral of this story may be to try other ammo. As we've noted, .22 can be finicky and just because one person can run said ammo just fine, another will not.
Pick up some CCI mini mags or their Standard Velocity, try some Federal automatch or champ, etc (all are normally available at places like Gander, Cabelas, etc if not locally) and see what your results are.
This doesnt mean Remington is bad ammo, just means it may not work in your gun.

Or get your thumb off the slide while shooting. Have you had someone else shoot it? How many brands of 22LR have you tried. I don't know if one can limp wrist a 22LR but I would expect so.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

You never addressed the question of the cleaning and lubing the firearm per the owners manual, was that done? I picked up and own the same gun, on the recommendation of the internet and it's history for being reliable. I'll be the first to admit I never read the manual and didn't think much to clean it before shooting it the first time and I had a ton of issues with mine. I cleaned it, sorted it, and it runs like a top now (the factory lube is cement I'm sure of this). Sure, I get a hang up every now and than but that's to be expected with .22 ammo and the semi auto design of a firearm. Currently I've been running CCI standard velocity through my gun, as I have a bunch of it, and it works very well. I've shot some Federal bulk from it as well and I had a couple more hang ups. .22 is also very dirty, and with the amount of rounds your shooting you should be cleaning it every range trip.

Good luck and don't give up on it!! Nothing is more fun then dumping a mag through that gun in rapid fire for only $0.50 compared to a few bucks for a centerfire gun!!!

I have cleaned the pistol... before firing it the first time and then twice since then with less than 300 rounds shot. Yesterday's session was worse than previous sessions in terms of failure rate.

I hate to "throw away" the remaining 1300 rounds of Remington I have - already bought and paid for. And no, I don't know anyone I can give or sell it to. I'm actually a solo shooter kinda guy.

I guess I'll havta go waste some money on some CCI and/or Federal just to test your theory about "the pistol wants what it wants and refuses to shoot anything else".

I hate doing that - I REALLY REALLY DO. It's just a mechanical piece of "machinery" made to specific tolerances; the ammo should meet those physical tolerances size-wise and therefore ought to at least feed into the chamber correctly 99.999999999% of the time. Failure to eject may be a different issue, but failure to feed into the chamber...that one really has my 'nads in a twist.

I'm very upset about this... probably past the point of reasonable emotional reaction. Sigh.

FWIW, this "angst" is only excerbated by the fact that I have run nearly 1000 rounds through my SD9VE in the same period of time I've owned the .22 with zero failures of any type. If only shooting it was not so expensive!!!

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USPSA A_97882

doesn't mean you have to "throw away" the Remington, nor does it mean you have to buy large qty's of other brands. CCI mini mags can generally be available in 100ct boxes in the $8-9 area, Fed Automatch in 325 ct boxes for anywhere from $18-25 per box. I dont know your location and if your convenient to a Cabelas or Gander Mt to take advantage of their free ship to store, but if not those have reasonable (and at times) free ship to home. Other stores/chains do as well.
If nothing else, maybe some more rounds thru it (breaking it in per say) may help to get the Rem to run better as well. Or work out a deal with someone at the range you shoot at (unless you are on private property). I'd almost guarantee someone would take the ammo you cant use. And if multiple brands still dont work then contact S&W.
But what you are going thru i'd venture to say many of us have as well, regardless of gun brand when it comes to .22LR. It is something to work thru until you either find what is best or if you cant then walk away and try centerfire rounds.

Again that is tied to cartridge design as they are totally different in how they function and with lower cost ammo in potentially how they perform and their tolerances. I've gone thru nearly 3k rounds in my MP 9's with 0 issues. Though as i tend to buy my 9mm range ammo for around .20 or so each for new name brand, i dont mind so much tearing thru a couple boxes of that either.

I have 2 Ruger 22lr Mark IVs bought in 1976. One of them feeds fine with most ammo with only an occasional hiccup. The other one just doesn't like certain ammo. You just need to find what works best and stick with it.

The ammo you have now won't be a problem to move on. Watch for someone at the store buying 22 ammo and ask them if they are interested.

Cliff

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Cliff
Shield 9mm

Can understand drmweaver2's frustration. I have a M&P 15-22 rifle with a stovepipe problem every 8-10 rounds but my M&P 22 full size handgun that is 6 months old and been through over 600 rounds is a joy to shoot. 100 of those bullets have been Remington GBs and except for the low velocity ammo @ 1085 fps I tried the GBs have been the only high velocity ammo that's given me a few failure to feeds. Also, had one GB casing get stuck in the chamber and had to pry it out with a knife. But then GBs have a reputation for being bulk ammo of variable quality so maybe you just got a bad batch. Overall, I'd say the GBs had about a 15% failure rate in my M&P 22 handgun. So my advice is to try a high velocity ammo of better quality.

Have e-mailed S&W customer service about my rifle and they said that the brake-in period is 400 rounds and they won't take a gun in for service before then. The same might apply to their handguns.

drmweaver2, I too have an M&P22. Its main function in life is dispatch work on the trap line. When I have a coyote jumping around trying to make an escape the gun has to work RIGHT NOW. I have put thousands of rounds through the thing (I like to shoot a lot, from a few feet to about 25 yards). The only ammo that has ever given me any issues has been Remington GB, both solid and hollow point. I won't use it, EVER, in any of my guns. None of my buddies will either. IMHO it is pure junk ammo. It is the only 22 ammo I have ever used where the lead slug is actually loose in the case. Take a few and check it out. The case does not have a tight grip on the heal of the slug. How can this possibly be any good for feeding into the chamber when the slug is flopping around. The ammo of choice in my M&P is CCI, my Model 41 is SK Hi Velocity HP or for target work CCI standard velocity, my 617 likes CCI Mini Mag and my Model 17 likes the SK ammo. My squirrel rifle (a Remington 541S) uses the SK with the CCI HP as back-up. The Winchester ammo always works and is ok accurate. Federal always feeds and is ok accurate but occasionally won't fire even after several hits.

Don't take this the wrong way or be offended, but your first mistake was blindly buying a large quantity of a particular ammo (doesn't matter what manufacturer) without buying small quantities of several varieties to see what actually works in your gun. You mention tolerances and how if everything is made to spec it has to work. Well as a mechanical design engineer, I will be the first to tell you that sometimes the tolerances work for you and sometimes they just don't. Believe me and everyone else, some gun/ammo combinations work, some don't.

Now just about every person that has responded to your initial post has given you some sage advise. Just try some different ammo and get yourself a revolver to burn up the Remington ***.

You can spend big dollars on a competition 22LR pistol and find there is a lot of ammo it don't like. You might buy a cheap gun that eats anything it is the nature of the beast with these 22lr pistols. You don't want failures buy a revolver. Save those GBs and use them it it. I have 5 22LR pistols and one 22LR revolver and I can tell you they all have some ammo they don't like BUT they get better with age.

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USN Retired/VN VET
M&P X5

At the local indoor range I work part time at, we have taken the m&p 22 out of the rental case. Too much aggravation having customers constantly bringing it back for FTFs and FTEs.

Pot metal malfuntion drill piece is all it is now. Regards 18DAI

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

As I've said, I appreciate all responses and advice.
As far as "...first mistake was blindly buying a large quantity of a particular ammo (doesn't matter what manufacturer) without buying small quantities of several varieties to see what actually works in your gun..." and your/my comment on tolerances go... shrug. Can't argue with definition of the word or concept of the word "tolerance".. It is what it is...

But, seriously, given a choice of buying a $.05/round brick or a $.15/round 50 bullet pack, I chose the less expensive and figured it would work just the same way I choose bicycle tubes (I was a competitor for years). I guess I got burned by the industry's perception of allowable tolerances and manufacturing inconsistencies. I never claimed to be a genius or knowledgeable about the vagaries of the .22LR world.. kind ahow I got myself into this situation. Actually, I'm somewhat amazed that this situation is accepted by so many but have no idea how it would be changed by consumers; so I'll have to live with it also.

Moving on......

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USPSA A_97882

Sorry about your issues. We recently bought a M&P22 to go with our M&P9 and M&P40S&W. Have shot 600 rounds, unfortunately no Remington. But, 400 rounds were 45 year old Western Super X yellow box that my dad bought in the 1970's. These had previously not fired well in a Ruger 22 pistol, but the M&P ate 398 with gusto and only failed to eject 2. With 200 rounds of new ammo (100 rounds each of CCI and Winchester) there were zero failures of any kind.

So some thoughts: The factory "lube" was heavy grease and unless you've already specifically addressed cleaning the firing pin and extractor, recommend using an aerosol can of brake cleaner (same thing as gun scrubber if you read the ingredients) to liberally squirt into the firing pin chamber and extractor areas. Then use a CLR (Gunzilla in my case) everywhere and wipe off the excess. Since feeding is an issue, if you haven't already disassembled and cleaned the magazines recommend that also. The magazine that came with mine had enough gunk inside it to inhibit the follower. Good luck.

Appreciate the encouragement. The gun's been cleaned and lubed, twice by me, once by a gunsmith. I plan on shooting some CCI later this week. We'll see.

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USPSA A_97882

I've had the occasional "burp" with my MP22 also. It seems 22LR guns can be pickier than their centerfire kin when it comes to different brands of ammo. After a few feed problems I now also give each magazine a tap on the bottom rear to settle ammo after loading. I've noticed my gun likes to be kept clean and lubricated. It gets picky the dirtier it gets. Nothing terrible, but it tells you when it wants to be cleaned!

Okay.. I know everyone has been waiting breathlessly for me to slink back with my tail between my legs and say "ya'll were right". So, here it is, such as it is.

I finally got back to the range and shot something other than the Remington rounds that caused me so much trouble. It's really nice to be able to shoot and not worry about jams, misfires or FTE's.

I shot 100 rounds each of CCI Standard Velocity, LRN and Federal Premium HV Match Gold Medal. Only 2 minor non-perfect feed/eject problems.

Here're the target results, plus however many rounds (#4, lower left target) of the Remington when it was't causing issues last time out.


So, you guys appear to have been correct. This particular M&P .22LR doesn't like Remingtons. I'm still amazed by that, but that amazement is due to ignorance on my part, obviously. Shoot and learn, I guess.

I'm going to try some Aguila next - being the cheap old ******* that I am.

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USPSA A_97882

Glad to see an update, and that you're finding some good results with other ammo. Being newer to the sport I too have had a lot to learn, heck I am still learning and improving. As for .22LR as has been well noted, there are just so many variables in what works and what doesn't. I've even had my luck vary in the same brand/style ammo (bought a can with 5 bulk boxes of Fed Champ, 3 boxes went fine and a couple others a little more spotty).
Only suggestion I'd make at this point, at least in what I did in the beginning, is to continue trying various rounds just a box or two at a time. As you see what truly works well in your particular gun, you'll know what ammo to purchase and then can maybe start to build a little extra stock for range time.

* edit: I'll note my first .22 was a '50's era Colt Challenger handed down thru family a few years ago. Runs well but at that age is finicky. Picked up a new Buckmark shortly after which overall is a great gun but yes has ammo it just doesn't like to eat (inc Remington). In the past year i picked up a new SW compact .22, which as it turns out has eaten anything I've fed it with 0 issues. Maybe not as accurate as the BM, but is a fun toy that helps go thru ammo stock that otherwise i may be sitting on. I'm likely not the only one on here, who has multiple .22's, that finds each has their own strengths for ammo use. Maybe someday you'll find yourself on the same list.

As noted in another thread of mine, I've now found more ammo possibilities for my pistol use. I shot 200 rounds of Aguila's with no issues. They were at least as accurate as my current skill level and performed as well as could be hoped for. It's nice to not have to worry about ammo-induced malfunctions or stoppages.

Maybe I'll get over the feeling of disappointment about the REmington's... but for now it lingers with me. It shouldn't matter now that I have found 4 different "workable solutions" but I'm having trouble forgetting about the Remingtons.

Maybe I need more beer.

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USPSA A_97882

Just move on and accept it as a normal thing. Of course a cold beer can't hurt.

Cliff

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Cliff
Shield 9mm

Back to update this fwiw...

Decided to try some Remington T-bolts that I'd stuck in the back of the closet after my earlier problems with Remingtons. Since I tested other ammo and finally switched to shooting mostly Aguila SE/SV and SE/HV and Federal Champion Match, I've put about 2000 more rounds through the M&P 22LR and had few to no problems with that ammo.

Shot 180 rounds of the T-bolts today and had only 1 problem - a stovepipe. Maybe the pistol decided it's been broken in now so it'll "be nice"....??? Who knows? I will probably finish off this 500 round box sometime this week and then will gamble with/try shooting the rest of the Remingtons (Golden ???) I still have still stuck in the back corner of that closet.

Like I said, not sure why I'm updating this.... but there it is.

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USPSA A_97882

Never hurts to try again now that you have gone thru plenty of rounds. If it's serious practice time I wouldn't spend it using stuff that has a history of issues; but if there's any general "play" time at the range, a few mags worth here and there may help go thru that Rem stock you still have.
And knowing it "could" still be temperamental ammo for you, it may not be as frustrating as it was in the beginning. At least you know the pistol is good, that was probably the most critical part in this exercise you had to go thru. And glad to hear you've had success with other rounds.

Might as well use them up even if they cause a bit of aggravation. They may work better as the gun loosens up too.

Cliff

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Cliff
Shield 9mm

Could also be a bad lot of ammo. With today's mass production of 5 cents per shell plus high demand for .22 . I've had few issues with Remington. With the Aguila I've had out of a box of 50 about half the box fail to fire or eject. And that was after about 1500-2000rds thru my m&p .22 compact. Look up .22 ammo reviews with your pistol on YouTube. this may best explain the reason for your malfunctions. Don't give up on the pistol yet. Love mine it's great for the wife and kids, plus cheep to shoot. Clean often to prevent leading up in barrel. Mine starts tumbling around 700rds. I've used Remington .22 thunder bolt 500 bricks. Maybe 20 bad rounds per box.
Good luck and happy shooting!

drmweaver2, a word of advice about those T-bolts. I've never used them because I use mostly copper plated .22 ammo in my full size M&P. But I've read allot of complaints from some shooters, especially those who do rapid fire, about T-bolts causing excessive lead fouling in the bores of semi-autos. So if it was my pistol, I would be sure to check out the barrel after every range session with the T-bolts.

The 2 posts just above/previous to this one illustrate the difficulty with having confidence in any ammo/pistol combo. One guy has zero issues; the next one has numerous issues. That was my problem when I started this thread - conflicting stories and little personal experience other than being a cheap old ba**ard.

The T-bolts fired yesterday had no issues. I think the Remington Golden whatevers were the ones that were causing me the problem - similar boxes and I don't remember specifically now. So, I've found alternatives to the Remingtons (both of them) but still have what I bought and intend to shoot through eventually.

Regarding the T-bolts leaving lead behind in the barrel, I've read about that. So, as advised, I'll clean the barrel each time I shoot them now. No big deal.

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USPSA A_97882

I've got a bucket 1400 hundred of the hollow points. I hope I don't have the issues you've had. Nothing wrong with being cheep. Just finding the cheapest that works for you.
Good luck and happy shooting