Feed problems M&P 22

[Magload]

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

 

[drmweaver2]

VERY frustrating day

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....

 

[Ranger17]

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....

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.

 

[Magload]

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.

 

[nrz]

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!!!

 

[drmweaver2]

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!!!

 

[Ranger17]

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.

 

[Ranger17]

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!!!

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.

 

[Bayoutalker]

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

 

[garyez]

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.

 

[Paul D Heppner]

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 ***.

 

[Magload]

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.

 

[18DAI]

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

 

[drmweaver2]

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......

 

[bob98366]

another new M&P22 data point

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.

 

[drmweaver2]

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.

 

[Nitrothunder]

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!

 

[drmweaver2]

200 rounds, 2 minor problems

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.

 

[Ranger17]

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.

 

[drmweaver2]

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.