FTF's: 2nd time out

[smoothjefe]

Hey guys, wondering if I could get some thoughts on FTF's with a brand new 15-22.
I took it out for the 1st time a week ago, had an absolute blast. Went through 150 rounds without an issue.
(forgot to clean it afterwards, though)
Took it out today, went through 100 rounds, and had about 10-12 failure-to-fires.
I spoke with the range master and he said first step is to clean it... but we also noticed that each FTF had a perfectly good strike on the primer. So he said there's a chance it could be a bad box of ammo.
On the last couple FTFs, you could see a little bit of grime/residue where it struck the primer. That's not normal, right?
Anyways I took it home, and there was a fair amount of gunk in & around the bolt, bolt face, chamber, etc. so I cleaned it very thoroughly.
Just kind of surprised because I thought I could get away with a couple hundred more rounds before cleaning it, like my Ruger 10/22.
I used CCI Mini Mags, but it was a box that I purchased online. The range master said he's heard of ammo being rushed onto the shelves due to the shortage, resulting in more bad batches.

So next week we'll see what happens... but just wondering if you guys had any thoughts... thank you!!

- Jeff

 

[smoothjefe]

Oh and the rounds I went through today were from a totally different box than the one I used last week, so that's got me wondering too but we'll see. Range master said that would be very rare to have a bad batch from CCI but it's possible.

 

[gwpercle]

22's are noted for their griming ability. 10/22's are unusual for the number of rounds that can be fired without cleaning. Most guns are best served by cleaning after every shooting session. All the little nooks and crannies in and around the bolt, firing pin, extractor and ejector need attention. If allowed to remain it gets baked on and hard to remove. I find dental picks ( or similar tools) are very good for the tight places.
Gary

 

[GhostMutt]

Could be from gross over lubrication? Lots of 'dirt' collects in the 'recess' on the bolt face where the round sits, that could be causing it? Not letting the bolt charge fully or the trigger resetting properly? The loading of the mags properly can also be an issue, try to make sure they are staggered when loading!
My number one cause of FTF's was ammo related. I get maybe one in 500 rounds nowadays, but i do clean my bolt face after every range trip.
You may have a seriously loose barrel nut?

Of course the problem could be more serious if you tried to remove the flash-hider by not clamping the barrel and instead clamping the upper...which could result in twisting the barrel.
Serious issue.

I am not an authority on any of these and i'm sure others will be able to give you more details but these are the issues i have heard of causing such problems....I hope you get it sorted out soon, so you can enjoy this excellent rifle.

 

[RedNeck Jim]

CCI usually shoots pretty clean but all 22 is dirty. I agree that over lubrication can cause a gun to gunk up quicker. It acts like a magnet.

Another thing to look for is if your hammer & trigger pins are walking. There is a J spring that holds the FCG in place, against these pins. It has been known to break & if it does, you will note the pins sticking out from the receiver (walking). That can cause FTF.

 

[Majorlk]

1 - thoroughly clean the bolt and the firing pin channel. Use an aerosol degreaser to blow all crud and lubrication out of the channel. Do it from both directions.

2 - use compressed air (90-100 psi) to dry the channel.

3 - DO NOT PUT ANY LIQUID LUBE IN THE CHANNEL. at most, squirt a little DRY lube, such as dry graphite into the channel.

Wet lube in the channel will cause problems every time.

 

[fkienast]

Try cleaning the chamber.

 

[smoothjefe]

Allright... so while cleaning out the bolt upon further inspection I found a small HOLE on the surface of it... apparently the surface got damaged somehow.
Does this mean I need to get the bolt replaced? What the hell would cause that?
(I recall one of the jams from today was a failure-to-feed that was rather tough to get out) but could that have damaged the bolt like that?

 

[GhostMutt]

Thanks everyone for the info I really appreciate it... I thoroughly cleaned the rifle and we'll see if it still has problems next week.
Just want to make sure: even if the primer had a good strike, there shouldn't be any kind of residue on the strike, right? should always be clean?

I cannot ever recall any residue left on the few light primer strikes i recently had. I took my dad shooting on Saturday, he was with the 15-22 and had one light strike, put it back in the rifle and it fired no problems.....didn't have any residue at all.

When cleaning the rifle the only place that really needs any lubrication are the bolt guide rails and maybe a bit every once in a while on the ejector/ hammer/ trigger spring, if you use any lube to clean the bolt face, be very careful to not let any enter the firing pin chamber. My rule of thumb is 'if i can see the oil on the rails, ive used too much' and I wipe all the excess off.
Give your bolt a good clean make it dry as a bone, lightly oil the rails, clean the breech face and recess where the rim sits and try from there.
Have you placed in any lighter trigger springs or anything?

 

[Gopher Slayer]

This?

It's suppose to be there. On mine it's a rectangle. Yo might have something jammed in there that could potentially cause cycling issues.

 

[cjt50]

/\/\/\/\/\

All three of mine have a hole in the same place, but like Gopher Slayer, mine are rectangles as well.

 

[smoothjefe]

Update on mis-fires

So I went back to the range today and put 100 rounds through it... I'm starting to wonder if it might be a bad box of ammo. (it was a 300-round box of CCI Mini Mags purchased online)
The rifle was thoroughly cleaned the night before.
First magazine had 2 "failure-to-fires"... I checked both cartridges and they each had a good strike from the firing pin.
Next two mags each had 1 "failure-to-feed"... I removed the mag, the round was sticking upward, and I had to forcibly remove it.
On the last mag, I went through all 25 rounds without an issue... including some rapid-fire toward the end.
So after 100 rounds, a total of 4 mis-fires... and two of those were during the first mag, with a clean gun... that's too much, right?
And I keep thinking how, the first time I took it out, I used a totally different box of ammo (still CCI) and it ran FLAWLESSLY... 100 rounds without one jam.

 

[RedNeck Jim]

So after 100 rounds, a total of 4 mis-fires... and two of those were during the first mag, with a clean gun... that's too much, right?

Most certainly.

 

[smoothjefe]

This whole time I've been using 36-grain hollow points (CCI)
I think I'm going to try 40-grain roundnose and see if it's more reliable.
Anyone had better reliability with roundnose as opposed to HP?
I also noticed CCI is putting out "22 tactical" roundnose ammo, supposedly designed for the M&P 15-22... anyone tried those?