HELP!!! Failure To Fire Problem!!!

[ShawtBus92]

I just took my 15-22 MOE to shoot for the first time today. The gun shoot the first round loaded, eject the casing fine then load the next round. When i went to pull the trigger again nothing happened. I ejected the unfired round and the same thing happened over and over again. It would fire one and not the next. Occasionally i would get 3-5 shots in a row with no problems. At one point it shot 10-15 rounds no problem. I used cci mini mag ammo and i have no clue whats going on.. If anyone could give me some help or advice , this is my first gun and im new to this. Please Help!

Thanks

 

[CPTBeaker]

Have you performed any modifications to the rifle?

Did you buy it new or used?

Have you been dry firing it excessively?

Were there primer strikes on the rounds that failed to fire?

 

[ShawtBus92]

I bought it brand new and today was my first day shooting it. No modifications just the way it came out of the box. I haven't dry fired it excessively. As for the rounds that didnt fire, they werent even struck. It felt like the trigger was stuck when i tried to fire.

 

[jonrobertd]

Did you clean it first?

 

[ipittythefoo]

Oil it. It may not be going all the way into battery.

 

[ShawtBus92]

I did clean and oil it before shooting it. But i am new to all this and i cleaned and oiled it to the best of my knowledge. I was thinking maybe i didn't oil the right thing or did something wrong, or if it was something with the gun itself.

 

[thacheese]

did you force the safety selector without the rifle cocked?
and yes, you should have cleaned and oiled it before firing if you didn't.

 

[ShawtBus92]

^ I cleaned it before i shot it, and no i didn't force the safety switch. It would fire but then the next round loaded and there was no pull on the trigger and the round had to be manually ejected. Then the next round would fire, and the same process would repeat over and over. Every so often i could get 2-3 rounds off without this happening.

 

[thacheese]

when that happened did you unload it and separate the upper and lower? it sounds like something is wrong down there. like the hammer isn't resetting properly. if you charge it and separate it does it function? (don't let it strike the magwell.)

 

[ipittythefoo]

After you fire it. Take a look at the chamber and see if the bolt is all the way forward. If it's slightly open The firing pin might not be hitting, but the hammer will move the bolt forward an look like you had a misfire. This would explain the rounds were not struck.

 

[CPTBeaker]

I would separate the upper & lower, get a can of compressed air and spray the heck out of the fire control group and the insides of the lower receiver. Hold it upside down when doing this so any debris inside will fall out.

After you do this, cock the hammer back manually, place your finger over the hammer so it does not slam forward, then pull the trigger. Do this multiple times. If the hammer falls each time you pull the trigger and the trigger is easy to pull, then there was something caught inside the fire control group. If you experience a problem, either the hammer does not fall each time or the trigger is hard to pull or won't pull, return the rifle for exchange or repair.

Now, with the upper & lower separated, remove the bolt/bolt carrier. Inspect it.
- does the bolt (silver part) move backward freely and return forward freely?
- can you move the firing pin forward by pushing on it?

If the bolt does not ride freely, i.e. is binding, then it's likely it was dropped at some point in its life or their is a factory defect.

If there seems to be no issue with the bolt/bolt carrier, lightly lubricate the metal rails that the bolt rides on, nothing else.

Place one drop of oil on the hammer/sear mating surface. (if you don't know where this is, look at it and think about how it works. You will know where it is when you think about it.)

Reassemble the rifle and head back to the range and try again.

If you still have the same issue, return the rifle for exchange or repair.

Good luck.

 

[bobkarno]

My questions would be, did the hammer reset, did you feel it hit when you pulled the trigger, and did you see ANY evidence of a strike on the cartridge you ejected that failed to fire? You answered NO to all three. I had this same problem when I got my 15-22p. It was sometimes intermittent and sometimes it was every other round, but sounds exactly like the issue you are having. The gun fires a round, but what's happening is that it does not send the bolt back far enough to fully reset the trigger. You pull the charge handle back to clear the round in the chamber that you think failed to fire, and it fires the next round just fine. That round ejects and chambers the next one, but when you pull the trigger... nothing. When this was happening to me, the first clue was that the rounds I thought were failing had no firing pin mark at all. Then I realized that when I was pulling the trigger, there was nothing happening with the hammer. Upon further inspection and in comparison to my 15-22 rifle I also noticed that the extractor was not settling into the center of its relief cutout on the breech. And, if I pulled the bolt back a bit an let it try to settle gently into battery it would seem to hang up just a bit for about the last 1/32". The metal rails that the bolt rides on sit in their own cutouts on the breech face as well. I have also surmised that if the barrel was not properly aligned those rails would get twisted just a bit and perhaps cause the bolt to hang up.
In my case I was having an ejector issue as well, so I sent the gun into Smith. When I got it back, it was difficult to tell what they did, but the trigger resets 100% of the time for me now. I believe that they re-aligned the barrel just a bit, because the extractor sits perfectly into the center of the cutout now. They may have replaced the springs or repaired something else in the trigger assembly as well, but I couldn't tell. They didn't cure my ejector issue (which pissed me off) but I fixed it myself. Having a working gun to compare to one with issues is always a benefit. The whole thing was really frustrating, but once you get it resolved you will love the gun and it should perform admirably. Both of my 15-22s shoot flawlessly now, baring any ammo issues.

 

[chuck s]

If the hammer reset and the bolt was out of battery there would be a very loud "CLICK" the next time the trigger was pulled. This does not seem to be happening. (Or there would be an out of battery detonation, but that's not happening either and is a different subject! )

The hammer ain't cocking or is decocking itself because of the disconnector.

Since the rifle cocks and fires normally with manual bolt retraction I suspect the bolt is not being driven all the way to the rear by the fired cartridge. This moves the ammo up on the suspect list.

Try this test: load and fire a magazine with one (1) cartridge. The rifle should fire and the bolt lock open. If not, and from the previous discussion, the ammunition may be weak.

Auto loading .22LR rifles (and pistols) often -- if not usually -- require so-called High Velocity cartridges.

CCI mini-mag comes in lots of varieties. Buy a box of something else. Mine runs all day shooting Winchester Super-X 36gr hollow points in the 333 bulk packaging. 1280fps spec.

In addition make sure the bolt runs freely in the rails. I went so far as stoning mine even though I was having no trouble.

Improper lubrication can also cause this. Grease has no place in these rifles. CLP is the only lubricant that should be used. (Or other very light oil.)

-- Chuck

 

[ShawtBus92]

@ bobkarno what you described is basically what is happening to me. And i from what i recall the bolt fully locked forward but the trigger felt like it was stuck. @ chuck s there was no load click because the trigger couldnt be pulled at all. I will try some of the things you guys told me and if not ill take it to the dealer i got it from to see what they say. If all else fails i guess ill be sending it back to S&W. Thanks Everyone for the help!!!

 

[chuck s]

If the trigger can't be pulled the hammer ain't cocked. You should be able to pull the trigger and have the hammer fall with the bolt about half way closed.

Try this manually.

You sure you didn't remove the fire control parts from the receiver?

-- Chuck

 

[bobkarno]

Don't be discouraged. If you have an issue, call Smith. They will send you a label and you just box her up and they will do the rest. The 15-22s are great guns and blast to shoot! I was a little upset when my 15-22p was doing this, but now that it is fixed it runs flawlessly. Just know that aside from boxing the thing up for return shipping it shouldn't cost you a nickle to get it fixed.

 

[moosedog]

Ditto what Bob said. If it's brand new, you shouldn't have to fool with it, and actually can void a warranty if you "explore" too far.
Good luck, I just bought one too, but haven't had a problem. Knock on wood.

 

[ShawtBus92]

I just took it in the shop from where i bought it and think i have a fix. The guy i spoke with told me that the ammo i was using didn't send the bolt all the way back, not resetting the trigger to shoot again. I was using the cci mini mag but he recommend i use cci velocitor hp and cci sub sonic hp. im gunna take it to the range this weekend and see what happens.

 

[matmat417]

Cci mini mags are recommended by Smith ,also they state not to use any and all types of sub sonic rounds. IMHO i think its just a factory error. call smith and explain whats going on, there is no use on getting pissed off and possibly hurt.

 

[bobkarno]

The guy you are talking to is a fool. You are trying to smack the bolt back further so he recommends subsonic ammo?? If you read the manual you will see that is says you should NOT use subsonic ammo. The velocitor costs way too much and the mini-mag is on the recommended list. If you call Smith with a problem they will usually ask you if you have tried the gun with CCI Mini-Mags. Any ammo in the 1250-1300fps range should be fine. I can shoot mini-mag, Federal bulk 525, Winchester Super-X. Wincheser M-22, and my gun will shoot 100% barring any ammo primer issues. If you shop carefully you should be able to shoot the gun for no more than $.05 a shot (I average $.038 a shot on fed 525 and $.05 a shot with M-22).
I feel your frustration, but you really need to send the gun into S&W. They will fix it, you will be able to shoot the heck out of it, and you will love it. High priced, or subsonic ammo is not your solution.