Questions - Dry fire and last round jams

[sparky5]

I recently bought a 15-22 and have the following questions. Is the weapon OK to dry fire? I've heard conflicting opinions on this. I've seen some references to the manual stating it cannot be dry fired so I'm going with that, but some threads state that using a plastic flag will enable dry fire without damage to the pin. I have some of the safety flags for .22 but that are so large that I can't actually depress the trigger. Can anyone point me to the S&W brand flags for .22 that would enable dry fire? I found some at Brownells but they were for larger calibers.

Second question, I was at the range and we kept having the last round in a magazine jam. It didn't appear to matter if the magazine was completely full or short a few rounds to start. We tried a few different magazines, 30 and 10 round, and it did not seem to make a difference. Any ideas? Thanks everyone.

 

[kobsw]

Sparky, Unlike a centerfire cartridge where the firing pin is centered so to impact the primer, rimfire firing pins are off-center so they impact the rim of the cartridge which is but up against the chamber face.

You can get away with one of two dry fires but to protect the gun load a spent cartridge(or snapcap) before dry firing otherwise you can cause peening and damage the firing pin.

As for the last round falling to load try thoroughly cleaning the gun and then giving it another try. Change ammo as well.

I'm sure other's will chime in and shed more light on the problem.

Best Regards,

Kobsw

 

[sparky5]

Thanks. The gun is actually brand new and we had the last round misfire from the start. Maybe it has to break in? I don't recall the specific ammo at this time but it was recommended by S&W and the packaging did say for 15-22 specifically. One other thing we noticed is that initially we couldn't the get the trigger to pull back and one of my friends who is a smith found that the trigger had some sort of misalignment which he corrected. Kind of annoying out of the box.

 

[Egg on Leggs]

You can get .22 snap caps.

 

[Turq]

Brand new guns need to be thoroughly cleaned as well. Make sure you are loading those magazines correctly, the rounds should be all staggered. Like this video I found after a quick google search. The gun really eats anything, but I think CCI SV runs best for me. Good luck

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7s9vu_9QXI[/ame]

 

[mrgreenjeens]

I’ve done well with these. Occasionally the extractor will slip off one but they are not stuck in the chamber too bad. The firing pin puts a small mark on the rim every time it is fired so they do have a lifespan.
Pachmayr 03200 22 LR Plastic Safety Snap Caps (Per 24) [ame="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018DYGSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.qA3Eb1GWM62G"]Amazon.com : Pachmayr 03200 22 LR Plastic Safety Snap Caps (Per 24) : Gunsmithing Tools And Accessories : Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

 

[Kp321]

Most 15-22 ejection problems can be traced to ejector adjustment. The ejector needs to be as high as possible without rubbing on the bottom of the bolt and almost touching the center bolt rib. Once adjusted, it will be reliable for thousands of rounds unless the ejector gets bent(easy to do while cleaning).

 

[SW Gun Guy]

I don't know if there is any reason to "not" do this, but I have had luck with it. To not let the firing pin hit metal, I pull back on the charging handle to hold the bolt. Then as I slowly release it, I pull the trigger. Gun seems to fire before the bolt gets all the way to the face of the chamber.

 

[Old paperman]

Dry fire

Both or my 15-22 s will do that too.
It's handy to uncock the hammer for
Storage, but I worried that if I have
A round not all the way chambered
It could fire out of battery.
And Ruger 10-22 and Remington 597
Also fire out of battery. It's easy to store
them snapped down by just pulling the trigger while easing the bolt down.

 

[SW Gun Guy]

As above, I take every precaution not to dry fire my 22's. I can't believe I am the first to suggest this. Go to your hardware store and get a box of Ribbed Plastic Anchors #4-#6 x 7/8 inch yellow. The ones that you put in drywall to hold screws in place. I put one in the chamber of my 22's when done (a forceps or tweezers can help), drop the bolt and pull the trigger and leave the anchor in there. Just remember to pick it up for reuse when you rack the bolt the first time on the next shooting outing. Yes, sometimes previous fired brass can work, but they are indeed more likely to stick in the chamber your next time out.

 

[tacticool22]

The ejector has been addressed
The extractor is the other culprit. Get this to fix that issue - S&W M&P15-22 Extractor Set (3 Pieces) | Tacticool22
Another problem is if you have a "Bad-***" lever on the release paddle. Some of them are too heavy.
The firing pin is "supposed" to stop before it hits the breech block face.

 

[Pubtym]

Brand new guns need to be thoroughly cleaned as well. Make sure you are loading those magazines correctly, the rounds should be all staggered. Like this video I found after a quick google search. The gun really eats anything, but I think CCI SV runs best for me. Good luck

How to Load M&P 15-22 Magazine Properly - YouTube

I use CCI Mini Mags copper plated round nose. Runs great for me.