Stovepipe issue at the range?!?

[johnr43]

can you describe your smooth and clean process on the mags?

As mentioned this was very frustrating for me as I had similar problems with my M&P 15-22 - lots of jams, FTE, and FTF - until I made certain the "feeding end" of the magazines were smooth and clean. I "smoothed" them with light pressure from a dremel tool (PLASTIC BRUSH) to ensured smooth surfaces in and out (the rounds were properly loaded as well). I have had ZERO issues and smooth feeding and since then (600-750 rounds so far).

Be VERY Careful NOT to re-contour any edges - especially the portion that "grips" to rear of the round.
S-m-o-o-t-h is the goal and of course a decent cleaning of the area. After the "smoothing" has taken place (and it should be a ONE time process) , then cleaning is only a wool mop/nylon brush/blow/wipe easy-peezy routine to do. Hope pictures help you.

Edited to say: We should all be able to load up our 15-22's favorite ammo and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy without these wretched distractions. I'm here to relax - not to get frustrated!

 

[davidbush05]

Thanks! The pics did help and I'll be taking a close look at those areas. In the mean time I went ahead and ordered two brand new mags and they'll be here before I get it back to the range. Can never have too many mags right!?! Then I'll be able to compare the new ones to the used ones and see if I can pinpoint the issue. I hope all the Vets had a great Monday and thank you from the bottom of my heart to all who serve this great country of ours!

 

[AimlessRolling]

I had multiple trips to the range with similar problems, both FTF and FTE issues and I tried at least a dozen different types of ammo, frequently leaving an entire brick (or what was left of a 500 round box after having multiple failures).

Since yours was used and we don't know the manufacture date/vintage, there are several things that NEED to be looked at. Check the forums, for "blue spring" as this was one of the first modifications made by S&W. If you don't have the blue spring you need to read this or google "smith wesson 15-22 blue spring":
S&W MP-15-22 maintenance. [Archive] - M4Carbine.net Forums

There were also other 15-22 issues, including mine, with FTF and FTE. My bolt had parts used for extraction that came apart (fell off) and one email to S&W got me an RMA tag, and no issues with the weapon since repair.

Bottom line, if this continues, get it serviced. There have been many satisfied customers after S&W tweaked their 15-22, count me as one of them.

 

[ESW]

Today I took several guns to the range along with my 15-22 MOE, I've shot a variety of brands of ammo through it with a wide range of issues. Remington Golden bullets had faulty primers, Winchester Super X had a lot of FTFeed's and a few stove pipes, PMC stinger (old) had a bunch of stove pipes. One actually got so flattened by the closing bolt that it got into my trigger group and jammed inside the gun not allowing my bolt to lock open upon firing the last round. When I was cleaning it I found the jammed case.

So far the only reliable rounds for my gun have been CCI tacticals. I shot 375 (box) a few weeks ago and about 100 today, with zero issues. I disassembled 3 magazines today and smoothed/polished. I plan to start paying more attention to loading my magazines in a staggered fashion. Does anyone else have any good advice?

 

[johnr43]

Aquila

Today I took several guns to the range along with my 15-22 MOE, I've shot a variety of brands of ammo through it with a wide range of issues. Remington Golden bullets had faulty primers, Winchester Super X had a lot of FTFeed's and a few stove pipes, PMC stinger (old) had a bunch of stove pipes. One actually got so flattened by the closing bolt that it got into my trigger group and jammed inside the gun not allowing my bolt to lock open upon firing the last round. When I was cleaning it I found the jammed case.

So far the only reliable rounds for my gun have been CCI tacticals. I shot 375 (box) a few weeks ago and about 100 today, with zero issues. I disassembled 3 magazines today and smoothed/polished. I plan to start paying more attention to loading my magazines in a staggered fashion. Does anyone else have any good advice?

I have found Aquila Super Extra HV (40gr. SP and 38gr. HP) work flawlessly. I have mixed them in the same mag eek and even after 1,500+ rounds - flawless, accurate, consistent.

American Eagle on the other hand, have been subject to FTF,FTE, stovepipes continually.

With CCI I have had very few issues.

I lean toward Aquila due to consistency, performancy, and lower cost.

 

[Majorlk]

Today I took several guns to the range along with my 15-22 MOE, I've shot a variety of brands of ammo through it with a wide range of issues. Remington Golden bullets had faulty primers, Winchester Super X had a lot of FTFeed's and a few stove pipes, PMC stinger (old) had a bunch of stove pipes. One actually got so flattened by the closing bolt that it got into my trigger group and jammed inside the gun not allowing my bolt to lock open upon firing the last round. When I was cleaning it I found the jammed case.

I am at a loss to explain it.

I gotta tell you guys, in 40 plus years of shooting I have never had all the problems so many of you (especially new) shooters seem to have. I've shot just about every .22 ammo brand ever made, except Aquila, and 99 percent of the stuff shot just fine. True, some was dirtier than others and accuracy was different, but overall, I pulled the trigger and the gun(s) went BANG! When just about everything malfunctions, something in the back of my mind says there's more going on than ammo in a finicky firearm.

Maybe God just loves me more ...

 

[ESW]

I am at a loss to explain it.

I gotta tell you guys, in 40 plus years of shooting I have never had all the problems so many of you (especially new) shooters seem to have. I've shot just about every .22 ammo brand ever made, except Aquila, and 99 percent of the stuff shot just fine. True, some was dirtier than others and accuracy was different, but overall, I pulled the trigger and the gun(s) went BANG! When just about everything malfunctions, something in the back of my mind says there's more going on than ammo in a finicky firearm.

Maybe God just loves me more ...

Hard to explain. If the gun is locked and loaded, and the selector is on fire, once you pull the trigger then gun should do the rest. Mine is about 2 months and hundreds of rounds old and just does not seem to function well with many types of ammo. I strip every gun and clean it after ever shoot. It does great on cci tactical. Not a single issue in 475 rounds fired. The other ammo had many issues, as many are 5 rounds out of 25 loaded! 20% failure rate! Switch ammo and it's 0%. I'll just stick with CCI for now I guess. My other 22lr's (ruger MK 1955, my S&W 622, grandfather old bolt savage and my Winchester 1890) eat anything.

I'm an experienced shooter. Ive been shooting for 39 years. I reload, hunt, target shoot and I'm a fairly competent 'ameteur' gunsmith. I have shot just about every type of weapon you can imagine including a 50 cal barrett yesterday. Growing up my dads closest buddy had the largest gun shop west of the missisippi. I don't think it's an experience thing.