whats going on here

[kimporter]

had a post last year about fired cases sticking in the cyl of my m-48-2,i had several answers to the post about how to remedy the issue,all very good advice,however nothing was done on my end.well it got warm this weekend and i decided to get it out to shoot more,cases still stick and here is why,is this a bad ammo issue or could the cyls be oversize from factory

 

[armorer951]

Here are the SAAMI specs for the chamber and the ammo:

http://www.saami.org/PubResources/CC_Drawings/Rimfire/22 WMR.pdf

 

[Big Cholla]

Kimporter: That does look bad. I have worked on and shot many a M 48 with many brands of ammo and have never seen anything like that. The first thing that comes to mind is that someone ran a chamber reamer for the Winchester 22 WRF down that chamber not knowing the difference between the WRF and the 22 MRF (WMR). The second is that you got a miss-loaded batch of 22 MRF that was loaded with the wrong powder. And third is that the brass has been in contact with something that contained ammonia. The ammonia + brass is a big no-no because a chemical reaction occurs that severely reduces the original brass tensile strength and makes it more brittle. Essentially a double whammy.

But, in reflecting on what you say and the picture (good job), I am more inclined to believe that some low information owner or gunsmith in an effort to relieve sticky case syndrome ran the wrong reamer down the chambers. i.e. A 22 MRF is chambered to from 0.2440" at the rear to 0.2430" at the front of the cartridge. While the 22 WRF is chambered 0.2462" rear to 0.2435" front. That excess space is enough to create the problem you have discovered with split 22 MRF cases. The only way to check for sure is to do a cerrosafe casting of each cylinder chamber and measure the casting. If that proves to be the problem the only cure is a new cylinder. OR find a big supply of the antiquated 22 WRF cartridge which is not real likely. I do quite frequently see new and used cylinders for M 48/648s being sold on the usual parts supply websites. ..........

 

[alwslate]

You don't say what brand of ammo you have or how old. Not long ago
I fired several Winchester 22 mags in the mag cyl of my Ruger Single
Six over my chronograph and was puzzled by the extreme variation in
velocities until I looked at the fired brass. Several had split down the
side like yours. My ammo is old enough that I can't remember when I
bought it so the age could be a factor. I'm betting your ammo is the
problem.

 

[lebomm]

Betcha that was very old or improperly stored ammo. Those cracks are typical of embrittled cases. What brand ?

Larry

 

[MichiganScott]

The reason for the cracked brass will only be speculative unless you make a Cerrosafe casting of each chamber like Big Cholla suggested. However, it looks like bad brass to me because the split is in the same spot on each case and the brass doesn't look jugged.

Does the brass come from one chamber or does it come out cracked from all of them?

 

[g8rb8]

Here's what I would do to trouble shoot the problem:
1. Clean the gun with special attention to cleaning the barrel and chambers. Make sure to finish the cleaning process with swabbing the barrel and chambers with dry patches leaving as little oil residue as possible in the barrel and chambers. Visually inspect again with a good light to be sure all the lead and debris is gone and you have really nice and clean chambers and barrel.
2. Buy at least two different brands (I'd probably get three) of "good" ammo. You can always use extra ammo and you'll likely find one that extracts easier. Make sure you get the proper ammo.
3. Try the new ammo. If the cases do not split breath a sigh of relief. If the cases do split go to 4.
4. Get specs for the chambers for your revolver and compare the specs to your revolver. If they are off you have an idea of what's causing the problem.

 

[kimporter]

the ammo is pretty new ,winchester silver(or gray) box with red letters,i got 400 rnds of this at a yard sale,may try a different box and see if it still happins,i cant try another brand because"THEY AINT ANY AROUND",(hahahaha)maybe after the panic dies down more will be available and i will try that,im not gonna pay gunshow prices(25.00 per 50 rnd box last show) for any, and yes i did check for the 22 mag weapon at yard sale i got ammo from, people wouldn't sell it because it was illegal to do that(said a cop told them that)

 

[gwpercle]

Try some brand new ammo before doing anything to the gun. The splits appear to be from brittle brass. Yard sale ammo could have come from another box or been stored with something that affects brass...who knows.
If you know another shooter with a 22 WMR, shooting a few in his gun might give a clue.
Gary

 

[kimporter]

update

YAY,a buddy from work found me some cci 22 mag in a store in his hometown,NO SPLITS,EASY EXTRACTION,WHEW,now what do i do with 350 rnds of defective ammo,thanks to all that replyed

 

[Nemo288]

Sell it on Funbroker?

JUST KIDDING FOLKS! (Don't do it)

Seriously I would call your local LEO and ask them to dispose of the ammo.
Failing that, dig a nice deep hole and deposit them for future archeologists.

===
Nemo