Why is the MP 15-22 picky about it's ammo

[rabbitrandy]

What can you do to make this rifle not so picky about it's ammo choice? this is not a feed or jamming issue. It is a fail to fire issue.

I have other .22 semi-autos that function fine with any kind of ammo.

It seems that if it had a harder hammer hit or longer firing pin, it would shoot any thing put in it.

This gun is a disappointment considering the lack of availability of .22 ammo right now.

Is there a solution to the problem as far as getting the rifle to fire other brands as listed not suitable?

 

[hangnoose]

15-22 picky about ammo?

Not sure if you have a mechanical issue/ or dirty gun, but mine eats anything easily except the subsonic rounds, they WILL fire but not cycle the action reliably. I did have a fte NON FIRED rounds when the bolt got crudded up to the point of needing to disassemble it for proper cleaning. certain name brands that rhyme with bemington are notoriously dirty but will work if you keep the gun clean.

 

[bjb4242]

My 15-22 has been very reliable and is not picky. It eats ammo that makes my Marlin 795 choke. I've had a few duds that I've attributed to the ammo. Have you spoken with S&W customer service?

 

[Smitty357]

Since this is his first post.

I dont know whether to try and help. Or if it would just be a waste of time.

 

[cxwrench]

What can you do to make this rifle not so picky about it's ammo choice? this is not a feed or jamming issue. It is a fail to fire issue.

I have other .22 semi-autos that function fine with any kind of ammo.

It seems that if it had a harder hammer hit or longer firing pin, it would shoot any thing put in it.

This gun is a disappointment considering the lack of availability of .22 ammo right now.

Is there a solution to the problem as far as getting the rifle to fire other brands as listed not suitable?

Mine shoots T-Bolts and other "not suitable" ammo just fine. I keep it very clean.
It's been basically 100% reliable. I had way more problems w/ my 10-22 when it was new.

 

[RedNeck Jim]

Is there a solution to the problem as far as getting the rifle to fire other brands as listed not suitable?

Too many variables, which you have not given, to answer. Is the gun new? How many times shot? Have you cleaned it per discussions on this forum? Have you gunked up the firing pin channel? Have you changed out any parts, such as the trigger?

I use subsonic ammo almost exclusively and have no failures. Only time I had failure to fire was when I installed a Timney trigger. My CMC trigger gives me absolutely no issues & hits real hard.

I would suggest a search regarding the firing pin channel & clean it accordingly. If oil has gotten in there, that can gunk up the works & slow down the strike of the pin.

 

[dannybot]

Try Wolff extra power hammer spring:

Springs for COLT AR-15, CAR-15, M-16, M4, 9mm SMG AND SPORTER Rifles & Shotguns

You should get harder hammer strikes.

I have also read that these hammers hit harder, but I don't know why they would:
http://newfrontierarmory.com/catalo...=product_info&cPath=245_285&products_id=46928

 

[Jagrmaister]

Mine eats every garbage 22lr I've ever tried. In fact, it's the most reliable semi 22 I own.

 

[ballistictoyz]

just shoot it awhile with good high velocity ammo,after its broke in it should eat anything you feed it

 

[Rundover]

If its a stock FCG my guess its a dirty gun.
For the round to fire the bolt must be seated properly.
If there is dirt on the bolt face or in the channel it rides on this could prevent the bolt from seating properly.
If there is dirt in the firing pin channel this could prevent the firing pin from traveling as far as it needs to to get a good strike.
Completely disassemble and clean the gun really well and try again.

 

[moosedog]

New gun or used gun? How many rounds through it? Cleaned?
What kind of ammo?
They are trouble free for the most part. A dirty or not oiled gun may slow the bolt down.
Don't go changing springs until you find the problem. It should work with the original parts.
If the trouble persists and the gun is under warranty, send it back.

 

[97catintenn]

Welcome to the site!!

Just wish you would come back and post some more info

 

[kingfhb]

If it's a "Performance Center" model, S&W specifically state not to use specific kinds of ammo in it. If not, I really only fire Remington, Winchester and CCI ammo through my 15-22... On occasion, I will put a few hundred Aguilla rounds through it, but it handles most everything I put through it. Especially if I clean it after I shoot.

Not to mention... What .22lr on the market have you EVER seen that does not prefer some kinds of ammo to others. If the .22lr was a reliable weapon, it would be employed for more purposes than plinkersville.

 

[Phat]

Eats all and any **** I have. It's new but do clean it after

 

[S&W1006]

Mine eats anything I feed it. It won't cycle standard velocity reliably but it will still fire it. The only ammo I have ever had any problems with was Winchester bulk but I had problems with it in all of my 22's.

 

[UncaGrunny]

No issues with ammo yet, some are dirtier than others but even my ancient Golden bullets feed and fire just fine.

Not S&W's fault that 22lr ammo is not easy to find just now.

 

[Vinney47]

Don't worry about that list, rabbitrandy, and try any/all ammo you can find in your rifle. You're not going to damage it simply from loading and trying to fire any new .22lr factory ammo*. You may find that your rifle has no issues with any "unapproved" ammo (which is what many of us find), or you may find a particular ammo here and there that your gun doesn't like..

*Don't attempt any colibri/super colibri ammo, though.

 

[dentkimterry]

Mine fails to fully eject the spent casing more times than I would like. It then keeps the bolt from closing making me clear it by hand. Is this the fault of the ejector?

 

[Zax]

rabbitrandy,

I agree with ballistictoyz. Run a few hundred HV Mini-Mags and keep it clean and then it will most likely devour anything you feed it. That has been my experience with multiple 15-22's.

The only ammo I've had any issues with has been 'Golden Bullets', but they still run ok just generate a lot of residue. Mine likes Thunderbolts too.

dentkimterry,

Does it do this when others shoot it? Try good quality HV ammo and see if the problem goes away.

It could be the way you are holding it, or perhaps you need to clean the bolt and rails and use a good lube.

 

[hangnoose]

FIRST POST?

Everyone has to start someplace & he came to the right place with a polite ?, if you have something helpful to offer, lay it on him. I thought mine was squeaky clean but once the bolt was disassembled crud was there interfering with the extractor in my case.

 

[Juvicator]

I think the majority of what everyone is saying is correct. The bolt face has to be clear of buildup or that prevents the round from seating properly causing light strikes.

As far as it being picky, I put all kinds of ammo through mine in the beginning to see what worked best for the price. That being said after trying all different kinds of ammo, I became picky not the gun. Wildcats leaded my barrel something aweful. Gold bullets fell apart and left pixie dust all over my fingers and gun, the sub sonics did have a few stovepipes.

I've also run some really old ammo, from the 80s and it ran fine. But like you said with ammo being hard to find you have to figure out what you feel ok running. I've passed up bricks of gold bullets because I don't prefer them, my 15-22 could care less.

Make sure the bolt is clean, even during your next outing. It can build up pretty quick, some ammo runs cleaner than others, and don't over lube your gun. It makes muck faster.

 

[hangnoose]

PIXIE DUST

AMEN! to that.

 

[rabbitrandy]

Thanks to everyone who has replied.

To set your minds at ease, I am not new to forums, just this one.

I keep the gun clean and when this became a problem only after trying some Remington Hollow Pts. and then some other brands besides the CCI's that were recommended, I did clean and make sure the bolt and firing pin were not gooed up and was clean.

I called a S&W customer service rep and he advised me that only shoot the recommended brands as listed in the manual.

He also stated that "there is a mexican sitting in a factory in Mexico making .22 ammo and he is not precise with how he makes the primers".

I suggested that the gun may need a harder hammer strike or the firing pin may be to short. He advised that was not the issue.

I can take the bolt out and push the firing pin from the back and it will protrude but dosent seem to protrude much! I know it doesnt take much but the firing pin hardly makes a dent in the primer.

I can take the unfired ammo and feed it into another semi auto and they fire.

The gun was purchased new. I not sure if it's a "Performance Center" model.

I have fired approx. 300 rnds. of CCI with no problem. Problem began with Remington Gold Hollow Pts., American Eagle and with other brands.

Hope this info will help with your answers and thanks for letting me into this forum.

randy

 

[Majorlk]

1. The info in the manual was outdated a year after it was printed. It's useless now.

2. Every semi-auto rifle is picky to one degree or another. 15-22s are no exception. In some, Remingtons work just fine and in others, not so much. Same with many other brands.

3. The comment about the Mexican making ammo is BS! There's good ammo coming out of the plant.

You will need to try several brands to find what your rifle likes best.

Finally, you can tell if it's a performance center model by looking at the receiver. If it's a PC model, it will say so.

BTW, do not lubricate the firing pin channel, that will just attract debris and gum it up.

 

[rabbitrandy]

3. The comment about the Mexican making ammo is BS! There's good ammo coming out of the plant.

thank you Major. I can only go by what the S&W rep. told me. He never said anything about the manual being outdated and he was the one that spoke of the mexican. Those were not my words.

 

[Majorlk]

thank you Major. I can only go by what the S&W rep. told me. He never said anything about the manual being outdated and he was the one that spoke of the mexican. Those were not my words.

I know that. The guy at S&W is a moron, IMHO. His words about the mexican ammo is nonsense. Aguila is among the best .22 ammo on the market. As for the manual, 90 percent of the ammo on the market today isn't mentioned in the list, which is over five years old. The list was made on the basis of customer reports, not any actual testing by S&W.

 

[Dino1]

What can you do to make this rifle not so picky about it's ammo choice? this is not a feed or jamming issue. It is a fail to fire issue.

I have other .22 semi-autos that function fine with any kind of ammo.

It seems that if it had a harder hammer hit or longer firing pin, it would shoot any thing put in it.

This gun is a disappointment considering the lack of availability of .22 ammo right now.

Is there a solution to the problem as far as getting the rifle to fire other brands as listed not suitable?

Sounds like your pissed because you can't find ammo. It's out their you just need to be a little more assertive in finding it.
I have put over 2,000 rounds of just about everything you can imagine through mine. The only ammo that gave me problems is M22. Failed to fire, but after reloaded it went bang. Around my area .22lr guns are starting to sell cheap because the ammo is a little hard to find and nobody wants one. I can buy a M&P .22 pistol brand new at a local gun shop right now for 299.00, that's a pretty good price. I went their to buy one but they had .223 Federal ammo on sale for 375.00 a case of 1000, so I walked out the door with that instead.

 

[rabbitrandy]

Sounds like your pissed because you can't find ammo. It's out their you just need to be a little more assertive in finding it.
I went their to buy one but they had .223 Federal ammo on sale for 375.00 a case of 1000, so I walked out the door with that instead.

Not "pissed" because ammo is not available. I have lots of .22 but the gun won't fire it. Not the right kind according to S&W.

Not in my schedule to be a Walmart stalker.

I am attempting to use this gun as a trainer for others who want to step up to a AR-15.

I reload my own .223 so no need to purchase them.

It appears that everyone has a very fine functioning M&P 15-22 on this forum.

i appreciate everyone's suggestions but maybe I'll send the gun back to S&W and have them take a look at it. they said they would pay the shipping. Can't beat that for service.

 

[cxwrench]

Given their excellent CS, sending it back may be the best call. They can check it out and fix anything they find.
I definitely agree w/ @Majorik's opinion of the phone rep at S&W...he's probably just providing answers that he's given. They should update the manual at some point.

 

[wlkjr]

We have 2 and they shoot everything. We specifically use standard velocity and save the high velocity for the pistols.