I have not shot my 15-22 in 6 months. I can't find any ammo and don't want to shoot what I have. I've spent many hours and shot 1000's of rounds through my M&P40, 645, PC 1911 RB and M&P 15x. I switched to Frog lube in every gun. I use the liquid in my barrels to clean and paste with a toothbrush on everything else. I shot the rest of my crappy golden bullets which always failed to feed before. I went through the entire 575 and did not have one fail to feed. The only change was frog lube, for what it's worth give it a try. Your guns will be easier to clean too.
Why is the MP 15-22 picky about it's ammo
- Thread starter rabbitrandy
- Start date
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rabbitrandy
Member
Problem solved.
A lose hammer pin that holds the hammer and spring in place so the hammer hits squarely onto the firing pin. Hammer pin had worked lose and hammer was cocked off sided just enough to cause a fail to fire.
Cant wait to get it back from S&W and burn up some various brands of ammo.
I guess I am the only one that has had this happen to, hopefully this thread will be of help to the next guy who might encounter this problem.
A lose hammer pin that holds the hammer and spring in place so the hammer hits squarely onto the firing pin. Hammer pin had worked lose and hammer was cocked off sided just enough to cause a fail to fire.
Cant wait to get it back from S&W and burn up some various brands of ammo.
I guess I am the only one that has had this happen to, hopefully this thread will be of help to the next guy who might encounter this problem.
Well it is highly unlikely you are hitting it in the exact same spot it was hit the first time when it didn't fire.
I've rarely, if ever, had a misfired .22 round fail to go off when hit again in another spot.
I think the process of putting the ring of primer into the case occasionally has a small area that is missed. Not the guns fault when that is the case.
Maybe someone needs to invent a dual firing pin system
Glad you got it fixed, and no you aren't the only one with the slipped pin, happens more often than it should it seems.
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OP
rabbitrandy
Member
Well it is highly unlikely you are hitting it in the exact same spot it was hit the first time when it didn't fire.
I've rarely, if ever, had a misfired .22 round fail to go off when hit again in another spot.
I think the process of putting the ring of primer into the case occasionally has a small area that is missed. Not the guns fault when that is the case.
Maybe someone needs to invent a dual firing pin system
Glad you got it fixed, and no you aren't the only one with the slipped pin, happens more often than it should it seems.
Thanks Rhinoh, I am sure now that there was no problem with the ammo. I wish someone would have come up with slipped pin issue earlier. I just figure it was an issue with my gun only.
Maybe some other slipped pin victims will come forward!
Faulkner
Member
Glad they found a specific issue that was causing your malfunctions. Like most of the others, mine fired all kinds of cheap fodder without any issues at all.
NJM15
Member
Ammo for semi auto firearms
Just a comparison but I have tried many different brands in my Sig 9mm 226. I just installed the 22 conversion kit. and it is fussy over what it shoots I tried CCI mini's,, standard, Rem golden, thunderbolts the goldens work best but still a few missed recycles. Keeping it clean and well lubed (oil no grease) and wet seems to help
Just a comparison but I have tried many different brands in my Sig 9mm 226. I just installed the 22 conversion kit. and it is fussy over what it shoots I tried CCI mini's,, standard, Rem golden, thunderbolts the goldens work best but still a few missed recycles. Keeping it clean and well lubed (oil no grease) and wet seems to help
OP
rabbitrandy
Member
S&W has returned my rifle in a very timely fashion. They replace the hammer spring and pin. Havent shot it yet to see if it will hold up. Not sure how you can keep a pin in place in plastic. Do have to say that S&W is a good company that takes care of their customers but you have to be patient. Was told it would be about a 3 week turnaround.
Bottom line, if your gun doesnt shoot, you have a fail to fire that wont go away, check the hammer pin.
Bottom line, if your gun doesnt shoot, you have a fail to fire that wont go away, check the hammer pin.
Dezfan
Member
Good to hear that S&W took care of you.
My 15-22 has chewed through everything I've thrown at it.
The only issues with ammo I have experienced was with a particular bulk box of Rem GB.
Other boxes of Rem GB have been GTG for the most part, so I'm chalking it up to my being unlucky w/ that particular bulk box.
My 15-22 has chewed through everything I've thrown at it.
The only issues with ammo I have experienced was with a particular bulk box of Rem GB.
Other boxes of Rem GB have been GTG for the most part, so I'm chalking it up to my being unlucky w/ that particular bulk box.
Extremely glad to read that the problem with the rifle was fixed. Rest assured you are not the only person who had had to deal with a problem with a 15-22. From time to time it happens not just with the 15-22 but just about any firearm available. We've all had things like scope mount screws and trigger guard screws get loose. I've had S&W revolvers where a ejector rod would back out a bit, etc. And don't get me started about Colts.
I appreciate your post and the comments. I have owned exactly one AR-15 and the one 15-22 that I now have. Threads such as this one have been most helpful.
I appreciate your post and the comments. I have owned exactly one AR-15 and the one 15-22 that I now have. Threads such as this one have been most helpful.
UKRsoldier
Member
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The only rounds that ever failed to fire even with a strike were Golden Bullets. 1 in 20 used to be a dud. However, the gun was new. Now it's 1000 rounds in, and takes even those rounds and doesn't skip a beat. Kind of weird. Maybe the gun broke in or it was a bad batch. My brother and gf have 2 more 15-22s and neither one those has any issues with firing or feeding. I never had a single issue with CCI or Aguila. In fact, I was surprised that the Aguila SSS at 900 fps cycled the gun every single time over hundreds of rounds. I guess it's because it has more recoil than regular subsonics.
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97catintenn
Member
is the hammer pin and firing pin the same thing?
tomcatt51
Member
No, he's talking about the pin the hammer sits on / pivots on. You can see how it and the triggers' pin sit down in the frame rather than being flush with the outside of the frame. Not good (IMHO) on a polymer frame. "Best" would be a longer pin using all the available bearing surface. Longer pins would have been nice but it seems S&W cheaped out and used standard AR-15 pins. One more thing to change...
RuskieShooter
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Jhm4040
US Veteran
First shots
Took my new 15-22 to the range for the first time today, and put 100 rounds of cheap ammo thru it. Everything cycled and shot perfectly--and accurate.
John
Took my new 15-22 to the range for the first time today, and put 100 rounds of cheap ammo thru it. Everything cycled and shot perfectly--and accurate.
John
Shooting Padre
US Veteran
For me, the 15-22 has eaten everything right out of the box except Remington GB, and that only with duds. In fact, it is the only auto .22 that didn't have any ammo issues. I had nightmares with my M&P22 until around 2500 rounds, then it was fine. Maybe your 15-22 just needs to be used a lot. .22s can be picky or not, it's the guns personality.
This question is like asking what's the meaning of life...
Some people feed it junk and have no issues. Some people feed it the good stuff and still can't get it to shoot reliably.
I'm happy to say mine has eaten everything so far. I didn't have to have a "break-in" period. My first thousand rounds or so were just Rem GB 525 packs (which S&W specifically says is junk in the owner's manual). I've shot through it:
-Remington GB
-Federal Auto Match
-American Eagle HP
-Remington Yellow Jackets
-CCI Mini Mags
I've got about 2,000 rounds through now, and I'm happy to say I've never had a FTF or FTE. Looking at some of the posts around here, I do consider myself lucky. However, at the same time I'm rather OCD about cleaning my firearms after every range trip. I do a pretty detailed field strip cleaning everytime, and probably every fourth or fifth trip I will do more of a full teardown and cleaning (the 15-22 I'll remove the trigger group and clean out everything; my Glock 19 gets completely torn apart). I like to think my firearm cleaning habits help contribute to the consistency.
Now if only I could get myself to wax my Jeep that often...
Some people feed it junk and have no issues. Some people feed it the good stuff and still can't get it to shoot reliably.
I'm happy to say mine has eaten everything so far. I didn't have to have a "break-in" period. My first thousand rounds or so were just Rem GB 525 packs (which S&W specifically says is junk in the owner's manual). I've shot through it:
-Remington GB
-Federal Auto Match
-American Eagle HP
-Remington Yellow Jackets
-CCI Mini Mags
I've got about 2,000 rounds through now, and I'm happy to say I've never had a FTF or FTE. Looking at some of the posts around here, I do consider myself lucky. However, at the same time I'm rather OCD about cleaning my firearms after every range trip. I do a pretty detailed field strip cleaning everytime, and probably every fourth or fifth trip I will do more of a full teardown and cleaning (the 15-22 I'll remove the trigger group and clean out everything; my Glock 19 gets completely torn apart). I like to think my firearm cleaning habits help contribute to the consistency.
Now if only I could get myself to wax my Jeep that often...
photoracer
Member
There is a permanent cure for the hammer pin working loose from one side. Its called the KNS non-rotating hammer and trigger pin set, M&P 15-22 model.
This problem has happened to a few others on here also. Just not easy to do any kind of search without knowing what the problem is. I ended up putting the KNS pins on all my 15-22s and ARs.
86mcss
Member
glad you had the problem fixed. my 15-22 eats any ammo i put in it with no problem what so ever.
Rob1
Member
I am not sure if this thread is still "live" but for what it's worth. I took my MOE version out the box, quick wipe down of internals and light oil, then on to firing point and WHAM 400 rounds of Winchester Subsonic. NO problems. Had 1fail to fire due to not fully cocked hammer. Did this on purpose to discover if I could shoot subs at all. Only major difference I could suggest is that I have moderator fitted. So that may have helped some. After that. It eats anything I put through it.
stavman11
Member
I have probobly 5k rounds thru mine... Most with a slide fire
It eats everything.. and always has.... Now i did have the older Fireing pin Break... But S&W fixed and gave it a once over for me.... That was about 1500rds ago or so
Even the dreaded old Golden Bullets shot great.. heck i actualy Like em since they are a 40gr bullet
I have 3 of the Bucket-O-Bullets but they say New and Improved..
I even had some OLD OLD OLD winchesters that shot great..
I also had the Pins walk on my trigger when I put the Timney in... so got the KNS Pins... in the interum I put some scotch tape on the face and that solved it till the KNS arrived.. So thats a quick fix for ya
It eats everything.. and always has.... Now i did have the older Fireing pin Break... But S&W fixed and gave it a once over for me.... That was about 1500rds ago or so
Even the dreaded old Golden Bullets shot great.. heck i actualy Like em since they are a 40gr bullet
I have 3 of the Bucket-O-Bullets but they say New and Improved..I even had some OLD OLD OLD winchesters that shot great..
I also had the Pins walk on my trigger when I put the Timney in... so got the KNS Pins... in the interum I put some scotch tape on the face and that solved it till the KNS arrived.. So thats a quick fix for ya
johnfjr
Member
This March my MP15-22 will be a year old with more than 15,000 rounds to date!! How do I know this beacuse I keep a record for each gun I own. Before going to the range I record how many rounds and brand of ammo. I alos keep record of FTF/FTE....6 out of 15,000 rds, not bad. It will eat everything accept for Thunderbolt from my records. I have also realized that different ammo will react differently dgoing down range. The best ammo to date CCI Standard, but I will use anything I can get my hands on, I shot once to twice a week indoors due to the snow : (.
78Staff
Member
Ran mine today for the first time... Had a few FTR's with Winchester M22's, maybe 5 out of 150 or so. I also ran 100 MiniMags through it initially, hated to do it as it was all the MiniMags I had 
but read it was a good "break in" round for a new 15-22, if there is such a thing. There were also 3 different shooters all shooting it for the first time, so that may have played into things too. Don't think there will be any issues by all reports it eats most anything, figure just a case of new gun/new mags, etc. Hope not anyway as I have 3K rounds of it lol.
Also ran the Mad Dog 50 round drum, it was fun but heavier holding on target. Not as heavy as an AR of course, but definitely a noticeable difference from the 25 rounders. My friends didn't know I had bought it so I got to use the old "Say hello to my little friend..." line on them lol.
but read it was a good "break in" round for a new 15-22, if there is such a thing. There were also 3 different shooters all shooting it for the first time, so that may have played into things too. Don't think there will be any issues by all reports it eats most anything, figure just a case of new gun/new mags, etc. Hope not anyway as I have 3K rounds of it lol.Also ran the Mad Dog 50 round drum, it was fun but heavier holding on target. Not as heavy as an AR of course, but definitely a noticeable difference from the 25 rounders. My friends didn't know I had bought it so I got to use the old "Say hello to my little friend..." line on them lol.
