Ruger SR22 Problems

rugmar... Im going to keep watching this thread, and I hope we can find a solution. Im not really desperate to find a solution, as I have many 22 pistols to shoot, and because mine does run very well on Blazers. Its just annoying to know that other SR22Ps run well with any ammo. Are these guys lying to us? I dont think so. I would be interested to know what your accuracy is at 25 yards also.

Newcatwalt said:

MY SR22 feeds and fires anything I feed it. Just be sure the mag is fully inserted - make sure you hear a little "click" to indicate it's seated fully. If you don't you may experience these problems

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Its obviously not a problem with getting the mags seated completely. Its not a problem with loading the mags properly. Its not the magazine bottom plates or the followers. Its not a clean vs dirty pistol issue. Mine does it clean, or dirty, and when lubed properly.

My Walther P22 used to constantly do the same thing you described with multiple ammo types and different magazines. The gun was always kept squeaky clean too.

Maybe give Ruger a call on this one and see what they say about it? They may want you to send it in for a once over.

weblance said:

Rugmar... mine does exactly the same thing. Your experience if identical to mine. My guide rod spring wasnt captured either, and installing it correctly didnt fix the issues. I have 5 magazines, and they all do the same. The only thing that made it better was to change ammo brands. My SR22P runs well with CCI Blazers. I was thinking of sending it in to Ruger and see if they could work some magic, or simply shoot Blazers thru it forever. Either is acceptable, but I also have the issue of mine isnt very accurate. I suppose that comparing it to my Ruger Mark pistols isnt fair, but none the less, its still not as accurate as i would like. At 25 yards, it will group 8", where my Marks will group 3". Try Blazers(if you can find some) and see if that helps. Everyone raves that this pistol eats any ammo, and is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Mine has been neither.

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Is your barrel loose?

Some of the reoirts of not being accurate.. and a whole host of other issues... we due to a loose barrel. Ruger did have some get out that the barrel wasnt torqued down properly.

A good test to see if it is the ammo is to try different kinds and notice the ejection pattern. If the brass is barely getting out of the gun, it is only a matter of time before it is going to short stroke when feeding and give a click on an empty chamber instead of a bang.

Danes71 said:

s your barrel loose?

Some of the reoirts of not being accurate.. and a whole host of other issues... we due to a loose barrel. Ruger did have some get out that the barrel wasnt torqued down properly.

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No... my barrel is not loose. I have checked it numerous times and it is always tight. My SR22P is as accurate as my Bersa Thunder 22 which has a 3" barrel like the SR22P. I suppose its just the short barrel, and short sight radius, and my unfair comparison to my longer barrel Ruger Mark II/III pistols.

I haven't bought any Blazers since the "Great Ammo Scare of 2012-2013" but when things were Pre-Hysteria, the Blazers were $16/525. Thats why I shoot them. They seem to have a little more power than the Winchester and Federal bulk that I also have. I have over 4,000 rounds thru my SR22P and it still wont shoot those brands reliably, so I doubt the recoil spring will weaken enough on yours to cure the problem. It didnt on mine.

Another update. It seems stingers cure the problem. No problems whatsoever when using them. I suspect the velocitors will work as well although I did not try them because I typically don't like to shoot on Sundays. Maybe later this week. Ouch....this little 22 just got expensive to shoot.

I'm wondering if after some time as the recoil spring weakens, maybe then it will shoot the less powerful stuff? I guess only time will tell. I least now I have some rounds that are reliable in this gun. Thanks for all your help guys!

Weblance,

I have not even shot this gun at a target yet. Only cans and fruit that was on it's way to spoiling. I agree though, it doesn't compare to my MK II target in that I can't hit pieces of fruit as often. I'm talking 30 ft maybe, 4-5 hits out of ten with the SR22 versus 7 or 8 hits with the MKII at the same range. But, as you said, probably not a very fair comparison.

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I haven't gotten mine in yet, but personally, if mine ended up only reliable with high power .22 (e.g. stingers), I'll probably be sending it to Ruger because cheap shooting is one of the biggest reasons for having a .22 pistol as far as I'm concerned. Hope it resolves without coming to that however! I'd probably give it a brick or two before I resorted to that

I am one of those that has been able to shoot nearly everything I can find in my SR22p. I have even used some really greasy, old low power Russian stuff and it fired reliably. The issues I have had almost seemed related to gripping the gun too strongly, with the alternate base plates on the mags. It seemed to tweak the mag enough to cause a misfeed. I was able to induce the problem on purpose after i surmised that is what was happening. However, I KEPT trying to induce the stoppages that way but could not do it consistently. So, there is the vague possibility it comes from gripping too hard.

As for accuracy, I am always stunned at the PLINKING accuracy of the SR22p. I can hit the smallest rocks and shotgun shells just about anything else. However, I have no idea how this is possible considering the LACK of accuracy I see on paper. I shot off the bench at 25 yds and it sucked. I can post pics if you are interested. I did 50 rnd groups using different ammo and ammo manufacturer seemed to make a difference.

On a side note, I now have a Ruger Mark 3 Target on layaway and look forward to the experience of comparing the two. I suspect the best way to look at it is, the SR22 is a great plinking gun but if you want real accuracy, go with the Mark series guns.

I just got a SR22 NIB yesterday but have yet to fire it. I sure as hell hope I don't have any issues about it being ammo finicky for it supposedly being able to digest anything (according to numerous internet reviews) is the biggest reason I obtained it.

I have two SR-22's. Only have fired one of them so far. I ran Blazers and bulk Federal (walmart stuff) through it with no problems. Since then I have come across a large supply of CCI standard velocity and a large supply of mini mags. I'm going to be interested on how the standard velocity stuff does. I want to think the minimags should work fine. If anyone has any experience with these two ammo types in this gun please pass it on.

Here is a good discussion on different ammo in the SR 22

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=431235

Thanks for the link Steve H.

Going to bump this thread to ask a question of my own if that's alright.

I just got the threaded barrel version of the SR22, and the thread cover is REALLY hard to remove (I stopped trying due to concern that I'd hurt the frame of the pistol). Is this to be expected, and should I just keep torquing until it comes loose?

RTR_RTR said:

Going to bump this thread to ask a question of my own if that's alright.

I just got the threaded barrel version of the SR22, and the thread cover is REALLY hard to remove (I stopped trying due to concern that I'd hurt the frame of the pistol). Is this to be expected, and should I just keep torquing until it comes loose?

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I wonder if it might be better to remove the barrel from the gun and put it in a wooden vice type thingy. Have you shot it yet? Maybe take it out and shoot it until the barrel gets real hot and maybe it will help you out.

I haven't fired it yet. I would think that would preferentially expand the inner barrel, but running hot water over it might be a good idea - may try that when I get home, thanks.

I'd probably try to heat it up by shooting before I'd run water on it. Even if it's really tight, some water will creep in between the cover and the threads. Then if you don't get it off this week, you'll have corrosion to deal w/ next week.


I'd warm it up by shooting first, and if that didn't work I would maybe try some penetrating oil (I'm a huge fan of Kroil) if you can actually get to the crack. Warning, I have no idea what Kroil or any other penetrant will do to the finish of the gun, I'm approaching this more from an automotive/hobbiest "stuck nut" position.

Sigh. Well, to resolve the issue.

"To remove the thread cover, WITH THE GUN FACING AWAY FROM YOU, turn the cover in a clockwise direction."

Relevant words bolded and underlined. I'll leave the rest to your collective imaginations.

anyone consider maybe trying a trick used on the H&K P30 sometimes? lock back the slide and let it sit for a day or 3. that seems to help "break in" the spring in a P30, allowing it to eat lighter rounds (115gr) reliably. Not everyone seems to have that problem with the P30 (I didn't. fed it a case of 115gr when it was brand new) but for those that do it seems to help cure it.

just a suggestion.

To the original poster, there is a trick that bulllseye shooters use with the standard velocity ammo that is common in conventional bullseye. Run a small bead of oil on the top cartridge in the magazine. It serves two functions. The first is to assist in extraction and the second is to keep the powder residue soft and easy to remove.

Mine would do the same, only on the second shot. When you load your mag, try letting go of the tab on the side of the magazine after loading each round to seat the ammo. If you pull the tab down and let the rounds fall in with out seating them they seem not to line up correctly and cause the fail to feed. Hope this helps.