Ruger 10/22 with random FTF issues

If you still have the stock trigger parts, I'd put the stock Ruger spring back in it and try it.

I believe the Volquartsen spring is reduced power to start with.

Could be that, coupled with Aguila cases maybe being a little harder to dent or set off then normal?

rc

With the barrel removed I would make sure the breach face is clean and free of powder fouling/carbon build up. Also make sure the barrel block is correctly torqued. I've seen where the block screws will back out over time, as well as the block itself being out of spec.

When my 22's start doing that I get aggressive cleaning the chamber. I use a bronze brush on drill with your gun solvent and ONLY clean the chamber. Normally you will have carbon ring at the end of the chamber that gets compacted over time. Normal cleaning does not always clean this up.

Also check the rebound spring. If it's broke and not returning the FP all the way back you will not get full power.

Check your firing pin protrusion. The firing pin can wear from use. The tip can become blunted, distorted, and/or short.

It might still be a good idea to check the protrusion of the firing pin, just because something is new does not necessarily mean it is correct. You may also have some sludge built up in the firing pin pocket of the bolt causing it to stop slightly short.

Is the bolt seating all the way home on the first try? A little bit of crud in an out-of-the-way spot (extractor cut-out, behind the c-clip on the guide-rod, or somewhere else) might just be enough to let the round sit off the breechface far enough that it doesn't fire the first time, but after being seated fully the next time, it'll go.

In SASS competition, a failure to fire can usually be remedied by cocking the hammer and it usually fires on the second try. Similar to your problem.

The SASS problem is usually a primer not fully seated. The first strike seats the primer softly and the second gets the good sold hit.

I would check the headspace. The Ruger comes from the factory with a little slop in the headspace. This means the round might not be seating/chambering all the way. The first strike moves the rim to the chamber and the second is a solid hit.

The rim of a 22 rimfire is .042". The factory bolt has a headspace measurement of .055". The recommended headspace measurement is .0425.

The headspace is easily fixed with a good depth gauge and a file. A disc/belt sander that enables a very good 90 degree hold will suffice. Simply reducing the metal on the face of the bolt takes care of reducing head space.

Just a little at a time.

If the gun has been dry fired and the firing pin is too long then it can create a ding at the top of the chamber. This means that the rim of the .22 case isn't fully supported and the firing pin has to push the rim until it bottoms out in the divot before it can crush the priming compound.

If that's not it, I'd agree with the others and check your headspace. Different manufacturers make slightly different rim thicknesses, especially when you're talking about match ammo.

Try different ammo and get back to us.

Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.

Almost every box of rimfire ammo I have ever bought had about a 5% rate of duds. Some brands are much higher. I believe most of that is from the fact the when the priming compound is applied to the cases it doesn't always fill the rim all the way around. Most of the duds I had would fire if the round was struck again 180 degrees from the first strike. Bottom line - don't be too quick to blame your gun for the problem you are seeing. Rimfire is a crude technology and when mass produced the failure rate can be pretty bad.

Those that don't fire did you try them again with the orientation different? Some times the primer compound is not evenly distributed, and rotating the bullet works. I have had very little of the Fed cheap stuff that has not fired. Maybe a failure rate of 1 in 2k-3k rounds at most. Now Rem and Win that's a different story.

5 years of storage, hot/humid, who knows how old the ammo was when you got it. (ok that is a stretch nowadays, but back then?)

We just started getting 100* days out here in so cal, so all my powder goes in the closet to keep 70-75* cool, even temps.

10/22's are "bulletproof" little shooters. I would lean towards the ammo.

If you can get some new ammo, give it a try.

be safe.

SilentScream is on track here. I've been there with that and have observed multiple 10/22's, as well as other RF actions that have experienced similar problems caused by build up and fouling. In fact my Son brought two of his over to me a couple weeks ago that were FTF, carbon fouling was the problem as usual.

And regardless of what others may say, never dry fire a RF. This alone can damage the chamber and FP.

GS

Take a closer look at everything: headspace, firing pin protrusion, firing pin tip shape, chamber nicks, hammer spring....... You are competing with it so no need to pass up the opportunity to optimize everything while you have it torn down.

Square the bolt face and set headspace at .0435"- .044". This is usually a great improvement over stock while still leaving enough room for fouling so that you can actually get through an extended shooting session. They usually come from the factory at about .049". You can go as low as .0425", but expect to have to clean more often. Tradeoffs......

Firing pin protrusion at .025" min to .035" max. Your new firing pin may not be to spec. Loose headspace and short firing pin protrusion can conspire with light hammer springs to create some of what you're seeing.

Firing pin tip shape can be optimized to move the strike slightly inward and concentrate the strike energy. Bullseye shooters typically do this mod to ensure reliable ignition. Firing pin tip is shaped to avoid the edge of the rim as it is harder to crush due to work hardening during manufacturing. The tip is reduced to about a .025"x .025" square strike surface. The firing pin can be pinned in the bolt slot to keep it from lifting/floating upward.

Verify no nicks/burrs in the chamber. You might consider setting the barrel back and cleaning up the chamber with a Bentz reamer. The rifling in the stock barrels is not bad at all, but the chambers are loose as a goose.

Trigger pull is more a factor of the hammer sear engagement depth/angle/surface finish and is not a reliable indicator of hammer strike energy.

If you really want to get serious with it, look up Bill Calfee on the net. He participates at http://wwaccuracy.com/ and wrote a book (actually a compilation of articles he wrote over the years), The Art of Rimfire Accuracy.

Or just save some time and send your bolt assembly to Connecticut Precision Chambering - http://www.ct-precision.com/