10/22 Bolt sticking caused by ejector

[jrandyw]

I've been trying to do a better job of cleaning my firearms as I've been shooting a good be more recently. My brother owns a Ruger 10/22 carbine and I've been shooting it quite bit and decided that I needed to take apart the bolt and clean it better than can be done just by cleaning it with the magazine removed. I watched some online videos of how to take it all apart and I'm pretty confident that I have all the parts in the right place. Before disassembly anytime I pulled back the bolt it would slide forward with ease, no matter how slowly I pulled it back. Now, if I pull back the bolt really slow, I can sometimes get it to stick when its all the way back.

After looking over everything I've noticed that the ejector (part B-8) is pressed up against the underside of the bolt (part B-10) and seems to be what is causing the bolt to stick. I took everything apart to make sure I'd not done something wrong and looking over everything, it seems that the ejector isn't sitting all the way down inside the notch cut out for it in the trigger assembly (part B-2). I looked at it a bit more and I noticed that one of the pins which hold the trigger assembly in place (part B-5) pushes the ejector up ever so slightly.

I did some reading on various forums and saw some people that ran into this problem and the recommendation was to sand down the top of the ejector. This seems like a bad idea to me, as it was working perfectly fine before. If anyone here has any suggestions as to what I might have done wrong in reassembling everything I'd really appreciate your input.

Source of where I'm getting these part numbers:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12891609/Ruger-1022-Parts-Diagram-and-Numbers

 

[greyling22]

nothing magical happened to the metal when you took it apart. nothing grew or expanded. if it worked before, it can work again. You not going to like this answer, but I bet you have it put together wrong.

If it makes you feel any better, One time, after disassembly of my 10/22, my bolt release didn't release right anymore. I took it apart 2x, and I KNEW I had it assembled right, but it still didn't work. Finally I found the right youtube video (about modifying an auto bolt release) Turns out I had a spring leg over a pin instead of under it. I corrected it, felt stupid, and all was well.

welcome to the forum and hopefully somebody can give you better guidance than I did.

 

[Fleet]

I've seen this happen when the gun has been cleaned and lubed with WD-40. The WD-40 turns into a nice varnish that has to be scraped off. In my case, it caused the firing pin to stick up too high.

 

[jrandyw]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I'm certainly open to the possibility that I've done something wrong. As for the WD-40, thankfully I haven't done that, just used the solvent that came in a little Remington gun cleaning kit, let it dry, then applied Rem Oil a little too generously. That caused gun powder to eventually gum up my firing pin, but I learned my lesson and cleaned that all out. Now I oil the underside bolt pretty generously but the top I only wipe with a very lightly oiled cleaning patch.

 

[Red Cent]

".....ejector (part B-8) is pressed up against the underside of the bolt.....".

The ejector rides on a pin in the receiver and rides at about 1:00 on the bolt looking at the face of the bolt.

Sticking all the way back: operating rod/spring not properly installed, bolt buffer left out (you never know), extractor improperly installed, ejector not in proper groove in the receiver.

Remoil is great. Spray a little when you cone home from shooting. Set rifle barrel down. Let is set a few minutes. Flush generously with Remoil. You will see gray to black flush. Wipe and swab barrel. Set rifle barrel down and let it drain.
I shoot hundreds of rounds in a 10-22 and a lever 38 every week and I have been doing the same for about 12 years. About every other month I tear down and thoroughly clean.

 

[mjsdwash]

Had this happen too, a spring under instead of over the bolt release, if i recall

 

[Red Cent]

The bolt release spring is on the same pin as the ejector. I don't think it would cause the "sticking back".
It occurs to me that the bolt rides the hammer down to cock it.

The hammer, the ejector, the receiver rails, the bolt spring, and the bolt operating rod.

Drop the trigger group and cycle the bolt.

I would remove the easiest to the most difficult. It will show up.

 

[jrandyw]

Red Cent/all,

Thanks for the info. I'm going to have to figure this out for sure. Now my 10/22 is failing to fire almost half the time. It seems that the firing pin isn't striking the round hard enough when it does misfire. I suspect I have something wrong in the trigger group. Also, Red Cent, if I cycle the bolt without the trigger group in, it moves freely and doesn't stick.

 

[Red Cent]

There is a certin way the captured hammer spring is put back in the group. There is a C-clip on one end. Make sure the notch in the C-clip is up as in on top and the c-clip end goes first.