.22 lr ammo failure

[Wildyams]

Today I was out shooting my friends old .22 with what little .22 ammo I have left. I was seeming to get quite a few more duds than when I use my 22, but I just passed it off as a combination of a really old rifle with cheap ammo (remington golden bullets or w/e the $18 525 bulk pack is)

I was getting down to the last few rounds and I was tired of using the cheap scope, so I figured I'd see how well I could aim without actually using the scope. So I'm trying to line up my shot, at about 10-15 yards, pull the trigger, and boom, the gun starts to smoke a lot more than usual through the action, my arm is burning. I look at my arm and there are specks of powder all over it and it was still hot. When I ejected the shell, it came out in two pieces. The base separated from the rest of the casing.

I'm wondering what happened? Was it something I did, or the rifle, or was it just the ammo?

I do believe I am lucky that this happened with just a .22 and not something bigger.

 

[chevyforlife21]

what kind of gun was it and how old?

 

[Wildyams]

It was an old remington pump action 22. If I had to guess at how old it was, I'd say 40-50 years old.

 

[chevyforlife21]

oh id say that maybe there was to much powder in the case of the round (remington 22 ammo is known to have all kinds of problems) thats most likely. or the chamber of the gun is excessivly worn or the bolt didnt close all the way. and for next time you buy ammo buy federal 550 pack its around the same price and ive never had a single problem after 5000 rounds or so.

 

[Deus Machina]

Check for obstructions or severe buildup in the barrel or breach. Sounds like a case where the bullet didn't want to move away from the casing fast enough.

If it's unobstructed, track down the box and let the manufacturer know. They should make it right by you (I would!) and they may want to check the lot for overcharges, weak brass, or the like, if they can.

Edit: see the post above me. You may also want to check the headspace, and it may be that it fired out of battery, letting the brass split.

 

[Wildyams]

Well, the stuff I was shooting I got 1500 rounds for $5. That was probably 3 years ago and I couldn't pass it up.

 

[chevyforlife21]

there wasnt dirt or grease or excessive oil in the bore was there?

 

[Wildyams]

I don't think there was. But it was an old gun that hadn't been shot in some time. We had put about 50 rounds through it prior to this happening though

 

[chevyforlife21]

deff sounds to me like an ammo issue then man

 

[fireman 9731]

A better, clearer picture could help a lot.

 

[ThrottleJockey72]

I knew what you had just from the thread title. The problem was the ammo. Remington rimfire is crap. It is almost as bad as their customer support. Here is some of the last Rem golden bullet I bought and the last I ever will. This is right out of the undamaged box mind you!

 

[Wildyams]

Sorry, all i have is my cell phone camera. Its a pretty clear and clean cut where it separated except for 2 small parts that stick up and bend out a little. I'll try to get more detailed pictures tomorrow when I get home to my digital camera

 

[ThrottleJockey72]

Check out this thread Rem Rimfire SUX. The product manager from rem even chines in and pretty much admits it is junk. After contacting him, he did admit openly that it is junk and they can't figure out how to make it well. Then he proceeded to lie to me over several months of correspondence. Be done with Rem Rimfire and your problems will go away.

 

[LaserSpot]

Modern guns all have a mechanism to prevent firing if the round isn't chambered completely. You should test this: put an empty shell in the chamber, then pull the slide back until it pulls the shell out an eighth of an inch or so. Now dry fire it; did you get another firing pin mark in the empty shells rim?

 

[skoro]

I'm wondering what happened? Was it something I did, or the rifle, or was it just the ammo?

Remington Golden Bullets you say...

Look no further. That stuff has been horrid for years. When I bought it in the past (thinking that Remington ammo would be the best thing to use in my Remington 552) I experienced every kind of ammo-related failure known to man - including ruptured cases, like your photo.

Since I switched to other brands of ammo, all those problems have evaporated.

 

[AR-15Nutt]

i would call it improper "HEADSPACE"

 

[jnyork]

Friends dont let friends shoot Remington Golden Bullets . Awful stuff.

 

[woodsoup]

Clean the gun!

Most likley the round fired out of battery because it wasn't seated all the way due to a buildup of dirt in either the chamber or in the action.