.22 rimfire ignition

[JRH6856]

It is known that some centerfire primers are harder than others and will not fire with a light firing pin strike. I suspect rimfire ammunition has the same characteristics. If so, what rimfire ammo has the most reliable ignition with a light firing pin strike?

 

[GCBurner]

Eley has the rep as most reliable target ammo, due to their method of spinning the priming compound uniformly into the rim. Mexican ammo company Aguila says they use the Eley priming process, too. Eley is kind of expensive for plinking, but I've shot a lot of Aguila without any misfires, so far.

 

[JRH6856]

So it is the uniform spinning of the priming compound rather than the softness or hardness of the case that is most important. That makes sense. If there is no primer there, it won't make much difference how soft the case is.

 

[9mmepiphany]

What you're really asking is which gives the most reliable ignition with a given firing pin strike energy.

While CF primers have differing primer cup hardness comparisons, RF reliability is more about uniform distribution of the priming compound around the rim. The uniform the distribution (consistency) the more reliable the ignition...that is why you can, with much bulk RF, rotate a cartridge in the chamber and cause a cartridge to fire on the second strike.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

If you have a light firing pin strike causing mis-fires with any brand of RF ammo?

You have a gun problem, not an ammo problem.

Need to get'r fixed.

rc

 

[JRH6856]

It's a friend's Clark (Sr.) customized Ruger Standard. The work was done in the late '50s or early '60s and I'm not messing with any of his work. I'll tell him it needs to go to CCG.

 

[velocette]

RC model has given you the correct answer.
Next, you should clean the firing pin channel and replace the mainspring.
(that's the spring that drives the hammer or striker, not the recoil spring.)
You should give the rest of the pistol a thorough cleaning at the same time.
Just because a legendary gunsmith worked on a pistol at some time in the distant past does not mean that the springs will last forever.

Roger

 

[JRH6856]

The gun is kept clean and has had a thorough cleaning after the problem developed but the problem still exists. I have an set of springs for my own Std 6 so I can replace the springs if he wants. It isn't my gun so it is not my decision.

 

[tuj]

This is easy, I have done lots of testing.

CCI Pistol Match. (more reliable firing in a gun that had chronic problems with light strikes than anything Eley makes, Wolf, SK, and Lapua). CCI SV wouldn't cut it, but Pistol Match would.

 

[JRH6856]

Thanks, tuj. I'm sure he will want to try the ammo solution before changing springs or sending the gun off. Of course, the hard part right now is finding any ammo, let alone some CCI Pistol Match.