My Remington 552 Speedmaster has light strikes

[Min]

Every time I shoot the Speedmaster (which I love by the way), it would have light strikes fairly regularly (I'd say one or twice per every three full tubes worth of ammo).

When I say light strikes, I mean there would be an indentation on the rim from the Speedmaster, but when I take the same round and put it in my S&W K22, it would fire.

Is this normal for this gun, or for tube-fed rifles in general? Or is there something wrong with the 552?

Thanks!

 

[eliphalet]

How do those "light strikes" compare to one that fired? Also you can replace a fired case "strike" it in a different place to see how the two compare without the gun firing. If they are the same it is not your rifle.

I have never or should say never had trouble with 22 not firing until the last few years but have lately. I think it is in the manufacturing process. Some that FTF will fire in another gun or upon placing back in the same gun and fired the second time.

 

[Min]

Thanks for the reply. I love this gun and don't want it to have any problems.

I am also using cheapo ammo - Walmart bulk pack Remington golden bullets and Federal bricks. It could be the ammo.

I should try CCI stingers and mini-mags.

 

[adobewalls]

Its not uncommon to have FTF with the el' cheapo bulk ammo.

Its also not uncommon for the same round to fire when its repositioned or put in another gun.

You are on the right track, get some good quality ammo and see how that works in your speedmaster before worrying too much.

 

[Shawnee]

Hi Min...

Now that you've named your ammo I would just about guarantee it's the ammo's problem.

Just to be sure - give your rifle a good cleaning and try again. But like I said, it's a real good bet the problem is with the ammo.

 

[rangerruck]

also the remmy speedmaster , while having a high tolerance for working under terrible conditions, once they really get filthy, they actually start to misfire.
You proly need to take it apart, and clean the bolt group. just let it soak for a few days in some brake cleaner. Then , i like to use a hi speed , hot water spigot, like in my kitchen sink , which actually achieves nuclear temps, and fire hose speeds, wash it all out, then dunk the whole thing in sythetic motor oil, while it is still hot. Yummy....

 

[trbon8r]

I used to have one of these guns. It was a nice gun and provided great service up until the original firing pin went south. After that, it seemed every replacement firing pin would die an early death. I eventually sold the rifle because I got sick of hauling it to the smith and getting new firing pins put in it.

The symptoms you describe were pretty common when the firing pin was starting to go south. It seemed to be worse with some brands of ammo than others. Good luck.

 

[BigG]

The gun may need to be cleaned. Those 22s put out a lot of debris and unburned stuff. Blow out the receiver with Gun Scrubber or a similar aerosol product. That may fix the problem.

 

[Min]

I used to have one of these guns. It was a nice gun and provided great service up until the original firing pin went south. After that, it seemed every replacement firing pin would die an early death. I eventually sold the rifle because I got sick of hauling it to the smith and getting new firing pins put in it.

The symptoms you describe were pretty common when the firing pin was starting to go south. It seemed to be worse with some brands of ammo than others. Good luck.

What do you mean the firing pin died? Do you mean the spring got weak, or the pin itself got soft or broke?

Thanks

 

[aka108]

Had more FTF's with bulk Remingtons than anything else. Surprising number of once struck Rem. rounds lying around the range.

 

[trbon8r]

What do you mean the firing pin died? Do you mean the spring got weak, or the pin itself got soft or broke?

The pin would eventually cease to function. I don't know that the pin ever broke as in snapped in half. You could pull the trigger and hear the pin drop, but the gun would not fire. I was a young kid at the time, and that was a long time ago. I just remember I would take the gun to the local smith when it screwed up, and he would put a new firing pin in (and possibly a spring), and it would fix the problem, at least for awhile. I think I spent nearly as much in firing pins and springs as the $150 I paid for the gun. In the gun's defense it did get shot quite a bit.

 

[32winspl]

I'm going to take a little different view here. As above, first clean it thoroughly. This is most likely the problem. Then, while it's apart, look carefully at the striking end of the pin and the barrel breech where the pin would strike. What you're looking for is a broadening (peening) of the tip of the pin, and perhaps even a divit in the breech of the barrel. .22 rimfires are among the few firearms that you are (correctly) advised NOT to dryfire. Barrel steel is very much harder than the brass rim of the cartridge, and after as few as just a couple dozen dryfires, the firing pin, going past where the brass rim ought to be, and striking the barrel, can peen the pin sufficiently so that when it does strike the rim, it has broadened out enough that it is trying to crush too much rim, thus striking relatively lightly. Also, if it is peened out wider than it should be, it might be dragging in the groove... and not fully retracting, and not getting a full hammer strike. If this seems to be the case, a simple fix is to remove the pin (catch the spring) and lay it flat on a good, fine grit sharpening stone, and just stone it until the pin is flat. Turn it over and do the other side of the pin. Remember, you aren't trying to sharpen the pin like you would a knife, you're just trying to "sharpen" it back to flat.
Hope this helps.