Ruger 10/22 misfire

[ronbow]

My 10/22 will fire and feed maybe 2 or 3 rounds then "click" - doesn't fire. The unfired shell does not have a ding from the firing pin. I disassembled, hosed down with degreaser (couldn't get the bolt out), re-oiled and got same results. Have used 3 different magazines as well as different ammo - same results. What gives ?

[John Traveler1]

You do need to remove, disasssemble, and thoroughly clean that bolt.

Dirt, firing residue, dried oil, etc will stop the firing pin travel and cause misfires.

John

[KN]

Since there is no dent at all I would guess that the bolt is not closing completely. Could be from crud.   KN

[gunnut69]

Disassemble and clean the rifle..  Rimfire autos are filthy little beasts and most problems (especially with the 10/22) stem from poor cleaning habits..  Disassmbly is easy. Remove the barreled action from the stock. The firecontrol assebly can be removved from the action by removing the to bottom crosspins(the upper is the bolt stop).  Tuen the action upside down and retract the bolt enough that a finger tip can be inserted in front of the bolt face. This is used to push the bolt to the rear and lift it up slightly. When the bolt moves toward you the handle will remain in place and the bolt can be worked out the top of the incerted action. the recoil sping and it's guide will remain as a unit and shouldn't be taken down unless parts replacement is needed. At this point cleaning should be thorough enough. The diagram at the link provided gices enough info to take down further if you wish. I use carb cleaner to soften and remove caked on gunk.. Caution,,use this outside as it is very flammable.

http://stevespages.com/ipb-ruger-1022.html

[giturgun]

You didn't say how long you have had the rifle if it is new then I may be able to help u . I purchased a new one a few years ago and it did the same thing tried about every brand in it I could it would shoo cci stingers almost every time , anything else maby 3 or 4 out of ten.  I accidently stumbled on the problem while reassembling one day, noticed the case rim didn't seat fully against the bolt face, was looking from the magazine well with the mag removed, I tried some different ammo and then stingers . T he stingers fit against the face of the bolt tighter , so I measured the rim thickness and they are a little thicker, I solved the problem by carefully filing the raised part of the bolt that fits over the rim a little at a time and reassembling till it would shoot anything I put in it . Then the only problem was it was never accurate enough so I traded it for a bolt gun. If your rifle is new ,check it , if it's an older one this probably is not the problem

[gunnut69]

CAUTION!!  Filing that little recess is adjusting the headspace.. If too little headspace remains the rifle may slamfire.. The firing pin will easily reach the rim at nearly every depth of boltface I've seen.. If it doesn't, it should. The problem is then in the firing pin or the pins fit in the bolt.. I would advise against an ameture altering the bolt face depth of one of these little rifles unless they are absolutely sure of what they are doing.. If the hammer 'clinked' and the rifle didn't even mark the case the problem is in the firing pin not reaching the case head, either it's blocked or broken... Remove the bolt, clean and research the problem. Beware of altering the rifles headspace..

[giturgun]

It was reaching the rim in mine , but the shroud was to long , when the case was struck it had a few thousands of air space to move and that causeed firing pin to be light . Filing it down fixed the rifle , it shot 100 percent of the time after the fix. To get a bolt to fire when closin the rim would have to be filed almost all the way down , it is not something everyone should do but he could check it and if not confident enough then take it to a smith . I do about all my own work, and if I had a mill and lathe I would do it all . But I was a machinest for almost 11 years.

[gunnut69]

The recess in the bolt face that you removed provides the headspace for the rimmed 22 round.  Since removing it would allow the bolt to slam shut on the case head and the prining mix is in the rather thin rim of the case, It is entirely possible that the rifle might slam fire or fire when the bolt slams shut. Any accidental discharge is dangerous and one of this type very much so. In a worst case scenario the gun may go full auto...  Have the rifle checked to be sure the minimum headspace remains or replace the bolt.. Thanks...

[John Traveler1]

gunut69 is right.

Firing pin protrusion and headspace are carefully regulated by the factory on the 10-22 and other semiauto rimfires with straight blowback operation.  To modifiy either is asking for trouble.

I once saw a police demonstration using captured gang firearms.  It seems that a favorite gangster weapon is a sawed-off Ruger 10-22 using high capacity "banana clips" in a modified gun.  The illegal modification  was simple enough:  the firing pin was tack welded in the forward  position.  The shooter cocked the bolt and held it open, inserted a full magazine, and tripped the bolt release, firing the gun until the magazine went empty.

[giturgun]

Fellers all I know is that it fixed mine ,Iain,t skeert of jumping on one that don't shoot . The headspace was excessive , when the rifle was turned upside down with a cartridge in the chamber I could move it back and forth , the cci mags were a little thicker on the rim . I removed enough to just take out the play, the rifle worked perfectly   , no more misfires. Take it as you will Gun was broke  Gun was worked on  Gun operated flawlessy , Thats my story and I'm stickin to it . By the way I wasn't stupid enough to file it all the way off.   And having over 10 years experience as a machinist didn't hurt either. :-D

[gunnut69]

I'm glad you had a positive result but we must consider every possiblity when answering a question. Obviously I don't know what you guns problem was but the headspace is set at the factory and to limit the headspace on a rifle that was simply misfiring is certainly courting disaster. While your problem is gone it may well be that the actual problem was insufficient firing pin protrusion. Wjile your actions may have elliminated the synptoms you were experiencing it may have set you up for other problems later on..    These little rifles, as all fire arms, should be considered as systems and repairs must account for all facets of that system.. In this situation the hammer fell but the pin didn't mark the casehead even though it was firing sometimes. This indicates the pin was somehow retrained in it's motion. If there had been a light mark perhaps a headspace problem could have been involved.. If you think about it you will see.. The headspace allowance for 10/22's if usually quite generous, so you probably did no harm.. But your situation and the gentleman  asking for assistance was different. Good luck to you and yours...