chasing gremlins; reliability issues with 10/22

MrBitey

MrBitey

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I'm trying to get my T/CR22 running reliably so that I can use it to shoot in a rimfire challenge competition. I have two kinds of failures: light strikes and (I think) failure to eject. Looking for advice on what to try next.

The light strikes are pretty obvious. I see a mark on the rim and I can cycle the gun and fire the next round. I cleaned the gun really well, including removing the firing pin from the bolt and cleaning everything. I'm having failures with multiple brands of ammo (CCI mini-mag, CCI clean, Federal Game Shok). The bolt seems to slide freely. I haven't looked into the trigger assembly at all yet.

The suspected failure to eject is also too frequent. I did remove and clean the extractor, and I cleaned the bolt face. There was a bunch of gunk on the bolt face so I was hopeful cleaning would fix the issue, but it hasn't. I don't know what to try next.

IMG_5206.jpeg
IMG_5209.jpeg

One variable I've changed is that I bought six new Ruger 10/22 magazines and installed TK bases. I haven't gone back and tried my two original magazines.

What should I try next?
 
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MrBitey said:
I'm trying to get my T/CR22 running reliably so that I can use it to shoot in a rimfire challenge competition. I have two kinds of failures: light strikes and (I think) failure to eject. Looking for advice on what to try next.

The light strikes are pretty obvious. I see a mark on the rim and I can cycle the gun and fire the next round. I cleaned the gun really well, including removing the firing pin from the bolt and cleaning everything. I'm having failures with multiple brands of ammo (CCI mini-mag, CCI clean, Federal Game Shok). The bolt seems to slide freely. I haven't looked into the trigger assembly at all yet.

The suspected failure to eject is also too frequent. I did remove and clean the extractor, and I cleaned the bolt face. There was a bunch of gunk on the bolt face so I was hopeful cleaning would fix the issue, but it hasn't. I don't know what to try next.

View attachment 597554
View attachment 597555

One variable I've changed is that I bought six new Ruger 10/22 magazines and installed TK bases. I haven't gone back and tried my two original magazines.

What should I try next?
Click to expand...

It appears @Average Joe has already put up the rimfire bat signal.

Honestly, @barf makes a good suggestion about taking those magazine bumpers off of there and trying it again. Extraction appears to be the issue. Most of the time this happens it is due to a dirty chamber. But it could also be interference from the magazine bumpers. After trying a normal factory magazine, if it doesn't work, I would:

1. Take the rifle apart. Get down to the receiver and barrel assembly.
2. Bend a .22 LR bore brush so you can work it back and forth a bit in the chamber. You're going to want to soak it in solvent and scrub the chamber with it. Ten strokes should do it. Then stick a q-tip with solvent on it in the chamber. It'll come out pretty dirty. What happens is the lead gets really packed up in the chamber.
3. Run a patch or a bore snake through the barrel if you have one.

Now, there is one other thing that could be happening. That looks like a Volquartsen Lightweight barrel. Volquartsens come in two different chamber offerings. One is called a "sport" chamber. It is a lot more forgiving and isn't as tight as the usual "precision" one. You can send the barrel to Volquartsen and they will ream the chamber so it works well for rimfire speed shooting.

If it already has a sport chamber, and scrubing the chamber doesn't work, then your best option is to bring it to me and let me get my hands on it. I'm just south of you in Pittsboro.
 
Following this one since my 10/22 has never been very reliable at all.
 
Studentofthegun said:
Volquartsens come in two different chamber offerings. One is called a "sport" chamber. It is a lot more forgiving and isn't as tight as the usual "precision" one.
Click to expand...
Is V’s precision barrel still the Bentz chamber? That’s what’s in mine and it has been reliable for 30 years.
16F5019D-D969-4657-B6B1-B9DF0C1358EC.jpeg
 
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Maybe upgrade the firing pin and/or extractor with Kidd or Volquartsen? If you have a standard bolt, that would be a good upgrade anyways and fairly cheap. When you compare a stock firing pin to a Kidd, it’s like a OCD machinist vs a half blind guy with tin snips & sheet metal.
 
Thanks for the replies so far! I'll try deep cleaning with a focus on the chamber and also go back to the original magazines and see if that resolved the extraction issue. The bolt is a little different than a 10/22 (from what I see looking at 10/22 videos on youtube). The extractor looks very well machined, but the firing pin doesn't look like an upgraded part. I'll take a photo of the light strikes next time I go to the range, and also look for an upgrade.

Here's the rifle:

Performance Center® T/CR22® Hogue® Overmolded® Thumbhole Stock - Thompson/Center

The hunt never ends with the Thompson/Center Performance Center® T/CR22® Hogue® Overmolded® Thumbhole Stock. #hunting #TCArms
www.tcarms.com
 
I am no expert, but when I was tinkering with a 10/22 I smoothed up the receiver and bolt and then used the Kidd Spring kit and matched it up with the ammo I was running. Everything worked fine after that.
 
Push a live round into the chamber with your finger (hard). Try to extract it with your thumb nail or a piece of plastic. Does it stick?
If so, that's not good for extraction.
Keep in mind that rim thickeness varies wildly between brands.

I'm betting the round isn't seating all the way, so it absorbs the FP impact.
One problem, two symptoms.

I'd remove the barrel and chuck a .556 chamber brush in a drill, low speed.
Finish up with flitz on a bore mop in the drill.
 
I've never had a 10/22 that actually liked the Ruger rotary mags. They have been the source of 80% of my 10/22 issues over the years. The BX-15 and 25 mags go a long way in solving that problem.

Another issue I've seen with rimfires, especially with ones that may have been dry fired a lot or have high round counts, is that the firing pin may be worn down. Usually its still long enough to make a dent in the primer, and it fires most of the time, but frequently "light strikes".
 
Lucky63 said:
Maybe upgrade the firing pin and/or extractor with Kidd or Volquartsen? If you have a standard bolt, that would be a good upgrade anyways and fairly cheap. When you compare a stock firing pin to a Kidd, it’s like a OCD machinist vs a half blind guy with tin snips & sheet metal.
Click to expand...

This is what I'd do upon acquiring any 10/22.
Kidd extractor into every one and Mark 3's as well.
Originally I'd take out stock extractor and FP and re-profile with a file. But they are soft and replacement with Kidd or Volq is the way to go.

Also check chamber as mentioned of course. But IMO the extractor is cheap and a real weak point on this guns.
 
Slacker said:
Push a live round into the chamber with your finger (hard). Try to extract it with your thumb nail or a piece of plastic. Does it stick?
If so, that's not good for extraction.
Keep in mind that rim thickeness varies wildly between brands.

I'm betting the round isn't seating all the way, so it absorbs the FP impact.
One problem, two symptoms.

I'd remove the barrel and chuck a .556 chamber brush in a drill, low speed.
Finish up with flitz on a bore mop in the drill.
Click to expand...

I reckon this would fix up the chamber (assuming that's the issue) without having to send it back to VQ.
 
I cleaned the chamber today with M-Pro gun cleaner and both a tipton brass brush and a bore tech nylon brush but didn't get much out on patches run through. I had cleaned the bore a couple of days ago with CLP. Should I try a different solvent? I've shot ~1000 rounds of a mix of CCI SV, mini-mag, and clean. So there could be copper and lead build up? I have some Bore Tech copper solvent and Hoppe's 9 that I haven't tried out yet.

I also cleaned the bolt, trigger assembly, receiver, and recoil spring with One Shot (first time trying it). I'm going out again tomorrow and will try the original magazines as well.

Regarding light strikes, I'd read about energy being absorbed if the cartridge isn't fully seated, and I'd checked out the gun with dummy rounds. I'll follow @Slacker 's suggestion and see if the ammo I'm actually using sticks. I do think I've had more extraction issues with the CCI clean than with the CCI SV or Federal Game Shok.

I'll also order a new firing pin from Kidd or Volquartsen.

I'll post an update after the next round of experiments.
 
MrBitey said:
I cleaned the chamber today with M-Pro gun cleaner and both a tipton brass brush and a bore tech nylon brush but didn't get much out on patches run through. I had cleaned the bore a couple of days ago with CLP. Should I try a different solvent? I've shot ~1000 rounds of a mix of CCI SV, mini-mag, and clean. So there could be copper and lead build up? I have some Bore Tech copper solvent and Hoppe's 9 that I haven't tried out yet.

I also cleaned the bolt, trigger assembly, receiver, and recoil spring with One Shot (first time trying it). I'm going out again tomorrow and will try the original magazines as well.

Regarding light strikes, I'd read about energy being absorbed if the cartridge isn't fully seated, and I'd checked out the gun with dummy rounds. I'll follow @Slacker 's suggestion and see if the ammo I'm actually using sticks. I do think I've had more extraction issues with the CCI clean than with the CCI SV or Federal Game Shok.

I'll also order a new firing pin from Kidd or Volquartsen.

I'll post an update after the next round of experiments.
Click to expand...

That’s a lotta work for shooting shitty 22’s. Might as well grab a Marlin 30-30 and go shoot a deer. Less work and you’ll have some good, lean meat, 😆
 
Another forum member met me at the range this afternoon and helped debug the situation. The failure to eject issues are definitely related to the ammo -- I fired 150 rounds of CCI SV with no issues but had multiple issues with the CCI Clean. In the past I've also had this same issue with mini-mags, which are very similar.

We then shot 150 rounds of CCI SV using seven different magazines and reproduced the light strike issue with two magazines. I had repeated failures with those two magazines, and zero failures with the other five. The failures were always on the first or second round fired from a fully loaded magazine, and then the rest of the magazine would fire with no issues.

At this point I'm unblocked w.r.t. competing since I have five magazines and ammo that work reliably. I'll still try to debug the two magazines that have frequent failures. Perhaps the spring tension is off. We also found a small plastic disk on the bench that looked like it came from one of the magazines. These are all new magazines, so maybe there was some manufacturing detritus left in one of the magazines.

BTW, I cleaned both guns (pistol and rifle) with Hornady One Shot yesterday and I really like that product. What I like is that it evaporates and leaves a dry lubricant, so I expect it'll attract less gunk compared to, say, CLP.
 
Slacker said:
Push a live round into the chamber with your finger (hard). Try to extract it with your thumb nail or a piece of plastic. Does it stick?
If so, that's not good for extraction.
Keep in mind that rim thickeness varies wildly between brands.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion!

We started out today by doing this "drop test" to see which ammo would drop into the chamber and also fall out freely. Definitely noticed a difference between brands, but most dropped in and fell out either completely freely or with very little effort (e.g. gravity and tapping the butt against the bench would get the round to fall free). For some reason the gun just doesn't work well with the CCI clean and mini-mags, but I don't need to chase that down.
 
Just for my understanding. This is a T/C copy of a 10/22 not a Ruger, yes?

Also, new rifle? Or several thousand rounds through?

I have had Ruger 10/22's that shoot lights out no matter the ammo and some that couldn't hit the side of a barn from the inside when new.

Just looking for details to maybe help diagnose the issues. I have a new Ruger right now that is giving me fits with accuracy.
 
Trevillian said:
Just for my understanding. This is a T/C copy of a 10/22 not a Ruger, yes?

Also, new rifle? Or several thousand rounds through?

I have had Ruger 10/22's that shoot lights out no matter the ammo and some that couldn't hit the side of a barn from the inside when new.

Just looking for details to maybe help diagnose the issues. I have a new Ruger right now that is giving me fits with accuracy.
Click to expand...
I don't know a lot about Thompson/Center, but the gun is based on the Ruger 10/22 design with some upgrades. I have ~1100 rounds through it. It's been quite accurate and I've had a lot of fun shooting targets at 50/100/150 yards with match ammo and a Caldwell "the rock" front rest. But now I'm trying to do the rimfire competition and need to be able to shoot hundreds of rounds without a failure, and until today I was having trouble.

Start a thread on your accuracy issues! I'd like to hear more about it!
 
Personal experience here. I used a Thompson for NRL22 matches for about a year. Was plagued with light strikes and finally traded it for a Ruger 10/22. I was swapping some parts over, namely a Volquartsen firing pin from the Thompson to Ruger and noticed how much more spring tension the Thompson had on the firing pin compared to the Ruger.

Had I known that before buying the Ruger, I would have replaced the firing pin spring or shortened the factory one. Loved that Thompson and enjoyed beating guys with thousands tied up into bolt guns.


Good luck!
 
Trevillian said:
Just for my understanding. This is a T/C copy of a 10/22 not a Ruger, yes?

Also, new rifle? Or several thousand rounds through?

I have had Ruger 10/22's that shoot lights out no matter the ammo and some that couldn't hit the side of a barn from the inside when new.

Just looking for details to maybe help diagnose the issues. I have a new Ruger right now that is giving me fits with accuracy.
Click to expand...
22s are finicky with ammo, so first is to test groups at 50 yards with various ammos, SK, Eley, Lapua, etc.... if one shoots really really good, time to start lot hunting for that one.
 
MadMardigan said:
22s are finicky with ammo, so first is to test groups at 50 yards with various ammos, SK, Eley, Lapua, etc.... if one shoots really really good, time to start lot hunting for that one.
Click to expand...
I suspect none of those three brands would even cycle that gun. Those are definitely subsonic target ammo.
 
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I've noticed CCI QC has been in the dumps since the shortages started in 2020. I haven't bought any recently, but had big issues with SV a few yrs ago.

Also to note - I've always had problems with the "clean" ammo. I really wanted to like it, but it just wouldn't run reliably in anything.

I've been using Eley for awhile without many issues. The one drawback is that it's made for precision shooting, so the bullet is a little larger diameter. This will cause some extraction issues if you don't clean the chamber as often.
 
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