Stealth15

Issue has been resolved. I had overlubed the gun. 1000 rounds down range and everything is working great. Stock is a bit loose on the receiver, but it isn't a big deal to me. Not worth sending the gun back. I'll probably end up replacing the stock anyway.

Underlined text in bold is what was going on. I'm keeping it as a reference for others who may have this issue.






Hello, I recently purchased a Ruger 10/22 (stainless barrel, synthetic stock) from budsgunshop and had shipped to AZfirearms as the FFL dealer.

I have put roughly 1000 rounds or so through it. (Mostly federal bulk) The other day I took it to the range and it was having terrible feeding problems.

The gun was clean before I took it out (I clean everything after each session), but I believe I over oiled it (CLP) as it gummed up really quick.

Using federal bulk, the gun had at least 20 FTEs and stovepipes out of I'd say roughly 200 rounds. The stock mag may need to break in and was a bit dirty, but still...

I noticed while at the range, the ejection was extremely random. Shells would go maybe 2 feet out, then some would barely even drop out, and then some didn't even eject and interfered with loading the next round.

This is my first firearm, but I have been cleaning it pretty thoroughly...(barrel, chamber, mags, really everything..)

Anyway, to avoid rambling. I take it home, clean everything out and I try manually cycling rounds through it. Ejection strength is still weak and random. I tried CCI minis, CCI stingers, and federal. No noticeable change. Best test would to be shoot it obviously, but I really feel like something is wrong with the gun.

The extractor appears to be in good shape, it holds onto a round fairly well. I did notice a small piece of metal (it looked like it came from the extractor, but the extractor looks okay) broke off of something...found it while I was cleaning the bolt.

The ejector looks okay to me, the bluing is a bit worn down. (on the top left side..which is weird)

I'm not sure if I got a lemon or what, but the receiver pins are loose, the bolt buffer pin would fall out on it's own if the stock wasn't there. The receiver is not very tight in the stock, it wobbles. The mag release/bolt stop pin is loose... The bolt handle wobbles back and forth and causes friction on the guide rod. (it digs a bit)

The face of the chamber has some weird discoloration already, it won't scrub off with hoppes 9 solven or CLP... I'm not sure if that's normal..it's SS... and it hasn't gotten wet...I live in AZ so rust or anything like that shouldn't be a problem. I have only had the gun for like 2 weeks..only been out 3 times.

I did use a bit of rubbing alcohol the first time I cleaned it, could that damage it? I oiled all the parts after so... If it did dry it out... I really hope I didn't screw this thing up.. The outside of the barrel does feel dry...

I used rubbing alcohol because I had used with airsoft guns....but in hindsight that probably was not smart. Unfortunately I googled if it was safe now...which is too late...I feel like an idiot. It never even crossed my mind that it would dry the metal out..

All I know is, the gun worked pretty well the first and second time I went out. After those sessions I thoroughly cleaned with hoppes and CLP and now it's having problems..

I hope I didn't screw up my gun..

Any help is appreciated

BarNone

The pins being loose is normal. Don't get to carried away with oil.
The receiver should be tight in the stock but it is common to have a little side to side play if you try to wiggle the trigger group.
Try some different ammo.

BarNone

The 10/22 is a very durable and reliable rifle. Most issues can be linked to cheap ammo and not being cleaned properly over extended periods.
I have 5 of them one of which I have been shooting for nearly 40 years.

David B53

If you think you over-oiled it with the CLP (you mentioned that it gummed up), what I would do is spray the whole thing with gun scrubber to get rid of the excess oil, then try it again.

Redleg

+1. Over-lubing a rifle is a common source of problems. Rifles do not need all that much lube unless being stored for a long time.

Stealth15

Thanks for the responses.

Yeah, after I got home from the range, I cleaned out everything. The CLP managed to even work it's way into the trigger assembly and inside the stock. lol whoops... I cleaned everything out (including the trigger assembly, which I left pretty much dry, just added a drop of CLP to the sears)

Everything else that needed to be lubricated was lubricated. (bolt rails, little inside the barrel, a tad on the guide rod, left the extractor dry)

The whole receiver can be pushed back and forth inside the stock, just by pushing on the receiver. It's not a huge deal, I stuffed a .22 cleaning patch inside the stock. That fixed the wobble and also prevents the buffer pin from sliding around during fire. Before, just by tilting the gun, the pin would move back and forth and hit the sides of the stock.. >.>



As far as the rubbing alcohol thing, is that a big deal? Out of my complete noobness I thought it would be okay... I have cleaned and lubed it I believe 3 times since then (no rubbing alcohol). The finish on the outside of the barrel looks....duller and feels "dry" and even a tad rough. Not very smooth anymore.. The finish also looks a little odd on the chamber.



The picture isn't very good, but part of the chamber is a grey color and you can even see what looks like copper on the right side. It looks like it's just marking from where the bolt and firing pin have been hitting...but it doesn't clean off... I'm not sure if that's normal or not... I can't tell if that's from the rubbing alcohol or if it's just normal wear and tear and the "new car smell" wore off.

Also, the ejection (at least with manually cycling) still seems to be messed up. I tried manually cycling it with federal, CCI mini mags, and CCI stingers. Didn't seem to make a difference. I have cleaned out the slot the extractor slides into, it had some crap in there and the extractor is clean as well.

One thing I noticed is that the gun operates a lot more reliably with my BX-25. Unfortunately when I was last at the range, I had reassembled the mag incorrectly, so it wasn't working at the time. All I had to go off of was the stock mag and federal ammo. I don't know why I didn't bring the stingers and mini mags... The other 2 times I fired it, the BX mag always seemed to work better. Both mags feed flawlessly with CCI Stingers, but those are also a lot higher powered..

Stock mag hasn't been taken apart at all, I have cleaned it without taking it apart probably could use a complete cleaning though.

For whatever reason, the stock mag has had more FTEs than the BX, I read somewhere that the stock mag puts more tension on the bolt because the "feeding coil" is tighter or something like that and can need a little breaking in. (??)

I've been reading quite a bit online and people are saying that they replaced the extractor with a Volquartsen and FTEs either disappeared entirely or have been cut down significantly. One guy claimed his Ruger now runs all ammo, even the cheap stuff, just fine. They are only like $11, I figure at the very least I have an extra extractor.

I know I'm new to firearms, but I'm thinking something is up with either the ejector or extractor. I did find a small piece of metal that chipped off of something...the metal reassembled the stuff used for the firing pin or the extractor, but they both looked fine.... When I was at the range, some spent cartridges were actually not even leaving the inside of the receiver. They didn't even go far enough to stove pipe.

I didn't see anything that looked damaged... Only thing that had some wear was the ejector. It doesn't look like enough to ruin the function though...just some bluing and little metal that wore down.

Sorry for all the questions and wall of text, I'm just a bit worried that the rubbing alcohol dried out the metal too much.. The ejection problem "shouldn't" be related but I'm no expert.

I'm going on vacation for a week, so unfortunately I won't be able to go out and test it again with different ammo. My goal is to try to rule out (if possible) the ejector or extractor being the problem. Like I said though, at the range, the ejection was extremely sporadic and always seemed to be pretty weak.

Thanks

Mikeyd555

My money is on that Federal bulk. I know some love it but my 10/22 chokes on it probably 5% - 10% of the time. Tried out some Blazers (made by CCI) and it's 100% effective with them and has been now for several hundred rounds. As soon as I go back to Federal (unfortunately I have a lot of it left) same results, 5% - 10% failure.

P.S. My issues persist in spite of my upgraded extractor and polished internals. I did all of that because I first assumed my rifle was to blame. I firmly believe that Federal bulk is quite inconsistent ammo.

Stealth15

So you don't think that rubbing alcohol could have damaged anything? Sorry if I seem paranoid, this is my first gun, I just want to hopefully eliminate me being the problem.

It would be nice to be able to run Federal reliably since it's so cheap.. Kinda frustrating considering a lot of people claim their 10/22s eat everything they feed them...

Some other people were saying that the Rugers just need some tuning (polishing and what not like you mentioned) and then they run great... They mentioned radiusing the bolt..but my view is..you shouldn't have to do all of that just to make the gun work..

The only thing other thing I can think of if it isn't the ammo and it isn't human error, then it could be the bolt handle/guide rod. When I pull back on the bolt, the bolt handle tilts back and digs into the guide rod a bit. Makes a little bit of grinding noise. I'm not sure if it would do that while cycling since the bolt handle isn't being pulled on, but I wouldn't be surprised either.

I'm afraid something is wrong though.. The first 2 times I took it out, it stovepiped every now and then with federal, but the spent cartridges were ejecting with more force. Last time I took it out, some of the shells weren't even leaving the inside of the receiver... Some were just dropping out. Granted it was dirty and overlubed, but idk...


When I get back (week from now), I'll try to head out to the range and try the mini mags and stingers I have. If those don't work well, then I'll know something is up and I'll contact Ruger.

Any suggestions on what to look for would great. If the gun isn't jamming with the minimags, but the ejection pattern is extremely sporadic that should mean something is up right?

BarNone

Don't see how the alcohol would have hurt anything. You should be good there.
Too much oil and cheap ammo are likely the cause. Try some Remington thunderbolts if you get the chance. I have been using them for years with great results. Also try different clips. I though I read that you used a different clip last time when the problems increased.
I have never specifically looked but I don't recall any of my 10/22s ejecting in a neat pile they end up everywhere including pockets and down shirts.

Mikeyd555

+1. Mine spits everywhere. Also as far as rubbing alcohol goes, I know it can do a real number on some plastics but I doubt it would do much to stainless steel. General rule, don't use rubbing alcohol on guns. That's for cuts and scrapes. As far as the charging handle scraping the inside of the receiver I believe they all do that to a degree. Mine certainly does even after being polished. Nature of the design. Certainly if it's excessive there might be an issue, but a little rubbing shouldn't hurt. Oh, and the difference in terms of some shells going further than others once ejected could just indicate inconsistent ammo...ie some have more potent charges in them than others which can happen with cheaper, especially bulk, ammo.

computerdynamics

First the CCI stingers are a no-no as per the manual! Page 14. I've tuned tweaked and done every other thing you probably shouldn't do but my 10/22 All Weather hates Federal bulk. If I want good reliable feeding regular mag. or BX-25 I use CCI normal velocity or CCI Mini-Mags. I seldom have even one bad round out of shooting a few hundred at an outing to the range.
Second the barrel face on mine got permanant marks on the first outing that don't come out? Doesn't effect anything I can detect?
Third if the receiver is moving back and forth is the screw tight enough? Do you have a barrel band on yours? Is it tight but not overly tight, it's said that it can effect accuracy?
Fourth I changed my extractor and spring the second week I had it. I went with a Power Custom titanium exact edge and it works great.
Fifth I commited the ultimate no-no and lapped the receiver end of the barrel a little and it changed the gun dramatically for the better. It was suggested by a LGS and it works!
Sixth Ruger customer support will fix any problem you have and fix it right in MHO.
I've never had CLP "gum" up any part of mine? Maybe too much? And watch out for the reccomended "gun scrubber", it will eat the finish right off the receiver, I've seen it on my buddy's 10/22!
Hope this helps?
Tony

Mikeyd555

Tony, agree with everything you've said except the stingers part Those are only a no no in target barrels with tighter tolerances. Standard 10/22 carbines with the standard barrel should be fine. Oh and I meant to ask you, by "lapped the receiver end of the barrel" do you mean you basically took the sharp edges off to improve feeding? I've been considering this. How did you do it?

Stealth15

Thanks again for all the help, I really appreciate.

The rubbing alcohol I only used once IIRC, definitely have not touched the stuff the last 3 times I have cleaned it. From what I googled online, some people said it would remove the oils inside the metal and would make it brittle.. I can see that, but it seems like that's a bit extreme..I would be surprised if it had that much of an affect.

I definitely used way too much CLP as it ended up everywhere, that was probably half of why the gun had so many problems. It was bad, it got to the point where it would sometimes jam two times every mag. (only using the 10 round stock mag too) It had never done that before. Gun is all clean and re-lubricated (this time a lot less lol).

I was thinking the ejection pattern could be because of inconsistent ammo, just wanted to double check. I realize that the shells obviously aren't going to land in the same place, it just worried me because at how sporadic it was. Some would even almost eject towards the shooters direction, guess that's normal though.

@ComputerDynamics/Tony

Thanks for all the info. Just so you know, the manual says not to use stingers in the Target and Tactical models because they have a tighter chamber. (The stinger shells are too long and they won't operate properly)

Stingers are awesome if you don't have the target or tactical model and have the stock barrel. They eject a lot harder, have noticeably more recoil, and they are a bit louder. Gives the .22 a nice little punch. I loaded a mag with a few feds and a few stingers to see how much of a difference they make. I could immediately tell just by the recoil.

If you have the stock barrel still, I would give them a try. They are quite a bit more expensive than other ammo (like $6 for 50 rounds) but they are a lot of fun.

The CCI shot shells are also pretty cool, but you have to manually cycle the gun. (They don't have enough power to blow the bolt back) They are really quiet, I wasn't even positive the gun fired the first time I used them. They are kinda useless for plinking, unless you are shooting CDs. >

But yeah, the barrel band is on and tight. Stock screw is tight as well. It has play because the receiver does not fight inside the stock tightly. It isn't a problem, it only became annoying when the bolt buffer pin started banging around on the stock. I solved that just by wedging a .22 patch inside the stock. (it blocks the pin from coming out and it makes the stock a tighter fit)

I only own a BX-25 mag and the stock rotary mag. For whatever reason, the BX-25 seems to work the best, I usually have less FTEs with it.. I had reassembled the BX improperly somehow, so when I was last at the range it wasn't working. Fixed it, so it's good to go now.

I guess all that's left is to just go out and shoot it. I guess I'll post back here in a week or so then.

Thanks, you guys really helped a lot.

Stealth15

Here's a video of how loose the bolt buffer pin is...