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BX-25 not feeding.

28K views 17 replies 16 participants last post by  brnwlms 
#1 ·
So I got a BX-25 magazine and on the first two outings it functioned perfectly, with a hundred or more rounds through it each time.

Took it out last week (For my bachelor party with several people!) and it wouldn't even chamber the first round! The round is running its nose into the front of the magazine instead of up and into the chamber. I can hardly even get the round out of the mag by hand.

I'm using remington golden bullet hollow point, which functioned fine last time. And I used Blazer LRN before that and they worked fine also.

I haven't taken it apart and put it back together which might help. But the fact that the round seems to be laying flat in the mag, instead of angled upward, really bothers me. I also don't understand why it would function perfectly for hundreds of rounds then not even chamber the first round! So annoying.

So I was wondering if anyone else experienced this and what they did about it. Thanks!
 
#3 ·
I look for burs on the feeding lips and sand them down if necessary, then lube with RemDriLube.
 
#7 ·
i rarely have misfeeds with the one bx 25 i have, and i generally ascribe it to not locking the magazine into place solidly enough and/or cheap ammo. but even that has been rare in my limited experience. one nice thing about the bx 25 i have (and i assume this is true for most) is that the spring tension is such that it's no harder to load the last round than it is the first, so if hand loading is the issue, that makes for an easy fix.
 
#10 ·
I had this EXACT problem a week or so ago. I haven't found a solution. I'm about 3 minutes from returning the one mag to ruger with a QA write up so that their engineers can be notified of the problem. I've used 3 different types of ammo and they just don't sit at the proper angle for feeding. Let me know if you have any luck.
 
#11 ·
Just some basic information about 10/22 magazines ..... The normal 10 round factory magazine is rotary fed with an adjustable tension rotor spring. All highcap 10/22 magazines to include Ruger BX-25s are "in-line" feed with fixed "ribbon" type tension springs. Before any magazine will feed properly, spring tension on the round being fed (top round) must be within limits. If spring tension is too tight, the bolt will have problems stripping the cartridge out of the feed lips. If tension is too light, the top cartridge won't seat properly in the action. Either condition (too heavy or too light spring tension) will cause feeding problems.

With factory 10 round rotary magazines, spring tension is adjustable. As long as the first round isn't too tight and the last round isn't too loose, the magazine will normally feed flawless. In-line magazines (all brands) do not have adjustable tension feed springs so you may get one magazine that is too tight and another that is too loose. The concept is simple ... the magazine spring has to have enough tension to push the rim of the case up and into the breach face pocket without binding the bolt.

There are several compounding problems with in-line magazines that can cause feeding problems ... the first being the magazine follower. Factory 10 round magazines use a rotary device and do not have a follower. In-line magazines all have a follower that can bind in the magazine body. The most common malfunction with highcaps is .... the follower gets stuck in the body, which reduces spring tension on the top round that is trying to feed. Without proper spring tension, cartridges rim will not seat in the the breach face "pocket" and the nose of the bullet will point down slightly, which will cause a misfeed. So, if there are any burrs inside the magazine body or the contact area of the magazine follower, feeding will stall when the follower binds. Built up powder residue will do the same thing. If you buy a highcap magazine that can be completely taken apart, you can clean and remove burrs on the follower and body, which will eliminate most feeding problems.

As mentioned above, ammo can also be a contributing factor with any magazine. Some bulk grade 22s suffer from what I call the "pop-bang syndrome" (especially Remington bulk pack). When you shoot, most rounds make a normal BANG when fired but some rounds make more of a POP sound. When you experience something less than a full report, it means the powder charge was light. These light powder charge cartridges may not develop enough energy to blow the bolt all the way back. Of course if the bolt doesn't move all the way back, it may not be able to strip the next round from the magazine. Factory 10 round magazines with a rotor are not fussy about bullet design because the cartridge is contained in a dedicated "slot" in the rotor. With all in-line magazines, the bullet nose can drag on the magazine body and bind ... more common with hollow points.

Last is the gun itself. Because rotary 10 round magazines are way more forgiving, you may find your gun feeds perfectly with them, even if there are minor issues with the gun. The first significant issue is the extractor, which is the leading cause of malfunctions in all 10/22s. The only time an extractor actually extracts a chambered case is when you manually operate the bolt handle. When a round is fired, the extractor doesn't extract the spent case, rather the case is actually blown back from pressure inside the chamber. The extractor's job is to hold the case rim tight against the breach face until the case head strikes the ejector and flings it out of the receiver. If you experience a malfunction where a spent case remains in the receiver, the extractor is usually the cause. It is very common to get a factory new extractor that is not shaped properly. Three issues .... the first being the above where the extractor lets go before the case rim strikes the ejector, resulting in stovepipes. The second is where the extractor is shaped wrong and won't let the case rim slide into the breach face pocket. Even a rough breach face will impede feeding. Last is the seating depth of the magazine. If the magazine seats too deep, its lips will contact the spent case and cause the case rim to break loose from the extractor. Yes, there is a slight variation from gun-to-gun and from magazine to magazine so it's not unusual to have a magazine that works perfect in one gun and nothing but malfunctions in another. An aftermarket extractor (I prefer Volquartsen "Exact Edge") is a great $15 investment that helps eliminate feeding and ejection problems with all magazines

When you use a highcap magazine, any slight imperfection in the gun may cause feeding or ejection problems that don't show up with a standard 10 round rotary magazine. Trouble shooting is simple ... if your 10/22 feeds and ejects properly with one highcap magazine and not another, it's obviously not the gun. If your 10/22 doesn't feed or eject properly with highcap magazines but works well with the standard 10 rounder, you have an issue with the extractor, breach face, or magazine seating depth. If your 10/22 has feeding problems with 10 rounders, I can almost guarantee it will malfunction with highcaps too.

So in summary ... it's really a crap shoot when using any brand of highcap magazines. The absolute best highcaps for 10/22s are TI-25s, see: TI25™ ADVANCED COMPOSITE ADJUSTABLE STEEL LIP MAGAZINE FOR These magazines are fully adjustable for seating depth, can be totally disassembled for cleaning or deburring, and have steel lips. Of course they cost more than BX-25s (about $40 each) but I have found them to work exceptionally well in all three of my 10/22s. I only own one BX-25 and it is "fussy" (follower binds up) in all my 10/22s. I don't think I have ever fired a full magazine without at least one malfunction. I bought a new 10/22-TD recently and the BX-25 wouldn't even seat. I had to file off both edges of the stock's magazine channel. Proof that variations that affect function.
 
#12 ·
Well, I took it apart, cleaned it a little, and put it back together and the rounds seem to be seated properly at an upward angle now. And I can manually feed rounds through the action. (haven't been to the range yet) I think i probably has something to do with a burr, or carbon build up, causing the follower to get hung up, and not keeping proper tension on the top round. Like the gentleman above was talking about. Here's hoping this crap doesn't happen all the time!
 
#13 ·
I am also have difficulty with a brand new BX-25 I had ordered from Ruger in that it will not feed into the rifle, they don't seem to want to "push" up and out of the magazine. Even when taking the bullets out of the magazine some of them would tend to stick until i gently pushed on them to get them to pop up. May just send it back and get a couple of new 10 round mags.
 
#14 ·
Iowegan's focus on the extractor is dead on. In my opinion the most valuable mod anyone can make to their 10/22 is upgrading the extractor, esp. if you shoot a lot of cheap, bulk ammunition. Volquartsen offers a replacement, & it's simple to install. I've never had any issues feeding any kind of .22LR ammunition through the 10 or 25 round Ruger magazines, nor have I needed to disassemble the latter (the occasional wipe-down of the feed lips seems to suffice).
 
#15 ·
I have been having the exact same problem with my 3 BX-25's. Federal, Winchester super-x, and CCI mini-mags were all giving me problems. CCI stingers feed without a single problem. The CCI quiet rounds cycled by hand without a problem. The bullets would get lodged before they even make it all the way up. The top bullet is essentially floating an top of another stuck one. I'm either keeping them loaded with Stingers, or I'm going to polish finish the inside of the metal lips. I had them entirely clean, and all 3 jammed.

It's so frustrating.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I had the exact same problem with mine and got so fed up with it I shot it to pieces...problem solved... :D

Just for the record I had the Sharp Claw extractor prior to either of the 25 round mags and it is great...solved a chronic stove pipe problem the gun had new from factory...

I also did the buck22 mod to the bx-25 and when that didn't fix it I was angry...it had over twenty mini mags in it and I could not get them out w/o taking the mag apart...just happened one time to many so instead of wasting any more time and effort on it instead of taking it apart I blew it apart...free of it now... :D

I have Tactical Inc that I got at the same time as the BX-25...it is not flawless and doesn't like some rounds...specifically blazers and vipers...everything else seems to run great including goldens, peters, winchester and federal bulk...requires effort to get adjusted properly and some wear-in as well...mini-mags are highly recommended as a starting point for sorting out problems for a good reason...they are the go to for reliability and consistency...

http://www.tacticalinc.com/ti25-advanced-composite-steel-magazine-ruger-1022-p-532.html

However...if fits tight...zero slop...w/ most ammo zero problems once the first round in the mag goes into battery...which is the only real malfunction I have and it is getting better with every use...problem is almost gone now with good ammo and proper bolt release...I will get another one...I would honestly rather have one factory 10 round mag than than two malfunctioning bx-25s and definitely rather have one TI-25 mag than two BX-25 mags...

The 10/22 factory rotary mag is an engineering marvel imo...right down to the flush bottom...love those things... :D
 
#17 ·
So I got a BX-25 magazine and on the first two outings it functioned perfectly, with a hundred or more rounds through it each time.

Took it out last week (For my bachelor party with several people!) and it wouldn't even chamber the first round! The round is running its nose into the front of the magazine instead of up and into the chamber. I can hardly even get the round out of the mag by hand.

I'm using remington golden bullet hollow point, which functioned fine last time. And I used Blazer LRN before that and they worked fine also.

I haven't taken it apart and put it back together which might help. But the fact that the round seems to be laying flat in the mag, instead of angled upward, really bothers me. I also don't understand why it would function perfectly for hundreds of rounds then not even chamber the first round! So annoying.

So I was wondering if anyone else experienced this and what they did about it. Thanks!
Load 21 or 22 rounds and see if it loads proper, i had the same issue, and loading a few less helped the bolt strip the round from the magazine. Mine would only push the round about half way, the nose of the round would be just touching the bottom of the barrel chamber tilted up, left heavy scratching on the led and case. I was using CCI mini mags.
 
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