.22 revolver misfires

B

baj

New member
A few days ago I went to the range and rented a S&W .22 revolver (medium frame I think, don't know the model). I am not an experienced handgun shooter, but I have been reading the forums here for a little while and I have read the recent threads about misfires from match grade ammo in rimfire revolvers and the need to make sure the cartridges are pushed fully into the chambers. I started with a 4" bbl revolver and after 4 misfires I switched to an otherwise identical 6" model which had another 3 misfires in a total of 150 rounds. The cartridges fit rather loosely in the chambers of both guns so I don't think the chamber was dirty. Some of the misfiring cartridges looked like the ones that fired (had a nice dent on the rim) and others looked pristine; I ran the undented ones through again and they all fired. The ammo was cheapo Winchester and I was sure to push each round in fully, but they fit so loosely that they probably shifted around in the chambers when I closed the cylinder.

I want to get a .357 revolver and if I shoot enough for ammo to put me in the poor house I'll get a .22 also. My question is is this misfire rate (say, 1 out of 25 rounds) considered normal or acceptable in revolvers in general or rimfire revolvers in particular? When people say their guns are reliable, what kind of misfire rate would you consider reliable? Before the other day I had fired about 50 rounds from handguns, all from semi-autos, most from a .22 with no misfires. I have shot probably 500 - 1000 rounds total in my life from .22 rifle and shotguns without a single misfire ever. I would just blame the gun except that this happened with two guns. Can anyone explain this to me and tell me what kind of misfire rate I can reasonably expect (from factory ammo) from handguns? I find misfires very annoying and something I wouldn't like to put up with on a regular basis.
 
It could be the guns since they are rentals.The rounds shouldn't be a real loose fit in the chamber. Misfires are really not that common with .22 revolvers. It could be the ammunition since it happened with two guns and you say the cartridges had a good dent in them. Sometimes ammo isn't stored under ideal conditions. This is especially important with rimfire ammo. Since .22 ammo is lubricated leaving it on the dash on a hot day can caused the lubrication to contaminate the powder as well as the priming mixture. Ammo needs to be kept in a cool dry place. Who knows how the ammo is stored from the factory to the retail outlet. It may have come on the back of a truck through the desert during the summertime. I have always had good luck with Winchester .22 ammuniton including the cheapo stuff. Had the guns been mine I would have tried several different brands to see if there was a pattern to determine whether it was the gun or the ammo.
 
My personal experience with misfires from .22 handguns

I own 4 .22 LR handguns.

1. A Ruger super single six purchased in the early 1970's. This particular handgun has probably had 20,000 rounds shot through it without even ONE single misfire or problem of any kind.

2. A Llama semi-auto purchased in the early 1980's. This gun has never been reliable in function. Not misfires per se, but too many failures to feed or failures to eject to suit me. Had it to two smiths and neither could make it function reliably. It is now a "coup de grace" gun that due to weight and handling characteristics normally remains in the gun cabinet.

3. A Ruger Mark II target model semi-auto. This gun has had in the neighorhood of 10,000 rounds through it with zero malfunctions of any kind.

4. A Walther TPH that was purchased as a "coup de grace" gun because of its diminutive size, weight and excellent safety (read good carrying characteristics). The TPH functions reliably as long as it is held firmly and upright. In loose holds and odd firing positions (sideways or upside down) it will occasionally fail to eject or feed properly. I have no idea why but since it meets my needs I don't sweat it. But again, NO MISFIRES.

Sooooo... in my experience which is admittedly a small sample when you consider the millions of .22 rimfire rounds that go through handguns every month, misfires are so rare as to be a non-issue. Now why did the two handguns you rented have misfires? Heck, I don't even have a good guess. But in my experience if you buy a good quality full sized .22 handgun you are not likely to have problems with a piece that misfires.

Hope this is helpful, as it is totally factual personal experience.
 
Misfires with a good quality .22 revolver are definitely not normal. It sounds like the hammer blow is too light, perhaps as a result of someone trying to lighten the trigger pull. Dirt or lead in the chambers or the rim area can also cause light strikes. Most rental guns I have used have not been well maintained or cleaned; they don't bring in money while they are being cleaned.

Jim
 
I'm surprised you have fired 30K rimfire rounds with no misfires. I haven't kept track of total rounds fired but I seem to average about one misfire out of every thousand rounds, regardless of the gun: rifle, revolver, or pistol. It does seem to be more common with older ammo, but again this is an impression, not recorded data.
On the original question, it is NOT a problem with revolvers in general. You should have similar misfire rates (very near zero) with a revolver or a semi auto. My understanding is it's hard to get the priming compound evenly inside the rim of the rimfire case, thus the ability to fire the cartridge with a hit on another part of the rim.
 
I have an old .22 revolver that jams. I think it's just worn out, the pin/hammer is folded on the end. I think it's the first time I ever experienced a jam. I was surprized cause I had 2 other revolvers when I was younger that I never cleaned and they never acted up.
 
I agree with Griz, about the priming compund around the .22 rim. Anytime that I've had a FTF, I've simply rotated the cartridge and it always fires on the next hit. I've had this problem with all manufacturer's.
 
I'm also in agreement with griz and doubt that it is solely the revolver's fault. I think you have given the best clue with your statement "The ammo was cheapo Winchester...". There's nothing wrong with using that type of ammo, I buy the cheapo Winchester Dynapoints or Fed by the thousands at Xmart (K or Wal). However, I can expect 2 or 3 FTF's out of each box of 500. For a few of these, I have pulled the bullet to examine the primer and found the green primer mixture all broken up and sitting in the bottom of the shell, none was under the rim. I think the way the ammo is handled both before and after the sale has a lot to do with how it will perform when in the gun. Think about it, the ammo isn't cheap for no reason. But there's no reason not to use it for plinking and such, but not for any serious stuff.
 
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