Just returned from a frustrating day at the range. My 30 year old 10/22 had REPEATED failures to fire with light or no "primer" strikes. Also, REPEATED failure of the bolt to close with a few times of sticking fully open. One of instructors suggested tightening the take down screw, I did and the situation improved, but continued. If anyone has suggestions for what the problem may be I'd appreciate the help. TIA
Two fairly easy things to try:
THOROUGHLY clean the action, including the bolt and firing pin.
Compare the firing pin with a new one. Eventually, a much-used firing pin will get sufficiently peened-over at the back that it shortens enough that it won't transmit enough of a blow to the cartridge rim to dependably fire the round.
Double check the barrel screws.
Check the spring on the BHO.
Polish the guide rod, again.
Remove the firing pin and clean the *slot*.
O0
Thanks for all the advice, I have Wednesday off and will clean and test shoot the old girl.
Quote from: Grumpy on September 27, 2010, 12:37:24 PM
Remove the firing pin and clean the *slot*.
O0
Last time I cleaned my 10/22 I was frustrated of not being able to take the firing pin out from the bolt. On my rifle (over 20 years old) there is a roll pin that appears to hold that together. It didn't want to come out easy so I left it alone. Do newer 10/22's have it the same? Is it advisable to remove the roll pin (maybe even with a drill) and possibly replace with a solid pin without opening a can of worms? Or after a few removals will that pin come out easier?
Don't know about the newer ones; mine's 30 years old and has the roll pin. This is a case of having the right tool making the job a lot easier. If you have a roll pin punch, they come out (and go back in) a lot easier. Brownells, Midway and some of the other gun places sell them.
Dont forget the roll pin starter punch :). A block of wood with a hole drilled in it also helps.
Quote from: Reddot on September 27, 2010, 04:46:54 PM
Don't know about the newer ones; mine's 30 years old and has the roll pin. This is a case of having the right tool making the job a lot easier. If you have a roll pin punch, they come out (and go back in) a lot easier. Brownells, Midway and some of the other gun places sell them.
As far as I know, they all have the roll pin. The correct punch makes things much easier. If you do see deformation on either end of the firing pin it's time to replace. Mine had a visible notch on the forward end after about 5k rounds and a LOT of dry firing. I was getting about a 10% misfire rate. I replaced it with this:
http://www.sportables.com/1022-lts-pro-firing-pin-kit/
and have not had any further problems.
As far as the failure to go into battery, if a good cleaning doesn't fix it, it might not be a bad idea to replace the bolt spring (after 30 years it may be tired).
RimfireCentral.com is also a great resource for this kind of stuff.
Guy
Your problem is the fact that the firing pin lack enough protrusion to provide reliable ignition.
Replacing the firing pin may help, but it is not a sure thing. The firing pin has to be fit to the bolt. For too little firing pin protrusion you simply remove a small amount of material from the back of the bolt.
Doug
Another possible issue is residue buildup on the bolt face. I use a pointed tool to lightly scrape the edges of the bolt face where the cartridge rim will normally rest. A toothpick should work for this just fine. Buildup here can make the bolt rest away from the bottom of the case, causing a light or no firing pin strike. Fortunately this is a no $ fix.
Sorry to be reporting back so late. I got called in to work Wednesday and just now finished my test shoot. Fifty rounds as fast as I could shoot them then 50 slow fire. The only problem was magazine related.Thanks for all your help, I'm declaring ol' Betsy back in service!
Due to the age of the firing pin and spring I'm going to replace them. Does anyone have any recommendations (besides Capt G) ?
If it's not broken, I wouldn't fix it :) Instead, spend the firing pin and spring money on more ammo--spend more time shootin'--but that's just me....YMMV
Quote from: fuzzysnout on October 01, 2010, 02:41:55 PM
Sorry to be reporting back so late. I got called in to work Wednesday and just now finished my test shoot. Fifty rounds as fast as I could shoot them then 50 slow fire. The only problem was magazine related.Thanks for all your help, I'm declaring ol' Betsy back in service!
Due to the age of the firing pin and spring I'm going to replace them. Does anyone have any recommendations (besides Capt G) ?