.22 LR quality issue?

[Socalman]

Well, I finally found the ammo that my Ruger 10/22 and 22/45 pistol do not like. I bought a bulk pack of 325 a few months back and decided to give it a try today at the range.

I had some feed issues with the 22/45 pistol as well as several Fail-to-Fire rounds. I had one shot that I thought might have been a squib but noticed a small puff of dirt short of my target. Another round went WAY to the right? Never had seen that but the dust kicked up on the hill showed it was way off target.

Pull out the 10/22 and in 3 mags of 10 each I had 4 FTF.

Now I know that every .22 is supposed to have ammo it does not like, but the "almost squibb" and the flyer really made me wonder about this ammo.

The ammo in question? Browning .22LR LRN in 40 grain.

[ojisan]

Are the bullets loose in the case mouths?

[Socalman]

Are the bullets loose in the case mouths?

Actually one of them was.

[ojisan]

Loose bullet crimp can cause feed failures.
Sounds like you are having several problems.
You might consider calling Browning, they might replace the ammo.

[as_rocketman]

Loose in the case mouths, erratic trajectory, suggests the bullets are undersize. You might want to compare to a different lot to see if that's so, or use a micrometer if you're so inclined...

Might also want to put up some paper and see if you're keyholing. Having said that, keyholing can also happen if your barrel is getting leaded up (cheap rounds = soft lead, e.g. Thunderbolt) or slimed with too much lubricant (seen this happen with Norma Tac-22). So also check your bore while you're at it and run a patch through.

[Socalman]

Loose in the case mouths, erratic trajectory, suggests the bullets are undersize. You might want to compare to a different lot to see if that's so, or use a micrometer if you're so inclined...

Might also want to put up some paper and see if you're keyholing. Having said that, keyholing can also happen if your barrel is getting leaded up (cheap rounds = soft lead, e.g. Thunderbolt) or slimed with too much lubricant (seen this happen with Norma Tac-22). So also check your bore while you're at it and run a patch through.

I was shooting paper at about 25 yards and saw no signs of keyholing. My .22s see very little cleaning, perhaps a slightly damp patch followed by a bore snake and that is it, so I know the bore is not the problem. MOST of the rounds hit as aimed. I would say my failure to function as expected was about 8 - 10 %. I wasn't keeping records so hard to say.