Bullets make 1/2" slices in paper?

[Just1more]

Was out shooting my Smith 63 5" barrel 22LR (fairly new) revolver and put quite a few rounds through it (250 plus maybe) - early in the day and then the evening with the hubby. Towards the end of the evening, i was completely missing my paper target and when we both did hit it - there were like slashes instead of the round holes in the paper as it made earlier that day and evening.

When cleaning it last night, there were little pieces of lead in the barrel and pretty dirty looking. Could this be the reason for the slits and missing the paper altogether often near the end? Would the lead mess with the rifling and cause the bullet to lose direction and angle into the paper?

This is all new to me so i am hoping its not a problem with my gun!

[sttaffy]

that'd do it - lead build up is almost surely to blame. The slits you're talking about are made from a bullet spinning perpendicular to its long axis, basically tumbling. Check for any build up or debris right at the end of the barrel (the "crown"). Clean out the leading (have fun!) and it should be good to go.

[Steve_NEPhila]

I do not think that a dirty gun caused all of what you are describing. You were shooting for a long time, and shooting takes quite a bit of concentration to do it well. I would guess that one of the main factors is fatigue to the decreased marksmanship. Many people do this, continue to shoot when fatigued without paying attention to it.

As for the large holes in the paper, I have a theory on that as well: your backer. Did you have a backer holding up the target? If it was cardboard or something similar it can cause strange looking holes in the target after a lot of holes get punched through it. I would say 250 rounds is quite a bit. After an area gets "shout out" of a cardboard backer the paper will start printing funny shaped holes because of the inconsistent backer material.

These are just theories. The way to find the real answers is to analyze your situation and factors. For example, do not clean your .22 between your next two range trips to see if the fouling really was causing a problem.

[knight0334]

Inspect the crown/muzzle first. After that de-lead the bore. You might want to check to see if the cylinder is in time with the forcing cone too.

[Steve_NEPhila]

Questions:

Was the revolver shooting as it should in the beginning of the session? (on target)

What kind of target and backer were you using?

[Just1more]

The gun was working what i would consider properly (i am very new to this) but it was hitting the target pretty decently and making the normal round small holes. I was using a paper plate which has worked perfectly so far with an orange round center dot.

I was using a cardboard backer which is the clubs items on stick risers outdoors. The backer wasnt torn thru except the same marks as on the paper.

If i can get time i want to go back and shoot some again now that the gun has been cleaned but dont know if i can squeeze it in today.

[LittleRedToyota]

it sounds to me like the bullets may have been "keyholing". this means they were hitting the target "sideways".

keyholing leads to shots missing the target altogether (as once the bullet turns sideways, it can stop traveling in a straight line) or, when they do hit the target, making longer slashes instead of round holes (due to the shape of the bullet...it is long and narrow from the "side").

keyholing can happen when the bullet is not spinning fast enough to remain stable in flight. without enough spin, air resistance can cause it to turn sideways. this can happen from mismatching bullets and barrels (a barrel that doesn't have a fast enough twist to stabilize a specific type of bullet). it can also happen when something is interfering with the rifling and, thus, the bullet is not being spun as fast as it usually is. lead build up can interfere with the rifling. so, it is possible that shooting a lot of unjacketed bullets without cleaning the barrel is what caused it.

in case you want to further research keyholing:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

[Lycanthrope]

Lack of accuracy and long holes in the paper are usually tumbling/keyholing bullets.

Not uncommon to see in a firearm with a lot of leading in the barrel. Not uncommon in a .22 and a lot of rounds. Brush it out with a solvent and go back to shooting.

Lycanfearnotthrope

[Ronnies111]

Originally Posted by Just1more

Was out shooting my Smith 63 5" barrel 22LR (fairly new) revolver and put quite a few rounds through it (250 plus maybe) - early in the day and then the evening with the hubby. Towards the end of the evening, i was completely missing my paper target and when we both did hit it - there were like slashes instead of the round holes in the paper as it made earlier that day and evening.

When cleaning it last night, there were little pieces of lead in the barrel and pretty dirty looking. Could this be the reason for the slits and missing the paper altogether often near the end? Would the lead mess with the rifling and cause the bullet to lose direction and angle into the paper?

This is all new to me so i am hoping its not a problem with my gun!

You ain't gotta go home...But you can't stay here ...lol

[Viprdude]

Like most said above, the bullets are tumbling after they leave the barrel.

My .22 Ruger Mark I did this, cleaned the barrel out, no more tumbling. Good luck!