My SR22P hates Blazers

[gascolator]

In spite of reading all over the internet how SR22 pistols like Blazers, mine appears to be the exception.

After about two clips of the little lead-headed wonders, it starts to FTL about every 5th round. They kind of stick on the ramp. Early on the ramp, as you can still drop the mag.

We were scratching our collective heads, blaming the magazine, etc. A bit of experimentation showed it's probably the ammo. Still more showed that this gun doesn't like plain lead bullets.

Blazers have a bit of a rough ridge on them, more so than the Mini-Mags. So we tried blaming that.

I noticed that when it started to FTL, if I ran a clip of CCI MiniMag HPs through it, it got happy again, and would fire a couple clips of Blazers. Hmmm.

So I tried another experiment: I loaded a clip with alternating Blazers and Mini-Mags. Sure enough, no failures. Three more clips the same way.

Suspicion is that the lead is fouling the ramp a little more each time and that the harder copper scubs it.

So I've picked up a 40-pack of the same copper-jacketed Federals that come in bulk to see if the result is the same with them as with the Mini-Mags. If so, then for bulk ammo, it's going to be the copper Federals.

I wasn't crazy about the Blazers' bare lead anyway. It's messy in the barrel.
But it was convenient and cheap to pick them up at Dick's down the road, and Dick's doesn't have big boxes of the Federal stuff.

[DucatiRon]

I wouldn't think the lead was fouling the ramp but what the lead bullet is coated with. Ya know the bullet lube. The copper plated bullets are not coated so the may chamber smoother and clean the excess lube off of the feed ramp. That would be my guess.

[gascolator]

Thanks Ron. Your response inspired me to go cop a feel of my box of Blazers. The lube that's on them isn't lube at room temp. It's sticky. Must be carnuba wax.

That dovetails with another observation--- the gun is less cranky once it's heated up. First magazine, or even the first one after a pause to reload two is the worst, with the second and third rounds most likely to hang up.

Really, the Blazers are might rough to start with. lots of irregularities in the lead casting, plenty of dings, and a fairly nasty ridge.

As the saying goes, "Your mileage may vary." It's sees like in this case it's "your ammo may vary."

[Twoboxer]

When I got my SR22, I started with Win333s (continuous FTLs) to Blazers (many FTLs) to Minimags (no issues). To me, the mini-mags were almost slippery to the touch while the Blazers were sorta sticky. And yes, after the mini-mags the Blazers fed much better.

I didn't think the problem was lead fouling - just that the newish pistol couldn't get sticky rounds up a dry ramp lol. So I followed the manual's recommendation, and kept the entire pistol "lightly oiled".

Since then, with careful loading of each mag (not using the slide button at all), my SR22 is reliable with everything I've fed it.

[gascolator]

When I got my SR22, I started with Win333s (continuous FTLs) to Blazers (many FTLs) to Minimags (no issues). To me, the mini-mags were almost slippery to the touch while the Blazers were sorta sticky. And yes, after the mini-mags the Blazers fed much better.

I didn't think the problem was lead fouling - just that the newish pistol couldn't get sticky rounds up a dry ramp lol. So I followed the manual's recommendation, and kept the entire pistol "lightly oiled".

Since then, with careful loading of each mag (not using the slide button at all), my SR22 is reliable with everything I've fed it.

Thanks much. I thought it was "just me," so many folks were raving that the SR22 ate the cheap stuff.

Question for the SR22P owners out there, especially the ones who've had no FTLs with Blazers... do you perceive a lip (maybe .01 inch) between the ramp and the chamber? That's where mine seems to get stuck. That's a notable problem with the Walther P22. I'm wondering if there are some slight milling differences between the SR22s that'll eat anything and those with a more finicky palate.

If the answer might be getting a gunsmith to soften that edge, that would be fine.

Oh yeah--- the results of today's experiment: The Federal Eagles (I think the same thing in a 40-pack that gets sold in bulk) fed with only one FTL. Note that even though I bought it yesterday, it was kind of grungy. There was some green on the copper, suggesting that maybe it'd been on the shelf for a while.

So I went down to Tanners and I've chanced a Federal bulk-pack.

Hell, no matter what I buy, I can always shoot it up in the 10-22. It loves Blazers and everything else. 36 years and not one misfire. Ever.

I just am hoping against hope that I'm not relegated to expen$ive mini-mags in the pistol.

The good news out of all of this is that with all the experimentation I'm actually getting better with the SR22. Yesterday I sucked. Today, I just stank. Tomorrow, I might just "smell." If I can sort the jamdisstraction out that would be good, as after clearing a jam I seem to care more about the "bang" than about where it goes.

Brought the 10-22 out to Wicens and shot it alongside the SR22 just to remember what it is like to actually HIT the bulls-eye. Which I did. Standing, no rest. 70 out of 75 shots, more or less on iron sights at short range, but heck it's a carbine. Apparently a rather classic one, as every piece in it is made of metal, other than the stock.

Noted with interest that the combo of good ear-plugs and muffs actually make the 10-22 silent. The only sound I heard was the action cycling, and I heard that through my skeleton. Fired the SR22P with just plugs and no muffs inside a Wicen's concrete bunker, and regretted it.

Was at Dick's yesterday and ran across a soft-case, for 25 bucks, that had "Ruger 10-22" embroidered on the side. Oh hell yeah. Sorry, Mom, the sheath you sewed for it in 1975 has been up-staged. It's now on the silly 60's Winchester .22 that is the next restoration project.

[gascolator]

Little update--- progress has been made.

After internet research it seems that careful (read "competent") loading of the magazine is important. Eschew use of the spring-tension relief, and load by pressing the rounds in with the thumb, even though it's harder.

It seems as though if one racks the slide firmly (but safely) in both directions on the initial charge of a fresh magazine, the issue of the #2 round FTF'ing is much reduced. A 22LR semi-auto can't have a big strong recoil spring, as there isn't that much energy to spare. Settling it in on the new magazine seems worth-while.

It likes copper-plated ammo. Not so sure just how much so, since I haven't tried Blazers after discovering the first two points. I will say that Federal "Game Shok" rounds, which are more than Blazers but WAY less than the 100% reliable CCI Mini-Mags worked very well on 190 rounds today.

(The Game-Shoks may be worth it just for entertainment, as in the SR22P they make a spectacular white, orange, and green muzzle flash, a wonderful noise, and a rather impressive kick-in-the-hand.)

I'm hoping that I can get away with the Federal bulk "Champion" ammo. If so, this'll be a real cheap shooter.

[Twoboxer]

My bet, based onmy own experience, is that you won't have any trouble with Federal. And if you keep the pistol "lightly oiled" and carefully load the mags, you will have little trouble with Blazers too.

[WVBob]

After reading this, I took my SR22 out with some Remington lead tips and had 10 out of 50 FTF. Shot coated Federal, Remington and Winchester and never had a bit of trouble. I think I'll just stay away from lead.

[gascolator]

I found that very careful magazine loading (i.e., not trying to make it too easy by pulling down on the spring) helped some with the Blazers. FWIW it made the gun 100% reliable with Federal GameShocs and CCI MiniMags.

This morning, after a bit of fresh oil in the chamber and warming her up with GameShocs, she got through 2 magazines of Blazers without a hiccup. Those were loaded at home from a fresh box.

4 magazines, middle two all Blazer, not one issue. Was feeling like it must have been me and my careless casual magazine-stuffing.

Note that the Blazer-loads in this case were from a newly-opened box.

Reloaded with some Blazers from the previous box (the one that led me to assert that it hated Blazers). Well, even though that box of Blazers is craved by my 10-22, the SR22P immediately started with the FTL stuck-on-the-ramp crap.

So I unloaded the mags and tried my trick of a copper-jacketed GameShoc alternated with Blazers. Lo and behold, no more jams.

So I still don't know if I got a wonky box of Blazers, if they're just inconsistent, if they're causing some sort of residual build-up (that the more powerful and/or copper jacketed rounds clean up) or what.

Well, at least with all of this experimentation, my shooting's getting a lot better. Had to move the target stand further out today.

[Twoboxer]

I've noticed two things with Blazers and my SR22. The one I've already mentioned is that keeping the pistol lightly oiled gets them to fire reliably.

But I also noted that rounds from new box of Blazers originally felt waxy, almost sticky. Today I fired the 4th 100 round batch from the same 525 box without a single issue (from my lighly oiled SR22), and noticed they are no longer waxy/sticky.

So either the SR22 or the Blazers - or both - have improved with age . . . or maybe its just there's enough oil to keep them loading lol.