Omaha-BeenGlockin
New member
Now that you mention it---I've never had any problems with the AR's and Mini-14's I 've owned either----lol
Ruger 10/22 - jamming machines?
- Thread starter Dave3006
- Start date
I have three, and have only had on-off jamming issues-well, at least after I quit using Federal bulk pack from Wally World. All of mine puke miserably on the stuff. I just tinkered with different rounds until I found a low cost load that works in mine-CCI Blazers or American Eagle. There are probably more, but if it works, why continue to "fix" it.
This argument of good/bad could be debated for years. There is always going to be someone that has a bad experience, and hopefully moves on to something that works for them. I'm glad we have the choices we do to make that possible.
This argument of good/bad could be debated for years. There is always going to be someone that has a bad experience, and hopefully moves on to something that works for them. I'm glad we have the choices we do to make that possible.
I've owned three 10/22s over the past two decades. All of them worked perfectly. I still have the first one I bought, but it is now tricked out. The only jamming problems I ever had were many years ago with super cheap Federal Lightning ammo, or with truncated cone bullets in one particular brand of high cap magazine. I didn't keep that mag and mine works fine with various ammo in both the standard Ruger 10 round and other high cap magazines. I am truly surprised that anyone has had problems. Maybe they don't make them like they used to. Watch-Six
I suspect Ruger quality dropped in the last 2-3 years.
10/22 I bough in 1994 works great, so as MK678 I got brand
new in 1997. Not the same story with MK-4B of 2000, which was jamming quite a bit, until I fixed it. On the other hand, polished SS .357 Mag. GP 161 I bought in 1998 is a marvelous piece, great fit/finish/trigger, exceptional accuracy, etc. I did notice people
are reporting more and more problems with .22 MKII series pistol
they bought after 2000.
10/22 I bough in 1994 works great, so as MK678 I got brand
new in 1997. Not the same story with MK-4B of 2000, which was jamming quite a bit, until I fixed it. On the other hand, polished SS .357 Mag. GP 161 I bought in 1998 is a marvelous piece, great fit/finish/trigger, exceptional accuracy, etc. I did notice people
are reporting more and more problems with .22 MKII series pistol
they bought after 2000.
Johnny Rad
New member
My first stock 10/22 was a fantastic shooter with zero problems. I picked it up second hand so who knows how many thousands of rounds went through it. So, I decided to sell it to finance a new one. Hope that wasn't a dumb move!
After I bought it, I put 100 or so Blazers, Thunderbolts through it with no problems. Also did a handful of relatively expensive HPs (green box, but who knows who!). Home it went for a nice clean-up and wait for its first rabbit shoot.
Turns out my new rifle decides not to eject every round - be it spent or unspent - as I try to explain to my friend why I "needed" a new 10/22. Failure was intermittent, sometimes a few in a row and other times would go or a few rounds. Looking up through the underside of the rifle, the little latch that grabs the rim of the ammo case isn't reliablely catching. Unfortunately, once I figure this out, it works like a charm. Also, I'm not sure if the bolt handle (not sure of the lingo) is too lose. It is a bit wobbly.
What are your expert opinions?! I've got a letter to Ruger ready to go, but am not looking forward to taking my gun to UPS and get all of those stares.
After I bought it, I put 100 or so Blazers, Thunderbolts through it with no problems. Also did a handful of relatively expensive HPs (green box, but who knows who!). Home it went for a nice clean-up and wait for its first rabbit shoot.
Turns out my new rifle decides not to eject every round - be it spent or unspent - as I try to explain to my friend why I "needed" a new 10/22. Failure was intermittent, sometimes a few in a row and other times would go or a few rounds. Looking up through the underside of the rifle, the little latch that grabs the rim of the ammo case isn't reliablely catching. Unfortunately, once I figure this out, it works like a charm. Also, I'm not sure if the bolt handle (not sure of the lingo) is too lose. It is a bit wobbly.
What are your expert opinions?! I've got a letter to Ruger ready to go, but am not looking forward to taking my gun to UPS and get all of those stares.
I bought my 10-22 about 20 years ago and have never had it jam on me even once. I usually use CCI Mini-Mags but use Win. and Rem. High Velocity at times.
The only thing I have had done to this rifle is to have the trigger worked over. When I bought it, it must have pulled about 15 pounds. My finger got tired after about 50 rounds! Now it breaks at about 2-1/2 to 3 pounds, very nice!
The only thing I have had done to this rifle is to have the trigger worked over. When I bought it, it must have pulled about 15 pounds. My finger got tired after about 50 rounds! Now it breaks at about 2-1/2 to 3 pounds, very nice!
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
My 10/22 was new around 1981. I've had some occasional misfires from dud ammo, but no failures to feed or extract. I've only used the factory mags.
Clean it? Did somebody say clean it? Why?
Art
Clean it? Did somebody say clean it? Why?
Art
Jamie Young
New member
Yes!! And hoping to get some of My money back.
DonQatu- I clean all My guns once a month whether I shoot them or not. Only once have I taken more than 24hrs to clean a firearm after bringing it home from the range. I have taken My 10/22 to the range 4 times and have done the complete disassemble and cleaning routine. The thing still jams up pretty quick. Its been a disappointment. I wanted it for My Nephew but I'd rather have him shoot his Red Ryder BB Gun than a Jamomatic.
Master Blaster
New member
I have a 10/22 its always been reliable, friend has a really old one also reliable, both are stock with the carbine barrel.
I rarely take mine apart to clean it about every 1000 rounds or so, many 10 of thousands of rounds, no problem. I would call ruger, but first inspect it for any burrs or rough spots on the bolt and guide rod, also check the chamber for rough spots, you may be able to do a little polishing, you may also want to get another recoil spring. Hose it down with clp. I can tell you that if you are buying winchester Xpert at wally's it causes jams in every semiauto I have run it through due to the truncated cone bullet design and short OAL.
Try Federal copper plated bulk pack they seem to be pretty good for $9 / 550 all my guns like them. I used to shoot the thunderbolts and then the golden bullets from remington, but in the last couple years they have been very inconsistant with some very weak reports and failure to extract(undercharges).
I rarely take mine apart to clean it about every 1000 rounds or so, many 10 of thousands of rounds, no problem. I would call ruger, but first inspect it for any burrs or rough spots on the bolt and guide rod, also check the chamber for rough spots, you may be able to do a little polishing, you may also want to get another recoil spring. Hose it down with clp. I can tell you that if you are buying winchester Xpert at wally's it causes jams in every semiauto I have run it through due to the truncated cone bullet design and short OAL.
Try Federal copper plated bulk pack they seem to be pretty good for $9 / 550 all my guns like them. I used to shoot the thunderbolts and then the golden bullets from remington, but in the last couple years they have been very inconsistant with some very weak reports and failure to extract(undercharges).
trapshooter
Moderator
I've had two. First one bought new in '79. Rifle stock (no barrel band). Shot everything from stingers to Mexican Tigers through it. No problems. Lost that one in a dee-vorce.:barf:
Bought a 10/22T a few years ago. Been more particular about ammo with it, but it's a straight, reliable shooter.
Some of the folks posting about problems here have posted for quite a while, and know what's up. I would presume that any gun purchaser runs the risk of getting the result of a mistake, or a bad day at the factory. Unfortunately, the price of these (10/22's) makes the cost of extensive smithing somewhat non-sensical, beyond a certain point.
I'd send a sour 10/22 back to Ruger and see what they would do, or some variation of that.
Bought a 10/22T a few years ago. Been more particular about ammo with it, but it's a straight, reliable shooter.
Some of the folks posting about problems here have posted for quite a while, and know what's up. I would presume that any gun purchaser runs the risk of getting the result of a mistake, or a bad day at the factory. Unfortunately, the price of these (10/22's) makes the cost of extensive smithing somewhat non-sensical, beyond a certain point.
I'd send a sour 10/22 back to Ruger and see what they would do, or some variation of that.
justice4all
New member
Mine is serial # 126-XXXX. It's gotta be nearly 20 years old. As I posted above, no problems. Sounds like extractor problems, either they're getting gunked up to where they won't grab properly, or the extractor itself is bad. I had that problem with a KP944, guy from Ruger said the heat treating might not have took. Sure enough, the claw had worn down, so they sent me a new one free of charge. Easy switch out on the pistol, looks to be harder on the 10/22.
Like I said before, I rarely clean mine really well, but the other day I did, removing not only the trigger housing, but also the bolt and spring. It was filthy under there. I housed it down with CLP, then held it under hot water, and it came back sparkling.
Don't give up on this gun, find out what the problem is, and have it fixed.
Like I said before, I rarely clean mine really well, but the other day I did, removing not only the trigger housing, but also the bolt and spring. It was filthy under there. I housed it down with CLP, then held it under hot water, and it came back sparkling.
Don't give up on this gun, find out what the problem is, and have it fixed.
Cornbread2
Moderator
The Ruger 10-22 is the most reliable semi auto .22 that has ever been made.
No semi auto will work with junk ammo.
No semi auto will work with junk ammo.
Go with the cause and effect method.
10/22's are pretty simple to work with. Straight blowback action, so it relies totally on ammo pressure to push the bolt back, get rounds extracted, eject them, and feed the next round.
Sometimes guns like the one below, with match barrels and tight Bentz-profile chambers, will fail to extract after firing. They'll definitely fail to extract unfired rounds, it's even engraved on the barrel. Sharp-claw extractors get a better bite on the rim, which helps a bit.
Since your gun is bone stock, I'd follow the path Master Blaster suggested. Give us more info on how it's jamming - does the round stay in the chamber, does the brass stovepipe, do you get clicks with no "bang", etc.
Ammo plays a really big part, because you need enough "oomph" to smartly move the bolt back, but it has to be balanced in timing with the recoil spring and rotary magazine feed spring. Some guns are more fussy with this balancing act. I noticed one side-effect of certain brands of ammo is a ring of lead/lube/crud that accumulates at the chamber throat after a couple hundred rounds, making for tough chambering and poor extraction of fired rounds. If you don't look right at it, you may miss this "ring".
Stay with it, you may have a simple fix on your hands, SodaPop!
10/22's are pretty simple to work with. Straight blowback action, so it relies totally on ammo pressure to push the bolt back, get rounds extracted, eject them, and feed the next round.
Sometimes guns like the one below, with match barrels and tight Bentz-profile chambers, will fail to extract after firing. They'll definitely fail to extract unfired rounds, it's even engraved on the barrel. Sharp-claw extractors get a better bite on the rim, which helps a bit.
Since your gun is bone stock, I'd follow the path Master Blaster suggested. Give us more info on how it's jamming - does the round stay in the chamber, does the brass stovepipe, do you get clicks with no "bang", etc.
Ammo plays a really big part, because you need enough "oomph" to smartly move the bolt back, but it has to be balanced in timing with the recoil spring and rotary magazine feed spring. Some guns are more fussy with this balancing act. I noticed one side-effect of certain brands of ammo is a ring of lead/lube/crud that accumulates at the chamber throat after a couple hundred rounds, making for tough chambering and poor extraction of fired rounds. If you don't look right at it, you may miss this "ring".
Stay with it, you may have a simple fix on your hands, SodaPop!
Interesting. I have owned a number of 10/22s over the years and have never had any chronic problems with them. Almost everyone I know owns a 10/22 and I never heard them mention any problems with theirs. I did get on a smallbore silhouette kick a few years ago and fired several hundred rounds a day in practice. After a week or so of firing 100+ rounds/day without any maintainance at all, I would get some jams but as in all threads of this nature I have to point out that this wasn't a basic design flaw in the weapon, it was just a lack of routine maintanence. When I disassembled them, they would be absolutely choked with sludge; I cleaned them and they worked fine afterwards.
I have had just the opposite experience with the Wal-Mart ammo. My rifles function great with the Federal stuff and bog down with the Remington stuff. At my peak, I was buying five cartons of 550 rounds each, at a time, of the Federal and was well satisfied. I never got in to trying all kinds of .22 ammo in my guns as is so often recommended. I continue to buy the Federal bulk pack.
I also don't have any problem with the reliability of my AR-15, my previous AR-15 or the M16s I used in the military although when a significant amount of sand got in the action it quit working, but again, routine maintainance. No mechanical device can contiue to function under any possible condition. You may have the greatest car engine ever developed and it will quit in short order without oil. Every design has it's flaws. Our goal is to find the designs with the fewest flaws. I think the Ruger 10/22 is one of those designs. I believe they may have produced over a million of them. There are bound to be some bad apples in the bunch, but all in all it is a great rifle. Surely one of the most popular .22s of all time.
I have had just the opposite experience with the Wal-Mart ammo. My rifles function great with the Federal stuff and bog down with the Remington stuff. At my peak, I was buying five cartons of 550 rounds each, at a time, of the Federal and was well satisfied. I never got in to trying all kinds of .22 ammo in my guns as is so often recommended. I continue to buy the Federal bulk pack.
I also don't have any problem with the reliability of my AR-15, my previous AR-15 or the M16s I used in the military although when a significant amount of sand got in the action it quit working, but again, routine maintainance. No mechanical device can contiue to function under any possible condition. You may have the greatest car engine ever developed and it will quit in short order without oil. Every design has it's flaws. Our goal is to find the designs with the fewest flaws. I think the Ruger 10/22 is one of those designs. I believe they may have produced over a million of them. There are bound to be some bad apples in the bunch, but all in all it is a great rifle. Surely one of the most popular .22s of all time.
Cornbread2
Moderator
The 10-22 just like all .22 autos rely on the pressure of the fired round to force the bolt back far enough to eject the fired case and pick up the next round.
This is possibly the 100th time I have posted this but I will do it again.
Some cheap .22 ammo such as Remington Thunderbolt,"golden bullet" bulk pack, Federal bulk pack, Americam Eagle, Winchester Dnyapoints, PMC Zappers and a few others DO NOT HAVE CONSISTANT POWDER CHARGES. Some of the rounds have about one half or less of the powder charge that they are supposed to have.
A weak round will not blow the bolt back without enough force to correctly work the action.
Cheap .22 ammo varies in rim thickness as much as .005 or more. Sometimes this affects reliability.
If we are told just exactly how your gun "jams" perhaps we can help you.
I lost count years ago of the .22 autos that have been brought to me by their owners claiming they were jamamatics. They could never fire one mag without two or three problems.
I load them withn good ammo and they fire 100%.
This is possibly the 100th time I have posted this but I will do it again.
Some cheap .22 ammo such as Remington Thunderbolt,"golden bullet" bulk pack, Federal bulk pack, Americam Eagle, Winchester Dnyapoints, PMC Zappers and a few others DO NOT HAVE CONSISTANT POWDER CHARGES. Some of the rounds have about one half or less of the powder charge that they are supposed to have.
A weak round will not blow the bolt back without enough force to correctly work the action.
Cheap .22 ammo varies in rim thickness as much as .005 or more. Sometimes this affects reliability.
If we are told just exactly how your gun "jams" perhaps we can help you.
I lost count years ago of the .22 autos that have been brought to me by their owners claiming they were jamamatics. They could never fire one mag without two or three problems.
I load them withn good ammo and they fire 100%.
Master Blaster
New member
two other things to do:
geta a good bronze brush and run it through the barrel and chamber (twist in the chamber)after you wet it with clp, it could just be a chunk of someting in the chamber.
Check your magazines for smooth operation of the rotor, and spray it with dry lube spray, ccould be the magazine, a burr or crud. do you notice the problem more with one magazine than the other mark one with masking tape if it jams and try the other.
geta a good bronze brush and run it through the barrel and chamber (twist in the chamber)after you wet it with clp, it could just be a chunk of someting in the chamber.
Check your magazines for smooth operation of the rotor, and spray it with dry lube spray, ccould be the magazine, a burr or crud. do you notice the problem more with one magazine than the other mark one with masking tape if it jams and try the other.