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Old February 24, 2001, 01:37 AM   #1
jmstr
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Join Date: February 24, 2001
Location: San Joaquin Valley, CA
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Hello,

I recently purchased a H&R model 929 .22lr 9-shot revolver for about $70. It looked like it had been sitting in a closet for YEARS, as it is the old-style [spurred hammer through frame, not transfer bar/firing pin model]. I recently took it out to fire [shooting PMC Zapper rounds] and ran into a problem. It only fired about 7 out of every 9 rounds in the cylinder, on the average [best= all 9, worst=5]. I swung the cylinder out after firing 9 times and only having 7 bullets shoot out of the gun. Every piece of brass had a hammer 'dent' in the end. I closed the cylinder and fired 9 more times [to be sure I hit each casing]. I now had 2 dents per shell, but the remaining bullets fired.

Any suggestions about what could be causing this? Is it the bulk ammo I bought? [500 round brick of PMC Zappers.] I did notice a couple of rounds in which I was able to 'wiggle' the bullet [spinning motion] in the brass. Or is it more likely that the spur is a hair short, and is thus not impacting with enough force? I have recently performed a homemade 'trigger job' to smoothen up the action, and it worked wonders. In the process I replaced the springs/lifter/hand/and pins, in addition to polishing the bottom of the hammer.

If it is the hammer, should I consider trying to remove about 1-2 mm of material from the hammer side of the pistol, in the 'hammer groove' [the point the hammer stops on, as the spur goes through the frame]. If I did this, I would not remove enough the spur would stick through while the hammer was on the 'safety notch'. Or is there a .22lr manufacturer who sells a more consistant performer, without spending $10 for 100 shells? Please let me know.
thanks
jmstr
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Old February 24, 2001, 08:37 AM   #2
George Stringer
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jmstr, try a box of CCI mini-mags. If they won't shoot then it's the pistol. I suspect the ammo. I haven't used that particular brand but everytime I try to save money on rimfire ammo I get misfires. If you have the same problem with the CCIs then I'd replace the mainspring instead of trying to make the hammer nose go in farther. And if that didn't work I'd recommend a smith look it over. Did it shoot well prior to your trigger work? George
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Old February 24, 2001, 11:51 AM   #3
jmstr
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.22lr ammo/hammer issue

George,

I'll try the CCI. I do have two questions about the type you recommended. 'mini-mags': are those standard .22lr, or are they .22mag cartridges? Also, if they are .22lr, are they just high-velocity, and not Hyper-velocity? [i've been told the difference is standard vel= about 1050fps/high vel=about 1200fps/hyper vel=about 1500 fps].

As far as how it worked before, that is where I scratch my head and grin foolishly. I hadn't fired it before I did the 'trigger job', as it was so rough with snap caps that it 'jumped' at the trigger break and was gritty throughout the length of trigger travel. So I can't tell you how it worked before. I tend to think it is the ammo also, because I will occassionally get failure to fires from it in my Glenfield Model 60 rifle also. I just received a replacement hammer/main spring so I will replace that before I take it out again. And I will try the brand you suggested, after I go through a box of what I have [50 rnd box/not 500] to see if it was the spring. Thanks for the info!
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Old February 24, 2001, 08:06 PM   #4
johnwill
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A simple inspection should be enough to narrow it down to the ammo or the gun. If the firing pin impression is solid and deep, it's most likely the ammo. If it's not as well defined as other .22LR brass, it's most likely the gun. FWIW, even if you don't bring another .22 with you, there's always LOTS of brass around to check the firing pin impression on.
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Old February 25, 2001, 09:51 AM   #5
George Stringer
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jmstr, when CCI first came out with thier ammo they had the mini-mags (standard 22lr) and the maxi-mags (.22mag). I think it's the best .22 ammo on the market and that's what I use in the shop exclusively for test firing repaired rimfire firearms. George
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