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Old August 31, 2012, 01:09 PM   #26
CajunBass
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I can't say my Rugers have NEVER malfunctioned, but it wasn't often enough to get annoyed about. When they did it was always a result of being dry/dirty. A couple of drops of oil fixed it temporary, and a cleaning was a good idea later.
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Old August 31, 2012, 02:58 PM   #27
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It is not the guns. it is the ammo. Even the best 22 rimfire ammo is never going to be as reliable as centerfire ammo.
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Old August 31, 2012, 04:14 PM   #28
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After breaking in, my 22/45 hasn't had one malfunction for the last several thousand rounds. Niether has my 10/22. I often put 400 + rds. down the pipe with the 22/45 in a single session,... and still no MF!

I use bulk CCI Blazers, and the occasional supply of Minimags.

I don't buy the cheapest bulk such as dirty loose Remingtons, and I clean my .22s after every session.

With that being said, I too have heard from many that the .22lr is prone to duds and malfunctions.

I've been criticised as just being lucky, but I attribute majority of it to picking ammo above par of the cheapest and fully upkeeping my firearms.

CCI works and I haven't got a dud from any ammo I used manufactured by them so far,..- and I would guess this to be around 15 k worth of ammo.

I've gotten duds with remington, federal bulk, and some Aguila powderless colibri ammo.

Last edited by m_liebst; August 31, 2012 at 07:25 PM.
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Old September 4, 2012, 08:30 AM   #29
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This is my first post in this forum, so here's my 2 cents. I've been shooting for 30+ years. I have a Colt Diamondback .22 and S&W-41. I bought my wife a Ruger MK-III Hunter bcz she said the 41 was uncomfortable. The 41 has jammed only a handful of times in a few years but the MK-III was plagued with jams & stovepipes from the day we bought it. I called Ruger and was told that the MK-III's were tested w/CCI Mini-Mag at the factory, so I gave it a shot - less jam's but still too many. I experimented w/different types of ammo and found that CCI did result in the least jams, and the Select ammo reduced jams & stovepipes almost completely. Yeah, it's not cheap but the Select results in a nicer day at the range. You just need to find the cartridge with the right energy for your gun. I definitely do second the post about cleaning after each use, that's just good gun care. Your gun will function better, and will wear better. Any auto will improve w/use, but CCI Select works best for me.

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Old September 4, 2012, 10:00 AM   #30
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You should be able to feed your Ruger MK III rounds like Federal 550 bulk or Federal Automatch. Both are much more inexpensive than CCI Minimags and the like.

There is something wrong with your pistol, it may be related to the LCI, it may not be either as I've seen stock MK III's run fine with the LCI still in tact. Many disable or remove the LCI entirely.
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Old September 4, 2012, 11:11 AM   #31
m_liebst
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FritzV1-


Ya got yourself a lemon. If you have purchased this new, you should be sending the pistol back to Ruger so they can figure out what to do. If ya bought it used, welll... that's probably why the thing was sold.

I've never heard of the Ruger MKs having malfunction issues to this extent. You shouldn't have to be limited to CCI Select to have a so-so day with this fine piece. Ya should be able to fire majority of ammo brands without issues.

I took the LCI out of my mklll 22/45 just because of the looks, but it wasn't
causing any feeding/ eject. issues.

Good luck!

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Old September 4, 2012, 05:19 PM   #32
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The bigger is always better crowd will never agree the 22lr is anything more than a big BBgun...It`s silly to even suggest that...

The 22 lr ammo has been getting better and better with the new 22`s.... I shoot 22 bulk for practice and then choose to shoot more expensive bullets for around the house...I can put 6- 22lr bullets in a 4" circle at 7yds. in less than 3 seconds...

I get a kick out of person after person at the range with their 45`s not being able to hit a target once at 7 yds with a full magazine...and they are just the ones that taut 45 as being THE ammo..

Don`t get me wrong I have 45`s...9mm...223...shotguns and more but for the vast majority in this world the 22 is a effective round...for defence....I do believe the 20 gauge is the perfect home defence though...but don`t sell the 22lr short
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Old September 4, 2012, 05:50 PM   #33
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its ammo

22 is not really any less dependable or reliable than any other cartridge. What is or does make a difference is the brand or quality of ammo you use with it.My ruger mark 2 will shoot jam free time and time again with good ammo. Use eceonmy ammo and you get just that, some good rounds,some not so good. The same goes for 9mm or 45acp or whatever.
22 I believe is just looked down upon due to its size. That as well is downplayed. Alot of people are killed every year by a 22 round. One must remember when reading off the internet or forums that alot of what is posted by people is nonsense and biased. Alot of people typing some of the stuff are less intelligent than the person researching on the other end.
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Old September 5, 2012, 01:24 AM   #34
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I have a Ruger 22/45 and it works great . It does have some issues with some ammos . Anything CCI works great . Federal not so much . I've noticed if the bullet is loose in the case what ever ammo it is , It will have feeding problems .There are some ammo's out there that you can move the bullet 20or 30 degrees back and forth . Yea like those are going to feed well ,I think not . All CCI are solid in the case and I never have a problem with them .

Now on the other hand I also have a Jennings Model ----something . It sucks so bad I don't even care to Know what its called .It's a semi auto and has a 7 or so round mag and its very small ( smaller then a wallet ). Im lucky if I get 2 shots off before it jams .
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Old September 5, 2012, 05:46 AM   #35
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There are two sides to reliability... mechanical, and primer ignition.
I.E. Failure to feed/extract/eject, and failure to fire.

As far as mechanical reliability...

I find that combinations of poor case crimp which leads to loose bullets that wobble and spin in the case... soft lead... and sometimes bullet shape... those tend to be the biggest causes of jams/malfunctions.

Bulk pack ammo tends to be most guilty of poor crimps and soft lead.

I have never seen premium 22lr ammo that had poor case crimping. The lead hardness can vary depending on the bullets intended purpose... But most high velocity rounds use harder lead. And even the softer lead rounds work better due to proper case crimp.

Lead round nose or plated round nose feeds the most reliably in general.

And failures to eject are often just random unlucky, (as in not caused by anything other than random chance) or due to a dirty gun or a low powered round which slows down the action and leads to weak ejection force. Bulk ammo tends to be dirty and inconsistent in power.

Now the other side to reliability... primer ignition

Poor distribution of priming compound evenly around the rim of the case leads to occasional failures to fire. A second strike may fire the round, but not guaranteed... Often reloading the round may be required to get a fresh part of the rim to be struck by the firing pin in order to fire... Dud rounds that refuse to fire at all are pretty rare.

Once again, bulk pack ammo tends to be the biggest culprit of this type of problem.

I have never had a premium rimfire round not fire on the first attempt.

I would bet that the instances of a premium rimfire round needing a second strike are about the same as centerfire rounds, (ignoring steel cased hard primer rounds) and straight up duds even more unlikely.

There is a third type of malfunction with rimfires... but I left it out from above because it is almost always user error/caused.

Unlike a centerfire, which can fire when slightly out of battery. (though not very good to do) The rimfire needs the case rim to contact the barrel fully in order for the firing pin to impart enough force to actually ignite the primer. So being even a little out of battery will cause a failure to fire.

This type of malfunction is almost always cause by a dirty gun. Either poor maintenance, or it can start to happen at the end of a long day at the range after firing a few hundred rounds. (maybe less if the gun is a tight gun, like target pistols can be)

Also failures to extract tend to be from dirty extractors... so another user caused issue.

The take away from all that...

Bulk ammo can be finicky, some guns will not like it very much, or may only like certain brands of bulk.

Premium ammo is probably close to centerfire ammo in reliability to ignite the primer. It also tends to function very well in the gun.

Modern semiautos should function with bulk pack ammo... or if not all, at least one or two brands of bulk.

Modern semiautos should run pretty much any premium ammo just fine, but you may find a brand/style that your gun does not like.

If you have a gun that will not fire ANY type of bulk... you may have an issue, call the manufacturer.

If you have a gun that does not like to feed several different types/brands of premium 22lr ammo, and you can only find one that works... you most likely have a lemon. (combined with not feeding any type of bulk and its pretty much a given) The only exception to this is if you have a highly tuned/custom target gun.

Last edited by marine6680; September 5, 2012 at 06:13 AM.
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Old September 5, 2012, 06:12 AM   #36
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My MKII, III (no longer have) and now SR have been excellent.

I did have two under powered rounds in my SR from 15yo federal bulk pac I had lying around but haven't had a true dud in years.

I plan on picking up another MKIII or 22/45 sometime soon.
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Old September 5, 2012, 10:44 AM   #37
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Don't misunderstand my comment about the stovepipes. Yes, there were quite a few when the MK-III was new, but these have subsided to 1 maybe every 300 rounds. I've put appx 3000 rds through it. The CCI Select seems to have helped. If it was break-in, I'm happy to be past that. I'll give another bulk brand a try, and will also try removing the LCI just for the sake of seeing how it will perform w/o it. Good info though. BTW, the pistol was bought new and the Mrs. loves it. I wouldn't consider it defective in any way, especially since it's doing so well now. I've been shooting for a long time and ammo quality does matter. This was my first Ruger and I'd definitely buy another.

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Old September 5, 2012, 05:34 PM   #38
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I've had a Ruger MkIII 22/45 for a little over a year. It's the slab sided barrel with the grips molded in the frame. It was the least expensive model and I think it's been discontinued.

I have no idea how many rounds I've put through it but I wouldn't be surprised if it was well over 2000 rounds. With only one dud. I know it was a dud because it wouldn't even fire in my 22 revolver.

I've not exactly been picky about ammo for it either. I think I've put every bargain brand of 22 through it that I would find at WalMart or Academy, whatever was on sale. I have never put any CCI or any premium ammo through it. Not that some of that is necessarily that expensive but why spend more when you can pick up a pack of 50 rounds for $2 or less. I am not shooting competitively but for complete fun. Which is what the 22 delivers!!

I have ZERO complaints about my Ruger or bulk ammo for that matter. I am a big fan of the 22/45. (And my SR9c...but that's another thread!) Frankly, field stripping and cleaning are pretty easy once you get the hang of it. It's just not that big a deal.

I do clean it after every shooting session. Maybe that's why I don't have any problems!
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Old September 5, 2012, 05:55 PM   #39
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I have a Ruger mark II, That I have owned for about 15 years. The gun has always been reliable but the magazines are a problem. One of the 2 mags I got with the gun, did not last very long. It failed to function and was so bad it could not be repaired, I tossed it. The replacement had to be deburred before it would work reliably, I just recieved 2 new ones in todays mail and one of them had to be deburred before it would function properly. Well that gives me 4 mags that are working well. I hope they hold out. It is getting harder to find them.
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Old September 5, 2012, 06:02 PM   #40
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Ruger SR22. Dont just take my word for it... just do some research. A properly cleaned and oiled SR22 will shoot 99% of the ammo on the market without issue. When I first bought my SR22 and took it to the range without cleaning or oiling I thought I got the first one I ever heard of with issues. After doing what I should have done in the first place the gun is like butter.

Good luck!

Mark
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Old September 5, 2012, 08:28 PM   #41
m_liebst
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Quote:
been shooting for a long time and ammo quality does matter. This was my first Ruger and I'd definitely buy another.
FritzV1:

If put together properly at the factory: that MK lll should run close to flawless with the right upkeeping and ammo within par of most CCI- ( including bulk).

Like I stated- I don't recall a hiccup for the last few thousand rounds of ammo that I've shot. In the beginning I tried several bulk brands and premium,.. and from that- it has hinted me on to my constant use of CCI blazers, minimags, SV, and ocassional Velocitors.

From my experience and friends, i've honestly been more than satisfied with these semi's- they're my favorite pieces to shoot, and they are a lot more dependable than what most percieve of .22lr fire arms.

Last edited by m_liebst; September 5, 2012 at 08:38 PM.
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Old September 6, 2012, 11:55 AM   #42
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Good comments from all, thanks. I hit the range last night after work and put 200 rds of CCI Select through the MK-III. No jams or stovepipes. Then switched to Federal Gold Medal, I only had 1 box of 50 and all went through w/o a hiccup. IMHO the Ruger is fine, time will tell.

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Old September 6, 2012, 01:32 PM   #43
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It's the ammo. I've had both remington and winchester malfunction semi-regularly (1 in 250 rounds) in both my 22s. I've never had any CCI (several types) malfunction.
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Old September 6, 2012, 02:05 PM   #44
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Out of maybe 10,000 rounds my Ruger 22/45 has jammed only once that I can remember and it was because the gun was extremely dirty. I have had the occasional dud round that wouldn't go off, but as far as a functioning standpoint I would say its pretty damn reliable.

By the way Remington ammunition is the WORST, especially the .22 thunderbolts. CCI Blazers I find to be the best of the cheap stuff.
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Old September 6, 2012, 03:11 PM   #45
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Quote:
CCI Blazers I find to be the best of the cheap stuff.
I agree,- I've shot well over 7000 rds of the CCI Blzrs with no duds and maybe 2 malfunctions-due to heavy fouling after 4-500 + rounds. The Blzrs are definitely a bit dirtier than the Minimags which are a step up in par.

Still the Blzrs are very cheap and reliable- an ultimately the .22 ammo I shoot the most of.

Last gunshow I purchased 5000 for about 165 dollars.

Quote:
Remington ammunition is the WORST, especially the .22 thunderbolts.

In the beginning I tried several brands of premium and cheap bulk ammo. I had gotten 2 duds using a 100 pk of Reminton. subsonics. I even tried firing both duds again,.... and still no ignition! I've tried their Golden bullets with similar results. I've gotten duds from centerfire ammo manufactured by remington.

Remington's rimfire ammo feels so loose- the bullets wobble around easily. Taking a closer look at the ammo, some of the lead bullets look very un-uniform, somewhat oxidized/ discolored, and the ammo is dirty:- kinda like the factory scenerio was moist and their work force could be found bar hopping instead of commiting to quality inspections or upkeeping of the equipment...
Remington's quality standards have gone down the **** hole in recent times

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Old September 6, 2012, 03:57 PM   #46
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Ammo seems to be the biggest issue with 22's.
All 22's I've owned do very well on Federal bulk bricks, but not so great on other brands of bulk.

I think a 22 would be fine for SD on a good quality ammo if its proven thru your particular pistol.

fwiw... the longer I carry, the more I get sick of it, the more I start thinking about smaller pistols. I too am starting to look seriously at mouse guns, including the NAA revolvers.
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Old September 6, 2012, 03:58 PM   #47
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.22 Reliability

I completely agree with Frank's post. I have owned several .22 LR pistols. Personally, had no luck with the Smith & Wesson 22a. Recently used a Mark III 22/45. Reliable, fun to shoot, most ammo wasn't a problem, but when I first handled the Ruger SR22 pistol, I knew I had to have it, Took it to the range yesterday and put about 200 rounds through it, All CCI. I have found that CCI is by far the best rimfire ammo on the market. Absolutely no FTF or FTE problems. As far as personal protection, I've only heard of people using these for concealed carry if they can't handle the recoil of large caliper pistols. My personal favorite is the Glock 23 in .40 caliber. Hope that helps clear some questions about the .22.
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Old September 6, 2012, 04:44 PM   #48
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Fritz...

Seems all the pistol needed was a little time to loosen up and break in.
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Old September 7, 2012, 12:53 AM   #49
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MkII

My Ruger MkII std is plenty reliable, but the problem is the unreliability of some brands of .22 lr and failure to fire. HOwever, even with that, it does not fail any more or less than any of my CF pistols.
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Old September 7, 2012, 11:45 PM   #50
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You are right, there are a lot of 22 rim fire pistols that are not very reliable, most are ammo related. I recently fired a 22 pistol that was very impressive with a variety of ammo, was very accurate, reliable great grip and very good trigger. If you can rent one or shoot a friends, please find and try a Smith & Wesson M&P 22 pistol. I think you will agree. Give it a try.
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