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Old February 5, 2013, 08:55 PM   #1
MWorrell
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Waxy Coating on Rimfire Ammo

Just got a Ruger SR22, and I finally found some Eley 22LR in stock online at a reasonable price. But the rounds seem to have an unusual amount of waxy coating on them... nothing you can see, but after loading a magazine it leaves a fairly substantial residue on my hands. It's not really oily, more waxy.

Is that normal? The ammo is a couple of years old if the manufacture date on the box is to be believed. Should I kinda wipe these things down a little as I load them?
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Old February 5, 2013, 09:10 PM   #2
jrothWA
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It MIGHT be a problem.

Just try a couple of magazines thru the .22, if there is a "failure to extract' then its' a problem.

Next best thing is to wipe off the rounds with a cloth and try again to use up the rounds.

The last time I ran in to this, was early 90's using an old lot of Winchester T22.

Try locating another make of ammo.
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Old February 5, 2013, 11:14 PM   #3
DPris
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That wax is your bullet lube.
I wouldn't remove any of it.
If it bothers you, try other brands.
Denis
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Old February 6, 2013, 01:03 AM   #4
Dragline45
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Dpris is right, it is bullet lube, although I have ran across some .22 ammo with way too much on it and had to give them a quick wipe.
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Old February 6, 2013, 11:00 AM   #5
MWorrell
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Thanks for the feedback... I'll try it and see what happens; hopefully it doesn't gum up the works. Eley seems to serve the competitive target shooting market pretty narrowly, so the availability is better... would be nice if these work until I can buy the usual ammo again. Someday.
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Old February 6, 2013, 11:13 AM   #6
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Quote:
Is that normal? The ammo is a couple of years old if the manufacture date on the box is to be believed. Should I kinda wipe these things down a little as I load them?
The wax is on there for a purpose. It keeps the bullets from leading, it breaks the friction between chamber and case and aids in extraction, it also breaks the friction between case and chamber and reduces "case bind" in the chamber, loading the mechanism as it was designed. Thus improving accuracy.



Five shots prone, either Wolf Target or Eley at 50 yards. Don't wipe off the lube!

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Old February 6, 2013, 03:03 PM   #7
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Quote:
Is that normal? The ammo is a couple of years old if the manufacture date on the box is to be believed. Should I kinda wipe these things down a little as I load them?
Yes.
No.
.22 Long Rifle uses an exteranaly lubricated bullet.

Last edited by JohnKSa; February 7, 2013 at 12:31 AM. Reason: Clarified with punctuation and spacing.
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Old February 6, 2013, 05:25 PM   #8
James K
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Some makers solved the leading problem by plating the bullets with copper or brass. Some folks think the bullets are jacketed, but that is not true; it is just a thin copper wash. The only real jacketed .22's were made for military "survival" rifles to comply with the Hague convention.

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Old February 6, 2013, 06:43 PM   #9
Dragline45
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Misread post.

Last edited by Dragline45; February 6, 2013 at 08:29 PM.
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Old February 6, 2013, 07:58 PM   #10
DPris
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No .22 LR bullet uses external lube?????
I've been shooting externally lubed .22 LRs for over 40 years.
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Old February 6, 2013, 08:02 PM   #11
Bill DeShivs
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DaHermit answered both questions. He didn't say "no .22 uses an external lubricant." Notce placement of the period.
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Old February 6, 2013, 08:16 PM   #12
alt4852
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He was saying that yes, it was normal, and no, the rounds should not be wiped before being loaded and giving the reason why.
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Old February 6, 2013, 08:19 PM   #13
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Slamfire posts his 50yd target:

Quote:
Five shots prone, either Wolf Target or Eley at 50 yards. Don't wipe off the lube!
Nice shooting there Slam! Kilt that paper dead...


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Old February 6, 2013, 08:29 PM   #14
Dragline45
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Quote:
DaHermit answered both questions. He didn't say "no .22 uses an external lubricant." Notce placement of the period.
Gotchya, kinda threw me off a bit.
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Old February 6, 2013, 11:01 PM   #15
MWorrell
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Fine folks on this forum. Thanks again...
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Old February 7, 2013, 11:08 AM   #16
dahermit
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Addendum: I have seen some .22 rim fire ammo that had copper plated bullets, but when scraped with a finger nail, an all but invisable wax lube was evident.
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Old February 8, 2013, 12:44 AM   #17
44 AMP
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Back when metallic cartridges were the new thing, a lot of them, both rimfire and centerfire used the "heel" type bullet with an external lubricant. Early lubes were rather soft, and sticky. Over time, most rounds changed to an inside (the case) lubricated bullet, which we still use today.

The .22 rimfire kept its outside lube and heel type bullet, but the lube was improved from a grease to a wax, which was much better at not having everything in your pocket stick to it, and left much less residue in the gun, and on your hands.

Eley is primarily target ammo, not expected to have to endure the rigors of field use, and its lube is maybe a bit less "hard" than that used for hunting & plinking ammo.
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Old February 8, 2013, 02:51 AM   #18
warningshot
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Let's make this real simple:

If you suspect that your .22 LR ammo has a wax build-up, or even if it doesn't, please send a minimum of a 50 round box of it to me for an expert evaluation. .
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Old February 9, 2013, 03:20 PM   #19
Stealth01
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Eley and Lapua both use heavy lube... do not wipe it off...



5 shot group @ 50 yards...
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Old February 10, 2013, 10:01 AM   #20
StewNTexas
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When I was just a kid (LONG ago), Peters ammo in the green box used this wax on its .22's.

Worked well most of the time, but if you took your rifle down to the creek on your bike, and put your ammo loose in your jeans pocket, you will pick-up some sand and dirt for sure. Usually had to give them a quick wipe before chambering.
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