OT Rifle Problem

I have a Ruger 10/22 that I got as a Christmas present when I was a teenager. After about 5,000 rounds through it, it has started stovepiping on about 1 round out of 10. I have taken the bolt and trigger group out and cleaned it, but the problem persists. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm thinking there is crud somewhere that is causing the problem and some folks have recommended buying a Volquartsen ejector (I already have one of their hammers in it) but I'd like to get it working with what I have. Thanks in advance.

Try shooting some hotter rounds through it and see if that helps. It seems that the bulk rounds of late don't seem to have the power they used to have. If the hotter rounds eject fine then it probably is some lube or fouling issue. If not it could still be lube or fouling but it could be the ejector is not holding the casing well enough for it to get kicked out by the punch.

the ruger 10-22 is a nice little rifle.i have owed about 6 of them in my lifetime.i had one which i put a clark custom barrel on and bought a triger kit and extractor which i installed all of this myself.no i aint a gunsmith these are a pretty easy gun to work on.usually if the extractor is bad the empty shell stays in it and it wont grip it to eject it.it will cock the gun and dry fire.did you try a new magazine.maybe the tension aint right for the rotery magazine.

i got a 10-22 from a garage sale about 25 years ago with a broke stock...glued it back together and it became my ranch rifle...i clean it about once a year with starting fluid and a brush...sometimes it gets some buildup in the chamber and the brush gets it out with solvent...it hangs spent shells when its dirty...i generally use remington golden bullets but lately all i can find is federals...hope they shoot as good...i prob go thru 100 shells a month and they start hanging after about a year.

Stay away from "bulk bullets" - factory seconds.

Make sure you are using 40g bullets. lots of the newer stuff uses smaller bullets and won't feed right unless you modify the clip/load ramp.
Don't use the truncated cone bullets, they dont feed right in lots of gun. (my 10/22 will stovepipe 3 out of 10 everytime.)

when all else fails return it to ruger, they'll treat you right

Try a new mag.

I bought a Mossberg that jammed with HV ammo, but worked fine with standard ammo.I replaced the hammer and recoil spring, that fixed it.The old recoil spring was a bit shorter than the new one.

Well It probably needs cleaning and maybe a barrel as that one might be shot out. I"d just go get a Marlin 39 never had a problem with them. Can drive nails with it too.

Sounds like it needs a good cleaning and oiling. I have 2 10/22's and both have over 10,000 rounds through them. One probably has closer to 25,000 rounds through it. I don't have any issues with stovepipeing or jamming, unless using cheap ammunition.

What everyone else said about changing ammo.

I have a 9mm automatic pistol that is flawless with any ammo except Winchester. If I put Winchester ammo in it, it will jam on the last round every time. The simple solution is I don't use Winchester ammo in it.

What is stovepiping?

Check the extractor located on the bolt. The little tooth can get rounded over and lose its "bite". I would probably just replace the entire bolt assembly with either a volquartsen or check out HORNET PRODUCTS.. that guy has a ton of stuff and priced nicely.

(quoted from post at 07:23:57 11/02/09) What is stovepiping?

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When the round extracts from the chamber but doesn't eject fully. It gets caught facing up between the closing bolt and the chamber. Resembling a stovepipe.

Go to www. rimfirecentral.com.
More info than you will ever need.

I bought my first one for $125, saw they were up to $199 at Dick"s last week. Good gun. Maybe a real good cleaning? Of course I have a SKS I"ve never cleaned in almost 20 yrs and it shoots just like the day I cleaned the cosmoline off it.

Try this order: Check your mag to be sure its not worn and that its clean. Borrow somebody elses if needed.

Clean the chamber well, if dirty it could be causing the shell to stick ever so slightly after firing which causes the stovepipe. Be sure to clean the groove for the extractor as well, not likely the problem but always a treasure trove of gunk.

Try cleaning and oiling the spring for the bolt. Sometimes they get a little crud at the front of them and its hard to see unless you put it on the bench and force it back.

Save your money, the Volquartsen extractor wont help you in this situation. In fact, the extractor does nothing as long as the gun fires, it only does something if you pull back the bolt to remove a unfired round. Dont believe me? Just remove the extractor and fire the gun, it will kick out the shells just fine and likely jam just as often.

Switch ammo, its possable you got some ammo thats too slow to cycle the action well. .22s are picky on ammo, if you cant get a gun clean and working properly, switch ammo. Usually the cheap, bulk pack ammo is some of the best for a gun like the 10/22 since bulk pack tends to be fast stuff. It is dirty stuff though.

The reason your gun is jamming is because the bolt is not moving fast enough or far enough back in order to kick the spent shell clear of the port before the bolt heads back home. It catches the spent shell because of that and jams.

As mentioned, Rimfirecentral has TONS of information.