bolt-open discharge on 10/22

[Always-fixin']

Hi, my wife was shooting our ruger 10/22 td today with a BX-25 mag with about 20 rnds in it. When the trigger pull resulted in a click, she naturally assumed that was all the rounds. So she hit the safety and started sliding the charging handle back, at which point the last round, still in the chamber, went off. The base of the casing was blown into shrapnel, the rest was jammed in the chamber and the bullet proceeded down-range. No injury beyond a rather severe loss of confidence in the rifle fortunately, and once I pried out the casing it seems to fire just fine. So... I'm just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this situation. Is there some kind of defect in this rifle? Has anyone else had this problem? Is that something that just happens on occasion? I've never seen it before, but we ran probably 150 round or so between 4 shooters, which is significantly more than I've ever run in one session. Any thoughts?

 

[22/45 Fan]

It sounds like a defective ammo problem, not the rifle. You had what is known as a "hang fire" where the round goes off a short time after the trigger is pulled. They are uncommon with good quality ammo but not unheard of. What brand of ammo were you using?

 

[eveled]

Sounds like a hang fire to me.

You should know if you have an empty gun or not. If you think there might be a round in the chamber and it doesn't go off, keep the gun pointed in a safe direction, wait at least a minute then open the bolt to clear it.

I doubt her action caused the discharge, it was just delayed. Glad nobody was hurt.

Get into the habit of counting when loading magazines and counting your shots. It becomes second nature after a while.

 

[Snake45]

What the others said--a classic hangfire, though they're rare with rimfires. Ammo problem, not the gun.

What kind of ammo was it?

BTW, this is why you ALWAYS wear shooting glasses.

 

[Always-fixin']

Thanks so much for the info! it's good to know that's not something I need to worry about with the gun, and my wife's faith in it vis-à-vis the kids shooting is greatly improved. The ammo I was using was a bulk pack (325) of federal auto-match target grade from Wally-World. I don't think it was the gun's favorite 'cause it did jam in one of the BX mags a couple times. No jams in the factory 10 round yet. Definitely a confirmation of why all that safety 'stuff' is important. I don't think all my talking has driven the point home with the family nearly as well as that one little mishap. I certainly have a new understanding why a firearm that locks open with the last shot fired is clearly preferable. Counting every shot in a 25 round mag, especially in a pressure situation, is probably a little unrealistic, but I never really planned to use the BX mags on a regular basis. I see them more as something to have around just for unforeseen 'situations', and thought I should at least test them. With 2 jams on one of them though, I'm not sure if they are reliable enough to save for emergencies. I'll have to try them with a different ammo to be sure. Next up is a bulk pack of Winchester white box, (555) from Cabelas. Not the most reliable ammo I have heard, but on the range an occasional fail-to-fire is not the end of the world, (with adequate caution). I do have a few boxes of federal premium HV Match that I was planning to save for times when something a bit more 'sure-fire' was needed. That is, until I can find some mini-mags or something. Any recommendations for a good, reliable, non-jamming, hot-little-round for those times when you might REALLY need the gun to go bang?

 

[mohavesam]

Glad no injuries occurred. Hang-fires are not as common as they used to be, but do happen.
Guns are still deadly weapons and simple machines at the same time; and ammo is mass-produced, lest we never forget these rules.
Ear and eye protection at all times. "Never let your guard down, its all you've got." An assistant Scoutmaster told me this once. He winked his one eye when he told me, and I never forgot it.

 

[Snake45]

Any recommendations for a good, reliable, non-jamming, hot-little-round for those times when you might REALLY need the gun to go bang?

The cheap Federal Walmark bulk stuff (copper-washed) used to be extremely reliable (though not especially accurate) until the Obama Ammo Famine of 2009 began, and then I think they started shipping lots that would have previously have been condemned for quality.

CCI Mini-Mags would be my suggestion for reliable ammo now. Of course it costs a little more than the bulk stuff.

BTW, I once had an out-of-battery detonation that went almost exactly as you described your incident, but that was the gun's fault (a dirty, extremely tight and accurate chamber--not a Ruger) and not the ammo's. It wasn't a hangfire.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

I was taught when a round doesn't go off, count slowly to 10 before opening anything up, for the very reason already described: hang fires happen. But whether you count to 10 or wait a minute, let that "bad" round have plenty of time to decide what it's gonna do before you do anything. And keep that muzzle pointed down range while it's deciding!

As for running out of ammo, I've never figured what Ruger has against a last round hold open for the bolt on a 10/22. They're available after market, so it can't be an engineering challenge. Must cost 'em three extra cents per gun or something...

Rick C

 

[Mobuck]

"As for running out of ammo, I've never figured what Ruger has against a last round hold open for the bolt on a 10/22. They're available after market, so it can't be an engineering challenge. Must cost 'em three extra cents per gun or something..."

I agree with that comment 100%.

 

[Always-fixin']

It's too bad the aftermarket last round hold open is so expensive to add. There's no way I can spend that much. Unfortunately, all the hang-fire procedures in the world don't help if you don't know you've got one. I don't know about most folk, but I can miscount sometimes too. A perfect count of rounds going IN the mag, a perfect count coming OUT, every time. We are only human. A last round hold would solve the problem entirely, but I guess someone thinks that the kind of rifle which most all new and young shooters start with is not the place for those kind of safety frills.

 

[Pat-inCO]

Anyone think of rotating the rifle so the magazine is UP, then after you
remove it glance at the end of the chamber. If there IS a little brass ring
showing, you have a hang fire, or MAY have one. If not you are good to go.

YES, I know that some ammo makers do not run brass cases, but I don't
buy those, so it works fine for me. :roll:

 

[Always-fixin']

Anyone think of rotating the rifle so the magazine is UP, then after you
remove it glance at the end of the chamber? :roll:

It hadn't occurred to me that you can see the edge of the brass from the bottom with the mag removed. That's not a bad idea, just to be sure before opening the bolt. I think I'll make that my new practice. If I get a click instead of a bang, hit the safety, drop the mag, and flip the rifle to check for a round. Certainly safer than ejecting a 'hung' round and having it go off while flipping through the air. Thanks much for that idea!

 

[blume357]

Thanks for the reminder.... I think the biggest problem we have in the gun community is the need for training and more training and repeat.

 

[woodsy]

Anyone think of rotating the rifle so the magazine is UP, then after you
remove it glance at the end of the chamber? :roll:

It hadn't occurred to me that you can see the edge of the brass from the bottom with the mag removed. That's not a bad idea, just to be sure before opening the bolt. I think I'll make that my new practice. If I get a click instead of a bang, hit the safety, drop the mag, and flip the rifle to check for a round. Certainly safer than ejecting a 'hung' round and having it go off while flipping through the air. Thanks much for that idea!

Yes, that IS a good idea. EXCEPT count to thirty (thirty seconds) before doing anything! Don't even take the sights off the target. Learned that 60 years ago, and it is still appropriate.

 

[5Wire]

Might not have been an ammo induced hangfire.

My MK IV fired out of battery. Partway through a magazine when the gun discharged before the cartridge was fully in the chamber, bullet went downrange. The cartridge rim separated almost completely from the rest of the case. Back to Ruger, bolt replaced.

Lost Photobucket image because of their extortion.

Same with my avatar.