Changing Ammo Before A Match Is A Bad Idea

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AzShooter1

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 14, 2017
Messages
405
Location
Surprise, Az
After a dismal session at the State Championships last week where I was getting a lot of failure-to-fires with my Ruger/Volquartsen Black Mamba I decided to sell the offending ammo and go back to my basic fodder, CCI Blazer 40 grainers.

I was getting 3 - 5 failures with Eley Action Plus. It's good ammo but just won't work in my gun. A shooter for Eley says it may be because my chamber is too tight for it. Rounds weren't going fully into battery and when hit with the firing pin it was just driving them forward. The second hit and the ammo would all go off. Not good when shooting Steel Challenge matches. Under the clock, mistakes like that really hurt one's times.

Today I went back to Blazers and fired 200 rounds with no problems. I switched to CCI-SV, Norma and Federal HV and again every shot when bang on the first try. I guess it really was the ammo causing my problem.

I'm now very happy and know my gun and ammo combination works.

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recumbent

Buckeye
Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Messages
1,044
Location
South West Indiana
When I shot in bowling pin competition I used Blazers in my MKII. Never a malfunction. The old Blazers were 40 grain lead round nose. The new ones are 38 grain lead round nose. I'm going to load test some this weekend in my rifles.
 

Rick Courtright

Hawkeye
Joined
Mar 10, 2002
Messages
7,897
Location
Redlands CA USA
Hi,

Just a random thought, based on the somewhat shaky proposition that if the gun is marked 22 LR and the ammo is marked .22 LR, they oughta work together. Somehow, as anyone who's ever shot more than a few .22s (guns, ammo brands, or both) can attest to, that 'taint necessarily true. So in that light, have you taken the bolt out of the offending gun and used the chamber as a case gauge? It's tedious, but may reveal the offending ammo is just a hair oversized now and then. Once you've got a "good" pile and a "not so good pile" you can head to the range for field testing. I wouldn't be surprised to see about zero malfunctions with the "good" ammo, and a whole bunch from the "not so good" stuff if your VQ shooter friend got it right on the first guess.

There's also a tool used by the "Omigosh, how do you hold your breath so long?" crowd with their free pistols and such called a rim thickness gauge. Apparently even in the most top notch ammo there can be enough variance to cause concern if not actual problems.

Good luck!

Rick C
 

AzShooter1

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 14, 2017
Messages
405
Location
Surprise, Az
Rick Courtright said:
Hi,

Just a random thought, based on the somewhat shaky proposition that if the gun is marked 22 LR and the ammo is marked .22 LR, they oughta work together. Somehow, as anyone who's ever shot more than a few .22s (guns, ammo brands, or both) can attest to, that 'taint necessarily true. So in that light, have you taken the bolt out of the offending gun and used the chamber as a case gauge? It's tedious, but may reveal the offending ammo is just a hair oversized now and then. Once you've got a "good" pile and a "not so good pile" you can head to the range for field testing. I wouldn't be surprised to see about zero malfunctions with the "good" ammo, and a whole bunch from the "not so good" stuff if your VQ shooter friend got it right on the first guess.

There's also a tool used by the "Omigosh, how do you hold your breath so long?" crowd with their free pistols and such called a rim thickness gauge. Apparently even in the most top notch ammo there can be enough variance to cause concern if not actual problems.

Good luck!

Rick C

It appears that my chamber is tighter than the tolerances for this ammo. I ended up selling all the Action Plus and replacing it with more Blazer which I know the gun likes.

Thanks for your advice. It was well worth the time to find out what really was causing my problem.
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
9,675
Location
Dallas, TX
AZShooter1:
Those Volquartsen pistols are very nice looking guns. I came across a gun shop here in town that sells them. You keep posting pictures like you do, and I'm going to have to go down and get one.

Have you compared them to say a regular Mark IV, or something else, like a Browning BuckMark, or the Smith and Wesson 41?
 

AzShooter1

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 14, 2017
Messages
405
Location
Surprise, Az
Kevin said:
AZShooter1:
Those Volquartsen pistols are very nice looking guns. I came across a gun shop here in town that sells them. You keep posting pictures like you do, and I'm going to have to go down and get one.

Have you compared them to say a regular Mark IV, or something else, like a Browning BuckMark, or the Smith and Wesson 41?

I own a Mark IV 22/45 as well and use it as a backup. I've shot the Buck Mark and the 41 but like the Mamba better and the 22/45. The Buck Mark is too heavy and the 41 I shot had too many failures for Steel Challenge type shooting. Both are very nice guns for Bullseye though.
 
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