How Many Rounds In Your Single Six...

[Montelores]

Hi, all -

How many rounds do you fire through your Single Six before the cartridges start to bind in the chambers when inserted?

Usually, after roughly 100-150 rounds, the new cartridges won't insert easily into the chambers and need to be pushed in to make the base of the cartridge flush with the chamber recess.

I usually shoot Federal or American Eagle, but the problem does occur with other brands. I found some Winchester in my box, and that seemed to be even worse.

The CCI Standard Velocity seems to be less prone to this issue.

After a quick scrub with Ballistol, the problem is resolved until the next time.

Thanks -

Monty

 

[98_1LE]

My Single Ten is around 100 rounds or so.

 

[RugerHound]

I clean my weapons after each outing, so I guess I've never had that problem!

 

[CraigC]

Several hundred to a couple thousand. I usually just swab the chambers with a damp patch when they start getting sticky.

 

[Montelores]

Pete, the problem is that I need to stop shooting during a range visit because the cylinder chambers are sticking.

Maybe I should just buy smaller boxes of ammo! :wink:

Thanks for all the responses and experiences -

Monty

 

[Rick Courtright]

Maybe I should just buy smaller boxes of ammo! :wink:

Hi,

I caught the wink, Monty, but there may be more to that than you think!

A couple of things come to mind. First, is your Single Six kinda new? How do the chambers look inside? If they're rough, they'll build up crud faster. Dunno why, but for a long time it appeared Ruger burnished the chambers of the DA revolvers (my RH and GP aren't as nice as my buddy's "mirror finish" Smiths, but aren't that far behind), while they didn't do much w/ the SA chambers after they'd machined 'em w/ a rock! I polished and polished on my .357 Bisley before it would stop sticking FACTORY .38 Spls! It's better now... But we've experienced the same thing w/ other BH models, and my buddy "borrows" his daughter's Single Six once in a while, which isn't exactly "finely finished." It's a bit sticky once in a while.

So that's one possible problem to work on.

Next one is your ammo. I shoot a lot of Federal bulk pack stuff, and sometimes a little Winchester bulk stuff. Generally in autoloaders: 10/22, Mk II, CZ-75B w/ Kadet .22 conversion. All that stuff's pretty inconsistent in many ways. One I hadn't paid attention to so much: case head dimensions.

Last time I went to the range, I took an old Marlin bolt action single shot I hadn't shot in years. I was quite surprised at the "difference" in feel chambering the rounds (both brands) and closing the bolt! Some slipped in like they were coated in hot butter, others required a little force to close the bolt!

There are tools available to check rim thickness on .22s. I've never used one, but understand a lot of target shooters use 'em. Sinclair's, Midway or Brownell's has one that's not too spendy. It probably takes a while to do a few hundred rounds, but might be a worthwhile exercise in determining how much of your problem's from the gun, how much from the ammo?

Edited to add this link about making your own gauge: http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=6479

Might be you don't need a smaller box of ammo, but a box of smaller ammo!

Rick C

 

[bennettfam]

Welcome to the world of .22 revolvers. It is a common malady to have them gum up after high volume fire. My kids used to run hundreds of rounds through their Bearcat and it was nearly impossible to load by the time we headed for home. Just take a brush and rod to he range with you I guess.

 

[Montelores]

"Might be you don't need a smaller box of ammo, but a box of smaller ammo!"


Very clever turn of phrase, Rick.

Yes, mostly it's the Federal bulk boxes; I have some bricks of Remington .22LR, but it's so much less reliable than the Federal. I don't believe that I've ever had a mis-fire with the Federal.

I have read about folks chucking up some steel wool or emery cloth in their electric drill and polishing the cylinders.

I've even read about some folks doing that after every range trip. :shock:

All my shooters are relatively recent NM Single-Sixes, so that may indeed be part of the issue.

My S&W 617 has the problem on just 2 chambers (out of 10), but those 2 will prevent me from being able to move the ejector rod at all. That is one downside of the 10-round cylinder.

Thanks also to bennettfam - I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one.

Best to all -

Monty

 

[flatgate]

I'm with CraigC. Rule Number 1. Never go shooting w/o a small "cleaning kit" with a rod/dowel sized to eject stuck .22 cal. casings or even bullets. Stuff happens, especially with "plinking" .22 ammo.

.44 mags? Never a lick of trouble with them and their larger cousins.....

flatgate

 

[Pal Val]

I would get sticky chambers in my single-six hunter after about 100 rounds. Then, about a year ago, I polished the chambers. I have gone as much as 300 rounds without having to push in a round. The cylinder can get coal-black with soot, but still extraction and loading are OK.

 

[KLR650]

Mine use to get pretty sticky chambers after 200 rounds but I started polishing them a little at a time with lead remover cloth every time I clean the gun. Now I go about 300 rounds. But I can keep on shooting. I just have to put a little more effort into the ejection rod.