Remington Thunderbolt ammo jamming 10-22 magazines

[cv540]

I recently aquired a new 10-22 (Backpacker takedown) with 4 included factory magazines.

In shooting it initially I began using some Remington Thunderbolt ammunition to basically use it up, as isnt a favorite of mine.

In loading the first rotary magazine, after getting 3 or 4 in the magazine it jammed. I had to take the magazine apart to remove the rounds.

I had an older 10-22 magazine from an older rifle and it loaded and fed these same Thunderbolt cartridges without an issue.

I then tried loading the Thunderbolt ammunition in the 3 other new magazines and found that it jammed the magazines in 2 of the 3. So in total it jammed in 3 of the 4 new magazines.

After taking the magazines apart and emptying them I found the the Thunderbolt ammunition would consistently jam them during the loading process.

I then tried a couple different types of other ammunition, CCI, other Remington and the magazines loaded and fed normally.

I pitched a call into Ruger and they agreed to send out one new magazine to see if that worked.

Wondering if any other members have encountered anything similar?

As stated earlier, the Remington Thunderbolt is not a favorite of mine, and I wont be buying it in the future, but wondering if the new magazines Ruger are producing have been problematic to anyone else.

 

[Mobuck]

Any 'new' magazine(especially those made of polymer in a mass production environment) MAY have finish and function issues. A small imperfection or burr can cause the problems you describe.
When you 'took the mags apart' to empty, did you notice or look for burrs or molding sprues within the magazines?

 

[arfmel]

Thunderbolt is about the worst .22LR ammunition I’ve ever encountered. If your rifle works properly with other brands and types of ammo your experience will match mine.

 

[cv540]

I did look at them but probably not close enough. Did not notice anything that stood out.

 

[Snake45]

It's an old, old story.

"Doctor, it hurts when I do this."

"Don't DO that."

 

[Hvymax]

Thunderbolt is about the worst .22LR ammunition I’ve ever encountered. If your rifle works properly with other brands and types of ammo your experience will match mine.

I probably wouldn't use it if it was free. I remember finding coils of lead working their way out the end of the barrel.

 

[Actnbill]

Thunderbolts are the worst 22's out there...... that being said....they worked quite well in my Henry lever 22.....
I'd use them up in something different if they jam in your 10/22

 

[hittman]

Give whatever Thunderbolts you have left to that brother in law or uncle you don’t care for.
It makes great Christmas gifts to those kinda people.

 

[DeletedMember275]

Here are some magazine troubleshooting and tuning threads from Rimfire Central:

Sticking 10/22 Mags

Magazine Frustration

10/22 Magazines

 

[gunman42782]

It's funny how .22s are finiky things. My wife has a Walther P22 that absolutely loves Remington Thunderbolts. But it wont feed Federal Auto Match. All my other .22s feed the Federal just fine, and most of them have no problems with the Thunderbolts, other than it's pretty dirty stuff.

 

[contender]

In my humble opinion,, the only type of .22 RF ammo worse than the Thunderbolt, was some Russian made crap someone left for me at my range once. Heavy sticky wax, and a tiny bit oversized.

 

[Sam Summey]

Well, I hate to break it to you guys but Remington Thunderbolt ammo is made by the same guys/company that makes Federal and CCI. All of these companies are owned and controlled by Jason Vanderbrink CEO at Vista Outdoors. In regards to the projectiles, all 22 rimfire bullets are made of pure lead, as soft as it gets. I am sure there is some hardness on the surface imparted by the swaging process but not much due to the nature of lead. Some of the better bullets have mechanical coating of copper or brass which raises the hardness a little. I have never encountered a plated standard velocity 22 LR. Some of the most accurate SV Target has the gooiest lubes, others more like a hard paraffin with what appears to be graphite or molybdenum disulfide additive. There is now 22 LR ammo with lead-free projectiles (I assume they are zinc roto castings) but the reports are that they are not too accurate. If you are getting lead strips out of the barrel of your firearm you aren't cleaning enough, clean after every 500 rounds. In my gunsmithing business I clean a lot of 22 LR rifles and handguns, not because of accuracy issues but malfunctions. I have had, in the past, to drive a cleaning rod through the barrel with a mallet (50 years of shooting without cleaning a bolt action Remington 500 series). The lead came out in strips and slivers. Honestly when I looked down the barrel the first time I thought the rifling had been "shot out". The rifling was crisp and clean after my efforts.

In regards to the 10/22 loading issues, I suspect a burr or a bump in the molding of the plastic parts, or the feed lips interfering with the bullet nose. Seems every ammo manufacturer has a unique bullet nose (ogive) configuration. Ely has a case rim that is only a suggestion. Evidently, the overall loaded length and case diameter are the only dimensions that is held sacred.

 

[DeletedMember275]

And don't forget, WInchester recently introduced the .21 Sharp! Same chamber dimensions, but a smaller bore, intended for lead-free projectiles and intended to replace the .22LR.

Thunderduds are the Yugo of .22LR ammo, and I won't even buy them. But, I haven't fired more than a few hundred .22s in probably 20 years. Guess I need to get busy!

 

[Actnbill]

Doesn't matter who makes it..... Thunderbolts are still crap.....( at least you can use the bucket they come with )

 

[hittman]

I find it hard to believe that ALL 22LR ammo is made to the same specs even if one company owns several brands.

 

[cv540]

Thanks for these links

 

[kentucky yeti]

Thunderbolt is about the worst .22LR ammunition I’ve ever encountered. If your rifle works properly with other brands and types of ammo your experience will match mine.

Agreed. I wouldn't use Thunderbolt ammo in anything. Dirty ammo and loose-seated bullets.

 

[1gunsnotenough]

I gave a guy two bricks of Thunderturxs one time. I really felt guilty afterward. I should have paid him to take them.

 

[Hugo22]

Agreed. I wouldn't use Thunderbolt ammo in anything. Dirty ammo and loose-seated bullets.

Well I use Thunderbolt and never had a problem. At the ripe old age of 80 I have shot a lot of Ammo, only Ammo I have had problems with are the steel case Russian Ammo

 

[Actnbill]

A guy at the range had an old bolt action 22 and some CCI's..... couldn't hit a pie plate at 50'........ I gave him some bulk Federals and his gun started to drill.....I am guessing those CCI's were either a tad smaller or his rifling couldn't handle the velocity.....either way....I was amazed how dramatic the difference was between 2 good rounds in a particular gun

 

[Sam Summey]

Well, I hate to break it to you guys but Remington Thunderbolt ammo is made by the same guys/company that makes Federal and CCI. All of these companies are owned and controlled by Jason Vanderbrink CEO at Vista Outdoors. In regards to the projectiles, all 22 rimfire bullets are made of pure lead, as soft as it gets. I am sure there is some hardness on the surface imparted by the swaging process but not much due to the nature of lead. Some of the better bullets have mechanical coating of copper or brass which raises the hardness a little. I have never encountered a plated standard velocity 22 LR. Some of the most accurate SV Target has the gooies

I will admit, when someone brings a 22 semi-auto in for malfunctioning, I use the Remington Thunderbolt to make sure the firearm has a chance of functioning with the other popular brands.

 

[bigbillyboy]

I have used them in my bolt actions and my semis . My biggest complaint is duds .

 

[Kevin]

I agree with the negative comments on the Thunderbolts. Doesn’t matter who makes them, they are still junk.

I do believe you can take apart the 10/22 magazines and clean the insides. It isn’t that difficult, but they probably do stick when new regardless.

 

[Mauser9]

Never tried em. Miss the Viper and Yellow Jacket 22s. 10/22 ate em up.

 

[bigbillyboy]

Vipers and yellow jackets are still on the Remington website . Vipers in stock. I have been ordering most of my rimfire and some shotshell directly from the manufacturers in the past year or more . I have better luck there than stores finding it .

 

[arfmel]

If you’ve ever tried to use Thunderbolt .22s at ranges over 100 yards you know how much variation there is in the powder charge. They’re really inconsistent. Shooting at an empty gallon paint can out in the desert, one shot would go over and another would fall 10’ short. From a steady rest, with an accurate rifle. Then there’s the duds.

And this was before the covid plandemic and attendant deterioration in the quality of nearly everything.

 

[Mauser9]

Wonder why? Shitty powder?

 

[hittman]

My experience was they’re dirtier than most and would lead up my Flatgates quicker than anything else.

 

[Mauser9]

Vipers and yellow jackets are still on the Remington website . Vipers in stock. I have been ordering most of my rimfire and some shotshell directly from the manufacturers in the past year or more . I have better luck there than stores finding it .

Good to know for most. For myself switched to 22 magnum a long time ago using CCI or Hornady ammo. Great for dem varmints and accurate out of my R/A Compact.

 

[ProfessorWes]

I probably wouldn't use it if it was free. I remember finding coils of lead working their way out the end of the barrel.

So did I some years ago, when my dad and I took his Bearcat to the range with a box of Thunderbolts. When cleaning it afterward, I was getting chunks of lead out of the barrel. That leading only seems to happen with Thunderbolts, at least as far as that particular gun goes. Did the same out of my early nineties-vintage Single Six, but not as badly.

Mom still keeps my dad's old Bearcat as a bedside gun. It's loaded with quality CCI Stingers, thank you very much, and I made sure none of that crap Thunderbolt ammo is still in the house.