Guns - 22 long rifle

WELCOME TO THE NO BS ZONE OF TEDDY JACOBSON


I have wanted to write a commentary about this subject for a very long time and now its time to discuss this topic. When I was 9 years old my father bought me a Remington 550, their selling feature to this rifle was that it would work well with 22 shorts, 22 longs and 22 long rifle designated bullets. He even put on a 4 power weaver scope if I remember right. I had nothing but trouble with this rifle from day one. It did not like Western or Winchester ammunition at all. It was always malfunctioning for one reason or another.


A few years later when Winchester came out with their model 77 I bought one. It used a magazine instead of the tube fed arrangement of the Remington 550. This Winchester 77 never jammed on anything I ever fed it from day one. I even competed with people in those days who were using bolt action target rifles and they thought I was crazy to use this 77. My scores were far better than they realized and I could group a 10 shot string of ammunition very close together that used to shock them. The Winchester renewed my faith in a 22 caliber semi auto rifle, where the Remington let me down constantly.


When I lived in Florida one of my many pastimes was going into the Florida everglades around the hammocks and look for pigmy rattle snakes. I used my favorite SW model 34 which was a stock 4 inch barrel round butt revolver. I shot a lot of snakes with that 34 and I think back now at all the chances I took walking along the waters edge wearing nothing but shoes. I never got bitten but I came awfully close and there was no medical facilities within 25 miles at least. I have tried most every type of 22 long rifle bullet I could ever get my hands on.


Let me tell you how the factories prime a 22 rimfire case. First let me bring out that each factory may do things a little different but in the general concept of priming a case I will explain the basics. A 22 rimfire is just as the name implies in that your firing pin must strike the very edge of the case whether it be brass or nickle plated brass. The factories use a semi type fluid in each case, some would call it pellet size and when this priming fluid is inserted in each case, the cases are spinned (centrifical force) and due to capillary action this priming fluid reaches all around the rim internally. This fluid becomes solidified in the entire rim of your case internally. That is the very basic concept, but lets assume that there is a dead spot where the priming solution has not gotten into, if your firing pin were to strike that very area, you would have a click instead of a bang. It would not explode.


Let us say you now fire a 22 caliber long rifle bullet that gets a direct primer hit and it does not go off. Theoretically and I have proven this, you could just rotate your case so that your firing pin would hit another area of that same rim and it would work. My friend the Late Tom Ferguson of Gun World Fame and I used to talk about the time he experimented repriming spent rimfire cases making a mixture of various crushed match heads. I have never tried this but it could be done. Now we have the priming mixture inserted at the various factories and they of course use the proper powder and they then crimp a 40 grain bullet or they install a 37 grain hollow point bullet or what ever. The CCI stinger bullets use a very light bullet with a slow burning powder to achieve maximum velocity in a rifle size barrel.


If you ever doubt how effective a 22 caliber long rifle CCI stinger bullet is try and shoot a full can of Coke or Pepsi one day, be sure to shake the can first and pace off about 25 yards and then examine the can after you hit it. It will shock you into reality of what this tiny bullet is capable of. I have done this many times years ago. The reason that people have various feeding and extraction problems using 22 caliber rimfire ammunition is that the wax bullets leave a film that attracts burned and unburned powder. When this happens the guns start to jam, the remedy is to keep your guns clean, especially the chamber and the feed ramp and the breech face and the extractor as they are all contributing factors. DO NOT DRY FIRE ANY RIMFIRE 22 CALIBER HANDGUN ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER.


Through the years I have worked on countless 22 caliber semi autos that had a jamming problem. Once you polish the feed ramp and chamber like a mirror as well as the breech face and educate the gun owner the problem is resolved. You will know I am right if your first hundred or two hundred rounds work fine but then its downhill from there. I have a new dry ceramic solution that I will some day experiment with by coating the various problem areas as nothing should stick to it after its applied. The problem is that I do not do much work any more and in the course of a week I have my limitations.


When I used to work on a "J" frame revolver which was chambered in 22 long rifle, I always knew it took more spring power to ignite rimfire than center fire. I could and would never give any one a light double action in a handgun that was chambered for rimfire cartridges. In the single action mode of a revolver there is much less chance for a light hammer strike because you are using more spring power than in double action. When I would do a revolver in that very same frame size for a center fire cartridge I could always give a lighter double action pull with complete reliability. Not so with rimfire.


As for a semi auto that is chambered in 22 long rifle there is not a doubt in my mind that the Ruger Mk II is the way to go. I have worked on all brands and have owned many brands of 22 caliber semi autos but none has ever equaled the Ruger in overall reliability. I once had a Colt Woodsman and I had a Florida gunsmith work on it and after he did his action work it was never reliable. I had bought this Woodsman brand new in a box. I very seldom ever buy a used gun of any kind. Have I in the past bought a used gun ?? of course but I can count them on one hand and I will never do it again unless I specifically know the history of that gun.
I think that whether you buy the Ruger Mk II or the Ruger 22/45 , and it does not matter if you buy blue steel or stainless steel or a fiberglass type frame they are all very good. Can they be refined ?? Yes of course. The magazines are different for the Mk II vs. the 22/45... If I had to pick a specific Ruger Mk II, I would select the bull barrel version in about a 5+ inch barrel length in stainless steel.


For a 22 caliber rifle the Ruger 10/22 can not be beat. I have owned countless number of 22 caliber rimfire rifles and I have liked many of them but when it comes to complete reliability I must go with the Ruger. Now if you want accuracy just get a Ruger 10/22 with a bull match grade barrel. You can buy that model as the factory now sells a target rifle. I think Ruger has made a mistake with their mini 14 by not offering it with a target grade barrel as the biggest complaint I ever got about the mini 14 was that it was not accurate. I have owned Marlins and Remingtons and Winchesters and Rugers and its what you like, I can only report my opinions and findings but the final decision must be yours.


Could you defend your life and property using a 22 cailber gun ?? Of Course you can. I think everyone should own one and learn to use it as they are now offering some of the best ammunition ever available for 22 long rifle cartridges. I own all brands of ammo in 22 long rifle but CCI has always been my favorite. I do honestly think Remington 22 cartridges have improved over 30 and 40 years ago.
I strongly recommend that all people that want a very inexpensive rifle that can give you peace of mind, buy a 22 caliber rifle of your choice. You can buy ammunition very cheap and its very lethal and a very good investment for your very survival in hard times. Ammunition is still available in 22 short and 22 long and 22 long rifle and there are others. I will discuss a 22 magnum rimfire cartridge in another commentary at a later date.


AUTHORS PERSONAL NOTATION:
This commentary as well as all my previous commentaries are my personal opinion and my personal viewpoint only.


Teddy Jacobson / Pistolsmith (semi retired)
www.actionsbyt.com
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tjacobson@houston.rr.com
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