new shooter - new gun question

[TonyDedo]

I'm a fairly new shooter, and I've never owned a new gun before. I recently got my first, a new Ruger Mark III Target. I took it to the range for the first time last night, and had a lot of trouble with it. The initial problem was a failure to feed (spring on the mag was sticking, wasn't pushing the next round up far enough), and then it started jamming on empty cartriges. All told I put about 100 rounds through it, and had maybe 6-8 of each type of failure. As I mentioned, the gun was (supposedly) NIB, I was using the original Ruger mags, and I was shooting CCI/Blazer .22LR.

So what's the deal? I heard it mentioned that new guns require a "break in period." Is that what's going on? If so, how do I properly break it in? Should I buy different ammo (I was shooting the cheapest stuff FS had)? Please let me know your thoughts. I'm gone over the weekend, so I'd like to take it out again tonight before I leave and see if I can iron out the kinks. Thanks.

And come to think of it, it didn't seem to be terrible accurate either. Granted I'm a new shooter and a terrible shot, as was my friend who was shooting with me, but we both put 50 rounds through the Ruger and through a S&W 686 (.38sp) and we both were far more accurate with the S&W, even though it had the larger round. Maybe that was just a fluke.

 

[News Shooter]

With rim fire

It is usually the ammunition. .22's can be really picky about ammo. I went through six or seven different brands before I got my Mosquito to work.

There are plenty of Ruger owners here that will add more info.

 

[Admin]

+1 on what News Shooter said.

.22 ammo can be touch and go. Once you find a flavor that works and groups well stick with it.

Was the pistol dry, or did you add some oil/lube?

 

[Len-2A Training]

Had the factory grease/oil been cleaned out first before shooting it?

 

[Cross-X]

In my experience, semi-auto .22s need to be kept almost wet with lube. There is not a lot of umpf in those little cartridges. They need all the help they can get!

 

[kendall-op]

The mk3 if new will have some growing pains, as LenS said make sure its clean and lubed and it might take a few hundred rds. to brake in. Also blazer ammo is not a good ammo for a 22 auto try some remington golden bullits or cci stanard velocity. Keep shooting it and try different types of ammo's it will get better. Good luck.

 

[Cross-X]

If all else fails, try some major brand high-velocity ammo (and fresh lube).

 

[Pilgrim]

I had trouble with one of my .22 semi's and it was ammo related.

CCI stingers solved the problem....totally. The case is slightly longer than a standard .22 round and helps the round go into the chamber easier.

I noticed that whenever I had a FTF with other ammo, there was a small knick being made in the lead right where it went into the case. The extra long case of the Stinger, helped it slide right in.

When you have a FTF the next time, see if you have the nick in the lead right at the edge of the case. This may be your problem.

 

[Coyote33]

It is usually the ammunition. .22's can be really picky about ammo. I went through six or seven different brands before I got my Mosquito to work.

There are plenty of Ruger owners here that will add more info.

In my experience, semi-auto .22s need to be kept almost wet with lube. There is not a lot of umpf in those little cartridges. They need all the help they can get!

I know of a Ruger Mk II which doesn't like the CCI cheap stuff either. Nor the Remington cheap stuff. I haven't tried the higher-cost Remington, but it does OK on the Federal or Winchester cheap stuff and REALLY likes CCI Velocitor, but those are a little too much $$ to use regularly. So, to some up, they seem to be finicky on ammo, and the more powerful stuff cycles the action better.

 

[TonyDedo]

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

I suppose I took “out of the box” a little too literally – I did not do anything to it before I shot it. It did have some grease on it from the factory, and I figured that was like factory wax on a pair of skis, so I just went ahead and shot it. I did clean and oil it when I got home. I used the Rem Oil clothes – is that stuff sufficient, or do you recommend another lubricant?

I will also try out some better ammo. I saw the CCI Standard Velocity Target and Winchester Wildcat High Velocity at FS. Does anyone have a favorite .22LR they’d like to share (especially if they shoot a Ruger MK)? I wanted to stay away from the Stingers and the other high end stuff.

Otherwise, thanks for the feedback thus far, and any other tips and suggestions are very welcome. I’ll probably swing by FS tonight before I go back to the range, and I’ll let you know if tonight’s performance is any better.

 

[Coyote33]

I know you said you want to stay away from the high end stuff, but it isn't that much more to buy just one box to try it out and see if that does indeed work better. Plus, it is a little more fun with a little louder bang, and could come in handy if a coyote or fox is running away with the cat or a rabid raccoon won't stay out of your trash.

 

[kendall-op]

Remington golden bullit good stuff and cheap.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I have a MK III and shoot nothing but the Federal bulk pack stuff from Walmart. It eats it up with no problems. I'd stay away from the Remington Yellow Jacket crap. It leaded up my barrel something fierce.

I had some initial trouble with one of the magazines which turned out to be nothing more that a burr on the follower. It wore down in no time.

 

[Scrivener]

Step 1: This being your first gun, try actually reading the manual and following the instructions, instead of simply shooting cheap ammo through an uncleaned gun.

Disassemble the gun per the instructions , clean it thoroughly and lubricate with a real lubricant (i.e., no WD-40 or spray silicone). Then reassemble very carefully (reassembly IS tricky) and check that the slide moves as it ought to.

The Rem-oil cloths do not really lubricate; they merely remove fingerprints, etc. and leave a protective film. Get CLP, liquid Rem-oil or (my choice) a good synthetic lubricant.

Get quality ammo. .22 LR is inherently dirty because the bullets are wax-lubed lead, which attracts and holds all sorts of garbage. It also builds up around the face of the chamber (HINT: Use a toothpick to scrape it out of your Ruger). Your discount ammo is the worst, cheap bullets over cheap propellant, leaving residue in significant quantities in a short period of time.

Get Winchester T-22, Federal Target or Remington Target cartridges; my Rugers (Mk. II and 10/22) are also happy with Blazers and yours might be too, if you bother to clean it.

Cheap ammo is OK for bolt guns; autoloaders are far more demanding. You're saving money in the wrong department.

 

[Joe G]

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

I will also try out some better ammo. I saw the CCI Standard Velocity Target and Winchester Wildcat High Velocity at FS. Does anyone have a favorite .22LR they’d like to share (especially if they shoot a Ruger MK)? I wanted to stay away from the Stingers and the other high end stuff.

When you're testing out different ammo you want to check for 2 things:

1) Does it feed reliably? I had issues with a particular brand stovepiping, so I bought a bunch of different brands and tried them all. I found a half-dozen brands, from cheap to very high-end, that work well in my gun.

2) What gives the best groups when shot from a rest? I took the brands I had tested and shot them all from a rest to minimize the effect of my (lack of) shooting ability.

I found that CCI Green Tag gave me the tightest groups. I can also shoot some of the less expensive brands when practicing and get good results. This is with my S&W M41. YMMV.

 

[Twigg]

I have a MK III and shoot nothing but the Federal bulk pack stuff from Walmart.

+1 on the Federal bulk packs. They're "copper washed" so they don't lead up the barrel much at all. I've been using them in my 22/45 and have'nt had so much as a hiccup yet.

 

[mostly_lurking]

I've got a MKIII Hunter. When I shoot the CCI Standard Velocity rounds, I occasionally get a shell that doesn't eject correctly and jams between the upper reciever and the spring pin when the bolt slides forward. I don't have the problem nearly as much with the Federal bulk packs or with higher velocity ammo.

 

[dwarven1]

+1 on the Federal bulk packs. They're "copper washed" so they don't lead up the barrel much at all. I've been using them in my 22/45 and have'nt had so much as a hiccup yet.

+2 - I had to change from the Remington bulk pack when Remington changed the design of the bullet. (it was a hollowpoint that caught on the lip of the feed ramp). The Federal bulk pack that I get from Walmart works just fine in my Mark I.

 

[Jose]

Step 1: This being your first gun, try actually reading the manual and following the instructions, instead of simply shooting cheap ammo through an uncleaned gun.

Disassemble the gun per the instructions , clean it thoroughly and lubricate with a real lubricant (i.e., no WD-40 or spray silicone). Then reassemble very carefully (reassembly IS tricky) and check that the slide moves as it ought to.

The Rem-oil cloths do not really lubricate; they merely remove fingerprints, etc. and leave a protective film. Get CLP, liquid Rem-oil or (my choice) a good synthetic lubricant.

Get quality ammo. .22 LR is inherently dirty because the bullets are wax-lubed lead, which attracts and holds all sorts of garbage. It also builds up around the face of the chamber (HINT: Use a toothpick to scrape it out of your Ruger). Your discount ammo is the worst, cheap bullets over cheap propellant, leaving residue in significant quantities in a short period of time.

Get Winchester T-22, Federal Target or Remington Target cartridges; my Rugers (Mk. II and 10/22) are also happy with Blazers and yours might be too, if you bother to clean it.

Cheap ammo is OK for bolt guns; autoloaders are far more demanding. You're saving money in the wrong department.

+1

Another thing to be mindful of is that rimfire ammo has silica in its priming compound and it WILL deposit a sandy looking residue all over the action of any semi auto firearm that shoots it.

I found out about that silica residue when I had a rimfire upper for my AR15. After a day of shooting, the trigger group was covered in what looked like sand. I could not figure out where the hell it came from until someone at another board explained that such stuff came from the primer compound. The only way to remove that stuff was to spray the trigger group and the lower receiver with brake cleaner, then relubricate it.