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colt 357
09-09-2011, 09:59 PM
Has anyone had fouling leading problem with this ammo. I finshed up what I had and think that it has fouled two of my guns. One of my guns it fouled or leading it really bad and another it looks like to rings of lead or fouling one just ahead of the chamber and the other just about 7" from the muzzle. really hard to get it out any ideas on how to clean it out. tried hoppes and foaming bore cleaner letting it soak but its still there. thanks guys

docone31
09-09-2011, 10:01 PM
With my 10/22, I resorted to putting a little lapping compound on the swaging. Not much, just a smear. This helped, and after firing a few, they worked better. I prefer Federal, but I have a lot of Thunderbolts to go through. Yes, they are dirty, but that makes it easier to clean.

JonB_in_Glencoe
09-09-2011, 11:20 PM
Back during the clinton era,
My best friend and I would shoot alot of 22s, mostly pistol.
anyway, we had one batch of Rem. thunderbolt that
coated the bore of my buddies Ruger MkII with lead,
real bad, from one end to the other.

That was back in the days before I was casting,
anyway, we assumed it soft leadbullets.
Of course, now that I'm a caster, I realize that was a old wives tail.
if was obviously gas cutting and probably a deformed bullet.

To clean that gun the first time, we Hammered a aluminum cleaning
rod through the barrel and out came a tube of lead.
We continued to shoot up that ammo, and had a few more issues,
we would watch the bore closely so it wouldn't build
up like that first time. after all that Rem. thunderbolt was used up
we never bought anymore and never had problems since.

Le Loup Solitaire
09-09-2011, 11:41 PM
I shoot quite a bit of it as I got a good deal on a whole case of it a while back. I have not had any leading issues with it in 4 different auto pistols, but it does leave a fair amount of fouling. Accuracy is ok, but my main complaint is that there are a lot of misfires/FTF's; at least 1 or 2 in every box of 50. Sometimes I reinsert the dud so that the firing pin strike is in a different position and then it sometimes fires. If after 3 tries, its a no-go. I pull the bullet, toss the powder into the nearest flowerpot, save the bullet for remelting, and chuck the case into an old tin can that has motor oil in it...which when full is disposed of/recycled later. When the TB is gone I'll switch to something else. LLS

Love Life
09-09-2011, 11:53 PM
Odd. Remington thunderbolts are my go to ammo for my 10/22. I have never had any fouling issues and it isn't too dirty. I clean my 10/22 about twice a year. For me it is accurate and does a good job of thinning the tree rat population back on the east coast.

That being said all guns are different and yours may not like what mine likes. I still have several thousand to shoot up thanks to a good buy back in 2000 when I got my first paycheck.

darkroommike
09-10-2011, 02:15 AM
I too will get 3-4 misfires when shooting Thunderbolts in either of my pistols. And my Marlin prefers solids like CCI Mini-Mags.

plmitch
09-10-2011, 02:22 AM
I have used them a couple of time without any problems.

JeffinNZ
09-10-2011, 03:08 AM
A friend visited from Alaska and left most of a brick of them with me. Worst .22RF ammo I have ever used.

375supermag
09-10-2011, 10:56 AM
I shoot just about every brand of .22lr that is made in my .22 rifle and revolver, including Rem Thunderbolts, Federal, CCI and whatever else might be on sale or available in bulk packs.

I may have had a half dozen misfires all together with .22lr ammunition in nearly 50 years of shooting.

I do find some more accurate than others, but since I use it mainly for plinking and bouncing tin cans, it has all been good enough. And it all goes bang at the appropriate time.

I do occassionally find a .22lr cartridge laying at the range with an indented primer strike that did not fire. I just throw them in the range trash can.

Chicken Thief
09-10-2011, 01:37 PM
Will a trip through a Paco Kelly tool eleminate the undersize/gas cutting issue?

Wayne Smith
09-10-2011, 02:51 PM
Will a trip through a Paco Kelly tool eleminate the undersize/gas cutting issue?

It can. Especially if you know the size of your chamber and size it to the correct size. His standard tool is .223" on one end and .224" on the other. You end up with a small flat point and a bullet sized to your chamber. You can hollowpoint or do several other points, but for accuracy that isn't necessary.

That being said, even Thunderbolts sized .224" or .223" aren't as accurate in my Marlin Model 60 as Champion.

parson48
09-10-2011, 03:22 PM
Absolute worse .22 ammo that I ever used! Dirty, and inconsistent.

Ed Barrett
09-10-2011, 07:52 PM
I haven't had any problems, I've been through a couple of bulk packs in 3 different rifles and 4 auto pistols and 2 revolvers.

colt 357
09-10-2011, 10:39 PM
someone at the range today told me that they are obama bullets. Half the time they dont work and when they do work they just foul and mess things up LOL

Armyguy80
09-19-2011, 03:37 AM
I never had any issues with the weapon getting gummed up by the lead but that might have been that I could not get enough of the darn things to go bang. One of the fond memories I have is taking the 10/22 and others out with my dad and spending most of the time trying to get those god awful things to shoot. I know .22's are what they are but even 20 some odd years later all I know is I will never buy another box... Just my .02

JeffinNZ
09-19-2011, 05:46 AM
Are thunderbolts like lightning bolts? Never strike in the same twice.

Lonegun1894
09-19-2011, 06:15 AM
I bought a couple cases of it years ago and have 2-300 rds left. I have one rifle that loves them, a Remington 522, but everything els eI have hates them. That remington will stack them into a .75 group at 50 all day long, and the closest competitor in it is Federal bulk stuff that goes into just over an inch at that range. All my other .22s it fouls up, leads up, has FTFs, FTEs, you name it. I will not be replacing my stock of it when this is used up, mostly because it is one gun out of several that likes it and all others absolutely hate it.

DCM
09-19-2011, 07:25 AM
Are thunderbolts like lightning bolts? Never strike in the same twice.

Sounds like you got some out of the same lot I did!!!!
Never hit the same spot twice, if they go off that is. I have tried them in at least 3 different firearms with the same result. Pop, snap, BANG, nothing, BANG, pop. I figured out why they were on sale CHEAP!

Boz330
09-19-2011, 08:40 AM
I had problems with FTF in my 22-45 so used federals in plate matches. It shoots the best groups of anything in my #12 Martini followed by the the bulk Federal stuff.5/8" and 3/4" at 50yd.

Bob