Misfire Retry

[dale2242]

I was shooting my Rem M581 bolt gun.
I had a FTF and decided to try it again by rotating it 90 degrees.
Bad idea. It fired alright, but the rim failed where the firing pin had hit it the first time.
A small puff of smoke can out the side of the bolt and the right extractor was blown out.
I have done this many times before and never had a rim fail.
I know 22lr ammo is not THAT expensive to risk having this happen again.
Just a word of caution.
Anyone ever have a case fail in this manner?
My advice: Don`t try to make a 22lr case fire after the rim has been weakened by the firing pin.
BTW, the firing pin in this gun makes a very heavy strike on the rim of the case.
I have shot many 1000s of rounds through this gun.....dale

[429421Cowboy]

Good advice, i too have often turned a case and hit it again, but with the cost versus the possibility, i think i will just leave my duds at that! Generally i don't get many duds with the Federal or CCI ammo i prefer, but as we all know Rems are known for them. I had a dud the other day that i pulled the bullet off of and the priming compound poured out with the powder so either it as already loose or the pin strike knocked it loose. I have had one case failure in a .22 from a too long and sharp firing pin i detailed here last summer that blasted the bolt knob clean off the auto i was firing, one is enough for me i don't care to repeat!
Glad you were ok and didn't get anything in the hands or face!

[Hammerhead]

Yikes!
Never would have thought that would happen. I've done it several times in the past, won't be doing it in the future.
Thanks for the heads up.

[sparky45]

I just get a pair of pliers and pull the bullet and drop it into my melting pot for recycling.

[P.K.]

I just get a pair of pliers and pull the bullet and drop it into my melting pot for recycling.

Ditto. Lead in the pot and the powder into the burn can. ;-)

[I'll Make Mine]

Given the number of people and number of tries this has been done in the past without trouble, it's tempting to suggest that the OP's incident is more a warning that his firing pin is at fault (needs rounded over or shortened a hair) rather than that retrying a misfired rimfire round is a bad idea.


BTW, the firing pin in this gun makes a very heavy strike on the rim of the case.

This is what needs adjustment, IMO. No reason the striker should make a deeper indent than will reliably fire good ammunition. No, nothing says you must retry every .22 misfire -- but even the lawsuit-paranoid manufacturers don't warn against restriking a misfired cartridge.

[dale2242]

I`m not convinced the the heavy firing pin strike is a bad thing, Unless I am retrying a FTF case.
I have shot 10s of thousands of 22s through this gun without mishap.
This is however the first time I`ve retried FTFs.
I will NOT be doing that again....dale

[I'll Make Mine]

I will NOT be doing that again....dale

As I said -- nothing says you must, and if your rifle doesn't pierce the case on the first strike with a good round, it's not unsafe by common standards. Your rifle, your face. I may have had one .22 LR misfire out of the few thousand rounds I've fired (was without a .22 rifle for twenty-some years and a revolver just isn't the same as a tube-fed rifle for things like ground squirrels), and I most likely just ejected the round and kept on. I'm just saying that retrying shouldn't be unsafe, if everything is working as the ammunition and firearm manufacturers appear to expect it to do.