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Thread: Remington 552: expert needed

  1. #21
    Boolit Master oldhenry's Avatar
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    cOwbOy
    I've only used long rifle ammo. All coated except Federals (lead).

  2. #22
    Boolit Master oldhenry's Avatar
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    Update: Remington 552 problem (expert still meeded)

    I had to resort to the oxy-acet. treatment which yielded slight improvement. That treatment & additional work with the pick & I ended up with 90% lead removal. However, that cleaning did not solve the problem.

    Loading 1 or 2 rounds at a time it would fire about 75% of the time. Loading 1 round with a very aggressive charge handle operation yielded a 90% success. On the failure to fire rounds extraction was extremely difficult (Rem & CCI).This makes me think the chamber has a defect or is fouled. I can't see any dry fire damage, but the design prevents a good view of the chamber face. To address this possibility, I did the following:
    1. With a piece of worn 1200 git emery paper around a small diameter wood dowel I polished the chamber rotating with my hand drill
    2. I followed up with a small piece of cleaning patch loaded with Autosol (similar to Flitz) on a cleaning rod rotated with my hand drill.

    I had high hopes, but the test fire only shows slight improvement. I added some Federal ammo & it performed better, but not satisfactorily. I also noted that on the failure to fire cases the firing pin strikes sounded very slight & barely showed up on the unfired round. This made me think the round was not seated all the way into the chamber & the hammer fall moved the round further into the chamber & didn't deliver the entire energy onto the rim.

    Tandemkross & Midway has a .22 rf chamber iron that will help unify the chamber feed edges. I'm ordering one from Midway. Ideally, a reamer would definitely do the job.

    Other observations:
    1. Hammer hinge hole seems very loose (some side to side movement). I don't know if this is normal on the 552
    2. Main action spring has a small kink, I think I can correct that: of not, GPC has a replacement available.
    3. Extractor seems OK. On the hard to extract cases (some requiring a few taps on the operating handle with a wood mallet) it has a good grip.

    Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

    Henry

  3. #23
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    Walks's Avatar
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    I've been following this thread since it started. As I have an older M552 that I got used and obviously never cleaned. I cleaned it's chamber and bbl. Have fired about 5,000rds, cheap Thunderbolt & Wildcat. And better CCI Mini-Mags & Fed 710's. Never encountered your problem. Now I'll go on you-tube and look for that disassembly video. Maybe look at My rifles chamber/feed surfaces.
    This is a fascinating journey your on.
    I HATE auto-correct

    Happiness is a Warm GUN & more ammo to shoot in it.

    My Experience and My Opinion, are just that, Mine.

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  4. #24
    Boolit Master oldhenry's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Walks View Post
    I've been following this thread since it started. As I have an older M552 that I got used and obviously never cleaned. I cleaned it's chamber and bbl. Have fired about 5,000rds, cheap Thunderbolt & Wildcat. And better CCI Mini-Mags & Fed 710's. Never encountered your problem. Now I'll go on you-tube and look for that disassembly video. Maybe look at My rifles chamber/feed surfaces.
    This is a fascinating journey your on.
    The U-tube video that I watched (there are more than one) really helped. I've disassembled & reassembled so many times now that I can do it now without thinking. When you disassemble yours, please check for excess side play in the hammer hinge point. I really appreciate any assistance you can give.

  5. #25
    Boolit Buddy Rusty Goose's Avatar
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    Inquiring minds want to know... How did this little drama work out? I have a 552 that'll digest any ammo I offer it. If the one your working on is that finicky there has to be another issue not yet discovered.

  6. #26
    Boolit Master oldhenry's Avatar
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    I solved the problem the coward's route.

    I gave the 552 back to my son-in-law & with it went a 512.The 512 is scary accurate & has never failed to feed. He's happy & I never want to see a 552 again.

    Henry

  7. #27
    Boolit Buddy Rusty Goose's Avatar
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    Hahaha, nice!

  8. #28
    Boolit Master smkummer's Avatar
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    I was following this and hoping for a good outcome. I am guessing some serious neglect or damage from attempted cleaning in its previous life. Like others here, I have seen these guns feed just about everything if occasional takedown and cleaning is performed.
    Anyway, I recall a friend that wasn’t really a gun person had one of these and described occasional malfunctions. I asked if he ever cleaned it, he said no. Who knows how many rounds were fired through it before we took it apart. The trigger group was clogged with powder residue, unburned powder, lint and who knows what else. I still remember his reaction seeing it as it was so covered with crud that upon spraying it off with a spray cleaner, the trigger group then looked like a trigger group. We cleaned everything up including the bolt and bolt face along with some light oiling and his 552 was about 100% cycling about everything we put through it. He bought another used 552 for his son. He is now a gun guy along with cleaning his berreta 300 series semi shotgun that has to be kept clean to function.

  9. #29
    Boolit Master
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    I have never owned a 552 but have shot, worked on and cleaned up more than several of them. A good friend had one that had been shot a lot but worked well. He decided to clean it, dirty isn't even close to what we found. It never went a tube full without jamming again. Never been a fan but think the biggest problem is most people don't want to take then apart to clean. They give it a shot of oil and call it good. The oil and powder residue just turn into a grimey mess.
    Last edited by beemer; 01-02-2023 at 12:56 PM.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    if you have access to it 1 drop of mercury will dissolve it completely - be careful + observe all safety precautions - the lead is only harmful if inhaled or ingested + has been used by shooters for centuries - i know this will generate many responses + warning but it does work if done carefully + using common sense -

    yes rimfire central is not what it used to be - i gave up posting there after 16 plus years -
    never pick a fight with an old man - if he is too old to fight he will just kill you -
    in this current crisis our government is not the solution , it is the problem ! -

    ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

    as they say in latin

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check