TargetTalk

Shortly after the current drought in .22 ammo started, I backordered a case of Aguilla SE from the CMP. I was worried it wouldn't arrive before the new restrictions on bulk ammo purchases take effect in New York State on Jan 1st. I was pleasantly surprised to see it waiting for me when I returned from Camp Perry. I have been less than pleasantly surprised with it's reliability. I've gone through about a brick and a half so far, and every box of 50 has had at least one misfire. Most of the misfires will work if rechambered in a position so the firing pin strikes a different spot on the rim. No failures to feed, or extract. No jams. Just the misfires. The cases on the misfires all show good strikes, and the firing pin in my gun was just replaced, so I'm sure it's not the gun. The percentage is way to high to trust this stuff for anything other than practice. Anyone else having similar issues with this brand?

I have heard this is a common problem with cheap ammo. When they ramped up production to meet the current crazed demand quality control only got worse.

The priming compound in your rimfire ammo has either developed cracks or it was done in such a way as to leave gaps or bubbles in the compound. I understand cheap ammo is usually spun to force the priming compound into the edges of the base.
When your firing pin strikes one of the gaps or cracks,the round fails to fire.
Obviously this drastically increases the chance of a double alibi if you attempt to use this ammo in a match.
I would use it for practice, and order some better ammo for use in matches.

I have been able to get bullets and brass in that last couple of weeks that were unobtainable from January until the end of July.

I'm having the same problem with the assorted ammo I've been using lately. The way I handle it is to not worry about slow fire; just cahmber another round.

For Timed and Rapid I load six rounds each time. If I have a "dud" alibi with one called before I just quickly chamber another round.

Chance are only one in ten I'll need it.

Times are tough!

Have you done the drop test with this new ammo? Will it drop freely into the gun's chamber? My experience with Aguila-made ammo (includes Aguila, cheap Fiocchi, cheapest Eley, etc.) is that it tends to be fatter than normal, and my guns have always had trouble with it not fully chambering. If that's the case, when the firing pin hits it the first time the round moves a little, absorbing some of the energy, and it does not fire. Then when fully chambered it will fire on the next hit. Worth checking out.

HTH,
FredB

With some semi-autos if the round is slammed hard into the breech the primer breaks away from the rim with cheap (less expensive) ammunition. Pulling the bullet from a misfire will show if this is happening.

I had this problem with Eley back in my rapid fire pistol days. As I worked near to the factory I visited the Proof Master there and came away with a generous swap.

Rover wrote:I'm having the same problem with the assorted ammo I've been using lately. The way I handle it is to not worry about slow fire; just cahmber another round.

For Timed and Rapid I load six rounds each time. If I have a "dud" alibi with one called before I just quickly chamber another round.

Chance are only one in ten I'll need it.

Times are tough!

Is loading 6 rounds for sustained fire legal?

davekp wrote:

Rover wrote:I'm having the same problem with the assorted ammo I've been using lately. The way I handle it is to not worry about slow fire; just cahmber another round.

For Timed and Rapid I load six rounds each time. If I have a "dud" alibi with one called before I just quickly chamber another round.

Chance are only one in ten I'll need it.

Times are tough!

Is loading 6 rounds for sustained fire legal?

Not in a sanctioned match, no, but if you are practicing with dicy ammo, It is a good thing to run double alibi drills to learn how to quickly clear a bad round or a stove pipe and finish the string.

I have the same ammo from the cmp, that i got at the same time and have fired several bricks with zero issues. this ammo has the best eley primed cases. Id suggest you check the gun, i and my friends have been using this for a few years and never had any dud rounds.

GunRunner wrote:I have the same ammo from the cmp, that i got at the same time and have fired several bricks with zero issues. this ammo has the best eley primed cases. Id suggest you check the gun, i and my friends have been using this for a few years and never had any dud rounds.

A friend and I both bought two cases of SK standard plus from the same dealer at the same time. Mine was fine. His had duds.

Storage can make a huge difference. He left his in the trunk of a hot car for a few days. Mine was in an air conditioned RV.

The truth is, you dont know what has happened to a particular case of ammo in route to you.

Thats true guess ive just been lucky, but cant rule out the gun entirely, a case that fails to enter the chamber by just a hairs width can cause a dud by the firing pin pushing the round in rather than sufficiently crushing the rim. Only way to know is to clean the chamber then drop test a few boxes to see if all enter fully, if they dont then its not the ammo, its the chamber is too tight for the round. Then you have two options, polish the chamber or measure the rounds that fit with a micrometer and sort your ammo.

I won't slam the seller or the brand by naming them but I bought a full case of .22 a while back. I got it (relatively) cheap and expected it to be useful for no more than casual practice. On average, 10 rounds per box of 50 do not fire. I tested in a revolver that gives the primers a mighty whack. I repositioned rounds in the chambers and gave them a second strike. Nothing worked. 20% are complete duds.

I suppose it would be good for flinch-reduction training but lately I've started just giving it away, always including a warning about the failure rate.

"I suppose it would be good for flinch-reduction training"

Funny you should say that....a while back while Free Pistol training with John Zurek, he dragged out a brick of crap ammo.

We had quite a session with that stuff!

I shoot with a guy at bullseye matches who recently tried using that same Aguila ammo cuz he couldn't get any Federal 711b. Same problem you talked about, duds, and the strikes looked deep. Wen 711b came in, he switched back and no longer ha she problem. He has been giving that Aguila away to guys cuz he won't shoot it at all.

Rover wrote:... John Zurek...dragged out a brick of crap ammo.

In my youth, I somehow managed to screw up reloading a batch of .44 Magnum ammo. About 10 percent were perfect hangfires. The hammer fell, everything stopped for a beat, then the revolver went boom. There was a consistent half-second or so lag between primer strike and ignition.

Each of the hangfires (using 2400 powder) left lots of gold-colored, almost crystal-looking residue in the bore and case. Weird.

I treasured that ammo for years. 3 or 4 cylinders of that stuff in my M29 was the best flinch medicine I've ever taken.