Winchester recalling 22 ammo - Possible double powder charge

[jeebo]

FYI for anyone with a 22... This was on BearingArms...

Olin Corporation, through its Winchester Division, is recalling two (2) lots of M*22™ 22 Long Rifle 40 Grain Black Copper Plated Round Nose rimfire ammunition.

Symbol Number: S22LRT
Lot Numbers: GD42L and GD52L

Winchester has determined the above lots of 22 Long Rifle rimfire ammunition may contain double powder charges. Ammunition with double powder charges may subject the shooter or bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury and/or death, or cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable.

The lot number will be found on the box flap.

If you have any ammunition from these lots, please do not shoot it, and contact Winchester immediately...

Be safe.

[Will]

Not to marginalised the safety concern, but would a double charge .22 be enough to bulge a barrel or any of the centrefire failure stuff you want to avoid?

[Guliver]

If you have a box of .22 ammo that looks like this, stop using it until you read this column and get the facts. There are some .22 rounds out there that could blow up in your gun! Lot Numbers: GD42L and GD52L

http://beatricedailysun.com/sports/loca ... deeea.html

[Davies]

Not to marginalised the safety concern, but would a double charge .22 be enough to bulge a barrel or any of the centrefire failure stuff you want to avoid?

I dunno about turning a barrel into an octopus like you see from centre fire, but I reckon it you could still bulge a barrel enough to ruin it.

[yoshie]

Defiantly cause some issues in a semi auto pistol.

[Warrigul]

Not to marginalised the safety concern, but would a double charge .22 be enough to bulge a barrel or any of the centrefire failure stuff you want to avoid?

Yep, I know of a Brno that was replaced by an ammunition wholesaler after they analysed the remainder of the brick. The bolt was locked solid and couldn't be shifted by a gunsmith. This happened 20 years ago but was enough for me to always wear eye protection.

[Broom]

This happened 20 years ago but was enough for me to always wear eye protection.

I think all the SSAA ranges are going that way now.

Mandatory eye protection soon, if not already at a lot of them.

[CantThinkOfAName]

Gday, I found this thread via Google.

I received my license and PTO in the mail yesterday morning and picked up my .22 later that day. In the late afternoon I went back to my property and fired about 30 rounds of Winchester Zimmer Long (very quiet ammo, 29gr and 770fps) before firing about 20 rounds of Winchester T22 (40gr and 1070fps). The last round of T22 I fired made a huge CRACK noise like a centrefire rifle and a couple of dogs over 125m away through a thick area of trees started freaking out even though they hadn't previously taken notice of me. There was a HUGE muzzle flash, the first time I'd seen any flash coming from my rifle and it wasn't a regular one either, it was like chunks of burning material were being ejected downwards and to the right in a hemispherical pattern almost a metre away from the muzzle. This is from a 20" barrel BTW.

What should I do? Should I call Winchester or is there a more mundane explanation for what just happened? It doesn't look like there's any damage but I'm no expert, is it safe for me to keep shooting?

[BBJ]

Don't panic just yet.

What you're describing happens, factory ammo is not perfectly consistent, occasionally you'll get a round that is a little hotter than the rest of the box.

Subsonic rounds do not produce the ballistic crack, supersonic rounds do. At 1,085fps (so says the Winchester website, not 1,070fps) the T22 ammo is borderline supersonic and it would only take a small variance in actually muzzle velocity potentially caused by a number of different factors for two rounds to sound drastically different.

I suspect that is what has happened for you.

[bigfellascott]

That story looks like it's 2yrs old now.

[<<Genesis93>>]

was there any difference in the bolt lift and extraction?

I wouldnt worry about the 'double charge', it would mean between 1 and 2 grains of propellant....wont bulge the barrel, wouldnt set the lug back..... might cycle a blow back a bit faster, compress the spring a bit harder....

[CantThinkOfAName]

I threw caution into the wind and fired another 100 of so rounds of T22 this afternoon, there were no further problems. I guess subsonic .22 is pretty much a half charge to begin with vs something like CCI Velocitor so I shouldn't have too much to worry about.

Genesis93: I don't remember there being any problems with extraction, I just opened the bolt as quickly as possible and looked at the chamber, I probably should have tried to save the case but it fell in thick grass.

[huccl]

I guess subsonic .22 is pretty much a half charge to begin with vs something like CCI Velocitor so I shouldn't have too much to worry about.

Yeah they're not exactly sticks of dynamite