Failed .22 round

[rsj223]

How far down the case do the powder marks go?

Just a mm or two or near full length?

From memory over half way

[BBJ]

More that half would be a lot. Typically it would be 2mm or so.

A bit of guesswork here as not intimately familiar with the specific rifle and ammunition but it sounds like excess headspace could be the issue.

It would explain the damaged brass, and the carbon making its way down the outside of the cases could/would be due to insufficient pressure to expand the brass to the chamber wall and seal it off against it which would be related.

I would take NIOA up on their offer to inspect.

[rsj223]

More that half would be a lot. Typically it would be 2mm or so.

A bit of guesswork here as not intimately familiar with the specific rifle and ammunition but it sounds like excess headspace could be the issue.

It would explain the damaged brass, and the carbon making its way down the outside of the cases could/would be due to insufficient pressure to expand the brass to the chamber wall and seal it off against it which would be related.

I would take NIOA up on their offer to inspect.

NIOA have it now, will just to wait and see when it gets back to my LGS I hope its something that can been seen.

[inventurkey]

Let us know what they say if you would.

Curious to know the results for my own information.

[rsj223]

Will update as soon as.

[rsj223]

Well got a call from LGS saying NO not that its back from NIOA but he took it out last night and says "it shoots fine it must have been the ammo" I said you F*****g think, so I told him again YES the ammo failed but why did it come past my face when there is a exhaust port? um it don't have a port as I hear the zipper open on the bag "oh yeah it does" well it must have been the ammo and you should be careful what ammo you use, anyway this went on for about 10min I just said I will just pick it up thanks.
Will send a email to NIOA and see how they deal with it.
I know the ammo failed
I just want to know is it normal for it to blast out the bolt side
I had many fail in my old baikal .22 never had one rush out past my head like the ruger.

[RDobber]

So did he actually send it to NIOA or just shot it once himself and decided CBF with anything more?

WTF

[rsj223]

So did he actually send it to NIOA or just shot it once himself and decided CBF with anything more?

WTF

From what he told me he took it out fired a heap through it and nothing went wrong, did not send it off.
I sent emails to NIOA and Ruger (USA) late last week but nothing back yet.

[sbd3927]

So did he actually send it to NIOA or just shot it once himself and decided CBF with anything more?

WTF

From what he told me he took it out fired a heap through it and nothing went wrong, did not send it off.
I sent emails to NIOA and Ruger (USA) late last week but nothing back yet.

Congratulate him on his diligence, and acceptance of full responsibility for anything similar that happens in future with the gun, as it was his decision to not send it on as he was requested to do. Ask him to put it in writing too...

User received face full of gas and unburnt powder upon cartridge failure, safety port did not prevent this occuring. I, <name>.... inspected the gun and find nothing wrong with it. Signed...<name>... __/8/2015

If you ask for this, I expect he'll send it off the next day...

[Seconds]

+1 for above.

[rsj223]

Update, I rang NIOA and they told me to take it back to the LGS but NIOA had to call them first, so dropped it off 18/8/15 at LGS, received a call from them today saying that the gunsmith said ''Its not fit for use" and they will give me a full refund, I ask what do you mean he was hesitant and said they will just use it for parts.

[sandgroperbill]

Do you reckon you'll get another one, or use the refund towards something different?

[rsj223]

I brought that gun because it was the best value and feel to me it ticked the boxes, I would not buy another one because the bolt does not seal on the right side (still waiting for NIOA to confirm) and if a round fails it is the easiest path for the fail to travel but will go to other shops and check this out.
Will start looking at different ones today.

[sandgroperbill]

There will always be a slight failure rate, no matter what the make or model. I would suggest that if it feels right, perhaps get another one. The odds of you getting another one with the same failure are pretty slim. Having said that, if you're hot confident in them anymore and will always be second guessing it and not trusting it, then you'll be better with something else.

[rsj223]

I'm thinking the LGS just wanted to give my money back just to get rid of me so to say, will have to wait to see what the fella from NIOA has to say when he calls back.
I have other .22's so might just give a new one a miss and see what comes up.

[Wobble]

I'm thinking the LGS just wanted to give my money back just to get rid of me so to say, will have to wait to see what the fella from NIOA has to say when he calls back.

No surprise after their "it shoots fine it must have been the ammo" reply earlier.

Obviously reading this on a forum and not being there I only really know a fraction of the details but from what you've said their effort was just not good enough.

Sound like you were given back an unsafe rifle because he didn't know to determine if there was a problem properly or couldn't be stuffed doing so. To go from 'just the ammo' to 'not fit to use' once someone had a real look at it

to NIOA for doing it properly.

[rsj223]

The lady I was sending emails to at Ruger is away so waiting on her reply, also still waiting on NIOA to reply to the return

[Sender]

Keep us posted, I'll be keen to know the outcome too.

[rsj223]

This might as well be the last post I make on this topic unless Ruger respond with new news.
So after waiting for the guy from NIOA to get back to me I called him today and in his roundabout way said there is nothing wrong with the rifle but agrees that a certain failed round could cause it to blow out that area.
I have put up a picture of where the gases came out of and understand that this is standard on the American Ruger .22
I have since looked at other .22's and noticed that others don't have a gap as big as the Ruger, size could matter
Would not say bad things of this rifle other than because it done this to me I would prefer to purchase something else, how could I hand it down to my children knowing it "may" do it again so I will just have to use my 1B until I decide or find another.22.
I hope this has helped someone but I take from this that any ammo can fail its part of the sport

[The Brass]

I suppose it's possible you got a particularly bad round, combined with the gap made it a bit more dramatic than a regular failed .22 round would have been.

Yes they can fail, nothing's perfect, but it's not a weekly occurrence. Personally I've never had one fail in thousands of rounds.

Don't lose heart with it just yet is all I'm saying. It's possible if not probably you may never have the issue again. Just happened of all the places you could have got a failed round you got it at the front of the queue. Just my 2c

[rsj223]

I suppose it's possible you got a particularly bad round, combined with the gap made it a bit more dramatic than a regular failed .22 round would have been.

Yes they can fail, nothing's perfect, but it's not a weekly occurrence. Personally I've never had one fail in thousands of rounds.

Don't lose heart with it just yet is all I'm saying. It's possible if not probably you may never have the issue again. Just happened of all the places you could have got a failed round you got it at the front of the queue. Just my 2c

To sum this whole thing up, the planets did align and this was a two in a ???? I just cant give that rifle to my son