I’m relatively new to firearms, maybe four years of having my permit.
The first weapon I bought was my M&P 22.
I take it to the range several times a week and love shooting it. 22LR sounds are cheap so can practice for hours, should I want to. I really like that weapon. It is a hoot to plink with.
Of late, sometimes the shell casing fails to eject. It gets truly stuck in the barrel to the point of having to use a rod to get it out. It actually takes some force.
It is doing this with various brands of ammunition.
Best I can tell, it seems like the firing pin is hitting too close to the edge of the casing, peening it - distorting it - just enough so it gets stuck in the barrel. That’s what all the rounds that get stuck seem to have in common to me.
Perhaps I should take a picture with a microscope to clarify this problem.
Is there an adjustment I can make to have the firing pin strike just slightly so it is just a bit further from the edge of the cartridge? Or would this require the intervention of a gun smith?
Appreciate you guys. I lurk a lot and find everything very informative.
TIA for any thoughts you may have.
I also have a Smith & Wesson AR15-22. I’ve shot thousands of rounds through it over the years. I’m a bit OCD with the ammunition I use so only use CCI Copper Plates Mini-Mags, Browning Copper Plated hollow point, Remington golden hollow point or Thunderbolts. At one point I started to have ejection issues and then BAM the ejector broke. So, replaced it with a Volquartsen upgraded ejector and spring and have not had an issue since.
Just for those that are wondering, I later replaced the barrel with a Volquartsen carbon fiber barrel and 20 hole compensator, then the Volquartsen DLC bolt. Runs so smoothly and accurately the little annoying varmint’s don’t have a chance at any distance out to 200 yards.
“Firearm: S&W M&P 22LR
Ammo: Federal American Eagle 38 grain copper plated
Cleaned and lubricated as per S&W papers before the range
At the range I ran into ejection problems. Every 20 rounds it was failing to eject the round. I had to use a knife to pry the brass from the chamber, it was quite tight. After about 150-200 round I gave up as it was very frustrating trying to clear this jam over and over again.
I kept a few of the spent casing and noticed on the opposite side that the firing pin struck the primer there was a bulge. This bulge is what was causing the casing to get stuck. I was able to drop and remove new rounds from the chamber with no issues, when I tried to put this spent casing in the chamber it got stuck and was tight.”
Yes, that’s exactly what mine is doing!
I built an AR 223 and use one of those 22LR BCG in it so I can shoot cheap with it and don’t have any problems.
Here are some pictures. The one with that weird peened out bulge is the one that got stuck in the barrel. Like you, it takes some prying with a knife to get it out. Since this problem started, I’ve been bringing a push stick.
It is annoying when it happens.
Appreciate that input, Gary.
I’ve built a 223 AR and use a 22LR BCG to shoot 22s. It works really well, shoots all day long. No misfeeds, no problem with expelling the shell casings. I should almost anything through it. I got a deal on Remington so that is the current round but have bought most other brands as well. I must have thousands of rounds through the AR and the M&P pistol.
The failure to expel is a new problem.
Thanks - I didn’t realize there was a difference.
Mine is the M&P 22 Compact. I got that one because it very closely resembles and operates to my 9mm and 380 so muscle memory doesn’t need to retrain.
Yeah, I may need to have a gun smith have a look at it.
I’d start with a thorough cleaning and lube before you do anything “more.” Next up, I’d have someone at the range watch you shoot and see if your method has any flaws. Third, I’d have one of them shoot it and see if they have the same problem.
A S&W M&P 22 Compact.
Here’s a side picture of the offending shell casing. The ones that get stuck all have this peened over dimple. It appears to be the cause for it to get stuck. It is a bit harder to see but those black spots is where the dimpel is.
Edit. Goofed up on the last picture. Bumped the microscope. Here’s the correct one.
I just now tried to put both spent shellcasings into the chamber. The one with the bump gets stuck to the point of requiring a push stick. The other one just expells normally
I don’t know if I missed the info if this M&P22C is a new one or used.
If it’s a new - call S&W.
If it’s a used one, there is a big change you can fix it with replacing recoil spring.
It looks like projectile is not seated in the chamber and once the firing pin strikes the rim it bends the casing next to the hitting point.
Make a simple test - each time, before pressing the trigger press / hit the back of the slide to force it going forward.
If this won’t give any positive results - give it to the gunsmith to check if all dimensions of the action are within the specs.
Usually manufacturer recommends round-count for springs.
However these recommendations are done to avoid frequent complaints not because springs are worn out.
If you know your firearm, you will feel (and sometimes see) that it’s time to replace spring. Recoil spring is easy to be noticed when is the time for a new one. Stronger than usual ejection means - recoil spring is weak.
Each firearm feels differently during shooting. But for sure you will feel difference with weak spring, especially with spring that requires immediate replacement.
How’s it run with different kind of ammo? I had some trouble with Winchester .22 LR brass casing ammo, but better results with CCI nickle plated casings. As the now “old saying” goes, all firearms have their preferred. LOL.
