Cold weather and failure-to-load in .22LR

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Went out shooting for the first time in half a year. It was 20 degrees, with half a foot of snow and ice on the ground, but it'll all melt next week and flood the range.

Out of practice, and kind of grumpy about it. Still adequate for defensive purposes. Brought a few boxes of partially shot-off CCI .22LR to finish off, and a Ruger Mk IV Hunter. Polished off a box of Clean-22 subsonic without a hitch, then switched over to some standard velocity loads. Waxed lead. Quickly discovered that it would shoot just fine, but maybe every other round would fail to load.

Bright side, it's a Mk IV. The first few times I'd just wait for the round to cook off if it was a squib, then eject and strip it down to make sure I didn't have a squib stuck in the barrel. Ended up cycling every round before I gave up. Tried it with the box of Pistol Match I'd brought for going Postal, but I had the same problem.

The obvious solution was to break out the Blackhawk. FMJ in a revolver? Problem solved. Shot a little better too, honestly. Wheelguns FTW.

Has anyone else had problems with waxed lead in an automatic in cold weather?

Re: Cold weather and failure-to-load in .22LR

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I hadn't shot 22LR since i was a kid. I rediscovered it a few years ago after the 22LR drought ended and was amazed at all the choices of 22LR ammo.

I look forward to reading about other experiences with different 22LR ammo types.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: Cold weather and failure-to-load in .22LR

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Thanks, guys. It's reassuring to hear others have had similar issues. Worried that I might have been missing something else. Most of my experience has been jacketed rounds, and I only got into waxed lead to experiment with subsonic rounds. Definitely prefer the polymer coat.

Senorgrand - I think the jacket pocket is a good idea. It's amazing how fast little metal things cool off in 20 degree weather. Barrels barely even got warm.

Re: Cold weather and failure-to-load in .22LR

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No expert here, but my understanding is that 'lead' .22LR bullets are typically lubricated with a thin coat of wax on the outside because of the heel, as opposed to internal lube ring for larger centerfire bullets. Meant to reduce leading, and limits your contact with lead when handling them. Jacketed rounds are typically just a copper wash when you get down to the rimfires, but play a similar role in lubrication.

Target rounds are traditionally waxed lead instead of copper. I've read some people argue that the wax buildup in the barrel actually improves accuracy, but YMMV. I'm not impressed. The polymer coated bullets shot pretty nicely, but the barrel was dirtier than I remember seeing for so few rounds fired, the first time I broke it down after a FTL. I'll just save 'em for warmer weather and stick to the Mini-mags in the meantime.

Builds a stronger case for a rimfire revolver in my future. Of course, that money could just buy me more .45 ....

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