WTF Is This Crap?

[pete156]

I'm a baaaad boy and didn't clean my Firestorm 22 after my range session last week.

Well, when I went to clean it tonight and I almost couldn't get the cleaning rod w/ brush attached to go through the barrel. I literally had to whack the handle of the rod on the floor in order to get it to go through. I normally wouldn't have forced it, but I also couldn't get the damn thing back out. It kept pulling the handle off the rod and that takes quite a bit of pull.

Anyways, after pushing the rod all the way through. This crap fell out of the barrel. I almost crapped myself thinking I'd torn out a layer of the metal in the barrel or something. These things had all the rifling marks and everything.

I finished cleaning (which took me 3-4 times as long as normal) and the barrel actually looks normal again. So is this crap the lead build up from putting 150rds through it last week? I was using the Remington Thunderbolt which is a high velocity lead bullet. I'm cheap and don't spring for jacketed bullets. I just didn't expect it to be this thick and to even show the rifling impressions.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/pete156/Guns/Shavings_1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/pete156/Guns/Shavings_2.jpg

[Tulsa Shooter]

Wow, I'd consider yourself lucky.

[pete156]

I guess it's a good thing that I didn't attempt to shoot it again today before cleaning. I had considered it this morning and changed my mind.

I would have never imagined that lead could build up that bad after 150rds.

[ssgrock3]

might oughta contact the ammo manufacturer with that pic. In all my years I have never seen anything like that, not even in primitive lead reloads.

[bfoster]

Pete,

If you have done nothing that could have affected the lubrication on that ammunition (it's not bare lead), you might send prints of those pictures to Remington. I'm sure that they'd be very interested: they're very serious about quality control, and that includes ammunition sold at a "budget" price point.

Remington Arms
2595 Highway 15 North
Lonoke, AR 72086

I've recently left the arms business. The last I knew, the manager of that plant, to whose attention a polite letter might be directed, was Chuck Rink.

regards,

Bob

[soonerjh]

wow, thats scary to have that much crud left inside your barrel!

[pete156]

I normally always clean the same day I shoot, but just got lazy this time. Still, I wouldn't have expected to be that thick.

[hubmonkey]

Don't bother sending anything to Remington, they don't care because this is been going on for quite some time and nothing has changed. The thunderbolts are crap and have been for a long time. Ruger will even tell you not to use them in the MKIII, if you call their customer service. They lead the crap out of my MKIII Hunter, so much that it started keyholing at 100 rounds. I just discontinued using them in anything I own. Good ole Winchester Dynapoints are my plinking round of choice.

Hub

[pete156]

I don't think it had a thing to do with my neglecting to clean the pistol for a week. I went to the range just a few days ago to test out the ruger and to plink a bit with the firestorm (100rds). I cleaned the firestorm just a few hours after getting back and I had the same problem again. I accidently bent my cleaning rod this time trying to cram it through the barrel.

What is another good brand of high velocity that is reasonably cheap to get a hold of. Wal-Mart carries:

Winchester Hyper X = $1.98 ouch
Remington Thunderbolt = 78¢ (cheap and reliable, but too much trash left behind)
Federal Champion = about 75¢ (not powerful enough to reliably cycle the action)

So I guess Wal-Mart is out. So who else carries what in the Tulsa area?

[hubmonkey]

You did nothing wrong. It is crap ammo, plain and simple.

Winchester Dynapoints, not X-perts, from Wal Mart (about $9 or so a brick not every walmart carries these but most do and are often sold out), best bang for the buck. Try K-mart as well. They carry them but they are 2 bucks a box more than walmart.

I also get CCI blazers from gun shows for plinking when I see them cheap, Sports Authority carries them for like 11 bucks a brick but I get them for like 7 or 8 from gunshows.

Federal Champion (formerly known as Federal Lightnings) is weak ammo and as you stated, does not fully cycle the bolt on alot of guns. So much so that Action Arms puts a bright pink piece of paper in their G-Lock conversion kits say NOT to use them. I use this in my Bolt action CZ452 Special, cheap and works decent from a bolt action.

I have shot a bunch, and I mean a f-ing bunch, of .22 ammo in my life and I always stock up on Dynapoints when I need some. I have used everything from High Dollar Elay down to old stock clearance crap in my custom built 10/22. I even spent a whole 8 hour day doing nothing but testing and cleaning, testing and cleaning, over and over again to find what ammo it likes. All guns are different but there are a few things that are for sure. Remington Thunderbolts SUCK!

Hub

[pete156]

Remington Thunderbolts SUCK!Hub

I'm not quite sure I get what your saying. :wink2:

[jamesfpop]

I used CCI in my ruger .22 pistol and never had a problem. Also, consider using a different cleaning method, boresnake or steel rod. I use my military cleaning rod from basic training, you can get these from cheaper than dirt(cheap).

[liliysdad]

I shoot the Winne Xperts a LOT...several bricks a month, and they are great. The only bulk ammo that will cycle my Walther reliably. This ammo is also ungoldy accurate in the 2206 Smith I have, as well as my Marlin 60.

[anthony.white]

I know your probably not going to try that ammo again but the next time you get leading like that try picking up some Lead-out(not too sure of this name) from a gunshop. Its a yellow cloth sheet in a plastic package, it really pulls the lead out of the barrel. Just a thought.