.22 Revolver misfire question

[Willma]

I just got back from the range with my new-to-me .22 High Sentinel R-108 revolver I picked up for CHEAP last weekend. Pretty nice little pistol. It goes through the cheap .22 Remington Thunderbolt ammunition without many problems ( maybe 1 misfire out of 50). When I used the more expensive ammo, that shall be un-named however, it would misfire probably 10% of the time. By misfire I mean, pull the trigger but no bang. Do I need to have a smith take a look at it? Should I just stick with the cheap stuff? This is firearm is just for fun at the range.

Thanks.

[DeanC]

Rimfires are prone to pickiness. Cheap rimfires even moreso. Stick with what works.

[1911fan]

Does it leave a clear mark on the unfired rounds, by which I mean, does the firing pin hit the fired rounds just as hard as misfires? Occasionally you can find a batch of .22 ammo that is harder than others, and it takes more hit to get the same mark. I have found some CCI that seem to like a FIRM hit with the firing pin. Fired from a quality clean gun, they work nearly 100 percent, but fired from a less than perfect gun, i have had CCI fail to fire just because the brass seems harder.

if the marks are different, see a good smith, if they are close to the same then try this check list.

first off , is it clean? some crud under where the hammer falls might be cushioning the blow enough to cause misfires.

is it oiled,? same effect, dry parts do not move as well as oiled parts.

does it have a set screw spring tensioner? Sometimes these can loosen and take the tension out of the mainspring and cause light hits.

also check around the cylinder face, where the rims sit, look for dirt or build up, which might be affecting the impact of the firing pin

a tired mainspring can cause this too, and usually are available or makable.

[MisterOblivious]

I just got back from the range with my new-to-me .22 High Sentinel R-108 revolver I picked up for CHEAP last weekend. Pretty nice little pistol. It goes through the cheap .22 Remington Thunderbolt ammunition without many problems ( maybe 1 misfire out of 50). When I used the more expensive ammo, that shall be un-named however, it would misfire probably 10% of the time. By misfire I mean, pull the trigger but no bang. Do I need to have a smith take a look at it? Should I just stick with the cheap stuff? This is firearm is just for fun at the range.

Thanks.

Check to see if there's a burr where the hammer has been hitting the cylinder. Some .22s can't be dry fired safely. If the firing pin has been peened back by hitting the cylinder, you may need a new one.

Rim thickness can vary. You may need to stick to the cheap stuff to get reliable ignition. Save the spendy stuff for rifles and bullseye pistols where it has a chance of actually making a difference