[smoky]

Firring out of battery can happen with about any semi auto... but it seems like 22 rimfires are a little more prone to it. I've experienced it 5 times with different brands of semi auto 22 LRs over many years. As you say eye protection is a good idea 2 of those times I did not have eye protection on and man does it make your eyes burn. I now always take eye drops when ever I go shooting just in case. I sometimes forget to put my safety gasses back on. A few years back a friend of a friend had a AR -15 type gun fire out of battery it did a number on the gun. I got to see it after it happened. It had to go back to the factory for a major rebuild.

 

[Vincent]

Not to pick on you Mr. Gap but I think it is a bad idea to shoot clip fed semi's without the magazine in place. It seals the bottom of the gun where many of us hold it.

By the way, this even more true with the 10/22 Ruger as the magazine perform more than one funtion it that gun. The magazine actually helps aline the bolt with the chamber and it also serves as the primary ejector when the shell hits the extended upper lip on the mag. One reason plastic lipped mags are junk in the 10/22.

 

[22976]

Wow, the little things we take for granted LOL. No need for you to buy lottery tickets this week dude, you have just used up all your luck on this coming out as safely as you did LOL... Guess I have been lucky over the years, never had anything like that in any of the auto's I have shot. Had more than my share of cases burn through the primer pocket and half way up the side on bolt actions. Those are bad enough, don't like the sound of this you had in the auto. Have fun, being safe guys...

 

[17819]

Not to pick on you Mr. Gap but I think it is a bad idea to shoot clip fed semi's without the magazine in place. It seals the bottom of the gun where many of us hold it.

By the way, this even more true with the 10/22 Ruger as the magazine perform more than one funtion it that gun. The magazine actually helps aline the bolt with the chamber and it also serves as the primary ejector when the shell hits the extended upper lip on the mag. One reason plastic lipped mags are junk in the 10/22.

While I both agree with Vincent (a number of semi-auto pistols can have also have ejection problems if operated in this manner even if they don't imperil a body part since your arm isn't under the well) and think that safety glasses are the smart way to go (I feel sunglasses are better than nothing if you forget your safety glasses at home), T/C doesn't think you're doing anything wrong. Their instruction manual for the Classic family of rifles says using the rifle in the single shot mode without the magazine is a suggested and recommended method of operation. The wisdom of this method of operation aside, it doesn't seem to work very well for me. While it's easy, if a little uncomfortable, to reach into the magazine well and push up on the small protrusion that locks the bolt back, I personally find it difficult and awkward to insert a cartridge into the chamber through the small ejection port. IMHO, it's easier to just load a single round into the magazine and go that route (unless you don't have enough hands because, for some reason, you can't set the rifle down or sling it). Heck, I bought a semi so I wouldn't have to shoot single shot anymore anyway.

 

[Vincent]

While I both agree with Vincent (a number of semi-auto pistols can have also have ejection problems if operated in this manner even if they don't imperil a body part since your arm isn't under the well) and think that safety glasses are the smart way to go (I feel sunglasses are better than nothing if you forget your safety glasses at home), T/C doesn't think you're doing anything wrong. Their instruction manual for the Classic family of rifles says using the rifle in the single shot mode without the magazine is a suggested and recommended method of operation. The wisdom of this method of operation aside, it doesn't seem to work very well for me. While it's easy, if a little uncomfortable, to reach into the magazine well and push up on the small protrusion that locks the bolt back, I personally find it difficult and awkward to insert a cartridge into the chamber through the small ejection port. IMHO, it's easier to just load a single round into the magazine and go that route (unless you don't have enough hands because, for some reason, you can't set the rifle down or sling it). Heck, I bought a semi so I wouldn't have to shoot single shot anymore anyway.

I am familar with what they suggest and STILL think it is wrong. Let me explain. Other than not ejecting the shell it allows all the same gases, unburned and still burning powder and the solids from the priming compound to exit the gun from the mag tunnel. In the case of a ruptured case it may well be WORSE than putting you hand in front of the ejection port depending on where the case ruptures. For instance in tfranks recent thread the case ruptured across the bottom. Last year we had a thread of a 10/22 shooter that did what Mr. Gap did and his hand was much more seriously injured.

I am more sensitive to this than most as I am a short, stocky guy and my favorite off hand stance is similar to the target shooter's stance where your left (forward) hand balances the rifle at or just in front of the trigger guard and the elbow is tucked into the ribcage. Because of my build I find this to be my most steady offhand stance but it places my hand EXACTLY under the magazine.

I have considered and may proceed with letter to T/C explaining my concerns on the subject. I have been a T/C customer and fan going back to my first (of three over the years) Contender in '77. I have always found them to be very good at listenining to the concerns of the customer.

 

[17819]

I respect your experience and thoughts on the subject and you'll get no arguement from me, Vincent. I was just trying to point out two things:
1. that the instruction manual endorses a questionable practice.
2. that it seems both awkward as well as less safe to shoot without the magazine and, therefore, I can't see any reason to do it.

That said, we may have drifted considerably from the original poster's question, which was: is firing out of battery a problem that others with this rifle have experienced? If my Lynx has ever fired even slightly out of battery, the bolt was so close to fully closed that I didn't notice anything unusual. I've certainly never had a case rupture.

 

[Vincent]

Yeah, that is the other thing to remember is that a case can rupture even with the gun in battery and a gun can fire out of battery a little an have no case ruture. In that case you usually get a bulged case but you may never know it. How many of us go scrounging around on the ground looking at spent 22 shells?.

chris falk, I took no offense from your post. On the contary I'm glad you pointed it out. I remember reading that twice. two years ago when i got my rifle (just got back from the ranges where I was playing with it at 100 yds but that is another story- I'm still pumped up) and in an article in a magazine where the tester was commenting on their dumb "single shot" routine. Chris thanks for pointing it out!

 

[retiredsquid]

MR GAP,
I had this happen to me with my TC Classic. I called the factory service repair center and they told me to ship the gun back to them for inspection and repair. It also happened with my new Silver Lynx. TC replaced the Silver Lynx on its third trip back to the factory.

I am not sure if it is the match chamber on the Classic series as the issue, but the only rimfire slam-fires I have ever experienced were the two guns mentioned above. I've been shooting rimfire guns for close to a half century, so I may have just been lucky up to this point.

My personal recommendation is to call TC at 603-332-2333 and ask for Rich C and give him the particulars. I am sure he will advise you to ship the gun back. TC will reimburse your shipping costs, if you request it --- that came to right at $82 in shipping between the four trips in the first paragraph of this post.

I am very pleased with TC Customer Service. They will take care of you.
Regards,
Rich