Dla: I host between 12 and 20 high volume Ground Squirrel shooters/Hunters a year, virtually all of them bring along 22 pistols and 22 Rifles and a myriad of appropriate and inappropriate 22 L.R. ammunitions.
I have done these high volume shooting Hunts for 20 years now.
It never ceases to amaze me that these Hunters virtually universally (in the past 20 years there have been at least 60 different "Hunters" in attendance) have had misfires, failures to extract, failures to eject and this year for the first time an explosion of a 22 L.R. cartridge. I am constantly amazed at the indignation, surprise, incredulity and anger displayed by ALL these folks over these "dud's", a failure to extract or a failure to eject!
Often times I laugh at them over their various emotional manifestations.
Its been 40 plus years since I realized and accepted that 22 L.R. ammunition is not perfect!
There are going to be failures with this mass produced ammunition - that's just a fact of life.
A little more on that "explosion" that occurred this year - my friend from Yelm, Washington was shooting a new Ruger 77/22 V/T and had been shooting Winchester 40 grain Super-X round nose ammunition (inappropriate!) in it.
He was shooting out the passenger side window of my VarmintMobile (he's left handed) and I was spotting for him and directing his fire when an explosion event took place at his shot!
I felt the blast in my face and my friends face was cut by something!
We were both stunned and immediately began to try and analyze the event.
He suggested the previous shot had left a bullet in his barrel I said no I had spotted that previous shot and it hit a Gopher!
I suggested inspection of the barrel and bullet casing.
He opened the bolt of the Ruger 77/22 V/T and there in the breach lay one of the Rifles extractors - it had been blown out of the bolt!
Inspection of the spent casing showed more than average powder burns but no ruptures?
We were completely puzzled.
I suggested he not shoot that ammo anymore - and he concurred.
We repaired (re-installed!) the extractor and with MY ammunition (Federal bulk pack 36 grainers) he continued to shoot.
There was no bulge in his heavy barreled Ruger no barrel blockage - thankfully.
Again my point (and probably dla's point) is, 22 L.R. is NOT perfect and failures and incidents will happen - thankfully rarely.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy