Had a little bit of a shoot yesterday with my 10/22, a heavily cut-on Target Model from like 1997 or so. Was thinking I needed to clean the crud off the muzzle crown and maybe swill the chamber a bit as a loose round needed a bit of a shove, accuracy was falling off a bit.
Well, what an idiot I am. I got the rifle apart, cleaned the muzzle, chamber and bolt, and noticed the firing pin felt funny, stiff. Drove the roll pin and WHAT A GUMMY, DISGUSTING MESS. So THAT explained a couple of recent "duds" right off the bat. I've always been pretty good about giving the bolt a good bath in a potent solvent, but I guess in the year or so since I'd shot the thing (blank you, Obama and your hoarder pals), whatever I'd lubed it with had taken a set. Or maybe it was just what happens after 20 years of not completely stripping the bolt.
So, if you start getting "duds" for no reason, check your firing pin for free travel and spring return. Haven't shot it again yet, but I expect I'll have fewer flyers and no more duds.
