Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires BL-22 failure to extract

My buddy just bought used a Browning BL22. First trip to the range and he experienced a bunch of failures to extract.
This only happened towards the end of the magazine. he would get anywhere from 5-8 rounds off, and then the gun would fire, but the bolt would be locked up.
A gentle nudge on the lever and a spent round would be pulled from the chamber clearing the gun.

On more than a few occasions a firm pull on the lever was required. This would open the actin, but leave the spent round stuck in the chamber. We would then have to use the tip of a fine screw driver to pull the empty case from the chamber. The cases did not slide out easily.

I just finished taking the gun apart and giving it a good cleaning. The rifle was not that dirty.
I made sure I cleaned the chamber real well as well as the action and barrel.

Any advice on what I should take a look at before I bring it back out for another test fire?

P.S. When the gun was running well, he was getting around 1" groups with it at 20 feet or so.

Assuming the cleaning doesn't correct the issue, I'd look into different ammo. Don't recall my brother having trouble with his at all.

Also, check for impact damage on the chamber mouth from dry-firing. Those litle burrs might drag on a fired case. Most of my recent guns won't hit the breech face, but older ones might.

Thanks Pappy, Ill take a look at the breech face next and make sure to have a few brands of ammo on hand for the range trip.

Something like Stingers might also cause trouble in some guns. Sometimes gunk will keep the extractor from getting in its little groove in the breech. Also, usually the extractor of .22 should be sharp-edged and the spring pretty strong.

A BL22 isn't something most folks should try to take apart BTW, one minor disadvantage to these very nice little rifles.

Bump to the top ….having the same issues with mine.MB

I have a BL-22 and so does my youngest son. About four years ago he had failure to extract issues with his and upon close inspection from looking at both rifles there was a tiny coil spring under the extractor in his rifle that had disappeared. I wouldn’t have known this if not from looking at my rifle. There is a little round spot milled in the receiver behind the extractor where the spring sat so that may be your issue. If you didn’t know the spring was there you would never miss it. If it breaks it just falls in the bottom of the receiver and you can’t see it.
I sent his to a gunsmith and he fixed it and it has ran smoothly ever since. Good luck!

You have to be real careful about that damn spring when you disassemble the rifle. Likes to pop out.

Well you fellers with the Browning rinfre levers should feel.fortunate.

The BL-22 extractor and ejector setup is pretty simple.
Just a single large ejector claw & spring on the right side of the bolt and s fixed ejector blade intregal with the reciever in the right.

Most 22 repeaters (including the Marlin, Winchester and Henry levers) have more complex dual extractor & cartridge guide setups that can be a PIA to sleuth out..

The Browning setup looks rock simple by comparision.

I had issues a couple of weeks a go with my grade 2 BL-22 doing the same problems as mentioned above and believe I have solved the mystery. Like any other gun they need to be reasonably clean. One of the best ways to do this is to avoid using ammo in it that has excessive wax lubricant on the shell from front to rear. The excess wax collects dirt ,unburnt powder ,burnt powder residue and other things. Save your promo ammo for your bolt guns that are easier to clean. After enough rounds go thru a BL-22 you start getting a build up of this gunk in the inside recess and the extractor side recess, locking lug recess, the inside of the top of the action, around the barrel face, inside the shell rim grooves on the bolt face(causes feeding problems). Eventually some of the gunk ends up between the extractor and the recess in the bolt for it holding the extractor out just enough to cause it to slip off the rim during ejection cycle. Use a spring steel dental pick and dig the gunk from the recesses. Use a Q-tip dipped in solvent to moisten these deposits and swab off the gunk. Bend a paper clip to have a short end with 90 degree angle on it to get it into the rim grooves on the bolt face. If all this doesn't help you may have to disassemble and thoroughly clean it. THIS IS EASY TO PULL APART BUT A SOB TO REASSEMBLE AS PAPPY 348 HAS MENTIONED. There is a You tube video on this that is somewhat help full. Do all the work over a white towel so you can find all parts when they fall out (ejector and mickey mouse cone shape ejector spring). The gun is a Browning but one can see that JM had nothing to do with it's design. MB