Just bought a 22/45 lite, replaced the trigger, removed the rail waiting for the maddmaccs mount and red dot, but I started shooting it and have realized that the barrel as shiny as it looks, holds lead like a bastard! I usually just run oily patches to clean rimfires, not this one, I’m shooting Remington Thunderbolts, because I have them, but this is the only firearm that I’ve shot that makes lead like this. I’ve emailed Ruger, just wondering if anyone else has seen similar? Had the pistol out about 4 times cleaned after each trip, it seems perfectly happy to tax each bullet that leaves it, to the point that accuracy diminished drastically. Anyone else seen anything similar? Thanks

Nope...but I don't shoot Thunderbolts(in anything) and for a multitude of reasons. Congratulations?!?

Hint............

No leading issues with mine.

I’ve had nothing but problems in multiple pistols using Thunderbolts... switched ammo and the problems went away...

Yes, it is the ammo. I like CCI over most.

What makes you think it's leading excessively?

It ain't...it just boolit lube.

Hint..............(grin)

Ammo would be the easy one, but I’ve shot a truckload of TB’s through countless other platforms? They aren’t the greatest, but I like I like the solid bullets on game, and again, I have them.

After the first outing I noticed a gob hanging out in the bore that CLP on a patch wouldn’t dislodge, a phosphor bronze brush with MPRO7 would break it up and get rid of it, and it continued that way. The fouling was so bad, I was able to actually push some lead away from the bore at the muzzle with my fingernail, and the brush ejects lead shards as it breaks up.

I’ll try some other ammo, but I can’t see the ammo being that bad?

Thanks for the help, doesn’t sound like there are any other pistols doing the same. Guess the Woodsman will have to eat all the TB’s😁

Are you sure it's lead?

Thunderbolts are the biggest piece of crap ammo created

Yep, it’s lead, enough that I was able to verify with my fingernail with the product hanging out the muzzle.

I can agree on TB’s not being the best, but I’m past 5,000 of them in everything I put them in, Winchester, Colt, Remington, Savage, S&W, Ruger, Anschutz, and a few others, all followed with a CLP patch to clean with no issues like this little Ruger is showing me.

I will try another brand next, but I am also going to see what the Kroil loosened up tonight from yesterday’s shooting, I’ll see if I can push a piece out in tact, it might be interesting?

Thanks again for the thoughts, hope this is the only one

If you fool around on rimfirecentral very much, you will find your complaint of leading with Thunderbolts is VERY common, almost everyone has a complaint or twelve with the stuff. It's just crap.

Instead of shooting the cheapest crap you can find, try something a bit better. There are alternatives that do NOT lead like Thunderturds, in the same price range. Federal bulk box ammo usually shoots like crap in my rifles, but it's better than anything Remington produces now.

In the immortal words of Doc Campbell, on HeeHaw, "If it hurts when you do that, don't do that."

Sound advice, thank you, I’m going to go look.

Somethings not right with this story. Rimfire bores "season" after a few shots and you don't need to clean them. In fact, they shoot worse after being cleaned. And if you're getting strips of lead out of the bore, then the bullets would be tumbling (sound like bees). My 22s shoot Thunderbolts as well as any other uber-cheap 22lr and I clean the bore in my 22lr pistol about once in a never.

I came down from cleaning like a centerfire, to the oil patch and done. I didn’t hear the tumbling, but accuracy did go to crap, and holes were getting out of round. I haven’t had issues with the TB’s either, and I’ll keep shooting them, just seemed weird that all of a sudden this pistol decides to hate them?

[img]http://https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/13745207/ruger-mark-4-22-45-lite-barrel-leading#comments[/img]

Well, maybe I’ll figure the picture posting out, but there is a pic of the lead in the image gallery

Pic of lead

Got the email today, Ruger wants to look at their pistol.

ak,

I can't view your pic but if bullets are keyholing perhaps you got a bad tube.

Will be interesting to see what Ruger says.

A bad Ruger is rare but does happen. I have and have owned so many it is crazy. I still have an original Mark I and 2 Mark III pistols.
Once I bought a new Mark II and could not hit anything, then I seen the bullets were hitting the ground in front of me. Bore looked good and the crown looked good. Ruger sent me a new gun that shot lights out.
I won the Ohio state IHMSA shoot with my Ruger using WW Wildcat ammo. I even hit all the 25 yard shoot off chickens at 100 yards. It was a new gun with no sight settings at all but my spotter seen hits so I missed the first pig, turkey and ram out of 60 shots. I still have it and a stainless slabside that will poke one hole at 25 yards.
Rem made good ammo back then but changed the bullet. WW high velocity was super but the cheap Wildcats shot better. But all changed as speed was needed to make so many .22 rounds. Eley shot poor but RWS R50 ammo shot small holes but had little power left at 100 to knock steel down. Thunder Bolts never shot for me. Bulk WW gives all kinds of reports from cracks to thuds with many fails to even fire. Bulk Fed has a problem too. CCI is not quite as accurate as the old stuff but is consistent. Things have changed and back in the day it was nothing to shoot under 1" at 100 with a Marlin 39 with WW high speed. Hundreds of head shot squirrels with it. I head shot squirrels at 50 with the Mark II off hand. Thunder Bolts shoot better in a fire!

Rimfire is funny that way, and the threads show it, take one that won’t shoot in one mans rifle, and someone else can’t get enough of it for theirs.

I really like the new pistol, hope we can figure out why it is holding on to so much of each bullet, thanks again for the comebacks

Is the liner tight?

Hint...............

Didn’t try the liner nut, I've had it broken down enough times to know it isn’t loose enough to be moving at all. It’s crazy how the bore looks perfect when it’s clean, exceptional actually, until I shoot it. If Ruger wants it back, I’ll let them look at it before I try any other ammo. I like the pistol, just need to get over this hump! Thanks to all.

Can't see the pictures either but I wondered about the liner and barrel or the screw on cap alignment.

Liner nut is right and tight, cap is a-ok and just behind the muzzle of the liner. Talked with Beth at Ruger, she was more than willing to set up the return trip, and then I asked about aftermarket parts I have installed, as before, Ruger wants them to leave in factory form if they work on them. I still have all the factory parts, and we discussed options, she was very accommodating. Before I swap all the stock parts back into it for the return trip to get looked at, I am going to try another batch of ammo, to see if it will do any better. I have some CCI Standard velocity ammo I will run through it.

Just got the Madd Maccs plate for the RMR, and the 1moa RMR is on the way, should be fun when it all works. Thanks again

Lotsa FF3's weathering well here,aboard same(understatement).

Hint..................

My MKIV 22/45 with a JPoint on it. I've closed up the ports on the brake twice but never ran a patch down the barrel. Shooting CCI SV (which it really doesn't like) Blazer, Mini Mags, Federal bulk pack, Remington sub sonic (I know), Eley 10x, Winchester Power points and Winchester high velocity stuff among a few other brands that I'm forgettng. I do have Hogue grips on it now.


I'd send it back and never try the TB's in the new barrel.

TB's have a bad rep but I don't think they can be blamed for leading like the OP described.

Actually, they can be blamed. I've heard the guys on rimfirecentral say they dug it out of their rifles in long strings, same with various makes of various pistols. Thunderbolts seem to be the worst of the worst in this regard, excepting some Russian stuff that was available some years ago.

It's not slugging up or is too soft or what?

So that is what now - 3rd hand information? Complete BS by the way. If you have a bore that leads to the point of keyholing with Thunderbolts, then it is going to lead with Winchesters, Federal, etc. as they all use a dry lubed soft lead bullet.

Every 22 I've ever owned was ammo-sensitive accuracy-wise. But none would lead to the point of keyholing with Thunderbolts and I've shot a bazzillion of them.

My guess is that there is something wrong with the Ruger's bore.