I had been getting fail-to-fire light primer strikes on my . 22LR Brno Model 2 (CZ) across a variety of ammunition. I messed about with the firing pin without success. Following a tip on here I inspected the chamber face and realised it was fouled up with lead from 1000s of rounds. Despite the barrel and bolt being cleaned on the odd occasion: the chamber has been neglected, possibly for decades. Soaked in engine degreaser then cleaned off. Then repeated with Parker Hale 009 Nitro Solvent. Used a .177 bronze brush mounted into a DeWalt drill to clean the throat and face. Finally the chamber polished with a 12 bore mop brush.
It now fires without fail. The fouling must have provided a cushioning to the leading face of the rim so when struck with the firing pin the impact wasn’t sharp enough to ignite the primer reliably. Very satisfying as I had considered contacting a gunsmith to look at it but just gave it one last try. Only posting for reference if anyone else has a similar problem in future.
It now fires without fail. The fouling must have provided a cushioning to the leading face of the rim so when struck with the firing pin the impact wasn’t sharp enough to ignite the primer reliably. Very satisfying as I had considered contacting a gunsmith to look at it but just gave it one last try. Only posting for reference if anyone else has a similar problem in future.
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