Ruger #1 misfire problem

[caithness77]

Hello all,
I have two newly acquired #1s giving me a problem with misfires. Will give you some observations first, please read thru and offer constructive advice if you care to.
Both 223 cal.
A #1B and a #1V.
Lapua Match brass.
CCI BR4 primers.
Have eliminated the primers out of the equation - same batch work fine in another #1V 223.
Primer being hit well both on fired and unfired cases.
Primer being struck in centre, not being hit soft.
Misfire happens randomly, can happen two or three times in a row then have several fire ok.
Upon getting a misfire, wait ten seconds then eject the round, turning about 90 degrees and then rechamber the round, try to fire again, sometimes ignition occurs, sometimes I get another misfire and go through the same procedure, will fire sometimes, but mostly not.
Have puller complete action down and cleaned, couldn't find any real issue.
Only thing I can think of is to replace the hammer spring.
Though one rifle already has a Wolffe Competition Spring, so not sure which way to go.
Any thoughts.

Cheers,
Stu in Australia

[SmokinJoe]

Not knowledgeable about those actions, though I have some, but would recommend that you change to Fed 205 or Rem 7.5 primers & see if that fixes problem. The 205's are quite a bit easier to ignite.

[rick w.]

Stu,

The hammer spring in a No.1 is pretty stout. Looks like it would hit anything pretty good. In cleaning did you take the firing pin out of the block?, I am sure that you did. Sometimes some debris can fly by the hole and hold things up, but think that is a long shot.

If the primer strikes look pretty decent as compared to the other rifle, one might check how the case fits into the chamber. Sometimes an over resized case(happened to me more than once), will allow the firing pin to push the case slightly forward, and not get the full whack on the primer. Some of that thought comes from the fairly generous gapspace in the factory rifles, and the centerfire firing pin protrusion typical excursion.

We all have had some iffy primer lots over the years from various vendors, but really the primers of today are pretty good and that does not happen too often.

FWIW,

Rick

[Nor Cal Mikie]

Lapua match brass so I'am thinking you're rolling your own?? You pushing the shoulders back "a little" too far?? Firing pin pushes the case forward into the chamber? Just enough that the primers won't go BANG!!
AND, if you make the OAL of the round "longer" as you seat the bullets out further, that will hold the case head against the firing pin and less chance of the round being pushed forward. Once that round is fired and the case formed to the chamber, neck size, load it up and go shooting.

[Teancum1]

I had a love affair with the #1 forever, and don't currently own one. I had a 1V in .223 years ago that I could only neck size, or I would have complete case head separation by the 3rd reload, and I never run hot. Knowing what I know now, I'd send it back to Ruger to either have the head space checked or the barrel replaced. Took me awhile to figure out that the shoulder was being moved forward considerably upon firing.

Don't know if this relates at all to your issue, but I would examine a fired case in detail. Possible that your firing pin strike is moving the case forward in the chamber. I'd maybe try neck sizing a fired case and see if your problem never happens with fired cases.

[Larry]

BR4 is a thick primer. My understanding is that the competition springs are " less stout" to reduce all the jarring upon hammer strike. May be a combination of the two.

In addition, you might try some factory rounds to rule out some of the other issues that have been raised.

Good luck with it. They are great rifles.
Larry

[Nor Cal Mikie]

I would try "neck sizing only" the fired cases. That way, there's no guesswork about the brass being too short. And, watch that you're not pushing the shoulders back too far.

[trotterlg]

Lots of good thoughts, but if they are not firing then they are not getting hit hard enough for some reason. A BR4 is a thick cup primer, the 400 is thinner and the Remington 7 1/2 is as thick as the BR4 but is a lot softer. So for a work around I would say to try the CCI 400 or the 7 1/2's and see what you get. Probably best to fix the real problem though. Load a primed sized empty case and fire the primer, then see how much it sticks out above the case head, that will tell you lots about the headspace. Larry

[georgeld]

Take a good close look at the heads/primers of your loaded ammo. Make sure the primers are seated below the surface as they should be.
When you do get a misfire. Just snap it a second time, no need to pull it out.
Nearly all will fire the second snap in any gun.

Good luck, you've got a lot of suggestions to study on now. That'll keep you occupied awhile!