No.8 failure to fire

[newcastle]

Took the No.8 out and about one in every ten shots didn't fire. Some ammo was much worse (3 in 4). I assume that there are some tougher rims on some ammo than others but seems that something is amiss anyway. Obviously the bolt assembly is the first place to look, but does anyone have a similar experience, and what was the remedy?

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[CINDERS]

Perhaps the internals of the bolt have gunked up a bit, weak mainspring I always de-cock the bolts when they are not being used, if the ammo that does fire groups acceptably just stick with that one does the firing pin have a consistent strike on the rims or are some shallower could be a head space problem but I would start with the mainspring. I think the firing assembly on the 8 is a 2 piece affair maybe check the protrusion to see if it is correct.
I am sure others will chime in to assist.

[Peter Laidler]

It's called 'diminished force of blow with the striker' - in the case of the No8 - transferring insufficient force onto the firing pin. That means that the striker spring is weak and the weights need to be checked OR it could be bunged up with crud. Striker spring weights = same as No4. Striker spring weights are not the samne as pull-off weights don't forget

[newcastle]

I'll try a spruce up / decrud with brakcleen first. Will report back.

[LondonEnfield]

Weak or clogged striker spring, as detailed above, or a buildup of wax and other fouling around the chamber/rear of barrel area. It's a well known problem with the No.8 rifle. Clean the breech area thoroughly of all wax and fouling and give it another go. Unscrew the bolt head (watch you don't lose the striker and its return spring) and rinse it in petrol to dissolve any built up crud.

It could be the problem we found on the cadet range once, which was an entire batch of Eley Standard delivered without any primer in the rim...!

[vintage hunter]

Obviously the bolt assembly is the first place to look, but does anyone have a similar experience, and what was the remedy?

an entire batch of Eley Standard delivered without any primer in the rim...!

If you don't find any problems with the bolt assembly rotate the round a bit so the FP doesn't strike the same spot and see if they go. Works for me about 90% of the time. Misfires caused by gaps in the priming mix or none at all seem to happen with annoying regularity in some lots of .22LR ammo. Seems quality has really taken a nose dive in the last 10 or so years.

[mrclark303]

It could be the problem we found on the cadet range once, which was an entire batch of Eley Standard delivered without any primer in the rim...!

Yep, first thing to try, different ammo, it might be as simple as that ... we all know what .22lr can be like sometimes. The worst I ever used was Remington Thunderbolt, I swear it was loaded with black powder, just terrible stuff!

[Sentryduty]

Remington Thunderbolt, I swear it was loaded with black powder,

I agree, inconsistent ignition, wax coated projectiles that gum up the action, and the residue is excessive.

[newcastle]

I actually found other types of ammo that failed 3 in 4 shots and one type that didn't fire at all.

[vintage hunter]

I actually found other types of ammo that failed 3 in 4 shots and one type that didn't fire at all.

Lot to lot uniformity of modern .22LR ammo is horrible, especially with U.S. made stuff. Rim thickness and diameter can vary quite a bit from round to round in the same box. Inconsistent ignition is a big problem with some. Also propellant quality and charge weight seem to vary with some lots. Every so often there'll be one or two in a magazine full that are so weak the bullet barely makes it out of the barrel. Never had it happen personally but I've heard tell of some that apparently had no propellant at all and stuck the bullet about an inch up the bore. I bought a 100 rd box of Remington years ago and found two that had no bullet or propellant. The cheesy stuff really gives the auto loaders fits, not strong enough to cycle the action.
As far as Remington T-Bolt goes I've had good lots and bad lots. Same with Winchester, Federal and CCI. But whats odd is I've never has any of the above mentioned problems with .22 Magnum ammo.