Okay, I know Tula Ammo is cheap. But I've been using it in my 9mm for a while now and have had no problems. In fact, it seems to run better than some other brands of ammo that I put through my 9mm. Some people say it's dirty ammo, but far as I can tell, it doesn't dirty up my gun any faster or worse than any other ammo I've used. Maybe some day I'll do a throughout experiment on the dirtiness of different ammunitions, but for now I just have a glimpse observation and I don't notice a difference.
- I picked up a used.22 revolver with a flip out cylinder. Works great except after you fire the pistol, it takes a solid tap on the extractor rod to get the brass to eject from the cylinder. Just wondering what a simple fix might be, and how to go about it.
- A single action revolver (as one example) extracts only one casing at a time, (so does any rifle or pistol that has the chamber in the barrel) so if extraction is slightly sticky, you may not notice, but if you try extracting that one slightly sticky casing, times six, (like you would with a double action revolver) or whatever the cylinder.
- Revolver 'timing' is simply the process of the unlocking, advancing the cylinder to the next chamber, and re-locking it. This must happen in the proper sequence and at the proper moment. In most revolvers this process is far less critical than the old style Colt revolver action.
I buy Tula Ammo because it costs less than pretty much everything else. The Tula Cartridge Works, as a company, has a long history. They've been a manufacturer in Russia since 1880 (I'm not sure if The Tula Cartridge Works is part of Tula Arms Plant, which has been making guns in Russia since 1712.). So, I wouldn't dismiss Tula as a maker of junk. If you have a Russian design, such as an AK-47, SKS or even one of those Mosin-Nagants, I think Tula Ammo will run like a dream through it. But there are non-Russian designs that don't like Tula Ammo.
A revolver (also called a six shooter or a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing.Before firing a round, cocking the hammer partially rotates the cylinder, indexing one of the cylinder chambers into alignment with the barrel, allowing the bullet to be fired through.
The other day, for the first time, I tried .357 Magnum Tula Ammo. I loaded the six chambers of my Rossi R461 and fired at the target twenty feet away. No problems there. It fired like it always had. But when I rolled out the cylinder to remove the empty casings, the casings were stuck.
The empty casings couldn't be pushed out and they couldn't be pulled out. I had to hammer a screwdriver in through the front of each chamber. That's what it took to get them out. It wasn't terribly difficult, but it was a hassle.
I tried the Tula Ammo twice, shooting a total of twelve rounds, just to be sure. It was the same thing with all of them. Every empty casing was stuck in its chamber and could only be removed by hammering a screwdriver in through the front.
My dad and I inspected the empty casings. The casings were swelled. That would be why they were stuck in the chambers. My dad has a tool for measuring things down to millimeters. He measured the widths of a live .357 Magnum Hornady round and a live .357 Magnum Tula round.
The Hornady measured 9.59 millimeters and Tula measured 9.56 millimeters. I'm not a hundred percent sure that this is why it's happening, but I think because the Tula is a pinch thinner than the Hornady that there is space in the loaded chamber that gives the Tula room to expand when fired.
I didn't have any other .357 Magnum brands, but my dad had a .38 Special round that he also measured. .38 Special can be fired from a .357 Magnum pistol. The Tula round was a pinch thinner than the .38 round.
So, it would seem that Tula .357 Magnum rounds are thinner than they're supposed to be, which might very well mean they have room to expand in the chambers. I think my gun might have been damaged if I had continued firing this ammo. I won't be using anymore Tula in my .357 Magnum revolver.
A recent article in a popular gun magazine repeated a common—but dangerous—misunderstanding, and reminded me that you can't always believe what you read.
The article was a review of the North American Arms (NAA) True Black Widow—a single-action, 'mini-revolver' chambered for the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR), or '.22 Magnum,' as it's more commonly known.
In the review, the author proposed that shooters who were concerned about the cost of .22 Magnum ammunition could shoot the more economical .22 Long Rifle (LR) in the gun1. Unfortunately, this is not only incorrect, it's also very dangerous! So, in the interest of safety, your RevolverGuy team would like to remind you that the only ammunition which should be loaded and fired in a .22 Magnum chamber is the .22 Magnum2. It is NOT safe to shoot .22 LR in a .22 Magnum chamber!
Why?
Unlike the relationship between the .38 Special and the original Magnum handgun round—the .357 Magnum—the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) is not simply a stretched version of the earlier .22 LR cartridge. It's safe to shoot the .38 Special in a .357 Magnum chamber because the two cartridges share nearly identical dimensions, outside of a small variation in rim thickness and a larger difference in overall case length (designed to prevent the .357 from fitting in .38 Special chambers).
This is not the case with the .22 LR and WMR. The WMR case is larger in every dimension, compared to the tiny LR case. It's longer, has a thicker rim, is wider, and has a larger case head. The WMR cartridge was designed to fully enclose a full diameter bullet, rather than merely grip the reduced diameter heel of the bullet, as in the LR.
Therefore, if you place a .22 LR in a .22 WMR chamber, it will be a sloppy fit. If the LR cartridge is actually fired in the WMR chamber, the case may rupture and vent high pressure gases and particulates rearward, through the breechface. There is a significant risk of injury if you fire .22 LR ammunition in a .22 WMR chamber!
What about my Convertible?
About now, some of you are wondering about the popular 'convertibles,' like the excellent Ruger Single Six, which come equipped with a replacement cylinder that allows you to shoot .22 Magnum in a gun that is nominally designed as a .22 Long Rifle.
Shooting .22 Long Rifle in a gun like the Ruger Single Six is entirely safe, provided you are using the supplied .22 Long Rifle cylinder. The .22 LR cylinder has chambers that are cut for the dimensions of the .22 LR case, so there is no safety concern here.
However, it is obviously NOT safe to shoot .22 LR in the .22 Magnum cylinder supplied with the gun, for the reasons explained above. Shoot all the Magnums you want in the Magnum cylinder, but leave the Long Rifles for the .22 LR cylinder, please!
Incidentally, the SAAMI spec for .22 WMR bore and groove diameter (0.219' and 0.224', respectively) is larger than that for the .22 LR bore and groove diameter (0.217' and 0.222', respectively). Therefore, manufacturers like Ruger have to drill and rifle the barrel for the slightly larger WMR spec. This should really have little practical effect on LR bullet accuracy, but it makes for fun conversation around the campfire.
Custom Revolver Cylinders
Caveat Emptor
So, there are two important takeaways here. First, never fire a .22 LR cartridge in a .22 WMR chamber! Doing so places you and others at risk of injury, and will also lead to ruptured cases in your gun that will be more difficult to clear.
Second, be cautious about where you get your firearms information, and try to verify with another source. All of us writers make mistakes sometimes, and what we meant to say isn't always how it comes out on paper. We hold ourselves to high standards here at RevolverGuy, and always endeavor to provide accurate information—even if it's unfavorable to a product or manufacturer—but we're human too, and can make mistakes. Don't treat our word—or anybody else's in this business—as gospel. Do your own homework, especially if something doesn't sound right.
Shoot straight and be safe out there!
Did you get something out of this post? Support RevolverGuy on Patreon!
Notes:
1. From the article: 'If you want cheaper practice, you can stuff .22 Long Rifles into the cylinder, a bit like using .38 Specials in a .357 Magnum;'
2. Technically, the (near obsolete) .22 Winchester Rim Fire (WRF) can be safely fired in some .22 WMR chambers, because the two cartridges share many identical case dimensions. However, industry icon—and all-around ammunition authority—Michael Bussard advises the WRF should not be fired in revolvers chambered for the WMR;
A recent article in a popular gun magazine repeated a common—but dangerous—misunderstanding, and reminded me that you can't always believe what you read.
The article was a review of the North American Arms (NAA) True Black Widow—a single-action, 'mini-revolver' chambered for the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR), or '.22 Magnum,' as it's more commonly known.
In the review, the author proposed that shooters who were concerned about the cost of .22 Magnum ammunition could shoot the more economical .22 Long Rifle (LR) in the gun1. Unfortunately, this is not only incorrect, it's also very dangerous! So, in the interest of safety, your RevolverGuy team would like to remind you that the only ammunition which should be loaded and fired in a .22 Magnum chamber is the .22 Magnum2. It is NOT safe to shoot .22 LR in a .22 Magnum chamber!
Why?
Unlike the relationship between the .38 Special and the original Magnum handgun round—the .357 Magnum—the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) is not simply a stretched version of the earlier .22 LR cartridge. It's safe to shoot the .38 Special in a .357 Magnum chamber because the two cartridges share nearly identical dimensions, outside of a small variation in rim thickness and a larger difference in overall case length (designed to prevent the .357 from fitting in .38 Special chambers).
This is not the case with the .22 LR and WMR. The WMR case is larger in every dimension, compared to the tiny LR case. It's longer, has a thicker rim, is wider, and has a larger case head. The WMR cartridge was designed to fully enclose a full diameter bullet, rather than merely grip the reduced diameter heel of the bullet, as in the LR.
Therefore, if you place a .22 LR in a .22 WMR chamber, it will be a sloppy fit. If the LR cartridge is actually fired in the WMR chamber, the case may rupture and vent high pressure gases and particulates rearward, through the breechface. There is a significant risk of injury if you fire .22 LR ammunition in a .22 WMR chamber!
What about my Convertible?
About now, some of you are wondering about the popular 'convertibles,' like the excellent Ruger Single Six, which come equipped with a replacement cylinder that allows you to shoot .22 Magnum in a gun that is nominally designed as a .22 Long Rifle.
Shooting .22 Long Rifle in a gun like the Ruger Single Six is entirely safe, provided you are using the supplied .22 Long Rifle cylinder. The .22 LR cylinder has chambers that are cut for the dimensions of the .22 LR case, so there is no safety concern here.
However, it is obviously NOT safe to shoot .22 LR in the .22 Magnum cylinder supplied with the gun, for the reasons explained above. Shoot all the Magnums you want in the Magnum cylinder, but leave the Long Rifles for the .22 LR cylinder, please!
Incidentally, the SAAMI spec for .22 WMR bore and groove diameter (0.219' and 0.224', respectively) is larger than that for the .22 LR bore and groove diameter (0.217' and 0.222', respectively). Therefore, manufacturers like Ruger have to drill and rifle the barrel for the slightly larger WMR spec. This should really have little practical effect on LR bullet accuracy, but it makes for fun conversation around the campfire.
Custom Revolver Cylinders
Caveat Emptor
So, there are two important takeaways here. First, never fire a .22 LR cartridge in a .22 WMR chamber! Doing so places you and others at risk of injury, and will also lead to ruptured cases in your gun that will be more difficult to clear.
Second, be cautious about where you get your firearms information, and try to verify with another source. All of us writers make mistakes sometimes, and what we meant to say isn't always how it comes out on paper. We hold ourselves to high standards here at RevolverGuy, and always endeavor to provide accurate information—even if it's unfavorable to a product or manufacturer—but we're human too, and can make mistakes. Don't treat our word—or anybody else's in this business—as gospel. Do your own homework, especially if something doesn't sound right.
Shoot straight and be safe out there!
Did you get something out of this post? Support RevolverGuy on Patreon!
Notes:
1. From the article: 'If you want cheaper practice, you can stuff .22 Long Rifles into the cylinder, a bit like using .38 Specials in a .357 Magnum;'
2. Technically, the (near obsolete) .22 Winchester Rim Fire (WRF) can be safely fired in some .22 WMR chambers, because the two cartridges share many identical case dimensions. However, industry icon—and all-around ammunition authority—Michael Bussard advises the WRF should not be fired in revolvers chambered for the WMR;
3. Cartridge specifications from the Ammo Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition, by Michael Bussard. 2011. Blue Book Publications, Minneapolis, MN.RevolverGuys are highly encouraged to purchase this excellent and highly educational resource!