Well that's Peened me right off! Don't Dry-Fire Your .22s

[Demonic69]

Just taken the barrel off the 597VTR ready to go to SYSS when I get back from classy Benidorm this weekend (just noticed Chrome's auto-correct is "bedridden"...) as the chamber is clearly peened and impacting feeding. Upon closer inspection I realised just how much!
The previous owner must have loved dry-firing it, a lot! It's more annoying as it's a rifle that can be de-cocked without the bolt all the way forward, unlike the G22.
Hopefully Roger's Chamber Iron will sort it and I can get back to putting it through it's paces.
So note to most .22LR owners - dry firing .22s is bad, mmmkay! (I know not all rifles suffer with this issue and, apparently, the 597 is reasonably prone to it).

[SevenSixTwo]

Now that you mention it, I'm sure my Spike's ST-22 has some kind of gap/cut around the chamber which facilitates dry-firing... must dig her out later to confirm.

Through sheer force of habit, I'm always releasing the hammer on re-assembly.

[Jackmanuk]

well i learned a valuable lesson years ago if the firing pin does not protrude past the face of the bolt then its ok to dry fire , if it does then it strikes the chamber and dry fire is a no- no

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I don't want to sound thick but what is wrong with the rifle in the pic, im new to the rimfire stuff so still learning as I go.

[Jackmanuk]

the big dent in the wall of the barrel just on the hole, due to the firing pin slamming into it with probably hundreds of dry firings , (you dont get this with centerfire) the damage not only looks naff but it damages the firing pin and the chamber which can lead to hangfires, missfire, and a drop in accuracy.

[Demonic69]

There's also a chunk of metal sticking into the chamber hindering feeding :-(
Should be an easy fix and shouldn't happen again

I don't read my own signature!

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So you shouldn't dry fire a rifle, im glad you told me cus being new to this I didn't have a clue and chances are I would have done it, .

[Jackmanuk]

well i learned a valuable lesson years ago if the firing pin does not protrude past the face of the bolt then its ok to dry fire , if it does then it strikes the chamber and dry fire is a no- no

check your firing pin, and it dusnt matter with centerfires