Vudoo miss feeds and rim lock....

[Agracer]

Running a Vudoo 360 in a Foundation with a Hawkins bottom metal. The magazines a pretty snug in the metal and they all feed nice and smooth when just sitting on a bipod/bag. I did put some shims on each magazine to ensure they don’t rock back if I happen to load them accidentally on a barricade/bag.

Shot a match 2 weeks ago, had one issue with a miss feed but was able to clear it quickly and move on.

This past Saturday, I had massive problems with miss feeds, locked rounds and all around FUBAR with my magazines.

Running a polymer Vudoo mag and 2xL3I 13-round mags. Started the match fine using only the Vudoo with the L3I as backup. On stage 5, was shooting off a large boulder and was able to just run the bipod with a bag at the back (so like off a bench), using the L3I b/c it was a 12 round troop line and didn’t want to have to change mags. Get to round 9 and it locks…like the round locks as I cycled the bolt forward. Ejected the magazine, thought the round fell out, it didn’t was actually stuck halfway into the bore. Cleared it but timed out on the stage. Frustrating.

Next stage, went back to the Vudoo, no issues (10-rounds). The next 3 stages, I had issues with every magazine (was changing around b/c they all kept misfeeding). At one stage when I ejected the Vudoo polymer mag that locked up, when I picked up that magazine after the stage was over, I had to get a small screwdriver to unlock the round. It was like it was rimlocked only worse. The round was almost completely flat instead of slightly nose up in the mag.

When got home, I played with the mags to see if I could figure out what was going on. I tried setting the rifle on a table with bipod and bag, put on the safety and cycling the bolt to watch it pick up and eject rounds. No issues. Everything ran very smooth. Then I loaded each mag, put my bag against a table, loaded weight onto magazine at the bag and tried everything I could think of to make it missfeed. No issues. I even set the rifle on the bag ON the magazine, again no misfeeds.

At a loss here. Could the heat of the day and firing the gun cause issues with some thermal expansion somewhere locking things up.

Am I not cycling the bolt smoothly or with enough force to eject a round, and then smoothly going forward?

I clean the chamber and bolt and mag well after every range session and it does not look dirty.

 

[KnowNothing256]

In my personal experience, rimlock is entirely user error caused when you improperly load up the mag. The rim of the round going in should stay in contact with the round below it the entire time it's getting fed into the mag; the error occurs when people pull the follower down too far using the button on the side, so that the new round going in can just fall in. If the round underneath has slid forward when you do this, the new round can drop with its rim behind the rim of the round below it. Sorry, that's kinda a cumbersome way to describe it, but I couldn't think of a simpler description.

The right way to load the mag is to use the external follower button to pull the round stack down about halfway as much as it takes to get the new round in; as you do this, press the rim of the new round down onto the round below, then slide it back below the feed lips. Basically, you're using the external button to help out with the pressure you're applying with the new round you're pressing into the stack.

Hope that makes sense. You're sometimes able to see rimlock from the side, through the slot where the button rides; if the bullets in the stack don't alternate left and right, then you probably have rimlock. It's not 100%, esp since you can't see the top few rounds in the stack, but it's something. I couldn't tell you the last time I had rimlock, and it sounds like you already know how to check and manage the issues I have had, related to loading the mag into a bag or prop.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

Four-year, gen-1 Vudoo owner here (MPA BA Comp chassis). I have several 3-round polymer and (no longer available) 1st-gen 15-round aluminum mags, all of which feed fine EXCEPT when they're not loaded correctly. The 15-rounders are much more prone to loading error. I submit that what many call "rimlock" - and indeed the failure to feed feels exactly like rimlock - is actually mis-orientation of the round in the cartridge stack. Since I realized what I need to look for, my misfeed count has dropped to near zero.

OP, if you have not watched Paul Parrot's magazine-loading video on Youtube, do so. Toward the end, he comments on how the top cartridge in the magazine stack might stick in a flat orientation, instead of nose-up, and this will cause a misfeed. This is, of course - since Paul is one of the Vudoo founders - correct insofar as he goes.

But in my experience it is possible to, in essence, push that "flat" round down into the stack and load cartridges on top of it. Everything feeds fine until that "flat" round comes up, and then... misfeed.

How to tell if a "flat" round is in the stack? Look at the blurry photo (screen capture from the video). The cartridge column is circled in red. Notice how the bullets are staggered in the stack, with the long axis of each round oriented left-right-left-etc. In my experience, if I load one of my mags - especially the 15-rounders - and see the long axes of two consecutive rounds pointed in the same direction, I will have a jam when those rounds reach firing position. Sometimes I can tap the mag as Paul describes and get the stack oriented correctly; sometimes I have to pull rounds out and reinsert them.

I'm not going to say this description is 100% certain to help with rimlock-like misfeeds. I will say 100% it's pretty much eliminated misfeeds for me, even with my notoriously-cantankerous 15-round aluminum mags.

Hope this helps.

 

[Rob01]

Here is the video on loading the magazines to not get rimlock.

 

[Agracer]

Thanks for all the replies. I also found this video, which I believe I've seen before.



I did think it was RimLock but I was just completely confused since I had zero issues with this a few weeks ago and I wasn't sure what was going on or why it was suddenly happening. It also really got into my head last Saturday and I probably dropped 20 points from timing out to dealing with misfeeds.

I did clean the last stage our squad did that day, (only 5 of 30 shooters did) so at least I ended on a high note!

 

[Longshot231]

I purchased the thumb-assist magazine loader that @Panther sells. I take my time loading the magazine and use the tool. The rim lock problems are solved.

@Panther is a great guy to do business with and makes some great products.

Rimfire - Vudoo V22 AICS Single Shot Adapter, Bolt Disassembly Cocking Tool, Mag Loader Tool, Magazine Bench Tray, Bullet Lifter

I have 3D-printed parts available for the Vudoo V22. These are all things that I made for myself and use them with my Vudoo, but then other Vudoo shooters at local matches wanted some too. I’m making them available to our ‘Hide members here. Most items are made to order, so you can pick your...

www.snipershide.com

 

[LR1845]

I purchased the thumb-assist magazine loader that @Panther sells. I take my time loading the magazine and use the tool. The rim lock problems are solved.

@Panther is a great guy to do business with and makes some great products.

Rimfire - Vudoo V22 AICS Single Shot Adapter, Bolt Disassembly Cocking Tool, Mag Loader Tool, Magazine Bench Tray, Bullet Lifter

I have 3D-printed parts available for the Vudoo V22. These are all things that I made for myself and use them with my Vudoo, but then other Vudoo shooters at local matches wanted some too. I’m making them available to our ‘Hide members here. Most items are made to order, so you can pick your...

www.snipershide.com

I ordered a few things from him this morning...Great guy to deal with.

 

[SynapsesFire]

What I have learned and will say about rimlock is it is a much higher chance of happening if you don't pay close attention to loading, I would say its user induced in that without being careful, you will cause it, but I would also argue the 22lr cartridge is not a great round to load in mags to begin with. I have learned to almost completely eliminate it as I carefully load each mag. but you also need to make sure the gun is feeding properly and not having issues with mag loading into barricades or loose fitting mag.