Thread: Marlin X7 misfires with .223 PMC 55 gr soft points

Hi team

I am about to list my Marlin X7 on the forum's Buy and Sell page, but wanted to check on something as I am not overly familiar with .223 ammo or Marlin rifles. I purchased the gun recently for my son to shoot goats and bought some PMC soft points (55 gr) to check the scope (a Hawke 3-9 x 40). The gun is in great condition - it looks as though it has had hardly any use. After shooting one packet of ammo, I had several rounds that would not fire. On inspection of the primers, it is clear that the firing pin was striking reasonably hard (see picture below), but no 'bang!'. Once at home I disassembled the bolt and it looked clean - no sign of debris or gunk. I gave it a degrease regardless, a light lube and returned to the range... and I still had misfires. For some that misfired I could get them to shoot by firing it a second time. I plan to try another type of ammo through the gun this weekend (weather dependent), but any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Grant