Load DataLee PrecisionRotoMetals2Repackbox
WidenersInline FabricationMidSouth Shooters SupplyReloading Everything
Titan Reloading
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 21 to 40 of 48

Thread: hang fire at the range

  1. #21
    Boolit Grand Master



    M-Tecs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    9,452
    I have had a couple with 17 HMR's and back in the 70's the trap club I was a member of ordered truck load of primers. That lot hand a bunch of hangfires. Some took a long time.
    2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. - "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    "Before you argue with someone, ask yourself, is that person even mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspectives? Because if not, there’s absolutely no point."
    – Amber Veal

    "The Highest form of ignorance is when your reject something you don't know anything about".
    - Wayne Dyer

  2. #22
    Boolit Master

    FLINTNFIRE's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Longview, Washington
    Posts
    1,654
    I have shot the old pakistani ammo from navy arms sold loose , it would have duds , hangfires and yes they were click wait for it and then boom , also had some old reloaded 30-06 given to me by a friend , he got it 20 years before when he bought a pre 64 model 70 and the man he bought it from said it was old loads he had made a long time ago. Yes they can be more then a few seconds but I never did have anyone holding a timer , Another reason to wait when there is a click and always watch where your muzzle is .

  3. #23
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Las Cruces, NM
    Posts
    4,535
    Quote Originally Posted by popper View Post
    pulled the trigger, felt the pin strike I'd say a real hang fire. Even more interesting when it happens in 5"/38. .....
    Fun in a 105mm gun on M60 tank too Even more fun was old stock ammo. The HE would explode as soon as it armed, about 50yd in front of the gun!

  4. #24
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    brisbane ,qld,australia
    Posts
    2,125
    Old 303 rounds are good for long hangfires.....I always wait ,recock,and often even a dud will fire second time.Had one where I had waited ,taken the gun down to eject,and it went off with the rifle at about a 40 deg angle ,way over the hill thats a backstop.....Sometimes you dont realise you are having short hangfires with some reduced loads.....but if you can feel the firing pin fall,then thats a hangfire..........but good practice for following thru.....,just like a musket or flintlock.

  5. #25
    Banned

    tomme boy's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Clinton, Iowa
    Posts
    5,200
    Seat the bullet to what the book says for your bullet. It should never happen again. If you seat the bullet way out like what swheeler posted you are asking for a hangfire or a see. You need the bullet neck fully filled with a bullet. It will help to get the PSI to a high enough PSI to ignite the powder.

  6. #26
    Moderator
    Texas by God's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    14,334
    I have had hang fires using ball powder in the 22-250 and the .358 Norma. The 22-250 went click- bang- no biggie. The .358 waited for me to loosen my grip and then planted the scope on my cheek. (Ouch!)
    Magnum primers corrected the problem in both cases. I cant imagine what caused the hang fire with 4064 powder- but voodoo happens.....

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  7. #27
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Indian trail NC
    Posts
    784
    this why you keep pointed down range and wait 30 secs before moving BE SAFE

  8. #28
    Banned








    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    munising Michigan
    Posts
    17,725
    yup no primer is going to sit there for 6 seconds after being hit then go off. My guess is its a gun problem. Probably when the firing pin was first hit the hammer hung up and barely hit it or what you heard was the trigger and sear snapping then the hung up firing pin still under spring tension let go 6 seconds later. Ive used cci primers for 40 years. Yup ive sure had some especially in revolvers that didn't go bang because the firing pin didn't have enough energy to pop them off but never had a hang fire because of them. Either they work or don't. Only other explanation and its really reaching is your flash hole was plugged or your powder damp and the primer only could get it to smolder and after 6 seconds it decided to go off but id say that's about as likely as getting hit by lightning 4 times in the same day in 4 different states.
    Quote Originally Posted by NSB View Post
    I've seen true hang fires before on a couple of occasions. In every case there was a delay, but it was something like a second or less. If you actually had a six second delay I'd suspect that it was the firing pin in the bolt hanging up some way. I believe that's just too long for an actual hang fire.

  9. #29
    Moderator Emeritus / Trusted loob groove dealer

    waksupi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Somers, Montana, a quaint little drinking village,with a severe hunting and fishing problem.
    Posts
    19,340
    Take the bolt apart and make sure you don't have a broken firing pin.
    The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
    John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"

    Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!


  10. #30
    Boolit Grand Master


    Larry Gibson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Lake Havasu City, Arizona
    Posts
    21,303
    Another thing that will can cause a hang fire of this nature is debris in the case (lint, dirt, cleaning material, insects, etc. that separate/block the flash from the powder yet burn themselves from the flash. That causes the delay until the powder actually starts burning. It does happen.......
    Larry Gibson

    “Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
    ― Nikola Tesla

  11. #31
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    5,513
    The only hang fires i've had was with loose powder loads in a Muzzel loader. I used the first gen style primer caps that were really weak. I would assume old powder, moisture in the powder, or not getting my boolit all the way flush with my charge was the culprit at the time. It was back in the early 80's before pyrodex pellets came to the market along with 209 primer conversions. Can remember it like yesterday. ..vaaaaaa VOOM! I'd pull your bolt apart and clean your firing pin before you do any thinging else. I had a varnished up firing pin on my CZ causing FTF's. A 15 minute polishing with 400 grit sandpaper, a dremyl, mother’s chrome polish, and re greasing fixed it. The pin was so varnished up causing it not to hit my primers hard enough.
    Last edited by Tripplebeards; 09-16-2019 at 06:21 PM.

  12. #32
    Banned

    tomme boy's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Clinton, Iowa
    Posts
    5,200
    Quote Originally Posted by Lloyd Smale View Post
    yup no primer is going to sit there for 6 seconds after being hit then go off. My guess is its a gun problem. Probably when the firing pin was first hit the hammer hung up and barely hit it or what you heard was the trigger and sear snapping then the hung up firing pin still under spring tension let go 6 seconds later. Ive used cci primers for 40 years. Yup ive sure had some especially in revolvers that didn't go bang because the firing pin didn't have enough energy to pop them off but never had a hang fire because of them. Either they work or don't. Only other explanation and its really reaching is your flash hole was plugged or your powder damp and the primer only could get it to smolder and after 6 seconds it decided to go off but id say that's about as likely as getting hit by lightning 4 times in the same day in 4 different states.
    Like I said try shooting some of the old Paki 303. You will know what a hang fire is. And this can also happen when ball powders are used. Win 748 and H335 in 303 Brit and 762x54r I have had some major hang fires when trying to seat the bullet out farther to get closer to the rifling. When those rounds that did not eventually fire they were taken apart. Guess what was inside the case? Large chunks of powder that had the graphite burned off and it turned the powder green and into hard chunks.

    Just because you have never had it happen it does not mean it has never had it happen to others. There are other reasons for a hang fire than just the primer.

  13. #33
    Boolit Master

    Land Owner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Mims, FL
    Posts
    1,864
    Feeling stoopid this morning - what is a "SEE"?

    Had squib loads. No hang fires though.
    If it was easy, anybody could do it.

  14. #34
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    west central Illinois
    Posts
    7,699
    SEE=secondary explosion effect
    Look at post number 7 in the following link for more info.
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...7-SEE-Big-Bang

  15. #35
    Moderator
    Texas by God's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    14,334
    You’ll probably get a better explanation from others here but I understand it to be Secondary Explosive Event. I think it only occurs when slow burning powder is reduced in an attempt to create light loads. The primer detonates, then the main charge detonates with a huge pressure spike. I may be wrong.

  16. #36
    Banned

    tomme boy's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Clinton, Iowa
    Posts
    5,200
    SEE's only happen in cannons. But people call it a SEE. What the powder manufacturers call it is a Extreme Pressure Excursion. They are but are not the same. Cannons the powder with detonate. In gun a cartridge it is a VERY fast pressure spike.

    Call Hodgdon and ask to speak to one of their Powder guys. I can not remember the name of the person that i talked to but he explained it very well. And he also said they can make it happen on command in a 243win. But that was 4-5 years ago when I talked to them the last time.

  17. #37
    Boolit Grand Master


    Larry Gibson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Lake Havasu City, Arizona
    Posts
    21,303
    tomme boy is correct on the new terminology. The term SEE being a holdover from problems with some propellants used in artillery and naval guns (like dynamite). The term SEE was used to describe the event because it was not fully understood at the time what was actually occurring. Now that this type of event is more fully understood and what causes it (not in theory but as proven in actual tests) it has it's own name; "E.P.E."...Extreme Pressure Excursion. E.P.E. is now what it is mostly referred to by ballisticians though this type of event is still many times still referred to as an SEE by professional and laymen alike.
    Larry Gibson

    “Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
    ― Nikola Tesla

  18. #38
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    barry s wales uk
    Posts
    2,655
    Had one once I think it was caused by some damp in the case as I had a couple of duds where the primer went off but the powder was just charred black in a lump, boolit just in barrel .I had sonic cleaned the cases hadn't let them dry enough.not fun at all.

  19. #39
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Cecilia, Kentucky
    Posts
    6,715
    I bought some old 303 once when I had a No5 carbine. It would hold about a second. Everything else looked and felt normal. I wasn't a reloader at the time and did not pull any of the ammo down.
    Last edited by Bazoo; 09-18-2019 at 03:12 PM.

  20. #40
    Boolit Master RKJ's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    1,119
    Quote Originally Posted by Land Owner View Post
    Feeling stoopid this morning - what is a "SEE"?

    Had squib loads. No hang fires though.
    L.p.

    I'm glad you asked so I didn't have go. I was wondering what it was myself. Thanks.

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check