View Full Version : Light primer strike or bad ammo
So I took out a rifle today that had never had any misfires or issues before, and I got several clicks without a bang. It also emptied several magazines without a hiccup. I have attached a picture of two rounds which did not fire. Does it look like the gun is making light primer strikes? All in all, I had about six failures to fire. I had some Remington UMC ammo. It also fired some PMC . What do you think? 4884748847
Looks right on the edge of light....but you nailed them several times, so probably not light. I suppose it's possible that the cases were short and caused a head space issue, pushing the case a tiny bit more into the chamber thus absorbing some FP energy. 6 dead primers seems unlikely, but might happen.
Coal Dragger
11-24-17, 15:48
Could be light primer strikes.
Time to thoroughly clean your bolt, firing pin, and trigger group. Might be time for a new hammer spring. Between those actions should be an easy fix to rule out the ammo.
titsonritz
11-24-17, 16:19
Did you remove the FCG?
GeneralPurpose
11-24-17, 16:32
Check the firing pin and make sure the tip of it is the full length it should be. The last time this issue happened to me, it was a worn down/chipped firing pin. I had a spare to compare it against, and dropped the new one in and fixed it. That was very roughly around 7,000 rounds on a 10.5" rifle.
I'm going to inspect the firing pin. The rifle was cleaned prior to this session. I will let you know what I find .
If you have a another rifle handy you could try them in it. Firing a bunch of other rounds in the gun doesn't seem like it would be the FP itself, but who knows.
That is why it seems strange. Fired a bunch of other rounds except for the six clicks and no booms.
GeneralPurpose
11-24-17, 18:47
If you have a another rifle handy you could try them in it. Firing a bunch of other rounds in the gun doesn't seem like it would be the FP itself, but who knows.
My firing pin was right on the edge when it happened to me, probably 2/3rds of the mag fired and 1/3rd got light primer strikes.
Not that the firing pin is the only thing that could cause this, but it's one of the things to check.
5.56 Bonded SP
11-24-17, 19:11
Firing pin or FCG spring improperly installed.
For sure checking the FP and hammer spring or hammer drag would be in order.
The FCG seems to be in good working order. I have not altered it since purchase. I have only cleaned it. The firing pin has no noticeable issues and seems to protrude far enough through the bolt . I had a spare firing pin and this one appears to be perfect. I guess I will just clean the heck out of it and try shooting it again, unless anybody else has any other suggestions.
The rifle probably has 1200 to 1500 rounds through it. This was the first time it ever had a failure to fire.
That's really not a big round count on the parts. The UMC ammo might just be wonkie, it wouldn't be my first choice for ammo.
Thanks for the input. I just cleaned the heck out of it. I will try it with different ammo next time and see what happens. If I get more failures to fire, my guess is the spring for the hammer has somehow gotten weak despite the low round count.
I have heard of multiple issues with the Remington UMC ammo. In the last Armorer Course I taught, one of the agencies had to shit can a bunch of it due to malfunctions.
I have heard of multiple issues with the Remington UMC ammo. In the last Armorer Course I taught, one of the agencies had to shit can a bunch of it due to malfunctions.
Agree with IG.
OP, did it misfire with both PMC PSD and Rem UMC? The pictures show PSD rounds with light primer strikes.
Did any of the rounds fire on a second attempt? Were the misfires all the first round from the mag, or were some mid mag rounds?
Andy
It did misfire with both brands. I threw away the first two.
I saved the two that I posted. I honestly can't recall if it fired some that had the light primer strike the first time. I had never had a problem with PMC in the past. I cleaned it really good, however, did not see anything concerning or strange. The misfires occurred at different stages. I guess my best option is to take it out again. If it has the misfires again, something is clearly and miss with the fire control group.
Coal Dragger
11-25-17, 13:41
The fire control group has never been removed from the lower receiver?
Correct, never been removed.
Coal Dragger
11-25-17, 19:21
Given the low round count and the fact it is clean and not modified or reassembled improperly I’d lean towards bad ammo.
If it persists send the rifle back to the factory for repair.
The_War_Wagon
03-07-18, 08:29
So as NOT to start a new thread, I'll pile on. Took a brand new rifle out yesterday - got it good and wet with oil. First three mags ran fine with no hiccup - I had three light primer strikes in the last two mags. All from the same lot of Privi 55gr. FMJs.
More particulars: M16 BCG, carbine-length gas, H2 buffer. No problems with FTF/FTE. Just three dud strikes. All 3 rounds fired in my partners AR pistol. I'm leaning toward bolt/firing pin issue, but anyone heard of/have any issues with Privi of late?
Pull the BCG and make sure you're getting good FP protrusion. Look carefully at the FP tip.
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