Thread: Hang fires

I was out with the new 7mm Rem mag this morning and out of 15 or so shots fired, I had two hang fires. First shot - I thought probably imagined it, and then halfway through there was another one. Click! - Bang!

Now Ive had this before with ancient Pakastani .303 military ball before. But never with modern factory or reloads,

This is new Fiocchi large rifle primers. (Win brass, IMR4831, and a nice old Sako)

Anyone had issues with Fiocchi primers?

Not really. I had the same issue when I first started using Fiocchi primers.

Thought it must be the primers, but once I sat down and started measuring everything I learned that my sizing die was not set up correctly for that specific chamber.

I were bumping the shoulders back to much.

I had a misfire with a Fiocchi LRP yesterday. Just lifted the bolt after 10 seconds and fired again with no problems. That's 2 from 45 that I've shot from this box of primers. The first one I ejected without thinking and got the heebie jeebies when putting it back in after I realized it might be a hangfire. The first one fired fine the second time as well.

A 4% failure rate isn't good...

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I have never been able to successfully blame primers for anything.

How old was the powder?

At the range on Saturday I think there were three different shooters had a hang fire. All very experienced reloaders using high quality rifles. One using WRE, one Fiocchi and not sure about the other. Annoying but it happens, not often thankfully. Feckin annoying when it happens while hunting but unless the animal is disturbed there’s usually time to reload. Just got to have the self control to wait a few seconds before unlocking the action, fecks up your day if it goes bang with an open action.

Originally Posted by Jaco Goosen

Not really. I had the same issue when I first started using Fiocchi primers.

Thought it must be the primers, but once I sat down and started measuring everything I learned that my sizing die was not set up correctly for that specific chamber.

I were bumping the shoulders back to much.

Any tips on how to do this? Is a gunsmith required?

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Guys I am not talking about a misfire, I am talking about a hang fire, in other words the primer was struck by the firing pin, and then it didnt go off for a split second.

Yep, Click bang = hang fire
Click nothing = misfire
NRA NZ range rules for a misfire I think, IIRC, is to not open the bolt for 30 seconds and only then with the loading port facing the ground, or at least away from your mug.

Edit: From NRA NZ Rules Wait at least 30 seconds, the competitor may then turn the rifle on its side, so that the loading port faces the ground, and open the bolt. The competitor must ensure that his fingers and all other parts of his body are not behind the bolt.

Yeah, we all open and close the bolt and try again don't we? Imagine in the fraction of a second when you are recocking, the misfire decides to be a hangfire.

My "prime suspect" would be headspace, we had a 7mmRM doing exactly this at the range the other day, and I happened to come across the owner in the gunshop where they had just tested it and found it to be "loose", the bolt would nearly go into battery on the no-go guage.

There is another post about, Fiocchi large rifle primers called

Thread: Primer failure rate.

Are the primers meant to be magnum equivalents? And are you using a moderately stiff powder charge?

7mm Rem Mag obviously headspaces on the belt. So bumping the shoulders too much doesn't explain anything. But a weak primer and a slightly undercharged load? Maybe.

Originally Posted by Tentman

My "prime suspect" would be headspace, we had a 7mmRM doing exactly this at the range the other day, and I happened to come across the owner in the gunshop where they had just tested it and found it to be "loose", the bolt would nearly go into battery on the no-go guage.

And in some cases belted cases should be headspaced on the shoulder.

These are Fiocchi large rifle, and the load is max. It cant be a powder issue because the primer is not going off when the firing pin hits it, (there is no primer crack just the firing pin hitting it.) it must be a primer issue, or something causing what looks like a primer issue.

I can see how headspace, whether in the rifle, or created by oversizing cases could create a misfire - too light a primer essentially with the case moving forward when the firing pin hits it, so it just doesnt go off.

However, I cant see how a strike (the same as every other case) that doesnt fire immediately but goes off a quarter of a second later could be created by headspace?

The only thing I can think of associated was that the primers seat very deep in the pocket. So maybe those two were not down as far as the others...essentially the same thing as a too great headspace as far as the primer is concerned - but the result being a hang fire and not a misfire is very unusual in my experience.

Federal primers will go off before the firing pin gets there (not really but you know what I mean) CCI need to be hit hard and won't cope if the head space is short & the case runs away from the firing pin

I have never used Fiocchi primers and most likely never will