Light primer strikes?

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  • pilot25

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 13, 2016
    1,822
    A lot of conflicting information, online, about light primer strikes.

    In the event I think I may have had a light primer strike what can possibly happen and what is the proper safe course of action on the range.? .
     

    iH8DemLibz

    When All Else Fails.
    Apr 1, 2013
    25,396
    Libtardistan
    If I know I have a light primer strike, I wait three minutes.

    Then open the chamber and remove the round. Then I put the round in solitary confinement. Then the round goes home and is introduced to Mr. Bulletpuller.

    The case gets recycled. The bullet gets recycled. The power goes in the garbage. The primer goes in the garbage.
     

    gwchem

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 18, 2014
    3,434
    SoMD
    Has anyone ever seen a hangfire with modern ammo?

    Light strikes happen all the time in competition. That round is racked out of the gun in a second. I've never seen one go off later.
     

    GuitarmanNick

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 9, 2017
    2,221
    Laurel
    If the light strikes are happening often, fix the gun or change ammunition.

    On the few light strikes that I have had over the years, I wait around a minute before removing the round and inspecting it. If it appears to have a light strike(which is not normal for any of my guns), I load it up again and shoot it! I have yet to have one not go bang!
     

    pilot25

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 13, 2016
    1,822
    I want to change the weight of the main spring and recoil spring and am worried about a light primer strike.
     

    lx1x

    Peanut Gallery
    Apr 19, 2009
    26,992
    Maryland
    Recoil spring doesn't affect firing pin....
    May have chambering problem... If it's too light.

    Which gun? Striker fire or hammer fire?

    I want to change the weight of the main spring and recoil spring and am worried about a light primer strike.
     

    Bikebreath

    R.I.P.
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 30, 2009
    14,836
    in the bowels of Baltimore
    I had a CZ-97BD that only had light strikes on my reloads. CZ said they did not reccomend using reloads, so they wouldn't do anything about it, since the factory loads were fine. I took the gun to a gunsmith that said the firing pin was some hundredths short...he called CZ...they sent a longer pin and the problem was solved.

    Has anyone ever seen a hangfire with modern ammo?

    Light strikes happen all the time in competition. That round is racked out of the gun in a second. I've never seen one go off later.

    In comps we all rack it, fix it and keep on truckin'. When I'm alone I've waited and nothing has ever happened.
     

    Boats

    Beer, Bikes n Boomsticks
    Mar 13, 2012
    4,073
    Howeird County
    Which gun? Striker fire or hammer fire?

    This.

    If it's hammer fire, it could be worn out hammer/mainspring, too heavy firing pin spring, or bent/worn out/short firing pin.

    Striker fire, could be as some as too heavy an oil used in striker assy. I've gotten Glock, M&P and XD to get light primer strikes by using to heavy an oil, especially when cold
     

    gwchem

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 18, 2014
    3,434
    SoMD
    The main or hammer spring will certainly affect primer strikes.

    Those of us that compete with hammer fired CZs or the like will tune our springs to our ammo. One can get away with lighter hammer springs if they use a longer firing pin or stick to soft primers. My SP-01 is only reliable with federal primers with a 9 pound hammer spring and long pin. 11 pound spring lights up all but the hardest primers, but has a heavier trigger pull. It's all about choices and compromise in a gamer gun.

    If this is a ccw or defense gun, reliability is much more important.
     

    4guyz1stool

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Apr 16, 2017
    172
    Light primer strikes happen a lot on competition guns because they usually have a lightened striker or hammer spring to bring down the pull weight. A light strike in competition is not a big deal because your life does not depend on it.

    Just eject the round and keep firing. If you have an SA/DA, and you are just plinking, try pulling the trigger again.
     

    pilot25

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 13, 2016
    1,822
    I have a hammer fired p226 with no issues. I might be creating one however.

    I'm not going to reload ammo so the lowest velocity 9mm ammo I can find, without combing the ends of the earth, is barely subsonic at 985fps. I believe, from what I have researched, I can safely use a 17lb mainspring. Paired with a 15lb recoil spring and a firing pin spring that goes with it. I ordered a set of recoil springs from 11lbs to 17lbs. I want to do all of this safely and the only safety issue I can see is light primer strikes. If I can get down to 11lbs on the recoil spring that would be ideal but I don't think that is possible.

    Maybe this should be in the gunsmithing category.
     

    BradMacc82

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    Aug 17, 2011
    26,177
    Has anyone ever seen a hangfire with modern ammo?

    Light strikes happen all the time in competition. That round is racked out of the gun in a second. I've never seen one go off later.

    I've seen, and experienced, 'hangfires' with .50Beo reloads.

    Somehow the charge was contaminated. You could distinctly tell there was a delay from hammer making contact to round igniting. Less than a second delay, but it feels like forever when you're shouldered and just hear a 'click' instead of 'boom'.
     

    mike_in_md

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 13, 2008
    2,282
    Howard County
    A lot of conflicting information, online, about light primer strikes.

    In the event I think I may have had a light primer strike what can possibly happen and what is the proper safe course of action on the range.? .

    I am assuming this is a non self defense situation:

    You should stop firing immediately. You may have had a hang-fire that happens when the primer is struck but the round does not fire immediately. The range rule at the AGC ranges is that you should keep the firearm pointed downrange for at least 30 seconds before taking any corrective action.

    You should also assume that you may have had a squib load with bullet lodged in the barrel if the bullet is missing from the extracted case. It is common to not be able to hear any bang if the bullet doesn't clear the barrel. You should ask the RSO how to safely examine the bore if you do not know how to.



     

    pilot25

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 13, 2016
    1,822
    I am assuming this is a non self defense situation

    No, like I said, I'm going to take a bunch of springs out for a test.

    I'll definitely be stopping and waiting 30-60 seconds and then ejecting everything and inspecting before continuing on.

    Thanks for the info.
     

    iH8DemLibz

    When All Else Fails.
    Apr 1, 2013
    25,396
    Libtardistan
    I've seen, and experienced, 'hangfires' with .50Beo reloads.

    Somehow the charge was contaminated. You could distinctly tell there was a delay from hammer making contact to round igniting. Less than a second delay, but it feels like forever when you're shouldered and just hear a 'click' instead of 'boom'.

    This was happening on a regular basis with the surplus 7mm ammo that arrived with my 1916 Spanish Mauser.

    Click.

    Wait.

    Boom.
     

    Jerry M

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 13, 2007
    1,688
    Glen Burnie MD
    Has anyone ever seen a hangfire with modern ammo?...

    Yes, when using a regular LR primer with R-19 in a 6.5 Remington Magnum. There was a 1.5 second delay. The problem was resolved by using magnum primers with this powder.

    Light primer strikes are completely different and commonly caused by a defect in the firearm, poor maintenance (rust - corrosion on the firing pin or spring), or lube that has congealed or frozen (in very cold weather).
     

    pilot25

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 13, 2016
    1,822
    So I tried a 17lb mainspring today with varying recoil springs. 10lb recoil spring to 19lb recoil spring. Almost double the weight and I cannot tell one difference among all the recoil springs.

    Not sure what that means.
     

    gwchem

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 18, 2014
    3,434
    SoMD
    So I tried a 17lb mainspring today with varying recoil springs. 10lb recoil spring to 19lb recoil spring. Almost double the weight and I cannot tell one difference among all the recoil springs.

    Not sure what that means.

    Pay attention to two things when you're changing recoil springs. One, how far is your brass flying. You don't want it dribbling out, and you don't want it flung two counties over.

    More important, imo, is how the sights get back on target. It'll be tough to judge this without timing yourself many times on the same drill. On average, how fast you are with each recoil spring, pick the best.

    Hammer/mainsprings are much easier to choose. Go the lightest that works with your setup.
     

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