Discard barrel after squibb load
- Thread starter HighValleyRanch
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A hang fire is when there is a brief moment (longer than usual though, maybe even up to a few seconds) between pulling the trigger and the round actually going off.
The round 'hangs' for a while before going off.
Hang fires are rare.
The reason is usually a bad primer or bad powder as in they're defective or contaminated.
(If the bad primer or bad powder results in not enough force to drive the bullet out of the barrel then you could call it a squib too.)
One second is a pretty long hang time although there have been reports of several second delays. Search right here on our forum for hang fire.
Joe Average pulls the trigger and when he gets a click instead of a bang holds the gun on target for a few seconds more just in case it might go off...that is, in case he has a hang fire.
Joe Unsafe pulls the trigger and when he gets a click instead of a bang immediately lowers the gun and holds it sideways or looks down the barrel
to see what happened. (Darwin tries to eliminate the Joe Unsafes of the world but they can do damage to others before they exit.)
Joe Tacticool pulls the trigger and when he gets a click instead of a bang is half way through his tap-rap-inverted-overhand-double-salchow-slingshot-failure-drill when the hang fire goes off. If the round has cleared the chamber, that is, is no longer in the gun then localized minor damage may occur but see threads about loose rounds going off...they don't do much. If Joe has just thought about his failure drill and the round is still chambered then the bullet will go where ever the gun is pointed. If Joe is actually half way through his failure drill then the gun might be out of battery but the round still partly in the chamber and if it goes off could rupture the case and do damage to the shooter and the gun.
The round 'hangs' for a while before going off.
Hang fires are rare.
The reason is usually a bad primer or bad powder as in they're defective or contaminated.
(If the bad primer or bad powder results in not enough force to drive the bullet out of the barrel then you could call it a squib too.)
One second is a pretty long hang time although there have been reports of several second delays. Search right here on our forum for hang fire.
Joe Average pulls the trigger and when he gets a click instead of a bang holds the gun on target for a few seconds more just in case it might go off...that is, in case he has a hang fire.
Joe Unsafe pulls the trigger and when he gets a click instead of a bang immediately lowers the gun and holds it sideways or looks down the barrel
to see what happened. (Darwin tries to eliminate the Joe Unsafes of the world but they can do damage to others before they exit.)Joe Tacticool pulls the trigger and when he gets a click instead of a bang is half way through his tap-rap-inverted-overhand-double-salchow-slingshot-failure-drill when the hang fire goes off. If the round has cleared the chamber, that is, is no longer in the gun then localized minor damage may occur but see threads about loose rounds going off...they don't do much. If Joe has just thought about his failure drill and the round is still chambered then the bullet will go where ever the gun is pointed. If Joe is actually half way through his failure drill then the gun might be out of battery but the round still partly in the chamber and if it goes off could rupture the case and do damage to the shooter and the gun.
Hangfires are when there is a perceptible delay in the ignition. However, it does fire.
Misfire is when you don't have any ignition. These can be restruck.
BTW, the safety rules apply. Keep it pointed in a safe direction, wait thirty seconds before trying anything else.
Now, as to squibs and barrel damage, it is what James K said. If the user knows there is a squib and checks the bore (with a pencil or dowel rod or cleaning rod) for an obstruction and determines there is one, then the firearm should be taken to a gunsmith who will clear the obstruction. If however the user fires another bullet to dislodge the squib, then there is a very real possibility of damaging the barrel. My family had a barrel that was bulged and we wound up having a smith install another barrel. I kept the barrel for a show 'n tell.
Misfire is when you don't have any ignition. These can be restruck.
BTW, the safety rules apply. Keep it pointed in a safe direction, wait thirty seconds before trying anything else.
Now, as to squibs and barrel damage, it is what James K said. If the user knows there is a squib and checks the bore (with a pencil or dowel rod or cleaning rod) for an obstruction and determines there is one, then the firearm should be taken to a gunsmith who will clear the obstruction. If however the user fires another bullet to dislodge the squib, then there is a very real possibility of damaging the barrel. My family had a barrel that was bulged and we wound up having a smith install another barrel. I kept the barrel for a show 'n tell.
I used an oak dowel rather than the common pine, but I am one for one. We all know how badly sample sizes of one can mislead, however, and you have twice as much experience as me at clearing squibs.
Mine was my own reload, when I was new to the hobby, and I strongly suspect that I missed the powder dump and fired a primer-only round. Yours might have been further into the barrel and/or more firmly stuck since it had some powder behind it, even if the charge may have been incompletely burned. I gave it some pretty firm taps, and the ends of the dowel showed some wear, but it worked once for me in my situation. I am unwilling to assert any broader conclusions.
Walt Sherrill
New member
armedleo said:
I think the following comments are correct - and if anyone knows better he or she will offer a correction or expand on the points made...
1. Will a hang fire actually fire? By definition, a hang-fire is a delayed ignition. Some hang fires will fire, after a brief delay -- without your involvement. That's the theory, anyhow. I've never experienced a true delayed ignition is many years of shooting -- and only heard of them. That doesn't mean they don't happen. The possibility of a late (unexpected) discharge is why there's concern -- the shooter thinking it is a dud round might handle the weapon in an unsafe manner as it fires.
2. Do hang-fires cause squibs? Squibs are typically due to problems in a load that actually that ignites incompletely, driving the bullet into but not OUT of the barrel. It would be hard to tell if one led to the other, and that would suggest both delayed ignition and incomplete ignition. I suppose that could happen... but suspect it's very rare.
3. Re-strike a hang fire? Some folks may do it without knowing it was a hang-fire -- thinking it was a light hammer/striker hit. It may ignite with the second strike -- in which case it WAS a light striker -- or it may not. If you do restrike and it still doesn't fire, you should treat that round as though it is a hang fire -- keeping the barrel pointed in a safe direction. I suspect many shooters probably consider that failure to fire to be caused by bad or hard primer or light hit -- and clear the round after a second strike (if that's easily done.) That could be a mistake -- and I've done that many times, without really thinking it through. (This discussion might cause me to change my behavior a bit.) That said, true hang fires seem to be very rare, squibs less so, and light strikes or bad primers far more common.
If you're an LEO firing your weapon on the job in a critical situation and the round doesn't ignite, you'll probably restrike (hammer fired gun) or do a clearance drill (striker-fired gun). You arguably won't want to wait. In that case, If the round is a true "hang-fire" that leads to an explosion after the round is out of the gun -- the cartridge case and not the bullet is going to do most of the traveling, and the risk there is clearly less than the other risk(s) you're facing from the person(s) who may be attacking you.
This is exactly what we were taught when I attended the academy (1985). You're not concerned about damaging your sidearm. You want to stop the threat. Mind you, most of us had revolvers back then. Now, when it came to pistols, it was Tap, Rack, Ready (you assess to determine if there is still a threat that justified deadly force).
In an emergency, you take a chance that the round will not fire at all, and do the "tap, rack...." drill. But on a range, doing that could mean that the round lets go partly in the chamber (ruined gun), or with your hand in the way, or right in front of your face, depending on your "clearing" technique and the way your pistol ejects.
I have had a number of hangfires, mostly with elderly ammo (I have a hard time getting out of bed, too, so I sympathize with the poor primer). Usually the round went off in a short time, but I have had them wait several seconds. I always recommend a 30-second wait before clearing the gun except in an emergency.*
I saw a BAR damaged when a hangfire went off in the receiver after the user did the "immediate action" drill, even though there was no need for it.
*I know the "train as you fight" nonsense by people who insist that they should not be required to distinguish between shooting on a range and engaging in combat in Afghanistan. Aside from the fact that most of those are "soldier wannabees" who have never worn a uniform or fought anything but range-grass gnats, anyone who can't tell shooting on a civilian range from mortal combat should put away his guns and take up chess.
Jim
I have had a number of hangfires, mostly with elderly ammo (I have a hard time getting out of bed, too, so I sympathize with the poor primer). Usually the round went off in a short time, but I have had them wait several seconds. I always recommend a 30-second wait before clearing the gun except in an emergency.*
I saw a BAR damaged when a hangfire went off in the receiver after the user did the "immediate action" drill, even though there was no need for it.
*I know the "train as you fight" nonsense by people who insist that they should not be required to distinguish between shooting on a range and engaging in combat in Afghanistan. Aside from the fact that most of those are "soldier wannabees" who have never worn a uniform or fought anything but range-grass gnats, anyone who can't tell shooting on a civilian range from mortal combat should put away his guns and take up chess.
Jim
Stop,
Welcome aboard.
I'll swap you a question for a question:
Based on your experience, which is the best caliber blank for use through a Mare's Leg on zombies?
I have two, a .44-40 & a .45 Colt. Thinking the .44-40 is a more reliable feeder.
Directly gun-related, and this thread's wandered so far anyway.....
Answer that & I'll owe you a free one of your own, redeemable anytime.
Denis
Welcome aboard.
I'll swap you a question for a question:
Based on your experience, which is the best caliber blank for use through a Mare's Leg on zombies?
I have two, a .44-40 & a .45 Colt. Thinking the .44-40 is a more reliable feeder.
Directly gun-related, and this thread's wandered so far anyway.....
Answer that & I'll owe you a free one of your own, redeemable anytime.
Denis
Wandering off into cyberspace....
I am not an expert in "Old West" exotica, but did anyone ever actually use a "mare's leg"? It seems to me an awkward and essentially useless piece of hardware in a real life situation, a solution that is more problem than the problem.
Jim
I am not an expert in "Old West" exotica, but did anyone ever actually use a "mare's leg"? It seems to me an awkward and essentially useless piece of hardware in a real life situation, a solution that is more problem than the problem.
Jim
Utility, as the Kardashians so well demonstrate, has nothing to do with popularity. 
Of course (while everybody knows that zombies ARE real) nobody used a Mare's Leg in the Old West.
As I've said before- three guns from my childhood remain iconic objects after more than half a century: McQueen's Mare's Leg, Connors' ring-lever '92, and the U.N.C.L.E. Special.
None of which offer any real practicality at all.
They just....appeal.
Denis
Of course (while everybody knows that zombies ARE real) nobody used a Mare's Leg in the Old West.
As I've said before- three guns from my childhood remain iconic objects after more than half a century: McQueen's Mare's Leg, Connors' ring-lever '92, and the U.N.C.L.E. Special.
None of which offer any real practicality at all.
They just....appeal.
Denis
Jim Watson
New member
I would bet a chip or two that there never was such a thing outside the TV studio.
But there were a fair number of Trapper lever actions with barrels as short as 14" from the factories. You have to get one that turns up individually listed as a C&R to not be counted a SBR.
But there were a fair number of Trapper lever actions with barrels as short as 14" from the factories. You have to get one that turns up individually listed as a C&R to not be counted a SBR.
We just found HVR unresponsive next to a wall with his forehead and face all bruised and bloody...also some blood on the wall but no one else around!!!
We're taking care of him even as we speak!
(compression-compression-compression-breath, compression-compression-compression-breath, compression-compression-compression-breath)
He keeps muttering 'never again, never again'...
We're taking care of him even as we speak!
(compression-compression-compression-breath, compression-compression-compression-breath, compression-compression-compression-breath)
He keeps muttering 'never again, never again'...
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