Diagnosing Pistol Malfunctions – Part 2: Failure to Fire

Welcome back to our discussion on Diagnosing Pistol Malfunctions. In Part 2, we will cover an in-depth analysis of Failure to Fire.

Unfortunately, most of us have experienced this at one time or another. We’ve inserted a loaded magazine, released the slide, chambered a round, disengaged the safety, aligned the sights in the center of the target, slowly exhaled while pressing the trigger, and as we felt the sear release the hammer or striker we heard a “Click” instead of a “BANG!”

On the range, it may be an annoying inconvenience to wait 30 seconds with the pistol pointed in a safe direction before “tapping” the base of the magazine, “racking” the slide to eject a possibly bad round and chamber what we hope to be a “good” one, “assessing” the target area, and deciding whether or not to fire again. In a personal defense, law enforcement, or military scenario, however, the most deafening sound has been described as the “Click” instead of the “BANG” required to stop the threat.

In the previous article, we covered malfunctions that occur during the first three steps in the cycle of operation: Feeding, Chambering, and Locking. In this article, we will focus solely on malfunctions that occur in the “Firing” stage.

Assuming the pistol has successfully fed, chambered, and locked, there are only two types of malfunctions that would prevent the pistol from successfully firing. These can be isolated to either the ammunition or the pistol’s ignition system. First, let’s cover ammunition failures.

Ammunition Failure

If you recall from Internal Ballistics – Part III, we described pistol cartridge components: primer, case, propellant, and projectile. In order to focus this part of the discussion to ammunition, we need to assume that the pistol is mechanically functioning as intended and the cartridge is correctly chambered. Under these conditions, the ammunition failure must lie in the propellant or the primer.

Propellant – If there is an insufficient quantity of propellant in the cartridge case, the primer/propellant ignition chain will not produce enough pressure to propel the projectile all of the way through the barrel. This is known as a “squib,” and the shooter should notice an audible “pop” instead of a “BANG” along with an under-powered recoil.

Regardless, this is a failure in a number of ways. First, the projectile will not impact the target. Second, if the shooter does not correctly perceive the squib and errantly attempts to fire again with a projectile lodged in the barrel, the overpressure caused by the next round will damage the pistol and potentially injure the shooter. If you detect the audible “pop,” stop firing immediately.

Primer – To briefly recap, the primer consists of a small metal cup that contains a pellet of sensitive explosive material secured by a paper disk and a brass anvil. A strike from the firing pin on the center of the cap compresses the primer composition between the cap and the anvil which causes the composition to ignite. Holes or vents in the anvil or closure cup allow the flame to pass through the flash hole in the cartridge case and ignite the propellant. The primer needs to be “tough” enough to withstand some jostling and extreme temperatures without igniting, but be malleable enough to fire when needed.

Again, in this section we’ve assumed that the cartridge is properly aligned on the breech face and the firing pin or striker has moved forward with enough force to ignite a normally functioning primer. However, there are some instances where the primer won’t function. First, the primer’s cap can be too thick or internal components can be incorrectly manufactured. Next, the primer can be set too low into the cartridge case and “out of range” of a normally functioning firing pin or striker. Lastly, an error in the cartridge manufacturing process can misalign, damage, or invert the primer. While all of the former defects would be difficult to ascertain, the latter can be diagnosed by visual inspection. (right inset photo)

Firearm Mechanical Failure

 

Turning things around, in this section we will assume that we have chambered a properly constructed cartridge, but a mechanical failure in the firearm itself is the cause of the malfunction. This leaves us to consider the following possibilities: (1) Something is preventing the firing pin or striker from moving forward with enough force to properly ignite the primer; (2) the firing pin is damaged; or (3) the firing pin or striker is moving forward properly, but the cartridge is misaligned Read More>>

About Author

Howard has served for nearly 20 years in the Marine Corps. He has served as a Platoon Commander, Company Commander, Battalion Executive Officer, Regimental Operations Officer, and Battalion Commander. He has multiple combat tours to include serving as a military transition team member in Fallujah. He is an NRA Certified handgun instructor and holds numerous Marine Corps training credentials.

An active competitor in action pistol (United States Practical Shooting Association), long range rifle (NRA F-Class), and shotgun (Amateur Trapshooting Association, National Skeet Shooting Association), howard has earned numerous accolades and medaled during DoD competitions with the 1911 platform in bulls-eye shooting.

Pistol Magazines

This article focuses on one of the pistol’s most overlooked functional components… pistol magazines. In this article, I will cover a brief history of the magazine followed by a detailed description of magazine components and conclude with tips for magazine maintenance.

So why dedicate an entire article to pistol magazines? Well, two decades of competition shooting and on deployments around the globe have convinced me that the magazine is the leading cause of mechanical malfunctions in semi-automatic pistols (and rifles). Sure, there are other components like the extractor and ejector that vie for the top prize, but most would agree that the detachable box magazine is the clear winner. Furthermore, as a recreational shooter and firearms instructor, I've observed many gun owners reveling in their ability to clean and maintain their firearms while neglecting the magazines. If you are not yet convinced, here are two more reasons: (1) magazine maintenance is simple; and (2) a little effort can prevent a $40.00 part from turning a $1,000 pistol into a frustrating single-shot nightmare.

History

The maturation of smokeless gunpowder through the latter half of the 1800's led designers such as Hiram Maxim to harness the recoil produced from firing self-contained cartridges to "auto load" the next round in his machine guns. Shortly thereafter, other firearm manufacturers sought to adopt this recoil-operated self-loading principle to pistols. In 1893, Hugo Borchardt designed the the C-93 (right inset) with an 8-round detachable box magazine, which became the first semi-auto pistol as we know it today.

Although Borchardt’s design was reliable, it was too large and unbalanced for mass acceptance. It didn’t take long, however, for other manufacturers to tweak and improve on the C-93, which led to the Mauser C-96 "Broom Handle," the German Luger Pistol, the Browning M-1900 (left inset), and… wait for it… the 1911.

There have been plenty of innovations in semi-automatic pistol design and manufacturing over the course of time. The same can not be said, however, regarding innovations in semi-automatic pistol magazine design, which have changed little over the years.

Let’s take a closer look at pistol magazines.

Nomenclature

Although some of the materials have changed, most pistol magazines are comprised of the same components they have been for over 100 years.

Body/Tube - a metal or polymer shell in which the components reside and interact to both store and feed cartridges as part of the cycle of operations. The feed lips, located at the top of the magazine tube, hold the cartridges within the magazine and work with the follower to ensure proper alignment for feeding.

Spring - provides constant tension to the follower which holds the cartridges in position secure against the magazine feed lips and ready to be fed into the chamber.

Follower - metal or polymer fitting that: (1) captures the top end of the spring; (2) uses spring tension to hold the cartridges in position secure against the magazine feed lips; and (3) contacts the slide lock after the last round is fired. Metal followers are more rigid than polymer followers, but polymer followers contain a greater degree of inherent lubricity which enhances their ability to glide within the magazine tube.

Locking Plate and Floor Plate - function together to capture the spring from within the bottom of the magazine. Read More »

About Author

Howard has served for nearly 20 years in the Marine Corps. He has served as a Platoon Commander, Company Commander, Battalion Executive Officer, Regimental Operations Officer, and Battalion Commander. He has multiple combat tours to include serving as a military transition team member in Fallujah. He is an NRA Certified handgun instructor and holds numerous Marine Corps training credentials.

An active competitor in action pistol (United States Practical Shooting Association), long range rifle (NRA F-Class), and shotgun (Amateur Trapshooting Association, National Skeet Shooting Association), howard has earned numerous accolades and medaled during DoD competitions with the 1911 platform in bulls-eye shooting.

Give the gift of Firearm safety Course this Valentines Day

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Forget about roses, give her the gift of self protection this Valentines Day. Your Valentine — whether she’s your wife, girlfriend, daughter or sister — deserves something very special. Being able to handle the bad situation where anyone try to harm or stop anyone forcefully entering the house is must when you are on any business trip or elsewhere. What could be more sentimental than a tool she can use to defend herself?

Purchase a gift card of “Firearm Safety and Familiarization Course” at Aegis Academy in San Diego. This is entry level course, designed for inexperienced shooters, the course will cover general firearm safety and range safety procedures and basic weapons handling course for variety of pistol, shotgun and carbine. Including lecture and all necessary access to our online library.

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The course is scheduled on February 15, 2015 12pm to 5:30pm – perfect timing. Let that special person in your life know how much you care about them and their well being.

After the range, go out to dinner together and talk about her shooting experience and of course, stay safe !!

Diagnosing Pistol Malfunctions – Part I: Failure to Feed

Whether on the range or via e-mail, I receive a lot of questions regarding pistol malfunctions. These questions go beyond discussing the skills required to clear malfunctions. They are geared more toward understanding “what” makes their pistol malfunction and what can be done to prevent the malfunction, rather than just relying on corrective actions alone. There is a lot of material to cover in regard to diagnosing pistol malfunctions, so I’ll break the topic into a three-article series. In general, there are three main types of malfunctions: (1) failure to feed; (2) failure to fire; and (3) failure to extract/eject. This first article: “Diagnosing Pistol Malfunction – Part I” will provide an in-depth discussion on failure to feed.

Cycle of Operations

 

I chose failure to feed since it is arguably the start of the cycle of operations. Internal Ballistics Part I listed detailed descriptions on each of the elements in the cycle of operation, which are: Feeding, Chambering, Locking, Firing, Unlocking, Extracting, Ejecting, and Cocking.


To be more specific on the definition of failure to feed, we will look closely at a semi-automatic pistol’s operation from the point of full slide recoil through the forward motion that strips the cartridge from the magazine, chambers the round, and locks into battery. This discussion will cover the majority of possible malfunctions or interruptions of the first three elements in the cycle of operations.

Slide Lock Malfunctions

 

Since we are starting this discussion from the point of full rearward slide movement, the first thing that can prevent the slide’s movement forward is an unanticipated slide lock engagement. Although it is easy to clear this malfunction, it is very frustrating and can cost precious seconds in a live engagement or competition.
 
When things are working properly, a small tab on the top left side of the magazine follower engages the portion of the slide lock protruding into the interior of the frame. As the last round is stripped from the magazine, the follower moves to the highest position in the magazine. Once that last round is fired and ejected, the follower pushes the slide lock protrusion and slide lock body up and into a small cut-out in the slide, thus locking it to the rear. Click the image below for a larger view.

When things aren’t working properly, the slide lock moves “up,” engages the slide while there are still cartridges in the magazine. Most pistols have an internal spring connected to the slide stop assembly which prevents inadvertent upward movement. 1911 style pistols have an external spring and plunger that provide friction against the face of the slide stop to prevent inadvertent engagement. If the malfunction is within the pistol, it may be due to a damaged or weak slide stop or plunger spring (1911). Otherwise, this can occur due to a magazine that is damaged or out of specification.

Most shooters don’t want to hear this, but the primary cause of premature slide-lock is shooter induced. I’ve heard shooters swear up and down that they are not the cause, only to find out that one of their thumbs “gently grazed” the slide stop and moved it upward during recoil.

If you are having this malfunction: (1) make sure it is not shooter induced; (2) check the magazines for proper contact with the slide stop; and (3) check the slide stop spring or the plunger spring in 1911s.

Cartridge Not Stripped From Magazine

 

This occurs when a round is fired, the case was extracted and ejected properly, but the next round is not stripped from the magazine leaving the slide to move forward and lock on an empty chamber. I’ve seen this a lot and it has happened to me on occasion during USPSA shooting.

Magazine improperly seated – Many of us have been there… we receive the command to “make ready,” so we insert a magazine, pull the slide to the rear and chamber a round, conduct a chamber check to ensure that a cartridge was chambered, apply the safety, holster, and wait for the signal to start firing. We hear the “beep,” unholster, index the first target, press the trigger, and send the first round down range. However, our second trigger press is met with a “click,” followed by any number of expletives. While we verified that the first cartridge was chambered, without ensuring that the magazine was fully seated, the slide simply “skipped over” the next cartridge instead of stripping it from the magazine and chambering it. A simple “tap” on the bottom of the magazine followed by racking the slide sets everything straight… most of the time.

In some cases, however, the problem is not shooter error, but is caused by the mechanical interaction within the pistol. There is a small cut-out in the magazine that contacts the internal surface of the magazine catch and locks the magazine in place within the frame. If the magazine is damaged in the vicinity of the cut-out, the magazine catch itself is damaged, or if there is dirt/debris blocking the magazine well, the magazine may not fully seat, which will cause the slide to “skip over” and completely miss the next cartridge in the magazine.

Chamber Feed Failure – Nose Down

This occurs when the tip of the cartridge impacts the feed ramp on the frame or barrel at a downward angle, fails to feed into the chamber, and halts the motion of the slide… thus jamming the pistol.

There are a number of potential causes for this type of malfunction which include the magazine, the extractor, the feed ramp, and the cartridge itself. Let’s start with a discussion on the magazines. Read More >>

Posted by Howard Hall