Thread: Beware the Hangfire !!

I have always been aware that a hangfire / delayed ignition can happen. I have had it with a Sako 223 a few times and a 22. Wait a few seconds cycle the bolt etc

The following account that I was told about on Friday has made me much more wary of the implications.

Two blokes I know were hunting. Ian, who is an amazingly good shot on running game dropped one running pig and squeezed off on a second. 'Click' F--k ! As the bolt was lifted to chamber another round the shell fired sending the 'unlocked' bolt down the side of Ians cheek, leaving a permanent scar.

I had always thought the danger was that the shell could explode outside of the breach like ammo on a bonfire and at worst send bits of brass flying. Never realised that the bolt could become a projectile !!

Hangfires are dangerous! If it happens keep the firearm pointed downrange and count to 10 before opening the action in a manner that does not expose you to any danger, eg; step to the side while keeping the muzzle down range so that the left side of the action (the safest side) is toward you. I have experienced several over the years and am still in one piece by following that rule. The 10 count is important because I have struck a couple that went off about 8!

@Pengy

Makes sense that the bolt will become the projectile once it is opened. @gundoc, bugger the 10 seconds, I've always waited about 30. Only had this 3 times in 20 years though. I

NRANZ rules state 30 seconds which seems a long time.
Most hangfires I have experienced (ancient ammo) were click-bangs which were disconcerting enough. Yeah, I guess out in the sticks your brain is on rifle operation autopilot and you would naturally quickly cycle the bolt. I know in days gone by on the fullbore ranges a misfire usually meant the shooter immediately raised the bolt, closed it, and tried again. Further back in time on the 30s of course it was safer, the cocking piece was just recocked without opening the bolt. It's quite weird, as back in the old 30 days we probably recognised the danger more than in modern times. I suppose due to some of the crappy old military ammo that we used.

And another one. How many of us have had a 22rf misfire where we immediately extracted the round, and reinserted it in the chamber with the cartridge slightly rotated around from the first attempt for a fresh part of the rim to be struck by the firing pin? Nah? No one done that?

NRANZ rule -
"If a misfire occurs, the competitor should be aware of the possible danger of a hangfire. The
RO must be called immediately, whilst the rifle remains pointed towards the targets. After
waiting 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. It is the responsibility of the RO to
ensure that no one is standing behind, should the bolt be blown out. On no account must a
round that has misfired be reloaded into the rifle."

I experienced a hangfire delay of about 20 seconds recently. It really drummed home the need to always point the firearm in a safe direction.
Using a 22 rimfire with a tube magazine and not counting shots, I was firing off a few rounds at a 50m target. After I got nothing but a *click* for my last shot, I assumed I was empty. I lowered the firearm slightly to fill the tube from the butt of the stock, and as I was filling it the unfired round went off. That got a the mind racing and wondering what could have happened if the barrel was pointed in a direction other than the ground about 20 meters ahead.

Assumptions.
Mother of all fuckups

Have had a hang fire in a savage 116 before, pulled trigger and there was a kind of dull click than as I was about to open bolt boom it went off. Was tahr hunting and turns out it was because moisture had got inside the bolt body and froze so the firing pin got hung up on it. Also had a 3030 lever action 1894 go off before the lever was fully closed and in battery. Pulled all the skin off the back of my fingers as the lever flew open when it happened, bolt came out the back of the action as they do when you cycle them so lucky that didn't give me a kiss, actually pissed my pants a little I think.

Hangfires are nasty things.

I experienced more than a couple when I was shooting a lot of .303 MkVII Ball through Lee Enfields - fortunately following the 30 second Rule no doubt saved my pretty face.

Certainly told you what .303 Ball to stay away from - anything made by Pakistani Ordnance Factory (poorly stored during Service led to primer decay), anything made by Radway Green prior to 1950 (just poor quality), and some Aussie WW2 years/makers.

Originally Posted by fernleaf

Hangfires are nasty things.

I experienced more than a couple when I was shooting a lot of .303 MkVII Ball through Lee Enfields - fortunately following the 30 second Rule no doubt saved my pretty face.

Certainly told you what .303 Ball to stay away from - anything made by Pakistani Ordnance Factory (poorly stored during Service led to primer decay), anything made by Radway Green prior to 1950 (just poor quality), and some Aussie WW2 years/makers.

Yep, I don't like using my old #4 mk1 with surplus ammo, one batch in particular misfires about 1 in 5 rounds. I mean I recently fired 10rds and had 1 misfire, tried more and had another at rd 10, then stopped shooting. What does everyone do to dispose of old ammo btw? OTOH I don't like buying .303 British at over $3/rd either!

pull it and put powder in garden..... reuse projectiles and brass....

Maaany moons ago (my teens) we were at the beach having a party. We had 'access' to jelly and safety fuse and dets. As well as beer, girls and steaks. Everything a young man could desire. Were lighting them up and throwing them over our shoulder...seeing who would stay sitting on the log beside the fire, and who would bolt. One didn't go off. I remembered that the book had said safety fuse misfires, wait thirty minutes. Well after some more frivolities and about 10-15 minutes I said, bugger this, I'll go and retrieve and re prime it. Took 2 steps towards it and Booooommm!!!!

Always waited thirty minutes after that

Yeah, owing an old Lee enfield with ancient army surplus ammo taught me that hang fires can happen after up to 20 seconds... and not to use old ammo if you can avoid it.

Originally Posted by fernleaf

Hangfires are nasty things.

I experienced more than a couple when I was shooting a lot of .303 MkVII Ball through Lee Enfields - fortunately following the 30 second Rule no doubt saved my pretty face.

Certainly told you what .303 Ball to stay away from - anything made by Pakistani Ordnance Factory (poorly stored during Service led to primer decay), anything made by Radway Green prior to 1950 (just poor quality), and some Aussie WW2 years/makers.

Had a nearly full bandolier of Radway Green 1942 mk viii, no tarnishing etc but virtually every round was a clickbang. It's a Cordite/ primer issue. Cordite is hard to light and really needs magnum primers, so if the primer has deteriorated then...

OTOH Greek HXP, though heavily tarnished, they rarely fail to go off as advertised. But maybe not fair to compare a wartime product with a nice post-war Winchester factory up in some pleasant sunny Greek mountain.

Originally Posted by Cordite

Had a nearly full bandolier of Radway Green 1942 mk viii, no tarnishing etc but virtually every round was a clickbang. It's a Cordite/ primer issue. Cordite is hard to light and really needs magnum primers, so if the primer has deteriorated then...

OTOH Greek HXP, though heavily tarnished, they rarely fail to go off as advertised. But maybe not fair to compare a wartime product with a nice post-war Winchester factory up in some pleasant sunny Greek mountain.

Interesting, the Greek HXP stuff I have used had a 10% failure rate, mostly click nothing but a few hangfires too.