Misfire reloads

[RealGun]

After experiencing my first misfire in my reloads, getting two out of the same batch of .38 Special wadcutters yesterday, I am even more comfortable with buying my defensive ammo. These were loaded on a turret, on which I don't know how to be any more careful. Anyway, I presume this is a failure of primers.

p.s. After a close look at the two rounds, I would guess these are light primer strikes, but all the rest fired fine.

 

[WestKentucky]

What primers are you using? Some are harder than others which makes them harder to set off.

 

[PowerPistol]

Unless there is something wrong with your gun, i would suspect you arent getting your primers seated good. I shoot almost 20,000 rounds a year, most of which are 38's. I use whatever primers i can find. I havent had a misfire in years

 

[steve4102]

Explain "Misfires"?

Did they just not fire?

Did you try to fire them a second -third time and did they fire?

Was the primer fully dented?

Did the primer fire and the powder not ignite?

What was the Load?

 

[RealGun]

Explain "Misfires"?

Did they just not fire?

Did you try to fire them a second -third time and did they fire?

Was the primer fully dented?

Did the primer fire and the powder not ignite?

What was the Load?

That's a lot of homework. I will wait to try them again. It didn't occur to me that the gun might have light strikes.

Both headstamps were Winchester. Primers were Federal, which have served well in large and small, regular and magnum. I think I will not muddy the water with load info This is a mechanical problem.

Unfortunately, I was shooting 4 different 38 Specials at the range and am not positive which one I was using at the time.

 

[rsrocket1]

Do you check each loaded cartridge to ensure the primers aren't sitting high?
I'll bet most of your "misfires" will fire on the second try which means you didn't seat the primer all the way down.

If they don't shoot on the second try, you need to pull the bullet to see if you failed to charge the round. That happens too.

Federal primers are pretty soft and should go bang with almost any strike so long as they are seated properly. If they are seated high, you'll see a good strike, but no bang. The anvil in the primer must be touching the primer compound and the bottom of the primer pocket to go off.

 

[ljnowell]

Do you check each loaded cartridge to ensure the primers aren't sitting high?
I'll bet most of your "misfires" will fire on the second try which means you didn't seat the primer all the way down.

If they don't shoot on the second try, you need to pull the bullet to see if you failed to charge the round. That happens too.

Federal primers are pretty soft and should go bang with almost any strike so long as they are seated properly. If they are seated high, you'll see a good strike, but no bang. The anvil in the primer must be touching the primer compound and the bottom of the primer pocket to go off.

I would have to disagree with a few things.

If there were no charge in the case the bullet wouldn't still be in the case. Even with very firm roll crimps I've never seem a primer fail to push a bullet out of the case.

In my experience, no matter the brand, a high seated primer will not have a normal dent in it. The inertia from the firing pin stroke pushes the primer in further making a lighter dent.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

This issue is rarely anything but a primer seating problem.

Looking at the back of the primer you see 3 wide prongs that unite in the center. This is the anvil, which has to be against the bottom of the primer cup for the primer to ignite. Not seated and the first strike with the firing pin usually seats the anvil and leaves a light dent in the primer. Pull the trigger again on the same round and it will usually ignite.

To check the primer I run my thumbnail across the case. If I feel a bump, I seat the primer again. Seating primers on a turret can be an issue, you really have to get a feel for seating the primers. Once you figure it out, you will rarely have another high primer.

 

[Slamfire]

Do you check each loaded cartridge to ensure the primers aren't sitting high?
I'll bet most of your "misfires" will fire on the second try which means you didn't seat the primer all the way down.

I agree that is the is most likely issue.

CCI states in this article that high primers are the most common cause of misfires. The primer anvil has to be fully seated and the primer cake pushed into it.

Mysteries And Misconceptions Of The All-Important Primer

http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammo/ammunition_st_mamotaip_200909/

Probably the different revolvers you used varied in firing pin energy. Some may have had just enough energy to seat the primer and ignite on the first hit.

 

[medalguy]

High primers AND weak firing pin strikes. I find a surprising number of dented but unfired rounds where I shoot. Sometimes I find 10 or more rounds of obviously the same ammo run through the same gun with very light pin indentations. I pull them down for the bullets and brass.

Be sure to check that possibility too.

 

[rsrocket1]

If there were no charge in the case the bullet wouldn't still be in the case. Even with very firm roll crimps I've never seem a primer fail to push a bullet out of the case.

Sorry I hate to admit it, but from first hand experience I've had several instances where a primer only shot left the bullet firmly seated in the case. I've also had a primer only shot shoot out a 158g LRN bullet at 231 fps. The chronied instance was a Silver State hard cast where I had no crimp. The other case was with Lee 358-158-RF bullets in a 38 special case with a firm roll crimp.


After pulling the bullet with a kinetic puller, I saw that the bottom of the bullet was black with soot from the primer, but still firmly seated. When the primer only charge goes off, whether or not the bullet goes into the barrel depends on the volume of empty space in the cartridge. 9/40/45 tend to dislodge the bullet and drive it into the barrel. A firmly roll crimped lead bullet may look like a fully loaded cartridge except for the primer.

But that knowledge and advice is to let the OP know that just because a cartridge does not fire on the second strike, it doesn't mean he may have missed a charge and that the primer or powder is to blame.

 

[mdi]

90% of "misfires" with a newer reloader's ammo is from improper primer seating. Just push the primers all the way to the bottom of the pocket, and disregard "below flush" dimensions...

 

[303load]

Don't be afraid to seat it all the way. Just keep the seating stroke fluid and firm.

 

[ljnowell]

Sorry I hate to admit it, but from first hand experience I've had several instances where a primer only shot left the bullet firmly seated in the case. I've also had a primer only shot shoot out a 158g LRN bullet at 231 fps. The chronied instance was a Silver State hard cast where I had no crimp. The other case was with Lee 358-158-RF bullets in a 38 special case with a firm roll crimp.


After pulling the bullet with a kinetic puller, I saw that the bottom of the bullet was black with soot from the primer, but still firmly seated. When the primer only charge goes off, whether or not the bullet goes into the barrel depends on the volume of empty space in the cartridge. 9/40/45 tend to dislodge the bullet and drive it into the barrel. A firmly roll crimped lead bullet may look like a fully loaded cartridge except for the primer.

But that knowledge and advice is to let the OP know that just because a cartridge does not fire on the second strike, it doesn't mean he may have missed a charge and that the primer or powder is to blame.

That would certainly be avfirst for me and many others. I have had primers only push 300gr billets that were very firmly roll crimped out of the case in the great big 45 colt case. I simply can't see it happening. Anything is possible I suppose, just very unlikely.

 

[Cheesemaker]

Unfortunately, I was shooting 4 different 38 Specials at the range and am not positive which one I was using at the time.

What does this mean? You don't recall what firearm you were shooting when the issue manifested?

 

[Rule3]

That's a lot of homework. I will wait to try them again. It didn't occur to me that the gun might have light strikes.

Both headstamps were Winchester. Primers were Federal, which have served well in large and small, regular and magnum. I think I will not muddy the water with load info This is a mechanical problem.

Unfortunately, I was shooting 4 different 38 Specials at the range and am not positive which one I was using at the time.

There are to many variables to determine the cause until the OP determines what exact revolver and if it was. Simply re-striking the failed rounds in the gun will indicate high primers or weak mainspring.

 

[forestswin]

As Rule eluded to,

or weak mainspring





I had what I thought were dud primers. It ended up my mainspring strain screw was out 1 1/2 turns causing light primer strikes.

It wouldn't hurt to check if they are all snugged down in all 4 of your 38 specials.
If one is backed out some (loose), that might be your fix.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

I'd just have to add that I use my hand loads for SD and in the rounds I reloaded 30 years ago (tens of thousands) and the ones I have reloaded last year to this date ( about 3K) I have yet to ever have one not go bang.

The only 2 rounds I ever had issues with were factory - one squib and one that failed to go bang.

VooDoo

 

[cfullgraf]

or weak mainspring

A few years ago, my M642 went through a rash of "no fires". Once I verified that it was not an ammunition problem, I replaced the springs and all was well again.

 

[Sunray]

Primers not seated properly or missing powder. However, it's far more likely the former as the primer alone is enough to push the bullet into the barrel.

 

[TfflHndn]

I, too, have had one misfire that I pulled to find a very sooty casing and rear end of the bullet, with the bullet still in the casing. I had expected to find a dud primer and powder. I must have missed that case when charging, but the primer certainly burned.

 

[gamestalker]

My first suspicion would be improperly seated primers.

And although it's not a common cause, primers can also be seated to deep, though usually the problem is shallow seating.

Granted I don't shoot thousands of rounds per month, I have loaded 10's of thousands over the last 30 yrs. without a mis-fire.

GS

 

[ljnowell]

My first suspicion would be improperly seated primers.



And although it's not a common cause, primers can also be seated to deep, though usually the problem is shallow seating.



Granted I don't shoot thousands of rounds per month, I have loaded 10's of thousands over the last 30 yrs. without a mis-fire.



GS

It wouldn't really be seating them too deep, it would be crushing them, lol. I know a lot of people that do it when they first start priming on press.

 

[moxie]

RealGun,

Most likely a primer seating issue as most above have stated.

Save yourself problems with this by getting a hand priming tool now. I like the Lee Autoprime. Cheap, easy and 100% effective.

 

[gamestalker]

Ljnowell, thanks for the clarification, that's actually what I was implying, crushing them, which is what happens when they are seated too deep. I guess I should have termed that differently.

GS