This is always worth reading by
@Hummer70
IT DON’T GO BANG-FIRES, HANGFIRES, MISFIRES AND SHORT ORDER COOKS
What
@Hummer70 is showing is that ignition system design is often an afterthought with commercial rifles. I am going to tell you, Stoner did not have the slightest idea about primer sensitivity limits when he designed his AR15. It turns out that the firing pin impact energy of the first AR's was always more than the "None fire" limits. Early AR15's slamfired enough that the Army had to lighten the firing pin, and create a less sensitive, mil spec "#41" primer.
This is also worth reading:
Mysteries And Misconceptions Of The All-Important Primer
one important point I learned in this article is the importance of firmly seating the anvil, and then pushing the cup down to set the distance between anvil and cup. If the anvil is dangling in the air, the primer no go bangy. And, there has to be space between the cup and anvil or you risk cracking the primer cake. I have had lots of primers that no go bangy, some I put on a stove burner, under a cast iron skillet, and when the burner gets hot enough, everyone of those primer popped loudly. The primer cake was energetic, but I have no idea why the primer no go bangy in my guns.
One thing I would like to see, is the firing pin offset with your rifle. This is absolutely critical, as
@Hummer70 mentions.
the further from the exact tip of the anvil
View attachment 1116586
the more likely the primer is to misfire. And that offset is not a lot, around 0.020" is a reject limit for some.
whatever pistol this round was fired in was so badly made, the firing pin strike is way off center, and the round no go bangy.
View attachment 1116587
The more you shoot, the more you learn that good mainsprings are a must, and so is also a clean firing pin channel. Firing pin protrusion will make the difference between reliable ignition and not reliable ignition. Something else, what exact cartridge were you using and how much do you set the shoulder back? Too much distance between the bolt face and case head will lead to light firing pin strikes.
One of the funny things about the shooting community is so many think they know everything there is to know about primers and ignition. When in actuality, those puffed up individuals are nothing but
Confident Idiots. It is worth reading that article by David Dunning to understand that the mind is the supreme egotist and thinks it knows everything, when it actually knows nothing.
Ignition is extremely important to firearms, good ignition is not a given. I will comment, if you have Federals, use those in cold weather. Federal primers are the most sensitive primers on the market and tend to go bang with weak, and out of spec ignition systems, when other primers no go bangy.