Accidental Discharge- any idea why?

popcan

popcan

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 99.4%
173   1   0
Location
N 51.22.803 - W 121.16.257
Buddy tells me he inserted a mag, worked the bolt to chamber a round, and his rifle discharged on closing the bolt. Luckily he was pointed in a safe direction, no harm done.

Any ideas about why this can happen?

Rounds are reloads, had no trouble previously.
Rifle is a tikka T3 stainless laminate, 30-06. Fairly new rifle, but he is second owner.
He has not fiddled with the trigger at all.

Im wondering if there's any connection to his reloads somehow?
Headspace issue maybe? But doesn't really explain how the firing pin strikes the primer.
Maybe primer not seated?
Any history of Tikkas having this issue?

Any insights would be appreciated!
 
The cause is undoubtedly insufficient sear engagement, either through the factory adjustment, or due to a faulty sear or trigger. If there is an adjustment on the trigger to increase the sear engagement, that would be the first thing I'd try, and if that fails to resolve the problem, its a warranty/gunsmith issue in order to determine the problem. There's no point in spending money on an after market trigger if the sear is to blame.
 
He should check to see if its repeatable....could be a dirty trigger/safety too.

With an empty gun, slam the bolt closed 10 times to see if it releases the firing pin....then do the same with the safety on and pull the trigger then go safety off
 
How light is the trigger set? Maybe the previous owner fiddled with the trigger... try and get it to malfunction again (without a loaded round). Slam the bolt shut, etc. Check for free trigger movement, dirt, etc.

It is possible the rifle sat next to a Remington one time and got infected.:rolleyes:
 
guntech said:
How light is the trigger set? Maybe the previous owner fiddled with the trigger... try and get it to malfunction again (without a loaded round). Slam the bolt shut, etc. Check for free trigger movement, dirt, etc.

It is possible the rifle sat next to a Remington one time and got infected.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

STD - Safe Transmitted Disorder!
 
Perhaps the previous owner played with the trigger, or one of the owners lubed the trigger with oil and it gummed up, or his finger accidentally bumped the trigger as he closed the bolt. A friend of mine got excited on a hunt and although he denies it, I saw his finger hit the trigger as he closed the bolt, after he missed his first shot at an animal.
 
Your answer to what may be causing the firing on closure has probably already been stated. What ever the cause, it is not ammunition, and this firearm needs immediate attention with no field trips till its fixed.

I've been toying with them for many years, but trigger safety issues due to worn, misalignment, incorrect angles and engagement distances is not a DIY for myself nor for most rifleman as well.

Have a competent smith look at it, do not use that rifle in the field till it's sorted out. I know it's hunting season time, but a loaner rifle may help out, I've done it many times to help prevent a disaster. Once is enough to tell there's a problem, after its fixed by the Smith and as already stated by others on here, give it a vigorous test yourself with hard bolt closures, safety both on and off, trigger pulls on the safety then release etc and lastly, a good hard slam on the end of the butt with your palm 10 times with safety on and then off. You can never be too thorough with firearm safety no matter who's worked on it. The condition may have already caused by supposedly correct work.

If she don't inadvertently fire after this,...I would clear her for the field with muzzle control always as with any rifle.
 
stubblejumper said:
Perhaps the previous owner played with the trigger, or one of the owners lubed the trigger with oil and it gummed up, or his finger accidentally bumped the trigger as he closed the bolt. A friend of mine got excited on a hunt and although he denies it, I saw his finger hit the trigger as he closed the bolt, after he missed his first shot at an animal.
Click to expand...

A similar controversy was generated by this very type of dischage in the case of the poor woman who accidentally shot and killed her son who was unseen behind a trailer when she was unloading a Remington 700. She blamed the 700, and we know it has had it's share of complaints on the original trigger, a long story not wanting to start another debate,...... but some also feel she touched of the rifle in the unloading process.
 
popcan said:
Copy that! This rifle is parked until a competent Smith checks it out. He is borrowing my 7mmRM for the remainder of his hunt.
Thanks for the speedy replies!
Click to expand...

Bravo! That's how things get solved! Now that 7mmRM wouldn't be a M70 Winchester would it,...mine was lent out humpteen times to many over the years for many reasons. If it's a Winchester, he's going to bag a monster buck;),..mine done it so many times for others it would make a story just in itself.:d
 
popcan said:
Rifle is a tikka T3 stainless laminate
Any history of Tikkas having this issue?
Click to expand...

An individual's significant other (who I will not mention since the owner is on this forum and I don't have permission to mention them) decided to clean, lubricate and coat against water a Tikka .270Win with ample amounts of kerosene before going out into a snowy day hovering just over freezing. During the day the rifle was fired and a deer legally harvested. At the end of that very day the rifle was wiped and cleaned and all was well... but no internal bolt or trigger cleaning was done.

The next day upon chambering a round with a slightly stiff bolt (I don't know if safety on or off) the rifle immediately fired.

It took me a complete can of Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber to get the rifle clean: the kerosene must have been a hyper-attractant to oils, dirt, and general crud. Or maybe it simply moved existing dirt around and let it settle into the very fine machined tight tolerance parts, I don't know exactly. However, after a proper cleaning and oiling that rifle has been excellent ever since with zero problems.

I am the one who heard the details first hand from the owner and the one who cleaned the firearm, so take it as you will.
 
popcan said:
Forgot to say, he also noted that the bolt was a little stiff to close. Just prior..
it was a one off, as other rounds were tested, but now there is a trust issue, so the rifle is parked.
Click to expand...

Any thought that maybe one of the primers on the reloaded ammunition was high (only partially seated or sitting on some debris in the primer pocket)? On a high primer, closing the bolt may be enough to crush the primer and set it off. I think this happens more frequently on semi-auto rifles. WK
 
WeakKnee said:
Any thought that maybe one of the primers on the reloaded ammunition was high (only partially seated or sitting on some debris in the primer pocket)? On a high primer, closing the bolt may be enough to crush the primer and set it off. I think this happens more frequently on semi-auto rifles. WK
Click to expand...

i did think of this, and mentioned it as a possibility above... But wasn't sure if a "high" primer could actually cause it
 
WeakKnee said:
Any thought that maybe one of the primers on the reloaded ammunition was high (only partially seated or sitting on some debris in the primer pocket)? On a high primer, closing the bolt may be enough to crush the primer and set it off. I think this happens more frequently on semi-auto rifles. WK
Click to expand...

Probably not, at least with a bolt gun. The worst that is likely to happen is a light strike that seats the primer and fires on a second try.

Insufficient sear engagement for whatever reason is the most likely culprit.
 
I had the same problem, luckly it was caught before a round was ever fired. Trigger spring was backed off to much. With the barrel pointed down it would fire with the flip of the safty or working the bolt. With the barrel pointed up, it would function properly. I tightned the trigger spring and the issue went away.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom