Primer problems (ignition)

Alex

Alex

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Hi guys,

I went to the range yesterday to shoot a few reloads, out of 50, 5 or 6 misfired. I had to shoot them a second time in order to ignite the primer (one wouldn’t fire at all even after repeated strikes) I think the problem might be that the primer was not seated far enough in the primer pocket. Am I right and how can I correct this? I use a hand priming tool.

Alex
 
Yes it could be the primers not seated all the way but I would think not likely.
What kind of firearm and what cartridge?
What kind of primers and how are they stored?
Might be dirt in the firing pin spring chamber.
We need more information.
 
I primed some cases that, unbeknownst to me, were still wet inside from when I washed then the day before.

50% failure rate.

But there are a lot of factors that come into play. Were these old primers? How were they stored? Were they the correct primers (no pistol primers ins a rifle, perhaps?) How were the cases primed? Maybe you contaminated the primers by handling them with your fingers? How about the powder? Still good? Large magnum case full of a ball-type powder? Maybe you want to consider magnum primers. Is the gun clean? Firing pin in good shape? etc, etc
 
What type of gun did you shoot? Rifle? Pistol or revolver? It might not be a primer problem. A very light trigger pull on revolvers can cause this problem.
You have to give us more info.
:)
 
Last edited:
Here goes,

I was shooting a Ruger M-77 in .30-06 very good cond. I never disassembled the bolt to clean the components...Should I? Is there a way to test the firing pin?

Cases: Win. Washed trimmed a few weeks prior to priming
Powder: H4350 stored in a cool dry place
Primers: Win. LR mag. well stored, bought last month, I did handle them with my (clean) fingers.

Thanks,

Alex
 
I would suggest disassembling the bolt and maiking sure it is clean. You could check the firing pin protrusion, but I doubt if that is the problem.
 
Yes, the bolt should be periodically disassembled for cleaning, and yes, that could be your problem.
How cold was it? Oils can get pretty thick at sub zero temps. Enough to screw up a solid primer strike. It was -10 at my last range trip. I had problems with one rifle. It had a lot of oil due to a recent bluing job. I did a field strip, and cleaning with 'brake clean' and everything was fine.
 
Disassemble and clean the bolt first. See this for instructions,(www.ruger.com/Firearms/PDF/45.pdf) You can also check firing pin protrusion at that time. You need to turn the bolt shroud to allow the firing pin to fall as if it were in the action. tiriaq and jyc are pointing you in the right direction. There are many things to check that could cause your problem. One step at a time to eliminate each one.
As per prosper it could also be wet cases, but you said that they sat for a few weeks before loading. Do you have any of the same batch cleaned and not loaded that could be checked? Keep us posted on the outcome.
 
It does sound like it is an issue with the firing pin, but the only other variable I can think of is the possibility of contamination by handling the primer (Although you were able to shoot 5 of the 6 misfires). Do you dump the primers directly from their tray into the primer tray or do you take them out by hand. There is a possibility that oils from your hand could render the primers inert.
 
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