buffybr

6. The primer was seated too deep.

7. A firing pin that is worn or too short, or a firing pin spring that is too weak.

I shoot a lot of skeet and trap. It is not unusual for someone to have a miss-fire with a dented primer, usually caused with a reload that had the primer seated too deep. There is even a rule for registered competitions that this would be "ammunition malfunction" and it would not count as a "lost" target.

Many years ago, I had a Model 77 Ruger in .308 Win that would not reliably shoot standard rifle primers, but worked fine with large pistol primers.

On my last hunt in South Africa, I developed a load for my .300 Weatherby with 150 gr Hornady FMJ bullets for shooting very small antelopes and small cats. When the opportunity arose to shoot a caracal, I squeezed the trigger and there was just a loud click. When I attempted to load another cartridge, it wouldn't chamber. The primer of the first round had fired and there was enough pressure to move the bullet into the barrel.

When I checked the miss-fired case, it was still full of compacted and unburned powder. Earlier that day I had fired two sight-in cartridges from that box, let my PH fire a couple of rounds, and I had killed a Civet with another round. When I got back home, I fired all of the remaining cartridges in that box, and all worked perfectly.

Bullcamp82834

8. * Handling primers with fingers that have sizing lube all over them. I guess it doesn't take much to contaminate a primer and render it inert.


* I've never seen this but I've read about it in loading manuals.

oldsmellhound

Your are very lucky. In the past 20 years, there has been only 1 time that I can remember a primer being dented well without the round going off. This was with cheap Chinese ammo when shooting my SKS. Only 1 time. I'm glad you are still with us!!!!

d80hunter

Slicking up actions like the Marlin 1894 the novice way can lead to light hammer strikes, the result of shortening the hammer spring for a lighter trigger pull and easier lever working. Besides light hammer/ firing pin strikes and dangeroulsy improper reloading, you have a rare and random occurrence. Consider yourself lucky.

d80hunter

Pistol primers of the same diameter have cups that are less thick than rifle primers and easier to ignite. A weak firing pin in that Ruger 77 .308 would make rifle primers inconsistent.

buffybr

That's exactly why I started loading the pistol primers in that rifle.

Tundra10

Once 13 yrs ago. Cost me a 12 pt buck. Aint bought a Remington product since then.

bigtim6656

Ya i guess im lucky. Iv been lucky alot lol. Spun out on a mountain flying bzckwards to a cliff just to get inchs away from the half fallin gaurd rail to spin back the other way in my lane heading toward a rock wall i stopped dead in my line like i just stopped two seconds later a bus full of kids came around the corner i was going toward. I was shaking afterwards. My jeep flying into a lake and bot my buddy snd i getting out.

Iv come to believe god truely loves me lol

Bullcamp82834

Perforated primers.
Something you don't want.
I'd never put a pistol primer in a rifle case.

Father Forkhorn

1. Had an old savage double with a weak spring that would sometimes occasionally dent a primer but not enough to actually go bang.

2. Not had this happen to me yet, but guys who shoot milsurp 8mm Mausers say that some surplus Yugoslavian ammo from the 1950s had hard primers that won't fire with weaker firing pin springs. It's not unusual to get misfires and you have to order a new replacement spring.


Though the 8mm surplus seems to have dried up recently, you still run into a box of Yugo here and there, as it was still available only a year or two ago from the suppliers. It's otherwise decent ammo as surplus goes. I have a couple of boxes myself but have never shot it. May not be 1950s, though I suspect it is.

There is some Iranian/Persian 8mm surplus still available but everyone says it's just bad, bad, bad. Hangfires all the the time from the reports.