Never expected this to happen...

[Wolfdawg]

I was set-up this past Saturday at Williamsport with my Dasher on relay 8, bench 4. Of course the wind was whipping, as usuall.
The sighter period started and on my 3 sighter, I noticed a small puff of smoke. I looked at the case and noticed that the primer had been pierced. A small center section of the primer was missing where the firing pin had struck. I thought immediately "well, that must be the CCI 450's I loaded for this match". I wanted to try new primers with this load, so what the heck.
Anyway, the rest of the sighters went fine. Then the record rounds started. On the 4th shot, *click*, missfire... I cycled the bolt 2 times and nothing. So I pulled my #10 sighter from my shoo-off rounds and kept going. Well, 3 more missfires later, I finished the record rounds.
I went back to the bench and was trying to figure out what happened. The missfires had an odd shaped firing pin indent, and even stranger was that 2 primers on rounds that went off had the firing pin indent actually protruding outward, like a nipple.
My shooting buds immediately told me it was a weak firing pin spring. Si I went to take the bolt apart and noticed a small silver 'plug' in the firing pin channel in the breech face. Apparently, when the first shot got pierced, the primer piece plugged up the firing pin channel and was acting as a buffer evertime I fired or tried to fire a shot. STRANGE!!!

So, moral of the story....if you pierce a primer, check your bolt to find out where that piercing went...
All I did was relieve the firing pin tension with a Kleindorst tool and it popped right out, no problem.

Here endeth the lesson...
Wolfdawg ;D

 

[lrgoodger]

You were lucky. The first blanked primer I had destroyed my chamber. The plug from the primer got sandwiched between the next three cartridges and the chamber wall. By the time I noticed the gouges on the third cartridge case, the damage was done. The hard cup material not only scratched the brass cases, it trashed the chamber walls as well. Burs in the chamber were scratching every case that went in. I may have been able to polish the burs off, but the grooves would have translated to ridges left on any cases fired in that chamber. I had to have the chamber re-done.

 

[Uthink Uknow]

Wolfman,
A weak firing pin spring is one cause and too large a firing pin hole in the bolt face can also cause it. Both of these problems have a fairly inexpensive fix. The weak spring is the less expensive of the two.

 

[butchlambert]

Yep,
If you shoot enough you will probably experience this. When I blank a primer I immediately disassemble the bolt and clean it out.

 

[Lapua40X]

There are so many possibilities that might explain a pierced primer that speculating on what caused your issue would serve only to feed the speculation. But I will say "congratulations" that your pierced primer debris didn't cause a greater problem. The last primer I pierced deposited the debris up inside the bolt along side the tapered shoulder of the firing pin preventing it from coming forward far enough to fire the round. Ruined an otherwise good day of shooting. It took me a while to find the debris (it's are inside the bolt ) and required flushing the bolt's interior to remove it.
Me lucky too .................

 

[Wolfdawg]

RIGHT!!!!

It was lucky! This game is not all about pressing triggers. You really have to train yourself on how to notice a problem and what to do immediately after that.

Sunday, several of us watched a shooter litterally pound his bolt down with a hammer for every shot, when the bolt finally went down, EVERY shot misfired at least once or twice. He kept reseting the bolt and 'clicking' away until they went off.
Members were commenting on how dangerous this was for the shooter to continue, but he did. Luckily, nothing happened, but it could have.

Even a big hammer wasn't enough for this guy to recognize the problem and STOP!!!
Sometimes we lead a charmed life.... ???

Wolfdawg 8)

 

[Joe Salt]

Wolfdawg yes and he won his relay, then came in third in the shoot off! I guess you have to be born under a certain set of stars.

Joe Salt

 

[mr45man]

Form Wolfdawg,s post
Sunday, several of us watched a shooter literally pound his bolt down with a hammer for every shot, when the bolt finally went down, EVERY shot misfired at least once or twice. He kept resetting the bolt and 'clicking' away until they went off.
The RO or match director should have stopped that!!

 

[Joe Salt]

It was tried but he was finish before that happened. If it would have been me I would have been DQ'd.

Joe Salt

 

[Jet]

Very good lesson. Thanks for sharing.

Jet

 

[Raythemanroe]

Good interesting post, I guess I should leave the hammer for just opening the bolt..


Ray

 

[snert]

Reminds me of when I lost a 22-250 neck. Apparently it made its way into the bore (in parts obviously) and then it made its way out, pushed by the next round. My 40X went from a.4 rifle to a "can't hit a piece of tablet paper twice" rifle. Huge scrape inside the bore. Big bummer!

Snert

 

[tenring]

I have blanked primers twice in my Rem 700 Dasher. Both times, it broke the trigger sear connector. Problem was solved with taking a bit off the FP tip.