Common Ammunition Malfunctions
The malfunction of Ammunition, a shell (commonly called a misfire) is the failure of the primer and/or powder within a shell to function as expected.
Shell head base separation
Shell head base separation occurs when the plastic part of the shell separated from the base brass part of the shell. This may happen with shell that has been Hand-loading reloaded several times. If this malfunction occurs make sure there is no barrel obstruction before continuing to shoot. There are rods on most ranges to run through your barrel for this purpose.
Dud
A dud (also a misfire or failure to fire) occurs when the trigger is pulled but the primer or powder in the shell malfunctions, causing the firearm not to discharge. Dud rounds can still be dangerous and should be deactivated and disposed of properly.
Hang fire
A hang fire (also delayed discharge) is an unexpected delay between the triggering of a firearm and the ignition of the. Whenever a firearm fails to fire, but has not clearly malfunctioned, a hang fire should be suspected. When this occurs, the correct procedure is to keep the firearm pointed downrange or in a safe direction for thirty to sixty seconds, then remove and safely discard the shell (which is now a dud as explained above). The reason for this is that a shell detonating outside of the firearm, or in the firearm with the action open, could cause serious injury.
Squib load
A squib load (also squib round, squib, squib fire, insufficient discharge, and incomplete discharge) is an extremely dangerous malfunction that happens when a fired projectile does not carry enough force and becomes stuck in the gun barrel instead of exiting it. In the case of semi-automatic this can cause successive rounds to be fired into the projectile obstructing the barrel, which can cause catastrophic failure to the structural integrity of the firearm, and pose a threat to the operator or bystanders. The wad and shot from a squib stuck in the barrel can be ejected when subsequently by running a cleaning rod or dowel rod through the barrel. Always be conscious of where the barrel is pointing while in the process of removing an obstruction. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction action open and finger off the trigger.
Shell head base separation
Shell head base separation occurs when the plastic part of the shell separated from the base brass part of the shell. This may happen with shell that has been Hand-loading reloaded several times. If this malfunction occurs make sure there is no barrel obstruction before continuing to shoot. There are rods on most ranges to run through your barrel for this purpose.
Dud
A dud (also a misfire or failure to fire) occurs when the trigger is pulled but the primer or powder in the shell malfunctions, causing the firearm not to discharge. Dud rounds can still be dangerous and should be deactivated and disposed of properly.
Hang fire
A hang fire (also delayed discharge) is an unexpected delay between the triggering of a firearm and the ignition of the. Whenever a firearm fails to fire, but has not clearly malfunctioned, a hang fire should be suspected. When this occurs, the correct procedure is to keep the firearm pointed downrange or in a safe direction for thirty to sixty seconds, then remove and safely discard the shell (which is now a dud as explained above). The reason for this is that a shell detonating outside of the firearm, or in the firearm with the action open, could cause serious injury.
Squib load
A squib load (also squib round, squib, squib fire, insufficient discharge, and incomplete discharge) is an extremely dangerous malfunction that happens when a fired projectile does not carry enough force and becomes stuck in the gun barrel instead of exiting it. In the case of semi-automatic this can cause successive rounds to be fired into the projectile obstructing the barrel, which can cause catastrophic failure to the structural integrity of the firearm, and pose a threat to the operator or bystanders. The wad and shot from a squib stuck in the barrel can be ejected when subsequently by running a cleaning rod or dowel rod through the barrel. Always be conscious of where the barrel is pointing while in the process of removing an obstruction. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction action open and finger off the trigger.