Tell me about your funny or crazy gun malfunctions. I'll tell you some of mine.

[Sigblaster]

Please, I don't want to see anything about catastrophic failures that result in injuries. I'm talking about funny or weird malfunctions where no one was hurt.

For example, when I was in OSUT (basic training for you non-Infantry types), we were doing an assault on a building. We were warned not to go full auto, even though it was training. Well, you guessed it, I was on semi, and my M16 went BRRRRRRRRRP. My Drill Sergeant grabbed me and chewed me out about full auto, and I showed him I was on semi. He sent me to the armorer and he reassembled the fire control group correctly.

Another time, I held a duty position that required me to qualify on the M1911. LOL, required me. I was happy to fire anything the Army was stupid enough to put in my hands. I'm on the pistol range, seems so easy, line up the sights, pull the trigger, and the damn thing runs away and dumps the whole magazine. I kept on target, and qualified. Apparently, the armorer fancied himself a gunsmith, and had gotten hold of some National Match parts. By the way, I was using the Company Commander's pistol. Long story short, I was appointed the unit armorer. Former armorer went back to gruntland.

But the weirdest, the absolute weirdest malfunction I ever had was a DOUBLE stove pipe in an M16. This was a miltary-issue M16A1 with live M193 ammunition. Fired several rounds out of the magazine, got a jam, looked down to see TWO expended cases sticking out of the ejection port. Yes, TWO empty casings sticking out of my M16. Its what, 25 or 30 years later? I have no explanation for this. I still haven't figured out how this happened. It's impossibe. You'll call bull****. Hell, I'd call bull**** if I hadn't seen it. But I did see it.

 

[indykid]

Made the mistake of buying an early Olympic Plinker for my daughter many years ago. My daughter is an amazing shooter so when she started complaining that her groups were expanding it got my attention. Then she stood up holding what is in the picture and said "Dad, I think I have a problem"

I looked over to see her holding the barrel in one hand and the rest of the rifle in the other. The beauty of the AR-15 design is the way the bolt locks up, so that this failure was not catastrophic.

I called Olympic and they had me send the rifle back. A week or so later it returned with a proper upper installed replacing the cast part that was supposed to make the rifle less expensive.

This rifle was replaced by a custom ordered and custom built Rock River AR-15 competition model for CPM use. That rifle is amazing!

 

[DadSmith]

I was playing around with my AR15 mil spec trigger trying to smooth it out because it was so gritty. I indeed smoothed it out. However, after about 15rds it turned into a binary trigger. It fired on pull and release. I didn't like that so replaced it with a LaRue. Love the LaRue trigger. Its now my go to trigger group.

Now for you gunsmiths I'd like to know what the heck I did wrong to make my mil spec trigger turn into a binary? What did I file off to much of?

 

[drillsgt]

I was at the M9 range once with a bunch of 11C (mortars) trainees. One trainee while shooting his M9 stopped and seem puzzled, seems the front half of his M9 slide launched downrange.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I was playing around with my AR15 mil spec trigger trying to smooth it out because it was so gritty. I indeed smoothed it out. However, after about 15rds it turned into a binary trigger. It fired on pull and release. I didn't like that so replaced it with a LaRue. Love the LaRue trigger. Its now my go to trigger group.

Now for you gunsmiths I'd like to know what the heck I did wrong to make my mil spec trigger turn into a binary? What did I file off to much of?

I don't know the answer to your question, but I had the same thing happen with a drop-in trigger when I forgot to tighten the set screws. Scared me at first until I figured out what was going on! (But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little bit fun too. ) I corrected it though.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I have had 1911 magazines cease to exist in odd ways:

Shooting plates with my brother. 1911 follower and spring comes up out of the gun on last round like an M1 Garand rifle, it even PING'd!

At Eagle Creek range, Metalform mag welds on floorplate fail on insertion of magazine, all 7 tumble out bottom (my memory was incorrect, happened as I was drilling non-dominant hand). There is a photo of that on the net.

*EDIT: Found it!*

 

[Wolfhound]

I have had 1911 magazines cease to exist in odd ways:

Shooting plates with my brother. 1911 follower and spring comes up out of the gun on last round like an M1 Garand rifle, it even PING'd!

At Eagle Creek range, Metalform mag welds on floorplate fail on insertion of magazine, all 7 tumble out bottom (my memory was incorrect, happened as I was drilling non-dominant hand). There is a photo of that on the net.

*EDIT: Found it!*

I had something similar happen with a Springfield Armory 1911. My son was shooting some cheap Wolf ammo (I know, I know) and one round gave a strange report and the mag floor plate, spring and all the remaining ammo went flying onto the ground. Upon inspection the Wolf primer had ruptured sending gas back into the 1911 and blowing out the floor plate. I don't use Wolf pistol ammo anymore.

 

[Brad69]

Rodriguez Range South Korea 1999

I was the NCOIC of a Mark 19 range firing off of HUMVEE’s one of the gunners had a malfunction and locked the gun at max elevation. When he attempted to clear it he accidentally fired about 10 rounds of HEDP no biggie right? Well the rounds went over the hill and probably into North Korea definitely deep into the DMZ.

 

[SmileDocHill]

Rodriguez Range South Korea 1999

I was the NCOIC of a Mark 19 range firing off of HUMVEE’s one of the gunners had a malfunction and locked the gun at max elevation. When he attempted to clear it he accidentally fired about 10 rounds of HEDP no biggie right? Well the rounds went over the hill and probably into North Korea definitely deep into the DMZ.

I was waiting for you to chime in. I can only imagine what all you've seen over the years of overseeing mil range goings on.

 

[2A_Tom]

Firing my last magazine for the day from my Marlin Camp 45, ready to go home and I always carry it fully loaded, but a round would not chamber.

I disassembled it when I got home and there was half a casing stuck in the chamber. It happened in my last round of the last mag. The upside is it was surprisingly easy to get it out.

Years ago I misassembled my Garand, I put the hammer spring guide tube in backward. When I went out to the reservoir (no one else there that day thankfully) I pulled the trigger and the rifle let off a three round burst. What the heck! It happened again and then two roundsand ping. I fired off a couple more clips and when I cleaned it I found the problem.

 

[ECS686]

One of our Agencies village idiots loaded rounds backwards in his mags. And yes it chambers halfway in a Beretta 92D. And no I didn't have fun fixing it for him!

 

[Sigblaster]

Shooting plates with my brother. 1911 follower and spring comes up out of the gun on last round like an M1 Garand rifle, it even PING'd!

That one had me literally Laughing Out Loud. I can just visualize it happening.

 

[DadSmith]

One of our Agencies village idiots loaded rounds backwards in his mags. And yes it chambers halfway in a Beretta 92D. And no I didn't have fun fixing it for him!

View attachment 90539

I've seen an officer i believe was a colonel do this with an M4 carbine down range. Unfortunately we left before I could see what happened to get it out.

I believe this is the same colonel who ordered a 5 ton to cross a creek and was told several times it did not have snorkel. He ordered it anyway and the 5 ton drowned a few seconds after the engine went underwater.

 

[OakRiver]

One of our Agencies village idiots loaded rounds backwards in his mags. And yes it chambers halfway in a Beretta 92D. And no I didn't have fun fixing it for him!

View attachment 90539

Was he used to shooting a H&K?

 

[Sigblaster]

Here's one that's malfunction-related, but not really about a malfunction.

I had this buddy who had a bunch of dummy rounds for all sorts of calibers, and we used them to practice malfunction drills. Basically, you were to engage a target with quick, but aimed fire, and clear malfunctions as quickly as possible. The way it worked is, one would turn their back, and the other would load the weapon, and lay it on the bench ready to fire. Safety on, if it had one.

Obviously, the purpose of the drills are to test your ability to clear malfunctions, but it's also good for testing flinching and other fundamentals. If you haven't done this, you should try it. Besides its training value, it's a good way to screw with your friends.

One day, we're doing the normal stuff. A couple dummy rounds spread in a 9MM mag. Three straight dummies in an AR. Then he lays a .357 revolver down and tells me it's ready to fire. 6 straight dummies. I didn't flinch on any of them. FU, you arse. So we fired a few more cylinders of .357, with the occasional dummies and mixed .38 and .357. Then we went to 12 gauge. I see an opportunity here.


Mossberg 500, and I loaded it like this: 2-3/4 low brass shot, 2-3/4 low brass shot, 3" magnum slug, dummy, 2-3/4" low brass shot. You can see how this is going to go, but I'll still take you there. I tell him "gun is ready, safety on, chamber empty". Of course, the shells come out in reverse order of loading. Bang, pump, click, pump, BOOM (gun flies up and gives him a bloody nose), bang, pump, bang, pump.

It's at this point he safes the gun and releases a string of expletives as only friends can do to each other, then he starts laughing and wiping his bloody nose, and cusses me out more. Good times.

I'll give him this though. Even after the bloody nose, he still fired the next couple rounds that were in the magazine. Son of a B, wish I could remember his name.

 

[ditcherman]

I was waiting for you to chime in. I can only imagine what all you've seen over the years of overseeing mil range goings on.

Hey Doc, Sigblasters last post reminded me; did you ever let a certain Brit know of some dummy rounds loaded before he drove off into the sunset unable to defend himself?

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Assembled my very first ar build. Bear creek upper in 762 lower was an anderson 80%.

Go to the range. Load it up. Bolt sticks a bit loading a round. Pull the trigger. Not even a click. Bolt completely jammed. Fide with it s bit. Bolt is cleared and functioning.

Mag has about 6 rounds in it. Pull the trigger, bang! Bolt locks back. Odd. I rack it again. Pull the trigger, bang! Pull the trigger, nothing. Drop the mag it's empty. Odd reload. Rack, sticks, rack, pull trigger bang! Pull the trigger,bang! Bolt locks back. Mag is empty. Look at my feet. Bunch of unfired rounds at my feet.

So not only is my assembly super poor and the gun barely functions. But also it likes to dump good rounds as it chambers.

Bought a new stripped lower. I'll rebuild and see how it goes a second time around.

 

[ditcherman]

Assembled my very first ar build. Bear creek upper in 762 lower was an anderson 80%.

Go to the range. Load it up. Bolt sticks a bit loading a round. Pull the trigger. Not even a click. Bolt completely jammed. Fide with it s bit. Bolt is cleared and functioning.

Mag has about 6 rounds in it. Pull the trigger, bang! Bolt locks back. Odd. I rack it again. Pull the trigger, bang! Pull the trigger, nothing. Drop the mag it's empty. Odd reload. Rack, sticks, rack, pull trigger bang! Pull the trigger,bang! Bolt locks back. Mag is empty. Look at my feet. Bunch of unfired rounds at my feet.

So not only is my assembly super poor and the gun barely functions. But also it likes to dump good rounds as it chambers.

Bought a new stripped lower. I'll rebuild and see how it goes a second time around.

I’m wondering how building on an 80 could affect these malfunctions? Or even the barrel on the upper? That just seems more like a bolt or reed ramp issue or something. *not an expert!*

 

[2A_Tom]

It helps to use a 308 bolt rather than a 556.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I’m wondering how building on an 80 could affect these malfunctions? Or even the barrel on the upper? That just seems more like a bolt or reed ramp issue or something. *not an expert!*

I'm wondering about the mag. Armalite pattern mag in a DPMS pattern lower maybe? Or would that even mate up? I don't really know the differences, but I do know there are differences. Dumping live rounds just sounds like it would be mag related and might also explain the bolt not cycling properly if it was hanging up on the mag lips. Totally WAG here though.