Unexpected malfunctions at the range yesterday

[Jeremy1066]

I wanted to cycle through my carry ammo yesterday and had my completely stock G26 with me (with the exception of a Pierce mag extension). It was cold and snowing. The ammo I was using was Federal HST 147gr +P. Out of 50 rounds, two failed to fire, both were out of the same box. After holding the muzzle down range for a minute, I ejected the rounds and saw the typical dimple in the primer which looked just like any other spent casing. This leads me to believe that it is a primer issue, but I have never had this problem before with Federal HST loads. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[BiscuitNaBasket]

Tagged for interest.

 

[Dewidmt]

How old was the ammo? Was it properly stored? Did you have excessive oil in the weapon to deactivate a primer? It's cold outside, pull your firing pin and clean the firing pin channel of any oil or grease that may get cold and coagulate in there also. Just a few thoughts.....could also be just a bad lot of ammo, it happens. I no longer trust any WWB after seeing y to many backwards primers and crushed necks.
Federal is usually pretty good stuff, my preferred carry ammo, in fact. My Glock 26 prefers 147 grain also, but I run the non +p version.

 

[Robert Richardson]

Even factory ammo will fail. That's why you should know how to quickly clear your weapon.

 

[Jeremy1066]

How old was the ammo? Was it properly stored? Did you have excessive oil in the weapon to deactivate a primer? It's cold outside, pull your firing pin and clean the firing pin channel of any oil or grease that may get cold and coagulate in there also. Just a few thoughts.....could also be just a bad lot of ammo, it happens. I no longer trust any WWB after seeing y to many backwards primers and crushed necks.
Federal is usually pretty good stuff, my preferred carry ammo, in fact. My Glock 26 prefers 147 grain also, but I run the non +p version.

I've had the ammo for about a year. It was ordered online in 50 round boxes. It has been "stored" in various Glock magazines in a controlled environment or in various Glock pistols (never left overnight in a vehicle). It was cleaned/oiled in the normal fashion before the range which includes a couple drops of oil on the slide rails and a drop at the connector per Glock instructions so I dont think it was a primer fouling issue. There were normal indentations on the primer so I don't think it was a light strike due to fouling in the firing pin channel either. Maybe it was just the perfect storm of imperfect conditions...but it kinda freaked me out about carrying any more of it.

 

[Jeremy1066]

Even factory ammo will fail. That's why you should know how to quickly clear your weapon.

I instantly grabbed the slide to clear the round (probably due to lots of practice in clearing malfunctions so I will give myself credit for that) but then slowed down to let it cook off for a minute. Both rounds ejected fine.

 

[jblomenberg16]

There have been some good threads out there about carry ammo, specifically about the need to cycle it regularly. The best explanation I heard is that carry ammo gets knocked around quite a bit, especially if you chamber / re-chamber the same couple of rounds. The theory is that the primer is sort of like a "cookie" and after a lot of jostling around, it eventually start to crumble and thus become unreliable. I have absolutely no proof of the theory at all, but to me it does sound somewhat plausible.

 

[Jeremy1066]

There have been some good threads out there about carry ammo, specifically about the need to cycle it regularly. The best explanation I heard is that carry ammo gets knocked around quite a bit, especially if you chamber / re-chamber the same couple of rounds. The theory is that the primer is sort of like a "cookie" and after a lot of jostling around, it eventually start to crumble and thus become unreliable. I have absolutely no proof of the theory at all, but to me it does sound somewhat plausible.

Makes sense to me. Once a round is in the pipe, it doesn't come out except for maintenance or dry fire practice due to setback/overpressure concerns. If I do take one out of the pipe I am sure not to put it back on top of the mag. My defense ammo gets used up at the target range at the end of the season and all new ammo goes in (I usually only carry the 147+P during summer and early fall but cycled it late this year).

 

[BigMoose]

Read the thread where the guy lost a deer to a bad primer on a Remington shot shell.

It happens. Particularly now that manufactuers are pushing their equipment HARD because of the previous ammo shortage.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/ammunition-reloading/365639-doe-range-click.html

Had a factory 30 carbine round do it to me once..........

 

[indyjohn]

Did you have excessive oil in the weapon to deactivate a primer?

Now, for the sake of good, accurate, sensible information out here on the interwebz, let's think about this question for a minute.

Deactivating live primers

Deactivating Live Primers

deactivate primers - Calguns.net

So, no, no matter how much oil you put on your Glock OP, oil on a primer inserted in a case was not the culprit.

 

[Jeremy1066]

If it had only been one, I wouldn't worry about it that much. But two out of the same box (with firm primer strikes) make me think its a bad batch. Should I contact Federal about the issue? Or would that be a waste of time?

 

[indyjohn]

If it had only been one, I wouldn't worry about it that much. But two out of the same box (with firm primer strikes) make me think its a bad batch. Should I contact Federal about the issue? Or would that be a waste of time?

In my experience with Federal, that IS NOT a waste of time. I contacted them regarding blown primers from a box of GM223. I shipped the spent cases and the rest of the 20 round box, they sent back two 20 round boxes of the same ammo.

 

[singlesix]

So what malfunctions were you expecting?

 

[firecadet613]

I was talking to my brother about this the other day. You always here how old ammo from WWII or 10+ years ago fires fine, but it makes you wonder about all this new stuff. It's a catch 22. Don't want to not be able to easily find any, but don't want to much on hand for this to happen.

 

[Jeremy1066]

So what malfunctions were you expecting?

I was expecting a malfunction of my trigger finger from the cold, but certainly not from the Federal HST!
And I did a after posting the thread. I'm actually surprised it took this long for someone to ask that question.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I was expecting a malfunction of my trigger finger from the cold, but certainly not from the Federal HST!
And I did a after posting the thread. I'm actually surprised it took this long for someone to ask that question.

I was going to post something similar... LOL

 

[Leo]

I have found that primers are really pretty hard to kill.

I had a couple boxes of high brass paper shotshells get wet enough for the paper to swell. I cut the paper off and salvaged the lead. The common wisdom was that getting the primers wet from the inside with WD-40 would kill them. Making sure there was enough oil to cover the flash hole, I left the primed hulls setting on the bench until the next weekend. Before putting them in the trash I figured testing one would be prudent. Safely in the garage into a steel barrel, BANG! The primer I tested was still hot, even with WD-40 setting on the flash holes for a week. They ALL still fired. I guess when Remington says their hunting shells are dependable in all weather, they mean it. Remember, theses were shells that had already been wet long enough to swell the heavily waxed paper.

I had similar results with some old, primed .38spl cases. I only let the wd-40 soak for a few minutes. I ended up just popping them off in a revolver. There was a lot of difference in the bang, with some making hardly any noise and others having a sharp report with an accompanying flash of light.

While these are admittedly a small set of a non scientific test, it does show that primers are not as delicate as I was led to believe. If a primer on one year old factory ammo does not fire, my thinking is likely that it was defective right from new, not something that accidently happened.