leadcounsel
member
How infrequent are these? I've never had one, but my friend had his .22 LR cookoff on Sunday while at the range. Luckily he had it pointed downrange.
Do many of you experience this?
Do many of you experience this?
Hangfires and Cook-offs
- Thread starter leadcounsel
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Creature
Member
Only ever saw a M2 .50 cal HMG cook off.
SDC
Member
Hangfires are a VERY infrequent occurrence, but they still happen. In order to get a true "cook-off", you have to be firing enough to heat the entire chamber up past the point where a chambered cartridge would spontaneously fire, which I have to think would be impossible with anything less than a full-automatic. If a pistol or rifle was hot enough that a cartridge WOULD cook off, I think it would also be too hot to hold onto, which makes me think that he wasn't paying attention to where his trigger-finger was.
I don't believe I've ever had a hang fire. The shell either fired or it didn't. Cook offs happen only when the barrel is almost red hot such as from continuous firing an automatic weapon. You would have to fire a lot of ammo in a hurry to get a cook off in an a semi-automatic weapon. Handgun or long arm. If some one has a cook off in a .22, well they are not target shooting or even pinking, but just throwing lead down range as fast as they can. 
Gingerbreadman
Member
I had a round go click. Then a few seconds of nothing. Then BOOM. It was a Wolf 7.62x39 122gr. hollowpoint.
Millwright
Member
Leadcounsel......."....luckily he had it pointed downrange...." My first suggestion is to find someone else to shoot with. "Luck" ain't got nothin' to do with it. Range rules, like ordinance rules, are written in blood....... >MW
chris in va
Member
I had a few hangfires with some really old subgun 7.62x25 in my CZ 52. Click...BANG. Very weird experience. Never should have bought that gun, what a mistake.
cleardiddion
Member
Had a few hang fires with a bad batch of russian 54R a few months back. Kinda surreal when it happens.
John4me05
Member
I had a few SKS rounds slam fire once.. Scared the pee outta me... No it wasnt the gun it was old ammo... I loaded recently bought wolf in the clip and it never happened again...
As previosly stated a hangfire is just a delay in ignition. Rare but you tend to get more of them with the rimfire cases. The primer is run around the edge of the case, and you may get an density irregularity of the primer.which retards ignition. in the Boxer primer the squib is right under the anvil, less a chance for a density irregularity. And as stated cook-offs happen when auto weapons overheat. They also occur with artillery and mortars. You don't want to open the breech prematurely on a 105mm, the results can be rather traumatic.
missouri dave
Member
Never had a hangfire. When I was in the army cook off's were very common in the m-60's.
hangfires are possible with surplus ammo. many times the primers have degraded to slow ignition. any modern ammo should not experience hangfires
cook off's as said, are really only a danger in automatics. if you manage to cook off a round in a semi auto gun, i tip my hat to you sir.
cook off's as said, are really only a danger in automatics. if you manage to cook off a round in a semi auto gun, i tip my hat to you sir.
RecoilRob
Member
M-60 fires from the open bolt. How do they cook off if there is no round in the chamber? (Sorry, somebody had to ask it...)
siglite
Member
Hmm... I never considered mechanically what was happening when an M60 went runaway on me. But it damn sure did. You or your A gunner has to reach up and break the belt and just let it run off four or five rounds.
Every time it happened, the barrel was nearly glowing white.
We were hard on our 60 barrels
Every time it happened, the barrel was nearly glowing white.
We were hard on our 60 barrels
geekWithA.45
Moderator Emeritus
Regarding hangfires, this is the advice I got from my instructor. What follows is an approximate quote from memory:
The main reason to consider the question of hangfire is because there are two conflicting prescriptions for action in the event of a failure to go bang.
One prescription calls for dealing with the possibility of hangfire, and involves keeping the firearm pointed downrange, counting to some number, usually 30, followed by careful unloading and isolation of the suspect round.
(Sidebar: the one and only time I ever did that, I was chagrinned to find that I had dropped the hammer on an empty chamber, and had spent the last minute pointing an empty gun downrange)
The other prescription calls for taking "immediate action" to reduce the stoppage and get the firearm back into action.
Given that hangfires are astronomically rare, and that other stoppages are distressingly frequent, and that people fight how they train and practice, I deem it rational to disregard the possibility of hangfires in one's defensive gunnery.
The main reason to consider the question of hangfire is because there are two conflicting prescriptions for action in the event of a failure to go bang.
One prescription calls for dealing with the possibility of hangfire, and involves keeping the firearm pointed downrange, counting to some number, usually 30, followed by careful unloading and isolation of the suspect round.
(Sidebar: the one and only time I ever did that, I was chagrinned to find that I had dropped the hammer on an empty chamber, and had spent the last minute pointing an empty gun downrange)
The other prescription calls for taking "immediate action" to reduce the stoppage and get the firearm back into action.
Given that hangfires are astronomically rare, and that other stoppages are distressingly frequent, and that people fight how they train and practice, I deem it rational to disregard the possibility of hangfires in one's defensive gunnery.
MilsurpShooter
Member
Had some 8mm Ecuadorian that was giving me fits. Most would require a double strike. I got lucky though. was about the 7th time, pulled the trigger, click. I was frustrated, and getting a little mad. Shot my hand up to the bolt to snap it open (ignored the rules) but my sleeve got caught on a nail in the underside of the bench. Worked my sleeve out and just as I did the round fired off.
Needless to say I was surprised and then started to realise exactly how careless I was being in those few seconds. Packed up my things, went home after that
Needless to say I was surprised and then started to realise exactly how careless I was being in those few seconds. Packed up my things, went home after that
bluestarlizzard
Member
i've never had a hang fire. i remember at 4-H camp we used a lot of army surpluse .22 and there were very strict 5 second rule when one had a dud in the chamber.
Cosmoline
Member
I've had multiple hangfires with old surplus Turk 8x57 and some ratty 54R. You just have to keep the rifle pointed downrange after the "click." The gap between the pin strike and the bang is usually very short.
What happens when a hangfired round is ejected and goes off out side the chamber? Does it turn into a mini grenade or do the bullet and case just separate with both traveling a short distance in opposite directions? Can it result in death or great bodily harm? Of course hangun rounds, centerfire rifle rounds and shotshells would probably act differently, if so, how?
Speculation is welcome, this is a very interesting topic...
Speculation is welcome, this is a very interesting topic...
SDC
Member
Basically, the same thing as when you throw a cartridge into a fire; when the powder burns, it exerts pressure in all directions equally, so this means that the lightest part of the round (the case) is propelled the fastest. If the case actually SPLITS from the pressure, it can leave a jagged edge that can actually cut exposed skin.
I've had a single hangfire (well a friend did) while firing my saiga. Was using wolf ammunition and he was working through a magazine and pulled the trigger and nothing happened. He looked at me and I said "Leave it in the cha" and BANG the thing went off.
Apple a Day
Member
I bought a batch of really old Czech 7.62x25mm ammo on stripper clips. I had a number of hangfires with it. None of them were more than a second. It was unnerving as crap. I gave up after a while and still have at least one stripper clip around here loaded with them. I sold off the CZ-52 years ago.
Since the hangfires weren't that long in duration I just paused. I did have a few hard primers as well with that ammo and I wasn't sure if the ammo would go off eventually. I paused, counted, then tilted the ejection port away from me, and cleared the unfired round. Tilting the ejection port away and down helped make sure that if the round did fire as I was clearing it then at least it wouldn't vent into my face.
Since the hangfires weren't that long in duration I just paused. I did have a few hard primers as well with that ammo and I wasn't sure if the ammo would go off eventually. I paused, counted, then tilted the ejection port away from me, and cleared the unfired round. Tilting the ejection port away and down helped make sure that if the round did fire as I was clearing it then at least it wouldn't vent into my face.
Several years ago I had several hangfires while hunting pronghorn one day. A couple were with handloads, and two or three more with factory ammo. I was using my 1903 25-06 that I stocked myself.
It was a hot day, and it turned out the wood was swelling just slightly close to the striker, catching it and then releasing it a second or two later.
I'ts unnerving to settle the crosshairs on a nice buck, squeeze and hear *click*. Then raise up to see what happened and "BOOM".
It was a hot day, and it turned out the wood was swelling just slightly close to the striker, catching it and then releasing it a second or two later.
I'ts unnerving to settle the crosshairs on a nice buck, squeeze and hear *click*. Then raise up to see what happened and "BOOM".
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