Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Anyone have a shell not go off while hunting??

About 40 years ago, right after I learned to reload. I think I contaminated the primer with case lube.

A buddy had it happen 5 or 6 years ago on a cold morning. The rifle worked fine later in the day when it was warmer. Cleaned the bolt for him and no problems since.

Dale

Usually headspace....

Kimbers....

Friends don't let friends buy Kimbers

I've experienced bad primers from just about every company's primers I have used over the years....just luck of the draw...

even the best stuff of anything is going to experience a failure rate...

The only time I've had one misfire on a hunt was when I forgot to load the chamber

I would get a new firing pin spring and check the adjustment on firing pin protrusion. Can't do anything proactive on the ammo, but I would be double sure about the rifle. Kimbers have issues with light hits, just do a google search.

Yep...


Customer came in a week ago - said he's done with Remington ammo. Had two boxes of "X" and several shells wouldn't go off.. Thought it might have been the rifle but tried another rifle in same chambering.. They wouldn't fire either.. Methinks he got a batch with some bad primers..

I've got a T/C Encore. We can't use riffles here, so I bought a 12 gauge slug barrel for it about 10 years ago. Had it all sighted in and good to go. The first time in the woods and went to shoot an 8 point, I had it happen. I re-cocked it and it went off the second time and killed the deer. Later, I tried a couple of more rounds and it happened again. I changed boxes of ammo and never had it happen since with that barrel.

A few years ago, I bought a 30.06 barrel for it in case some day I could go somewhere to hunt with a riffle. Last year, preparing for the 24HCF Hog Hunt, I got the 30.06 out and took it to the range. It started misfiring real bad. After researching it, it was recommended to put a heavier hammer spring in it and check the head space. The other problem was I had a hammer extender on it. I took that off. My head space was good. Evidently T/C puts the weakest hammer spring in them that they can get away with, 30 lbs. I'm currently running a 44 lbs. spring for the muzzle loader and slug barrels, and I use a 51 lbs. spring with the 30.06. I haven't had it do it since.

Obviously I'm not a riffle expert, but I would try different ammo and if it continues, I'd check the head space. Or better yet, take it to a gunsmith.

I have shot this rifle a lot without issue. I looked over some of my used brass and the primer dents are consistent and well struck. The defective shell also has the same primer dent pattern. I am sure it's not the rifle but rather a bad round.

I still have the faulty round downstairs.........
The boat paddle went down the road and I screwed together a faux Ti in its place.

Cold, snowy morning. Saw a big shooter cross the trail 'bout 400 yards out.
He was heading straight down into a hell hole, creek bottom.
I hit the doe in estrus call and after a few minutes I spy horns moving thru the brush below me, real slow.
He came straight up to where the sound of the call came from and I was actually waiting for him to get real close, just so I wouldn't have to drag him too far straight uphill.
About 40 yards below me and the trail, he stops and is looking for the hot chick above.
I already have the 30 06 on him and am pulling the trigger on a nice 150+ point.......

CLICK!

WTF? Deer motored at the click.

Factory ammo........


P.S. I cried.
Ok. Whined, at least......
and cussed.

Had a .35 Rem Core-Lokt fail to fire and a decent buck got to live another day. Happened in late 80's.

By the time I levered another one, the buck was halfway to the next township.

Buck was hauling the mail and I waited for him to cross a small opening 25 yds ahead. Put it on the front of his brisket and "click"...

I remember the momentary confusion and a "WTF" going through my head.

Rare, but happens.

3 times on one hunt.
1. 375 H&H with Remington Factory ammo.
2. .257 Wby Handload with Remington primers.
3. .243 Win Handload with Remington primers.

Dumped the lot and never used Remington Primers or ammo since. That was about 1978.
John

Not hunting, but close. Circa 2002 I was with the guys at a gravel pit on the way up to where our elk camp was, sighting in rifles. I wasn't in the slightest concerned about mine because I shot it all the time, but a couple of the guys wanted to check theirs, and I'm always up for some shooting. Laid down on the ground with my '06 with a 180-gn Partition hand load and.... Click.

At that time I was hand-weighing powder charges for my hunting ammo on the theory that it was better. However it apparently was a flawed process. I'd left the damn powder out of a round! I keep that round on the "shelf of shame" above my loading bench as a reminder.

Two loudest sounds you'll ever hear: a gun that goes BOOM when it's supposed to go click, and a gun that goes click when it's supposed to go BOOM!

Yup.... my own fault though. I was hunting in Montana in 40 below WINDY weather. When it was time for the shot i found out there was moisture in the bolt.... froze the firing pin!
I had to use my friends gun.

One occasion 15 years ago when my son was 11. On an unusually cold morning, T/C Contender carbine in 30-30, big fat doe broadside about 35 yards away. Click. I reached over and opened/shut the action so it would cock again, deer still standing there. Click. My son opened the action and reloaded a fresh round. Now bambi and her two sisters are becoming concerned and start blowing at us. Bang! Since then we call that stand the clickclickbang stand.

Primer was dented, but it looked a little light. Never happened again, and my son wanted to keep the dented round as a souvenir so unknown if it would fire with a better primer strike. I think a little moisture froze in the space where the firing pin is and prevented a full hit on the primer. Maybe.

I got off on a day hunt with a box of handloads that I had failed to get the primers seated properly. About every other one would misfire on the first strike, but would go off on the second.

A friend had problems with the same combo. My handholds which were closer to snug in his chamber worked fine. He ended up correcting the problem when a 'smith replaced the firing pin spring for him.


Living along the coast of one of the Bering Sea's arms, it isn't difficult to see a 10, 20, or 30 degree change when you go inland and into the river valleys a few miles. Consequently I have watched moose while listening to 'click' instead of 'boom' on more than one occasion. A spare rifle has been handy more than once, and so has a tank of gas - in which to dunk a stubborn bolt. (Perhaps there is a lesson therein. )

I had a Remington 700 freeze up on my when hunting Whitetails at -38° one time. Misfired when shooting at a doe, jacked that shell out, a buck came running on the doe's trail, knocked the buck down, then tried to finish it with a neck shot, which was another misfire. Fourth shot worked. I spend the next two days hunting moose and had a wolf that followed me around and tracked me several times during that hunt. Not a great feeling when carrying a rifle that is unreliable. After that I got rid of the Remington, and clean and degrease the firing mechanism and use very little if any oil ( cold proof synthetics only) on the firing pin/spring of my rifles. No problems since even in very cold weather.

I have a hunting buddy who had this happen with some old yellow box WW ammo. I pulled the bullet from a bad round and confirmed unignited powder, and thus a primer that did not fire. Easy enough to do with a collet style puller.

My dad had this happen to him hunting deer with a 300 Savage, he also said that the click sounded very loud. Turned out to be the ammunition.