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Intended to inform and promote safety and awareness this information was taken from Wikipedia. Know your firearms.

 

A slamfire is a premature, (usually) unintended discharge of a firearm that occurs as a round is being loaded into the chamber. Slamfires are most common in military firearms that have a free-floating firing pin, as opposed to a spring-loaded one. In the action of a typical semi-automatic firearm, the energy of a fired round forces the bolt and bolt carrier rearward, ejecting the empty case. A spring then forces the bolt forward again, and in the process a fresh round is stripped out of the magazine. When the face of the bolt hits the head of the chamber, unless there is a spring around the pin to retard its movement, inertia causes the firing pin to continue forward until it is stopped on the primer of the round. Sometimes this inertial force is sufficient to set off the primer, thereby firing the round without the operator pulling the trigger. In semi- or fully automatic firearms this can potentially cause the firearm to fire continuously until the magazine has been emptied or the firearm malfunctions.

Slamfires are extremely dangerous, as the shooter may lose control of the firearm when a normally semi-automatic firearm "goes full auto" unexpectedly. In particular, there is a major risk of a semi-auto gun being uncontrollably propelled backwards by the recoil and firing rounds at the shooter's back as well as any bystanders. Slamfires are very rare in firearms using quality ammunition and not altered outside of manufacturer specs (especially triggers adjusted to an overly light pull weight). Nevertheless, some guns garnered notoriety for tendency to slamfire, with vanilla SKS rifles being the best known one. Some shooting ranges require shooters with SKS rifles to load no more than two rounds inside the magazine at any time for just this reason or ban them entirely.[1]

It is always wise to ensure that the firearm is pointed in a safe direction ("downrange") before closing the bolt and chambering a cartridge. If a slamfire does occur, the shooter must do his best to remain calm and hold the firearm securely, pointed in a safe direction, until it ceases firing. Needless to say, this requires extraordinary discipline, and many operators will "spook" and instinctively drop the firearm as soon as it begins firing.

Aside from the dangers of any accidental discharge, slamfires present the particular risk of an out-of-battery detonation. This occurs when a round is fired before it is completely secured in the chamber, and can cause a breech explosion, leading to the firearm being destroyed or damaged, as well as potentially injuring the operator and bystanders.

 

In summary extremely rare but "jacking" a round in and allowing the bolt carrier to slam forward could cause accidental discharge. Stay safe.

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I would say these are more important if your trying to promote saftey. This way a slam fire will be less likely to cause any harm...

  1. All guns are always loaded.

  2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.

  3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.

  4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

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I would say these are more important if your trying to promote saftey. This way a slam fire will be less likely to cause any harm...

 

  1. All guns are always loaded.
  2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
  3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
  4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

 

 

+1

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Your first post is a PSA on slam fires, that you copy/pasted from Wikipedia?

Not even a first hand experience with it happening on a Saiga?

Thats it, you came on here to educate us?

Do you own a Saiga?

 

Welcome to S12.com.... Now GTFO.

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Your first post is a PSA on slam fires, that you copy/pasted from Wikipedia?

Not even a first hand experience with it happening on a Saiga?

Thats it, you came on here to educate us?

Do you own a Saiga?

 

Welcome to S12.com.... Now GTFO.

LOL!

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Not a good start Castle, but perhaps your heart is in the right place. It's usually not the best idea to come onto a gun forum without even introducing yourself and go right into what some may perceive as a lecture on a familiar subject.

 

BTW, I was having a similar issue with my revolver but finally tracked the problem down. It seems excessive caffeine intake from Starbuck's coffee and Monster energy drinks was causing excessive involuntary twitching of my trigger finger to such an extreme degree that I was emptying the chamber before I could stop firing.

 

The temporary solution was to stay off the trigger until on target and then impress everyone with my speed. What with 22 ammo being so expensive though, I had to come up with a permanent fix. It was simple really. I just changed my poison from caffeine to sedatives and all is well. Even if all isn't actually well, I really don't give a damn.

 

Tim

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HEY GUYS WHY IS MY GOD DAMN SAIGA UNDERGASSED, I THINK IM GOING TO GET A VPLUG AND AN AUTO PLUG TO FIX IT, I WANT IT TO RUN WINCHESTER UNIVERSAL WITH THE PRIMERS REMOVED, I ALSO NEED TO KNOW WHERE I CAN GET DOUBLE STACKS. WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE AN AR IN 9MM OR AN AK IN 45?

How about an AR in .45 and an AK in 9mm???

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HEY GUYS WHY IS MY GOD DAMN SAIGA UNDERGASSED, I THINK IM GOING TO GET A VPLUG AND AN AUTO PLUG TO FIX IT, I WANT IT TO RUN WINCHESTER UNIVERSAL WITH THE PRIMERS REMOVED, I ALSO NEED TO KNOW WHERE I CAN GET DOUBLE STACKS. WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE AN AR IN 9MM OR AN AK IN 45?

How about an AR in .45 and an AK in 9mm???

 

I vote for all of the above and anyone who doesn’t agree is a 12 year old poser with small penis and a whore mother.

Edited by Gun Fanatic
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I trust nothing on Wikipedia, anyway.

 

By the way, since the original poster is going to lecture us on safety, perhaps he/she could post some of those incredibly educational "Guns 101" videos? I found those to be highly entertaining.

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Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

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Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

 

Got pics of the dented primers?

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Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

 

Why in the HELL are you cycling live rounds -'death wish 2012?'

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No pics with me at work but I'll take some.

Yes well hind sight and all...I won't be doing it in this free floating pin rifle again. But IMHO a gun should be manufactured so cycling rounds should not cause this problem. After all who's to say the first one you cycle doesn't go off if in fact it IS a death wish to cycle rounds.

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Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

If I saw dents in my primers I would be a little more than bothered. I might be down right concerned.

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Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

If I saw dents in my primers I would be a little more than bothered. I might be down right concerned.

 

I'm not sure what to do about it. I wonder if a spring could be inserted in the bolt the way the .223 is..

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Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

If I saw dents in my primers I would be a little more than bothered. I might be down right concerned.

 

Ahhhhhh why? I've seen many primer dents on rounds I've cycled trough my rifle. Just don't cycle the rifle in place you wouldn't be ok with it going off. Simple. So simple infact that I believe the four rules point to this. If your gun was "always loaded" you certainly wouldn't point it at something much less cycle it in the direction of something you weren't ok with destroying. Correct?

 

That being said I've shot my fair share of ak platform

Rifles and have never never, I mean never, seen a slam fire. Really. It's not

Something to get butt hurt about. The lightweight of the firing pin contributes to it not having enough inertia to ignite a primer.

 

Now If you've got a completely gunked firing pin channel or a lead weight on your firing pin then there may be cause for your concern.

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Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

 

Got pics of the dented primers?

 

Here you go. First one has never been chambered.

 

primerdent.jpg

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\ Just don't cycle the rifle in place you wouldn't be ok with it going off. Simple. So simple infact that I believe the four rules point to this. If your gun was "always loaded" you certainly wouldn't point it at something much less cycle it in the direction of something you weren't ok with destroying. Correct?

 

yeah those rules are fun to say but impracticable.

you REALLY always treat your firearms like they are loaded?

You didn't cycle a round in your rifle after installing the bullet guide to see if it fit and worked properly?

Your never CC a gun with a chambered round in a holster essentially pointing down at your leg?

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yeah those rules are fun to say but impracticable.

you REALLY always treat your firearms like they are loaded?

You didn't cycle a round in your rifle after installing the bullet guide to see if it fit and worked properly?

Your never CC a gun with a chambered round in a holster essentially pointing down at your leg?

I'll take a stab at those questions.

Yes I do, and they are not impracticable at all, actually very easy to follow.

Of course I check the action after any smithing which may involve it, more than one round and all done in a safe direction.

A handgun in a holster is not being handled, the rules don't apply in the same manner, but once a hand touches it all rules apply.

 

I've never experienced nor seen a slamfire in a rifle.

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Wow....you guys are brutal.

Anyway I enjoyed the post. I noticed on my .223 the fire pin is spring loaded but on my 7.62 the pin is floating. I was just thinking about this very problem after I hand cycled a few rounds through the 7.62 after I finish the trigger/hammer/PG conversion. Everyone of the rounds I hand-cycled has a firing pin dent on the primer. It's a little bothersome. I wish the 7.62 was spring loaded like the .223.

 

Got pics of the dented primers?

 

Here you go. First one has never been chambered.

 

primerdent.jpg

 

That's a very soft mark that comes from your floating firing pin. It's quite common and normal. When the bolt slams the round into the chamber, the firing pin will follow the bolt and smash into the primer. There is a reason that military primers are harder than civilian ones. I would guess that commercial 7.62x39 would have harder primers but not sure of that. The floating firing pin is reliable and made that way for a reason. The crud will clear out on it's own. The cleaner your weapon, the more pronounced the mark will be on the primer.

 

Only thing I would worry about would be maybe using reloads with really sensitive primers.

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Quoting the four rules as mantra is cool and all that, but what about home defense?

What if I want to load my rifle and put one in the chamber, safety on, and leave it standing against the corner?

What if I am in a residential neighborhood, or an apartment complex where having a gun go off, even in a safe

direction, would be very, very, very bad?

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Unless I am about to pull the trigger the chamber is empty. PERIOD!

There are 2 kinds of gun enthusiasts - those who have had an inadvertent round go off - and those who are going to have one!

 

ANY new or 'worked on' semi-auto. Load two rounds ONLY when first testing. If you double, you got trouble!

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