Re: Failure to fire
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Hummer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You really can't tell about striker indents looking at them like the pic. You have to get down with a optical measuring tool that magnifies them and locate the exact dead center of the striker nose.
Are all these one hits or restrikes?
Industry standard is one half the diameter of the strikker offset to meet recommendations. Strikers are normally .060-.065 so you are looking at .030" offset meeting their standards.
Frankford Arsenal did a several million round primer study many years ago and they determined an offset of up to .020" did not affect ignition reliability. Once past .020" failure to fires started and further they were off the worse it got.
Link this offset with a weak/tired striker spring, headspace on the far end of the range, crud in the striker channel, and reliability goes down quickly.
I would contact Wolff Springs, get their catalog and find your rifle. They will generally have factory and two higher energy rates. I would get the next up absolute minimum.
When you install a new spring, record the free length of the spring and every year pull it down and measure the free length. If it gets shorter replace it. If it didn't keep on using it.
Allowable misfire rate is 1 in 1 million which is actually a high number to US manufacturers.
99.9999 times you have a misfire it is weapon problem UNLESS you have contamination. I have seen light amounts of moisture kill primers in minutes. (like 15 minutes on ammo that did not exhibit primer sealant)
This is what most folks never think about. Best to waterproof them by painting heads with clear nail polish. If you are a tough ol hide use PINK ! ! ! ! After painting head glopping it around the edge of primer lay on newspaper (they are good for something if you don't have a bird or puppy) flat and drag it across newspaper to remove the polish from top of case but with the primer properly seated is below case head surface.
That should help tremendously.
On your unfired cases that got wet, pull the bullets, ease out the primers, put them in window in sun to dry them out well, reseat them and reload them.
Take these and your unwet ammo to the range and fire them alternately formerly wet and unwet followed by formerly wet. Record your success/failure to us.
What I would do is get out of town, put on full face shield, safety glasses and heavy clothing and gloves and ear muffs. Apply propane torch to them on other side of lexan shield and see what happens one at a time.
cook off will occur about 400F. If they fizzle/smoke they are contaminated. If they pop loud (like 22 pistol) they were just wet.
I did a big study on contaminants killing primers you guys paid for about 15 years ago. I took about 20 500 round cases of handgun ammo and opened it and laid it all out on shelving.
I sprayed the primers with water and every lubricant I could find. I used a spray bottle to apply the water, lightly once a day as it dried up rather quickly. The lubricants of course did not.
Fired a box a day for first five days of everything. Then once a week thereafter. Never finished the test as I was getting high numbers of misfires within days. Sent rest to be burned.
Everything developed misfires with ALL test materials applied. I have the data somewhere. If I find it I will post it some time.
Got several thousand rounds of 38 Special from a flood up north somewhere years ago given to me. We went out and just stood there and shot and shot.
We got everything from full performance,medium report, low report and nothing. We pulled the bullets and melted them down and saved the brass. Don't know history of how long they were wet but I was surprised how many actually fired. Recollection was 25% misfire rate. </div></div>
Is that you Sir?
