Slam fires

Big Tool · 03-06-2008, 12:00 AM

Have any of you guys had a slam fire. My dad and i were shooting his olympic arms plinker a while back. He had just reloaded the magazine and went to chamber another round. Luckily he is a rather safe gun handler and had the gun pointed in the air away from anything. It scared the life out of both of us. It could had easily shot one of us.

I read up on the Ar's and apparently it's because of the floating firing pin, but honestly how often does that happen?

Also are there any other rifles that have the floating firing pin, such as AK.

GlockMeister · 03-06-2008, 12:08 AM

There was a thread a while back about a guy in Wisconsin National guard who'd loaned an AR to someone to practice with and because something broke it had caused it to rapid fire. Could be a similar part that broke? Could also be a tweaked or bent firing pin not working properly? Take it out and see if a small particle or dirt is making it stick or something?

I'm sure someone may have an answer. Thought only the SKSs were having slamfire problems. Good to know it can happen to an AR I guess if I'm lucky to ever get one... Good luck..

Mooseman684 · 03-06-2008, 12:21 AM

Slamfires should not occur with a floating firing pin, unless something causes it to stick when protruded...I would have a complete inspection of the bolt and firing pin done, thoroughly clean the inside of the bolt, and check for a wear ring mark on the pin and replace as necessary...and use a dry teflon for lube in the channel...
also check the FCG ..hammer/sear surfaces for wear that can cause "Bump firing"...
Rich

Big Tool · 03-06-2008, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mooseman684

Slamfires should not occur with a floating firing pin, unless something causes it to stick when protruded...I would have a complete inspection of the bolt and firing pin done, thoroughly clean the inside of the bolt, and check for a wear ring mark on the pin and replace as necessary...and use a dry teflon for lube in the channel...
also check the FCG ..hammer/sear surfaces for wear that can cause "Bump firing"...
Rich

Thanks for clearing that up guys. We need to take that gun to a smith. It's had several issues we can't seem to figure out.

sell33 · 03-06-2008, 10:02 AM

Hmm only ever experience i had like that was last week i was shooting my girlfriends dads savage 223, bolt action heavy barrel, not sure the model. It needs checked out it was having trouble chambering the next round and once it did i slammed the bolt home and it went off. scared the sh*t out of me, luckily i was aiming straight up but still... coulda been real bad. i hope i never have that happen to me again.

ArkansasHunter · 03-06-2008, 10:12 AM

Years ago I bought what looked like a brand new Mauser 7mm at WalMart.
It was clean as a whistle.
I take it to where I hunt and load it up and as soon as I closed the bolt BANG.
I can't describe how much that scared me ! I was by myself in the woods so fortunitly no one got shot.
I chambered a 2nd. round and BANG it did it again.
So I took the gun back to WalMart and got my money back.

To this day I wonder if they put this gun back on the rack and someone else bought it.
Hopefully no one was hurt or killed.
A.H

soonerborn · 03-06-2008, 12:45 PM

Big tool,

Better not fire that guy again until you get it looked at and fix it. That guy in WI that was mentioned earlier had an Oly Arms one too and it was exhibiting the same problem. The guy that he loaned it too apparently took it to a range and it was slam firing a few rounds and jamming. He kept clearing it and firing it and some retards at the range reported to the police he had a full auto weapon. Next thing ATF jumps in and raids the guys house that loaned him the gun. Carted all his stuff away. They took the AR in question and tested it with the hard primer milspec ammo and it passed. Lab even reported that gun was Semi Auto. The investigating ATF agent ordered the lab to retest with soft primer ammo until it slam fired. Result is that guy was found guilty for it. Yep thats right GUILTY. The DA argued that the letter of the law states that if you pull the trigger once and it fires more than once, its full auto EVEN IF ITS DUE TO A FAULT. They also went further by saying he had modified the gun by putting M-16 bolt parts in it EVEN THOUGH OLY ARMS MANUFACTURED THEM WITH THOSE M16 PARTS IN IT AND THE ATF KNOWS THOSE PARTS ARE ORIGINAL.

There is a big thread on AR15.com that is being updated by the guy involved in this. He got railroaded hard. So just be careful with that gun.

Slam fires can be caused by fouling, broken/jammed firing pin or using soft primers (in some cases).

Big Tool · 03-06-2008, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soonerborn

Big tool,

Better not fire that guy again until you get it looked at and fix it. That guy in WI that was mentioned earlier had an Oly Arms one too and it was exhibiting the same problem. The guy that he loaned it too apparently took it to a range and it was slam firing a few rounds and jamming. He kept clearing it and firing it and some retards at the range reported to the police he had a full auto weapon. Next thing ATF jumps in and raids the guys house that loaned him the gun. Carted all his stuff away. They took the AR in question and tested it with the hard primer milspec ammo and it passed. Lab even reported that gun was Semi Auto. The investigating ATF agent ordered the lab to retest with soft primer ammo until it slam fired. Result is that guy was found guilty for it. Yep thats right GUILTY. The DA argued that the letter of the law states that if you pull the trigger once and it fires more than once, its full auto EVEN IF ITS DUE TO A FAULT. They also went further by saying he had modified the gun by putting M-16 bolt parts in it EVEN THOUGH OLY ARMS MANUFACTURED THEM WITH THOSE M16 PARTS IN IT AND THE ATF KNOWS THOSE PARTS ARE ORIGINAL.

There is a big thread on AR15.com that is being updated by the guy involved in this. He got railroaded hard. So just be careful with that gun.

Slam fires can be caused by fouling, broken/jammed firing pin or using soft primers (in some cases).

Jeez that is absolutely horrible. Sometimes I can't believe how screwed up our legal system is. My AK was doing the same thing. It would double fire when i would pull the trigger "did it randomly once or twice". How can they possibly hold an individual responsible for the malfunction of a gun????

madcratebuilder · 03-07-2008, 07:33 AM

If you get a double, you better fix it before you fire it again. The guys problem was "He kept clearing it and firing it and some retards at the range reported to the police he had a full auto weapon."
Seeing FA here it Oregon is not unusual at all, it is state legal, but many states, FA is illegal, so just a single time well get reported. You do not want BATF in your life.

LarryO1970 · 03-07-2008, 08:00 AM

Honestly, it sounds a whole lot like the selector and trigger group than the bolt or firing pin. If a something is worn or broken in the trigger group, this may very well cause a "runaway gun" ... which will sound like a full-auto even when it isn't. If the sear does not catch, it will take off on you.

For anyone familiar with the M-60 machine gun, you know what I'm talking about with regard to a broken or worn sear, it will continue to cycle until it is out of ammo. For some reason, I feel the same can happen with an AR.

03-06-2008, 12:00 AM	#1
Big Tool Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: MS Posts: 597 Trader Rating: (0)	Slam fires Have any of you guys had a slam fire. My dad and i were shooting his olympic arms plinker a while back. He had just reloaded the magazine and went to chamber another round. Luckily he is a rather safe gun handler and had the gun pointed in the air away from anything. It scared the life out of both of us. It could had easily shot one of us. I read up on the Ar's and apparently it's because of the floating firing pin, but honestly how often does that happen? Also are there any other rifles that have the floating firing pin, such as AK.

03-06-2008, 12:08 AM	#2
GlockMeister Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 4,937 Trader Rating: (0)	There was a thread a while back about a guy in Wisconsin National guard who'd loaned an AR to someone to practice with and because something broke it had caused it to rapid fire. Could be a similar part that broke? Could also be a tweaked or bent firing pin not working properly? Take it out and see if a small particle or dirt is making it stick or something? I'm sure someone may have an answer. Thought only the SKSs were having slamfire problems. Good to know it can happen to an AR I guess if I'm lucky to ever get one... Good luck.. __________________ I'd rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6! Last edited by GlockMeister; 03-06-2008 at 12:15 AM.

03-06-2008, 12:21 AM	#3
Mooseman684 Super Moderator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Alaska Wilderness Posts: 9,266 Trader Rating: (0)	Slamfires should not occur with a floating firing pin, unless something causes it to stick when protruded...I would have a complete inspection of the bolt and firing pin done, thoroughly clean the inside of the bolt, and check for a wear ring mark on the pin and replace as necessary...and use a dry teflon for lube in the channel... also check the FCG ..hammer/sear surfaces for wear that can cause "Bump firing"... Rich __________________ You know you might be facing your doom,when all you get is a click when you're expecting a BOOM!

03-06-2008, 12:45 PM	#7
soonerborn Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 283 Trader Rating: (0)	Big tool, Better not fire that guy again until you get it looked at and fix it. That guy in WI that was mentioned earlier had an Oly Arms one too and it was exhibiting the same problem. The guy that he loaned it too apparently took it to a range and it was slam firing a few rounds and jamming. He kept clearing it and firing it and some retards at the range reported to the police he had a full auto weapon. Next thing ATF jumps in and raids the guys house that loaned him the gun. Carted all his stuff away. They took the AR in question and tested it with the hard primer milspec ammo and it passed. Lab even reported that gun was Semi Auto. The investigating ATF agent ordered the lab to retest with soft primer ammo until it slam fired. Result is that guy was found guilty for it. Yep thats right GUILTY. The DA argued that the letter of the law states that if you pull the trigger once and it fires more than once, its full auto EVEN IF ITS DUE TO A FAULT. They also went further by saying he had modified the gun by putting M-16 bolt parts in it EVEN THOUGH OLY ARMS MANUFACTURED THEM WITH THOSE M16 PARTS IN IT AND THE ATF KNOWS THOSE PARTS ARE ORIGINAL. There is a big thread on AR15.com that is being updated by the guy involved in this. He got railroaded hard. So just be careful with that gun. Slam fires can be caused by fouling, broken/jammed firing pin or using soft primers (in some cases). Last edited by soonerborn; 03-06-2008 at 01:10 PM.

03-07-2008, 07:33 AM	#9
madcratebuilder Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Northern Orygun Posts: 498 Trader Rating: (0)	If you get a double, you better fix it before you fire it again. The guys problem was "He kept clearing it and firing it and some retards at the range reported to the police he had a full auto weapon." Seeing FA here it Oregon is not unusual at all, it is state legal, but many states, FA is illegal, so just a single time well get reported. You do not want BATF in your life. __________________ The difference between a hot dog and a weenie is a fine line.....

03-06-2008, 10:02 AM	#5
sell33 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,041 Trader Rating: (0)	Hmm only ever experience i had like that was last week i was shooting my girlfriends dads savage 223, bolt action heavy barrel, not sure the model. It needs checked out it was having trouble chambering the next round and once it did i slammed the bolt home and it went off. scared the sh*t out of me, luckily i was aiming straight up but still... coulda been real bad. i hope i never have that happen to me again.

03-06-2008, 10:12 AM	#6
ArkansasHunter Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 10,507 Trader Rating: (0)	Years ago I bought what looked like a brand new Mauser 7mm at WalMart. It was clean as a whistle. I take it to where I hunt and load it up and as soon as I closed the bolt BANG. I can't describe how much that scared me ! I was by myself in the woods so fortunitly no one got shot. I chambered a 2nd. round and BANG it did it again. So I took the gun back to WalMart and got my money back. To this day I wonder if they put this gun back on the rack and someone else bought it. Hopefully no one was hurt or killed. A.H

03-07-2008, 08:00 AM	#10
LarryO1970 "Blazing Saddles" GOV Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Johnson Creek, WI Posts: 2,425 Trader Rating: (0)	Honestly, it sounds a whole lot like the selector and trigger group than the bolt or firing pin. If a something is worn or broken in the trigger group, this may very well cause a "runaway gun" ... which will sound like a full-auto even when it isn't. If the sear does not catch, it will take off on you. For anyone familiar with the M-60 machine gun, you know what I'm talking about with regard to a broken or worn sear, it will continue to cycle until it is out of ammo. For some reason, I feel the same can happen with an AR.