TWAW Misfires and Misfeeds
By Andrea Stump
TWAW Chapter Leader
Sterling, Colorado
You’re having a great time on the range, feeling confident in your technique and hitting targets like Annie Oakley. All of a sudden you pull the trigger, hear a click, but have no bang. What do you do?
Dealing with misfires and misfeeds is a common part of shooting and something all shooters need to be proficient in. In the above situation, you’ve just experienced a hang fire, meaning the round did not fire when the hammer of the gun hit the primer of the round. These are often blamed on sloppy reloading habits but can also occur with factory ammunition. On the range, the recommended method for dealing with a hang fire is to keep the gun pointed down range for 30 seconds as the round theoretically could still go off. If nothing happens in 30 seconds, rack the slide and eject the round. In a tactical situation it is impossible to wait for 30 seconds. Therefore, in a more realistic scenario you would follow the tap-roll-rack method.
The tap-roll-rack method is the primary way of dealing with misfires and misfeeds. To execute this maneuver, firmly tap the bottom of the magazine with your palm (this will ensure the magazine is seated correctly if it wasn’t). Then, roll the slide of the gun 90 degrees to the right so that the ejection port is facing the ground. Finally, rack the slide so that the misfired or misfed round is ejected and a fresh round is placed into the chamber.
The most common types of misfeeds include the following:
- Failure to feed: this occurs when a round is not fed into the chamber. This can occur if you forget to rack the slide after inserting a magazine or if the magazine is not secured properly in the gun and a round is unable to be picked up by the slide.
- Stovepipe: this occurs when a casing doesn’t fully get ejected and instead becomes stuck in the ejection port.
- Double feed: this occurs in semi-automatic firearms when two rounds try to enter the chamber at the same time. This will usually be easy to see as the slide will be stuck open. The two misfeeds previously described will easily be resolved with the tap-roll-rack method, however, this misfeed takes a little more effort to clear as there will be a lot of tension on the slide and magazine release. First, lock the slide all the way to the rear. Then, press the magazine release button and strip the magazine out. You may need to pull it hard to release it. Finally, rack the slide at least 3 times to clear the gun of all ammunition.
Dealing with misfires and misfeeds can be intimidating at first. It’s helpful to practice handling them with dummy rounds. Further, if you’re shooting at a range with a range safety officer, don’t hesitate to raise your hand and ask for help. As a final note, keeping your firearms clean and properly lubed as well as using quality ammunition will help reduce chances of these occurring.
To find out more about managing misfeeds, personal safety, gun ownership, and other methods of self-defense, please join us for The Well Armed Women (TWAW) Sterling chapter meeting on August 21st from 9 am to 11 am at Logan County Shooting Sports complex, 12515 Highway 61/2nd Amendment Way off Highway 61 Sterling, CO. Come join us for a fun morning on the range!
TWAW Shooting Chapters exists to educate and empower women in a safe and non-threatening environment for their effective and responsible self-defense with a firearm. Prospective members are welcome to attend their first meeting before joining. If you would like to become a member, you can join online at www.twawshootingchapters.org. Women over 18 interested in learning more can contact Jennifer Everhart at twawsterling@gmail.com or visit TWAW Shooting Chapters, Inc. website at www.twawshootingchapters.org. You can also like us on Facebook @twawsterlingcolorado or stop by Boondocks Army Surplus at 324 N 4th Street in Sterling and pick up a flyer.