Slight malfunction.

[FullNelson]

Well I had a little surprise today when I went out shooting on this beautiful day here. All was going well until about the fifth magazine, halfway through it I had a normal bang...then a second one...like a slam fire, only quicker. After examining the brass in there it became apparent that this particular Winchester round was just a tad too big and halfway through the barrel, became too big to pass. Thus the second bang was the casing being ripped apart at the breach as the gas had no where else to go. Have you guys ever had something like this happen? Would it be a waste of breath to ask either gun or ammo manufacturers for help?

Oh, and pictures are here if you guys want them.

 

[FullNelson]

 

[Poodles]

Looks like a classic out-of-battery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-battery

 

[FullNelson]

Any experience with what causes an out of battery discharge?

 

[IJ.]

Bulged round but wouldn't think this was possible with modern ammunition/quality control..

 

[SupraMario]

Any experience with what causes an out of battery discharge?

If it was I would have the firearm checked out, the last thing you want it to fire it again and have it detonate on you.

 

[IJ.]

Floating pin in that weapon?
(can't understand a misfire that bad if not)

 

[Supracentral]

Fullnelson, like poo said, an out of battery discharge, most likely caused by a slam fire. Is the firing pin protruding from the bolt? (Not a 100% sure thing as the firing may have pushed it back in.

Can you show us a close up of the primer and a close up of the boltface?

Regardless, that's likely a weapon malfunction and not an ammunition malfunction. What firearm are we talking about here?

(Document and photograph EVERYTHING. Manufacturers tend to take this stuff seriously unless you've got some cheap POS)

 

[FullNelson]

Well as it would be, this is a cheap pos. hi-point jh45. (wanted to see how I liked the 45 before going 1911)
Ive contacted them and at worst I will just sell it after they warranty it.

Im more interested if there was operator error here and I did something to provoke this or if it was just the hi-point stigma claiming another victim.

 

[Supracentral]

Yea, that's a slam fire out of battery discharge. The only real way that can happen is a weapon malfunction. Weak springs, rough slides -- something.

PS - Comparing a hi-point .45 to a 1911 is like driving an S-10 pickup truck to see what you'd think about driving a Supra, they both have inline six cylinders....

 

[SupraMario]

Well as it would be, this is a cheap pos. hi-point jh45. (wanted to see how I liked the 45 before going 1911)
Ive contacted them and at worst I will just sell it after they warranty it.

Im more interested if there was operator error here and I did something to provoke this or if it was just the hi-point stigma claiming another victim.

View attachment 61899View attachment 61900

Yea...Hi-point is cheap as fuck for a reason....if your going to get a 1911 and don't want to spend a ton...go with a RIA 1911 with some hogue grips. You can get them for $400 all day long.

 

[Poodles]

Is the gun new? Did you clean it before use?

 

[te72]

Yea, that's a slam fire out of battery discharge. The only real way that can happen is a weapon malfunction. Weak springs, rough slides -- something.

PS - Comparing a hi-point .45 to a 1911 is like driving an S-10 pickup truck to see what you'd think about driving a Supra, they both have inline six cylinders....

Gonna have to call you out on that one man, every 6 cylinder I've seen GM put in an S-10 was in a V-formation.

On topic though, I've never really tinkered with a gun if I weren't firing it, but it almost appears to me that the firing pin went above the bullet, or attempted to fire the bullet before it was fully chambered. Correct me if I'm mistaken here, but that's what it looks like to me. Kinda scary, can this cause barrels to burst?

 

[Poodles]

Hi-points may be cheap, but they're generally simple and built like tanks. I mean, it's not a Glock, but still, not bad.

Out of battery won't cause a barrel to burst, but it can cause the rest of the gun to go boom (especially on polymer guns). Looks like he was lucky.

Also, the reason I asked if it was cleaned: New gun are shipped with quite a lot of grease on them to protect from rust (who knows how long these guns are going to sit in storage before being sold). While not as bad as cosmoline on old military firearms, it can and WILL cause malfunctions.

 

[FullNelson]

No, it is not new, it was purchased second hand and I have been over it before with a clean and lube along with a fluff and buff to the feed ramp. Not comparing the hi-point to a 1911, but rather just to get a feel of a .45 in a heavy pistol to see if I liked the cartridges characteristics.

Ill be breaking it down tonight to see if I notice anything else out of place. Would the bent firing pin be a cause or effect of this slam fire?

 

[Supracentral]

Would the bent firing pin be a cause or effect of this slam fire?

It could very well be. If the bend in the pin prevents it from retracting into the bolt face, it would hit the primer as it's driving the round into the chamber, and cause the round to fire before the bolt is fully locked closed. That looks very much like what happened.