The Garand did slam fire once. I'm pretty sure it's the ammo I have to buy from Clark Bros. It's American Eagle, and the primers are just too thin. According tot he internet, American Eagle is the budget Federal brand, and I've seen reports that Federal does use such primers
One BAD thing about the Garand. Once in a blue moon after leaving it in the cabinet for a while the bolt just won't open. I can jiggle the operating rod all day long and it won't come loose. It's never done this during a firing session, just when cold, out of the cabinet or sleeve. If it DID, I bet it'd bend up the operating rod, with my luck. Well it did it this time as I broke it out for the first shoot. I took it to the gunsmith to unstick it and see what he thought. He had no long term solution. The next time it does it, I'm going to take the time to comb over every part to see where it is sticking, stem to stern. It could be up at the gas cylinder, or the back of the bolt, though originally I always thought it was the fore end of the bolt. The area around the firing pin could be it. Maybe if I dry fired it, it would loosen up. Hmmm.
Other than that I was happy with it.
Speaking of slamfire... A guy there had a brand new, to him, SKS. His first clip of 10 the thing slam fired 4 in a row after a few singles. Needless to say, he was done with it for the day until he could do something about it. His 7.62x39 ammo was the same brand that I used with the Garand, so the same light primer applied to his problem. There is an aftermarket firing pin with a spring that can be applied to his problem.
My BAG, "Gummint Cheez" gun was tried out. Marlin 1894 in .357. Sweet. The first two trying rounds were very nice. And the others aren't so bad either.
And it shot well every round. I am so happy Nancy Pelosi is sending me money to pay for this. Thanks Nancy! You're the greatest. Don't look so surprised that I gave you a complement! What? You ALWAYS look surprised? Oh. Anyway, these are the last 4 rounds I shot with it:
All deer killers, even in that 6 ring.
The .22 holes on this one are from the Savage, and the Henry a bit low and left:
The first round I shot with the savage was the bulls eye. I've been doing that a lot. Shooting very well with the first round. Great for hunting if that is a habit. I am not convinced I like that accu-trigger on the Savage, but I can't fault the gun for it's accuracy. The Henry's trigger is a little funky, and that may explain why it shoots down there. But I always seem to shoot left with .22s, pistols and rifles, so I must be blamed for some of that. You can see some .357 holes on there as well. Did I mention I was pleased with the Marlin 1894?
Primers are the final link in slamfires in the SKS but not usually the cause. I would have told the fellow to pull his bolt so you can do the "shake test" on it. Even if you descosmo the gun, a lot of folks forget the bolt internals. A little stickiness in the bolt can be lethal. 4 slamfires could have killed someone. There is no muzzle brake. The SKS will climb badly and there are cases of people being shot with their own weapons slamfiring and flipping around onto them.
ReplyDeleteMilitary grade 7.62x39 is less prone to slamfire but still will with a badly fouled firing pin.
The spring-loaded firing pin modification is a guarantee to avoid a slamfire. Unfortunate that this fellow had so many. It's a way to turn someone off from an otherwise great rifle.
He was also lucky no ATF agents were around. He could have been arrested for possession of an illegal machine gun. It's already happened with ARs under identical circumstances.
I have also experienced slam-firing or doubling with the Federal red-box .30-06 in my Garand, and only with that ammunition. Mostly I load my own now, usually using Winchester primers.
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