Courses / Manual rifle / Lesson 7
Malfunctions
Failure to fire, feed or extract, and what to do. Lesson 7 of 8 · about 8 minutes to watch.
Watch
Step through the slides. The trainer's words are under each one.
Malfunctions
Manual rifle, lesson 7 of 8: failure to fire, feed or extract
Sooner or later every rifle fails to do what you expect. The unit standard asks you to recognise the malfunction, know what you can fix yourself, and restore the rifle to safe working order. Marike gets her own malfunction on day two.
Three malfunctions to recognise
| Malfunction | What you notice | Common causes |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to fire | Click, no bang | Faulty cartridge, weak firing-pin strike, bolt not fully closed |
| Failure to feed | The bolt won't close on a round, or no round goes in | Magazine not seated, bent magazine lips, dirt, wrong ammunition |
| Failure to extract | The fired case stays in the chamber | Dirty chamber, worn or broken extractor, damaged case |
The unit standard names three malfunctions. A failure to fire: you press the trigger and hear a click, but no shot. A failure to feed: the round does not go into the chamber, or the bolt will not close on it. And a failure to extract: when you draw the bolt back, the fired case stays in the chamber. Each has common causes, from a faulty cartridge to dirt in the chamber to a worn part. Recognising which one you have tells you what to do.
Click, no bang: wait before you open
- 1Keep it pointedMuzzle downrange, finger off the trigger
- 2Wait at least 30 secondsIt could be a hangfire that fires late
- 3Open carefullyEject the cartridge, face away from the ejection side
- 4InspectLook at the primer; set the round aside
If you get a click and no bang, do not open the bolt straight away. The cartridge might be a hangfire, a round whose powder ignites a moment late. Keep the muzzle pointed safely downrange, finger off the trigger, and wait at least 30 seconds. Then open the bolt carefully and eject the round. Look at the primer: a light dent may mean the bolt was not fully closed or the firing pin is weak, and a good, deep dent points to a faulty cartridge. Set the round aside to return to the dealer.
A weak-sounding shot: stop
- Less noise or recoil than normal
- The bullet may be stuck in the barrel
- Unload, then check the barrel before firing again
One more to know, even though it is not one of the three in the unit standard. If a shot sounds or feels much weaker than normal, a squib load, the bullet may have stopped in the barrel. Stop. Unload, and check the barrel is clear before you fire again. Firing another round behind a stuck bullet can burst the barrel and injure you and the people beside you.
Failure to feed or extract: keep calm and keep it safe
- 1Muzzle safe, finger offAlways first
- 2Identify itRound not chambering, or case stuck
- 3Clear itAs your trainer showed you for your model
- 4Look and feelChamber clear before you reload
For a failure to feed or to extract, the order is the same. Keep the muzzle safe and your finger off the trigger. Identify what happened. Clear it the way your trainer has shown you for your rifle, for example re-seating the magazine, or working the bolt firmly to extract a case. Then look and feel that the chamber is clear before you reload. If it does not clear easily, stop and unload; never force it. The exact drill differs by model, so follow your trainer's drill for yours.
You, or a gunsmith?
| You can deal with it | Take it to a gunsmith |
|---|---|
| A faulty cartridge: set it aside | Repeated light primer strikes |
| A magazine not seated properly | A broken or worn extractor |
| Dirt in the chamber or action: clean it | A case stuck so tight the bolt won't open |
| The wrong ammunition: replace it with the right calibre | Cracks, bulges or rust pits in the barrel |
The unit standard asks you to know which malfunctions you may fix yourself and which go to a gunsmith. You can set aside a faulty cartridge, re-seat a magazine, clean dirt from the chamber, and replace the wrong ammunition with the right calibre. But repeated light strikes, a broken extractor, a case stuck so hard the bolt will not open, or any crack, bulge or pitting in the barrel need a gunsmith. Anything beyond cleaning and lubricating without tools is a gunsmith's job.
Marike's click, no bang
- She keeps the muzzle downrange and waits
- The primer has a light dent: the bolt wasn't fully down
- She now turns the handle firmly down every time
On the second morning Marike presses the trigger and gets a click. She keeps the rifle pointed downrange and counts to 30 before opening the bolt. The primer has only a light dent. Anel shows her that she had not turned the bolt handle fully down, so the rifle was not locked. It is a common mistake with a fast cycle. From then on she turns the handle firmly down every time.
Your turn
Before lesson 8
- Do the exercise: What went wrong?
- Answer four quick questions on this lesson
- Ask your trainer to show you the drill for your rifle
Before you move on, do the exercise, What went wrong?, and answer the four questions on screen. Then, in your own time: ask your trainer to show you the drill for your rifle. Next lesson: inspecting, cleaning, and the practical test.
Do: What went wrong?
Each of these happened at Ridgeview. Which malfunction is it?
Check
Four quick questions. The reason shows as soon as you answer.
Apply
Where this shows up in your own life.
Ask your trainer to show you the malfunction drill for your rifle
6. Shooting fundamentals
Next lesson8. Inspection, cleaning and the practical test
Continue →Ridgeview Firearms Academy and its people are fictional. This is study material written from the Firearms Control Act and the SAQA unit standards. It isn't an accredited course or legal advice; your accredited training provider runs the official tests.