Full Disclosure: We’ve been fortunate not to experience many misfires, hang fires, or squibs ourselves. Because of that, we’ve had to source some of the images shown here from around the internet. We want to make it clear that we do not own the rights to these images. If any image is yours and you’d like it credited or removed, please contact us; we’ll gladly update or replace it.
Not long ago I watched a YouTube clip of a shooter doing some ballistic testing. Everything was normal until click — no bang, no recoil. What caught my eye wasn’t the malfunction itself, it was what happened next: within seconds the shooter had ejected the round and was holding it close to his face to inspect the primer. Watching that made me want to write this —
Let’s look at the three failure types (misfire, hang-fire, squib), explain — in practical technical terms — what happens if a round ignites outside the chamber and why that’s dangerous, and expand on how a squib can both wreck a firearm and injure a shooter
Misfire, hang-fire, squib, what are they?
Misfire — “nothing happened”
A misfire is the simplest: the firing pin falls (or at least you expect it to) and the primer doesn’t detonate. You get a click and nothing else. Most shooters will likely experience a misfire in the hobby.
There are lots of reasons a firearm can misfire, here’s a list of the most common few in no particular order.
- A dud primer (they happen, especially in military surplus ammo)
- light firing pin strike
- the primer cup is too hard or too thick
- a broken or weak main spring in the gun
- contamination on the primer (oil, solvent, cat hair etc.)
- primer not seated deep enough
- primer seated too deep
- incorrect round in chamber
- improper headspace
The dangerous part about a misfire is that it seems harmless, and often it is, but you still must treat the firearm as if it may be discharged. A misfire could be something called a hangfire. The first rule of gun safety still applies, especially when dealing with a misfire.
Hang-fire — “it fired, eventually”
A hang-fire is when ignition is delayed. Instead of an immediate burn, the primer or propellant takes time to transition to full combustion. That delay might be a fraction of a second, or it might be several seconds. Because the timing is unpredictable, that’s what makes hang-fires especially hazardous.
The suspect list for hangfires is shorter than it is for misfires, but here are a few things that causes them.
- Old primers
- 70+ year old military ammo is notorious for hangfire and misfires
- Cold weather, slow burning powder and under power primers
- Ex #1. 308 Win “Match” cases with a small rifle primer running Varget or other slow burning propellent can hangfire if you are sitting in a coyote stand in -20 deg weather.
- Ex #2. 338 Lapua loaded with very slow burning powder left outside in a car overnight where the ammunition is chilled in subzero conditions. This can instigate a hangfire.
- Bad or contaminated powder, usually this is apparent as ammunition that has been soaked in water will show signs of corrosion. However old ammunition or ammunition that has been soaked in oil may also cause issues.
- It’s rare but if you are getting repeat hangfires, sometimes it can be a firearm malfunction, an improper primer strike can cause partial ignition of the primer.
Hangfires are the reason misfires can be dangerous. You do not want to be opening the action at the same time the round decides to “finally ignite”. At that point the action is still “semi closed” and the ignition will quite literally blow the action open. It is an unlikely event, coupled with unfortunate timing.
It is always best to treat a misfire as a possible hang fire. When the misfire happens stay in your shooting position for 15-30 seconds which will ensure the round has ample time to ignite. Then clear the action quickly, ejecting the suspect round away from you. Once the round is clear from the chamber, it still has a very remote possibility of “going off” but since the pressure is not contained within the chamber it is not going to generate enough force to cause substantial injury, more on this later.
Squib — “the bullet got stuck”
A squib happens when a shot is underpowered, regardless of whether it exits the bore or not. A squib is truly dangerous when it gets stuck in the bore, as it can cause immediate damage to the firearm and or shooter if not recognized and handled appropriately.
Squibs have a few causes which are listed below
- No powder in the case, primer has enough powder to launch the bullet from the case into the throat.
- Low powder charge, this can vary from having a bullet travel partially down the bore to the bullet exiting the bore completely and ending up as an extreme flier on the target.
- Contaminated powder and or waterlogged powder can produce a squib. Ammunition is not typically oil/waterproof
A squib is going to feel and sound different. That is the telltale. It can be everything from a louder then normal “click” to a muted but recognizable “bang”. It all depends on how the squib manifests. While rare a squib can cycle a semiauto, without the projectile exiting the bore. It’s important that you as a shooter recognize when the sound isn’t right, the recoil isn’t right, just something does not “feel” correct, to stop yourself, unload the firearm, and field strip it to check for a bore obstruction.
The biggest danger is chambering another round and firing it. You might think to yourself “How can anyone be so stupid” but if you are a serious competitive shooter, or even a shooter that practices “remedial action drills”, clearing a malfunction is second nature. Many shooters do not even register that it was a squib rather than a dud round. They “Tap, Rack, Pull” and that next pull results in rapid deconstruction of their firearm.
When firearms explode, due to a squib, or what can be termed an “overpressure event” they do it with the force of a bomb. Hot gases and metal shards expel enough energy to seriously injure or kill the shooter or even a bystander in the next shooting lane. This is why it is so important to recognize when a squib happens and stop.
Clearing a squib may not always be possible to do at the range. Depending on where the bullet has stopped in the rifling, it may take a long brass rod and a hammer to drive it the rest of the way through the bore. Understandably many folks do not feel comfortable doing this. In that case take it to a gunsmith and have them do it, it won’t be their first time.
Whatever you do, do not be tempted to try and “shoot out” a bore obstruction. Whether it is a bullet, or a chunk of snow. I have witnessed a shooter running between stages accidently dip their muzzle in a snowbank plugging the end of the flash hider. The next shot split the flash higher into three pieces. The amount of force needed to push the snow out of the end of that flash hider is almost negligible, but that is how sensitive the balance between pressure and acceleration is. If the bullet is impeded even just a little bit, the pressure can spike so rapidly that it will damage the barrel.
Why exposed ammo not dangerous
You might ask the question, if a hang fire cartridge ignites outside of the chamber is it dangerous? In short, mildly.
This part is worth slowing down for because the physics explains why a round that fires out in the open behaves very differently from one that fires inside a gun.
A cartridge firing is a controlled chemical-pressure event: the primer initiates the powder, the gun’s chamber contains the expanding gas long enough for pressure to rise, and the barrel channels that pressure to accelerate the bullet down and out in a predictable way. The chamber and barrel together form a pressure vessel and nozzle, they direct and contain the energy.
Take away the chamber (for example because the round was extracted or the cartridge is loose on a bench) and a few things change:
- No containment = early venting. Without the chamber to hold pressure, the gases from igniting propellant vent outward almost immediately. That means pressure doesn’t build to the same level that would push a bullet down a barrel; instead, the bullet and primer pop out of the end of the case and pressure vents before it can built significantly.
- Case failure and fragmentation. This is a remote possibility but usually does not happen. Once the primer ignites the pressure begins to swell the case and the bullet is released acting as a natural pressure release. Occasionally, with faster burning powders, the pressure does not drop off fast enough and the case can split. This break can sometimes release a sharp fragment or two, which is effectively shrapnel and that can cause injury.
- Projectile behavior changes. The bullet relies on the barrel to accelerate and stabilize it. In free air the bullet may receive some impulse, usually this is from the primer igniting. The pressure generated by the primer is often enough to unseat the bullet. However, if the powder does begin to burn the resulting pressure will pop the bullet off like a cork. Once the bullet is popped off the case the pressure is released, and the bullet does not accelerate further. In this case the bullet does not become a projectile and is usually not a significant hazard.
- Thermal and gas hazards. Hot gases, unburned powder particles, and molten or incandescent residues spray outward and can cause burns or ignite nearby flammable items. This is probably the best reason not to hold the round in your hand. Primers contain metals in order to help carry the heat of the primer into the powder charge, this can cause a burn. If you close your hand, you suddenly contain the round and that will allow pressure to build, and can worsen the situation.
So is a hangfire dangerous if it ignites outside of the chamber? Yes, in the sense it can cause injury but it is very unlikely to cause more than a superficial wound. For this reason many professional ranges have a designated container to dispose of suspected faulty ammunition.
A good YouTube Video that demonstrates this is one published by the channel TAOFLEDERMAUS, which uses a “perimeter alarm” to set off a 50 BMG shell. By the way these perimeter alarms are kind of neat, check them out here.
In wrapping things up a few best practices to keep us safe
The take away can easily get lost in the explanations so here are some best practices when you are dealing with a misfire, possible hang fire, or possible squib.
- Keep the muzzle pointed downrange, it’s still a loaded gun until you can prove otherwise. The 1st rule of gun safety applies.
- Maintain a control hold, if you break your position and the hangfire lets loose, that’s a good way to get scoped, drop the firearm, or get punched by the recoil.
- Wait about 15-30 seconds incase the misfire is a hang fire. Give the round a chance to ignite. (Some folks say 30 seconds to a minute, but honestly have you tried waiting that long? Count to fifteen, or thirty, and then proceed to step 4)
- In the case of a misfire clear the firearm with your face and body to the side. Don’t lean over the ejection port. Let the cartridge drop rather than catching it.
- If the sound or recoil felt odd, stop shooting and check the bore from the breech with the correct tools (or have an armorer do it).
- Quarantine suspect rounds — use a dud can or a marked container and follow your range’s disposal procedures.
These are conservative habits; they add seconds to your session but massively reduce risk.
Final thoughts: respect the moment, simplify the response
To successfully ignite a cartridge several things have to happen in quick succession. The majority of the time, everything works as it should and we have a good time. However there will be times that the “click” does not result in a “boom”. During these times you need to train yourself to slow down.
Make “wait” your reflex. Keep the muzzle safe, inspect at arm’s length, check the bore when in doubt, and treat dud rounds as hazardous until proven otherwise. Those small habits patience and proper handling are the most powerful safety tools a shooter has. They don’t require special gear, and they keep you and everyone around you shooting another day.
Marc