If you shoot a semi-automatic rifle or pistol, it is inevitable at some point you will have a malfunction. This is when you pull the trigger and nothing happens. Well, something happens, but it isn’t what you expect. The gun doesn’t go bang. Many people call this a “jam,” but the correct term is malfunction. Most malfunctions you can fix yourself. The problem turns into a jam when you cannot clear the issue and need the service of a gunsmith.
Malfunctions are caused by a problem with the ammunition; the mechanics of the gun or the shooter. To get the most out of your training, familiarize yourself with the types of malfunctions and how to fix them. To do this you will need to be able to perform these actions quickly in a self-defense situation.
Your first fix for most malfunctions is the “tap-rack-bang.”
- Tap — slam the bottom of the magazine with the palm of your hand to make sure it has seated properly.
- Rack — rack the slide a few times to clear the chamber and load a new round.
- Bang — pull the trigger.
Your first fix for most malfunctions is called tap-rack-bang.
Squib
A squib is a round that does not have enough powder charge to send the bullet down the chamber and out of the barrel. Therefore the bullet gets stuck in the barrel. A squib can be a danger to you and your firearm. It is important to be aware of what happens after you pull the trigger. A squib will only go “pop” as opposed to “bang”and you will most likely feel less recoil than normal. If you do not notice the squib, you might be able to load another round. This can really damage your gun. If you suspect you have a squib, stop shooting. Clear the action, make your gun safe, and check the barrel. Squibs occur most commonly with handloads, but factory ammunition can produce a squib round as well. Clearing a squib with tap-rack-bang is not possible. You may be able to remove the bullet with a barrel cleaning rod, however if you are unsure, take your gun to a gunsmith or call the range officer to remove the bullet.
Failure to Feed
A failure to feed is when a cartridge will not load into the chamber. A round that fails to feed is normally associated with a magazine problem — the spring needs cleaning or possibly it’s a bad follower. It is possible that the magazine was not inserted properly. In my experience, a little lubrication on the feed lips of the magazine and in the chamber fixes this issue. After checking to see if your magazines are in good working order, your next step would be to switch ammo. Some guns are finicky.
Failure to Eject
A failure to eject means the case has not come out of the chamber after the guns fires.
A failure to eject problem may also be called a stovepipe.
This is when the case gets stuck standing up, preventing the slide from returning to battery. To fix a failure to eject, use tap-rack-bang, but first roll your gun 90 degrees to the right. This will allow gravity to aid your efforts in removing the case. The experts at Magpul teach students to swipe at the stuck round with your hand to remove it.
Hangfire
A hangfire is a delay between the time the firing pin hitting the bullet’s primer and the round going off. Keep your gun pointed in a safe direction for at least 30 seconds to see if the round goes off. After that — with the gun pointed in a safe direction — rack the slide to eject the malfunctioning round.
Slamfire
A slamfire is when a new round loads into the chamber and the bolt return causes the firing pin to hit the primer hard enough to cause the round to fire without the trigger having to be engaged.
Double Feed
You have a double feed when two live rounds attempt to feed into the chamber. To fix a double feed, first remove the magazine. Then, rack the slide to eject both rounds. Once both rounds have been ejected, insert a fresh magazine, and you should be ready to rock and roll.
You have a double feed when two live rounds attempt to feed into the chamber.
Short Stroke
A short stroke is when the gun does not complete a full cycle after a round has fired. The round will successfully leave the barrel, however, the slide did not go all the way back and the gun will not load a new round. There is usually no indication that a short stroke has happened.
Misfire
A misfire is when you pull the trigger and the gun goes “click”. A misfire is normally due to a faulty primer. It may also be an issue with the gun’s firing pin. If tap-rack-bang does not correct the issue, remove the bad round and dispose of it safely.
There are two common shooter issues that may also cause a malfunction. One is being too gentle when you rack the slide. This was my problem as a noob and causing persistent issues with getting a round to chamber, known as failure to feed. Another shooter problem is when you do not have a firm grasp on your gun, this is called limpwristing and may cause any of the previous problems.
You will also see malfunctions labeled Level I, Level II and Level III. A Level I malfunction is the easiest to clear, for example a misfire is a Level I malfunction. Level II is a failure to eject, like a stovepipe. A Level III malfunction is a failure to extract or a double feed.
It is important to practice clearing malfunctions and learning to perform it quickly — especially in your self-defense gun. You can safely use snap caps to practice. Caleb Giddings’ video and blog demonstrates the importance of thinking and clearing malfunctions quickly.
What is the worst malfunction you have encountered? Tell us in the comments section.
The mission of Cheaper Than Dirt!’s blog, “The Shooter’s Log,” is to provide information—not opinions—to our customers and the shooting community. We want you, our readers, to be able to make informed decisions. The information provided here does not represent the views of Cheaper Than Dirt!
A friend experience a squib at the range once and fired a following shot without thinking. I was to his right and the sound of the second round’s full report coming out of the breach directed towards me by the slide sounded like he had shot AT me. When I turned and looked at him he was about to fall down and had small bloody spots on his hand, arm and shoulder, from either powder burns or high-pressure copper burns. For weeks following he said strings of a green, fine wire looking material came out of his wounds, which I equated to high-pressure copper burns. It’s a wonder he didn’t lose an eye or get blood poisoning or who knows what. And with hearing protection on it is very hard to detect a squib, he and I only noticed the follow-up round. Gun in question was a Hi-Point 9mm but I honestly think it had more to do with him shooting any old ammo he had laying around. I remember one time he offered me an old 30.06 bullet he found in his stuff, the brass had turned green and I said no thanks, old bullets like that are very dangerous.
Comment by C4 — November 10, 2012 @ 7:56 am
…Or just get a revolver.
Comment by MadLeMaudiT. — November 10, 2012 @ 8:00 am
[...] Stay Calm and Keep Shooting: Clearing Malfunctions [...]
Pingback by News You Can Use « YouViewed/Editorial — November 10, 2012 @ 8:31 am
I think this is a very good article and thank you for posting it. There is one thing I think bears correcting. In your description of Tap, Rack, Bang, you say, in the Rack step, “rack the slide a few times to clear the chamber and load a new round.” I think that should be changed to “rack the slide ONCE to clear the chamber and load a new round.” Racking the slide a few times is appropriate after cleaning, but I am not so sure it would be a good idea with a loaded magazine in the firearm.
Comment by Rick — November 10, 2012 @ 8:45 am
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Pingback by Good article on clearing malfunctions~ — November 10, 2012 @ 9:09 am
Working as RSO at a local range, I heard a squib from a lane with a new shooter. I stopped her from shooting again and had her lay the gun down on the bench and step back. I then did tap, remove the magazine and locked the slide back. After checking to verify the chamber was empty I inserted a bore light (pen light with a 90 degree light pipe) into the chamber and aimed the gun at the shadowed area under the bench. No light showed so I looked down on the end of the barrel and saw the bullet slightly protruding from the barrel. At that point it was necessary to field strip the gun, which I used as an opportunity to teach the new shooter how to do this, and run a rod through from the chamber end to expel the bullet. Reassemble the gun and examine the shooters ammo before allowing her to resume fire.
It takes a while to write out the detailed steps performed but this entire evolution took less than two minutes.
Comment by grayghostcsa — November 10, 2012 @ 9:42 am
I have to agree with commenter number 4. Otherwise, exactly how many live rounds are you supposed to load and then eject onto the floor/ground before you return to firing… especially in a life or death situation???
Comment by John — November 10, 2012 @ 12:18 pm
Again, as with many of the articles I’ve read on here, this one could use some good editing by someone who knows more about shooting. First, you NEVER lube the ammo or the chamber! Doing so eliminates the cartridge’s ability to “grip” the chamber during firing and puts the entire force of firing against the bolt face/bolt locking system. Clean the chamber with a good chamber brush if it’s dirty, clean and perhaps de-burr the feed lips if necessary, but never anything that would put lube on the cartidge. That’s the main major problem I saw here but there were also several smaller issues, like leaving a hang-fire round lying on the ground/floor of the firing line (your instructions never said when/how to police the unfired round). Also, I would prefer to see typical causes listed for ALL the listed malfunctions (all have a cause, after all), not just some of them. Many of these articles appear to me to fall under the heading of “A little learning is a dangerous thing.”
Comment by Buddy — November 10, 2012 @ 3:07 pm
I was at the range recently with a collector friend of mine. He had 4 WW2 Browning 380 German pistols. Upon firing one, the first round went off well, but the next round exploded sending shrapnel on my face and neck. I threw the gun about 10 feet and noticed my thumb bleeding profusely. On examining the gun, the action was open and there was a badly mushroomed casing stuck in the gun. My buddy said he saw the round go downrange. Does anyone know what happened? The folks at the range didn’t have a clue. We guessed that it was a war worn 60 year old gun that should have been put in a display case instead of being shot. BTW, I’m fine.
I put a band-aid on my thumb and continued shooting the dozen plus guns we were punching paper with.
Comment by Denis Cilensek — February 1, 2013 @ 6:46 pm
Squib load (handload…my own fault) in a revolver. The bullet lodgedbetween the cylinder and the frame, locking up the action and requiring removal of the cylinder to clear.
Comment by Richard — February 19, 2013 @ 6:51 am
Am having an awful time with jamming (casing of fired round plus new, unfired round
jammed together with the slide stuck just halfway advanced.) This is a brand new
Taurus semi-auto .22 PT, which shoots .22 Long Rifle rounds. This can happen at any
time, but most often when I have one round already in the chamber, the magazine full
and attempt firing. I read somewhere that some semi-auto’s require 200 rounds to
loosen up and quit jamming. One extra thing: the slide is Way Too Hard to operate,
like maybe the main spring for the slide is Far Too Strong. Help !!!
Comment by Don W. Boyles — March 30, 2013 @ 1:14 pm
Jamming problem with brand new Taurus .22 PT semi-auto (shoots .22 LR.) Most often–but can happen at any time– when one round is chambered and full magazine attached. The casing from the fired, chambered round will jam up against the newly fed, unfired round from the magazine. (The spring on the slide– to me– seems to be Far Too Strong, and it would take a gorilla to work the slide.) Any comments, ideas ? Does the gun just need to loosen up ? Or is one brand of .22 LR better than any other for this problem ? Help– this is a brand new gun !!!
Comment by Don Boyles — April 1, 2013 @ 8:36 pm
After working as RSO for a long time I have come up with the following reasons for jams in semi-automatic handguns.
1. Limp Wristing – allowing the firearm to move in your hands. Almost all of the common semi-automatic handguns are powered by recoil. If you allow the firearm to move in your hands, you absorb recoil energy needed by the firearm to operate. In other words it runs out of energy before completing the cycle. Solution, change and tighten your grip. If this fails to help, go to step 2.
2. Ammo Problems – some firearms, particularly small calibers such as .22′s are sensitive to different brands of ammo. Opinion, not fact; some of the newer ultra small firearms in .380 and 9mm are engineered to close to the edge and definitely need the energy required by hotter loads. Solution, change ammo brands and bullet weights. In today’s market this is expensive so buy the smallest box of ammo you can. If this doesn’t clear the problem go to step 3.
3. Magazine Problems – most commonly bent feed lips but it can be spring tension or needed lubrication. Solution, change magazines and see if the problem continues. If you firearm did not come with multiple magazines you definitely need to at least obtain a second on. Sometimes on the range there will be someone with the exact same firearm you are having problems with. Ask to borrow on of their successful magazines. If this doesn’t clear the problem, go to step 4.
4. Problem with the firearm – if your firearm is brand new and you call the manufacturer to report a feed problem, unfortunately you will probably be told to fire at least 500 rounds through the gun and call back when you do. I find this to be a dangerous situation on the firing line. At this point instead I would take the firearm to a reputable gun smith and have him find the problem and write up what he finds wrong and repairs. Then go to the manufacturer. They probably won’t do anything but a least you will have your firearm in working order sooner than later.
Comment by grayghostcsa — April 3, 2013 @ 8:12 am
Went to Vegas.
Shot a AR15 for my first time.
It jammed on me, so instructor took the clip out checked gun then put clip back in
He gave it back to me, I tried to fire, but just click click
He tried, but just click click, no fire.
He brought the target back, checked the holes.
There was one hole missing, but one hole was perfectly circular and twice as big as the others.
He grabbed the other worker and they both looked at each other and just said ‘wow’
They quickly took that gun away and brought out another.
I didn’t understand at the time, but maybe I had a squib hanging out the end and then fired again and pushed both bullets to the target, making the front bullet mushroom? Just a guess.
I have no clue what happened
Comment by Steveb — June 8, 2013 @ 1:21 am
[...] 95-grain full metal jacket .380 target rounds, there was only one time I did not have a stovepipe malfunction. Surprisingly, the only magazine that ran without issues was the ProMag and it only did it once. [...]
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