Moisture In Primers? Failure to Ignite

[Hammsolo]

Boooooo

 

[Burn Pile]

If your chamber is oversized, you might be sizing them but some still dont get down to spec for your gauge after a firing. If some cases stretched more, weren't lubed the same, had different levels of springback, or press was operated a little different you can have slight differences in dimensions after sizing. I dont think i've ever used a case gauge because generally speaking i only care how a case fits in the chamber it's being fired from.

This would be on my short list to check out. If the chamber is too long (excess head space) for the brass thats going into it the momentum from the firing pin is being consumed pushing the case into the shoulder of the chamber instead of smashing the primer cup against the anvil. Bergara will need to have it shipped back to them to discover this for themselves.

If you get a hold of a no go gauge or go to a local gunsmith with one and put it in there you could confirm that the chamber is too long for spec. If this is whats going on I would expect virgin cases and factory ammo to have the most trouble igniting. And brass that has been fire formed to your chamber to measure longer from case base to shoulder using a case compactor tool for your calipers. If you neck size this stuff I would expect it to fire reliably. The gunsmith may be able to screw the barrel in more or adjust the headspace depending on how your barrel attaches to the action.

Bottom line for this issue: bergara can be expected to be cheaper to fix, local gunsmith can be expected to be faster to fix.

To your post higher on the page if you pushed the shoulder back too far the FL sized brass would be worse about this than the factory loads and virgin brass. Do you have case compactors? Saw you don't... they take some guess work out of this situation. How do you set your die to achieve your desired shoulder bump?

 

[mtmuley]

This would be on my short list to check out. If the chamber is too long (excess head space) for the brass thats going into it the momentum from the firing pin is being consumed pushing the case into the shoulder of the chamber instead of smashing the primer cup against the anvil. Bergara will need to have it shipped back to them to discover this for themselves.

If you get a hold of a no go gauge or go to a local gunsmith with one and put it in there you could confirm that the chamber is too long for spec. If this is whats going on I would expect virgin cases and factory ammo to have the most trouble igniting. And brass that has been fire formed to your chamber to measure longer from case base to shoulder using a case compactor tool for your calipers. If you neck size this stuff I would expect it to fire reliably. The gunsmith may be able to screw the barrel in more or adjust the headspace depending on how your barrel attaches to the action.

Bottom line for this issue: bergara can be expected to be cheaper to fix, local gunsmith can be expected to be faster to fix.

To your post higher on the page if you pushed the shoulder back too far the FL sized brass would be worse about this than the factory loads and virgin brass. Do you have case compactors? Saw you don't... they take some guess work out of this situation. How do you set your die to achieve your desired shoulder bump?

I'm gonna shoot an elk in November. Yeah
November. With handloads I loaded probly 5 years ago. I hope. mtmuley

 

[Hams42]

To your post higher on the page if you pushed the shoulder back too far the FL sized brass would be worse about this than the factory loads and virgin brass. Do you have case compactors? Saw you don't... they take some guess work out of this situation. How do you set your die to achieve your desired shoulder bump?

So I did end up getting a comparator and the measurements were actually shorter. The case is barely growing and even virgin brass was showing 1.624. Fire formed brass was only growing about .005 and I set the die to not even knock the shoulder back. Still had misfires. I'll just send it back for now.

I love the B-14 rifles but I am not fan so far with premier line. I had nothing but pressure issues with the first one I had and then the issues with this one too.

 

[Burn Pile]

Huh well rules that out then. When the new firing pin spring went in was the firing pin channel clean and dry?

I read back a bit more carefully and it seems like you have gone thru all of these basics and yep sounds like a problem for Bergara to get after. If they want to improve on the 0/2 track record.

 

[Hams42]

Huh well rules that out then. When the new firing pin spring went in was the firing pin channel clean and dry?

I read back a bit more carefully and it seems like you have gone thru all of these basics and yep sounds like a problem for Bergara to get after. If they want to improve on the 0/2 track record.

Yup clean. I had cleaned it out previous to swapping the pin and spring. And even before cleaning it it wasnt exactly dirty.

 

[Hams42]

Got the gun back from Bergara. They said headspace was good and they polished the chamber. Test fired 10 times without issue.

So I am at a loss. I thought I was bumping the shoulder back too much but factory ammo was still misfiring. It's like every once in a while the firing pin gets stuck.

I have already swapped the original pin and spring with another factory replacement but should I get a heavier spring?

I was thinking that I may need to just replace the barrel but if the headspace is fine I think that would just be a waste of money.

Thoughts?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Got the gun back from Bergara. They said headspace was good and they polished the chamber. Test fired 10 times without issue.

So I am at a loss. I thought I was bumping the shoulder back too much but factory ammo was still misfiring. It's like every once in a while the firing pin gets stuck.

I have already swapped the original pin and spring with another factory replacement but should I get a heavier spring?

I was thinking that I may need to just replace the barrel but if the headspace is fine I think that would just be a waste of money.

Thoughts?

It's possible there is just drag somewhere in the ignition system. Not something i've ever fought but i've seen videos from Stratton custom rifles showing how he "tunes" the ignition system and polishes or machines away any source of drag.

Think ive seen others having issues with bergara ignition..

 

[Hams42]

It's possible there is just drag somewhere in the ignition system. Not something i've ever fought but i've seen videos from Stratton custom rifles showing how he "tunes" the ignition system and polishes or machines away any source of drag.

Think ive seen others having issues with bergara ignition..

Like drag inside the bolt? Slowing/catching the firing pin?

I just read another thread from a few years ago and he said his problem was CCI primers. He said he swapped to federal and never had another issue.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Like drag inside the bolt? Slowing/catching the firing pin?

I just read another thread from a few years ago and he said his problem was CCI primers. He said he swapped to federal and never had another issue.

yes, like there is drag somewhere when the firing pin is dropping that prevents it from hitting primers will full energy every time. I would think if that was the case you could recock and fire again and these duds would ignite eventually though?

 

[Hams42]

yes, like there is drag somewhere when the firing pin is dropping that prevents it from hitting primers will full energy every time. I would think if that was the case you could recock and fire again and these duds would ignite eventually though?

Some of them would fire after a second trigger pull but the majority would not. I'm going to look into tuning the ignition system and go pick up some Federal gold.