How to ...
Clear a Misfeed
(and Other Failures to Fire)
By Kathy Jackson
Although a misfeed is simply a subtype of the larger category of malfunctions
called "failures to fire," a misfeed is by far the most common cause of
a failure to fire. Misfeeds often happen when a round of ammunition fails
to enter the chamber as expected. Because there is no round in the chamber,
the gun cannot fire.
Failures to fire can also be caused by faulty reloads or otherwise poor
ammunition which does not react as expected when the primer is struck.
In some cases, the fault may lie within the mechanics of the firearm:
worn springs or dirty firing pin channels may not allow the firing pin
to strike the primer as hard as it must be struck in order to fire the
round.1
Whatever the cause, when you pull the trigger nothing happens except
a very disconcerting click.
Getting a new round into the chamber so that your gun works again only
takes a second or two, but you must do it in the right order. The phrase
to remember is Tap, Rack, (assess and) Bang.
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Failure to Fire: you pulled the trigger, but the shot
did not fire. Now what?
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Step One: Tap
Tap the bottom of the magazine upwards firmly with the base of your palm.
You are doing this because one of the most common causes of a misfeed
is a magazine that is not completely seated. If the magazine is not firmly
in place, when the slide comes forward it will slip right over the next
round, failing to pick it up for chambering.
You must tap the magazine into place first, before you rack the
slide.
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Step One: Tap the magazine firmly into place.
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Step Two: Rack
Rack the slide. If the previous round
of ammunition was a dud, it will be ejected at this point. As the slide
comes forward again, it will pick up a good fresh round from the top of
the firmly seated magazine.
Yank the slide back quickly and decisively. No matter how aggressively
you move the slide, you cannot hurt the gun in this way. When the slide
is fully to the rear, simply let go of it. Do not lower it by hand because
that can cause another misfeed. Instead, simply let go of the slide and
allow it to fly forward again under spring tension.
Don't bother to tap the magazine again after you rack the slide. There's
no point. Either you firmly seated the magazine on step one, or it's too
late now. In order to work, these steps have to be done in the correct
sequence.
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Step Two: Rack the slide.
After you rack the slide, allow the slide to travel forward on its own.
Resist the temptation to help it along. Do not rest your hand on the slide,
and do not allow your hand to follow the slide forward.
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Step Three: (Assess and) Bang.
Look at your target. Does it still need shooting? If so, pull the trigger.
Always check your target before blazing away at it. If
you ever do this in real life, the bad guy could have grabbed a hostage,
run away, or surrendered in the amount of time it took you to clear the
malfunction.
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Except where otherwise noted, all articles and images on
this web site © 2006-2008 by Kathy Jackson. For permission to quote, please
contact author.
The photos on this page were taken by Don Stahlnecker, who spent all afternoon
in the hot sunshine on the range and didn't even get to shoot (guns) much.
Thanks, Don!
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reader that the author is a normal human being who makes the normal number of human mistakes. Deal with it.
If it sounds stupid to you, don't do it. The author accepts absolutely no
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