Anybody ever had a misfire?

[quavodus]

I had one Friday morning, on a pretty good bird. Started working him right off the roost. I called just a little with a glass slate that I made and a walnut/poplar scratch box. He liked them. He hung up at about 90 yards and I quit calling at 6:05 and never called again. He came in at about 6:25. I eased off the safety and squeezed the trigger.....
Click. He turned around and walked off. The gun fired that same shell later and another one too. I don't know. Never happened to me at all with any shotgun.

[WAGinVA]

What Gun??

[quavodus]

I shoot a Mossberg 500. Never had a problem at all with it. Had it about 24 years. It fired fine later. Something wasn't right. I may give it a good cleaning.

[paboxcall]

That would be my first step, especially if its been in the field 24 seasons.

[quavodus]

Well, it's had a good cleaning a few times. Been awhile though.

[coconut]

I have had 2 or 3. They were all my fault trying to close the bolt to quietly and not getting it latched all the way.

[quavodus]

I have had 2 or 3. They were all my fault trying to close the bolt to quietly and not getting it latched all the way.

That could've even been my problem too.

[Hognutz]

Was the primer dented?

[quavodus]

Was the primer dented?

Yeah, it was dented but, slightly. I might've done like Coconut said, and not closed the action firmly enough. I do that sometimes to cut down on noise. A lot of guns, not just shotguns work better when you firmly let'em have it. Anyway it cost me a good looking gobbler.......

[quavodus]

The misfired shell had a slight dent and other shell had more pronounced firing pin dent in primer. But, the shell that misfire fired later.

[Hognutz]

Interesting..

[Southern Sportsman]

The misfired shell had a slight dent and other shell had more pronounced firing pin dent in primer. But, the shell that misfire fired later.

It sounds like a classic weak hammer spring to me. Especially if it is the original hammer spring with 24 years of service to it’s name.

[jsh909]

The misfired shell had a slight dent and other shell had more pronounced firing pin dent in primer. But, the shell that misfire fired later.

It sounds like a classic weak hammer spring to me. Especially if it is the original hammer spring with 24 years of service to it’s name.

That's what I was thinking too

[935]

I have had 2 or 3. They were all my fault trying to close the bolt to quietly and not getting it latched all the way.

I can see that happening.

[935]

If you drag the gun through weeds, briers and sticks while belly crawling to get into position like I sometimes do. It might have been just a piece of debris slowing down the hammer. The cleaning may have fixed it. But I would replace the hammer spring just to keep my confidence up.

[Blackduck]

Had a fella do it to me last week. Same thing, light strike on primer. It was a rather newish benelli. I am familiar with the "benelli click" from not closing the bolt, but have never seen it strike the primer when that happens, and dont believe it allows it to strike. Thinking he needs to take bolt apart and clean firing pin spring and channel out.

Whatever caused it, it sucks.

[GLS]

At the below site, there is an excellent video on how to break it down to replace the hammer and trigger pull springs. I have heard accounts of misfires being attributed to the primer not being fully seated and the first firing attempt pushes it in without ignition which allows it to be fired on the second attempt. Best course of action is what has been said above in earlier posts. Good cleaning and spring replacement in all parts--hammer, firing pin, extractors/ejectors.
Here's a spring kit for hammer and trigger pull. A specialized tool is available for the task for 2 bucks. https://www.mcarbo.com/store/p/36-Mossb ... g-Kit.aspx
Gil

[Hobbes_mobile]

I posted this misfire last year, but that was a handload problem of my own. I was done afterwards because the was had plugged the barrel. I was smart enough not to try to load another round and shoot before removing the barrel to see what happened.

https://youtu.be/vwgrZHG8-q0

[Stinky J Picklestein]

At the below site, there is an excellent video on how to break it down to replace the hammer and trigger pull springs. I have heard accounts of misfires being attributed to the primer not being fully seated and the first firing attempt pushes it in without ignition which allows it to be fired on the second attempt. Best course of action is what has been said above in earlier posts. Good cleaning and spring replacement in all parts--hammer, firing pin, extractors/ejectors.
Here's a spring kit for hammer and trigger pull. A specialized tool is available for the task for 2 bucks. https://www.mcarbo.com/store/p/36-Mossb ... g-Kit.aspx
Gil

I was just about to post about that. I installed that kit earlier this year on my backup 500 that I've had for over 30 years. It's a great upgrade for the price.

[MFL205]

With a pump, you gotta close with some force. My son had the same issue, didn't load the gun until he was in the woods and under turkeys and wanted to be quiet. He didn't rack it forward with some force and his gun mis-fired. I had an issue with my H&R single shot a few years ago that was completely my fault. I did not squeeze the trigger all the way to the bottom. I got excited and jerked the trigger and released all in one motion. The hammer fell, but when I released pressure it slowed the hammer down and did not hit with enough force to ingite the primer.

[GLS]

Years ago I had a gunsmith stone the sear and upgrade springs in both of my Mossbergs. The triggers went from heavy with lots of creep to lighter and crisp. He told me compared to the 870's trigger group the Mossy was more difficult to work with. The linked video above makes it look easy. Gil

[paboxcall]

At the below site, there is an excellent video on how to break it down to replace the hammer and trigger pull springs. I have heard accounts of misfires being attributed to the primer not being fully seated and the first firing attempt pushes it in without ignition which allows it to be fired on the second attempt. Best course of action is what has been said above in earlier posts. Good cleaning and spring replacement in all parts--hammer, firing pin, extractors/ejectors.
Here's a spring kit for hammer and trigger pull. A specialized tool is available for the task for 2 bucks. https://www.mcarbo.com/store/p/36-Mossb ... g-Kit.aspx
Gil

I bought the MCarbo kit for my Mossberg 500 20 gauge few months back. Followed the video step by step and the swap was easy, finished in about 20 minutes which included stopping and starting the video. I bought this gun new couple years back, and wanted to get a lighter trigger pull with less creep.

Take the advice given, buy the $2 specialized wooden dowel tool when you order the MCarbo kit. That made the job way easier to compress the spring to remove and reinstall the pin.

[quavodus]

I gave it a cleaning today. Didn't take it apart but, blasted it really good with a good cleaner and dried it and oiled . It's gotta be better than it was. But, I do plan on replacing springs. Thanks

[decoykrvr]

Last year on opening day, I called in a gobbler off the roost, lined up the red dot and squeezed off the shot with a sick muffled boom. I shucked in another shell, but then took my finger off the trigger until I checked the barrel for a stuck wad. The 20 gauge TSS reload had fired, but the barrel was dirty and coated w/ unburned powder. In over 55 years of shotgunning, I have encountered only a handfull of bad primers, and I was reloading a factory primed shell. The shell had a full powder charge and good rolled crimp and I am extremely careful and meticulous when reloading. I was just gratified that the bad shell happened to me and not my friend that has successfully hunted w/ my TSS reloads for several years. I would have never heard the end of it!!!

[Hobbes_mobile]

Last year on opening day, I called in a gobbler off the roost, lined up the red dot and squeezed off the shot with a sick muffled boom. I shucked in another shell, but then took my finger off the trigger until I checked the barrel for a stuck wad. The 20 gauge TSS reload had fired, but the barrel was dirty and coated w/ unburned powder. In over 55 years of shotgunning, I have encountered only a handfull of bad primers, and I was reloading a factory primed shell. The shell had a full powder charge and good rolled crimp and I am extremely careful and meticulous when reloading. I was just gratified that the bad shell happened to me and not my friend that has successfully hunted w/ my TSS reloads for several years. I would have never heard the end of it!!!

Sounds identical to what I did. I assumed that I screwed up the load somehow.