The Truth About Primer Misfires

By G&A Staff

Let’s say you were just out training and experienced a misfire. You replaced the round in the chamber and hit it again. The damned thing still didn’t go off! The primer hit is deep, and to top it off, later in the day you have another misfire. Bad ammo, right? Maybe not.

PRIMER RELIABILITY

Primers are constructed of three basic components: a cup, which is the part that is visible at the base of a cartridge case; an anvil, which is a small, tripod-shaped piece of metal; and an impact-sensitive explosive, normally lead styphnate. Just like the name suggests, the cup is shaped like a cup and contains the explosive primer mix sandwiched between the bottom of the cup and the anvil. Primers are designed to be struck in the center by the firing pin with a specified force in order to ignite the cartridge. When the primer is struck, the cup indents inward, causing a shearing action on the impact-sensitive explosive as the firing pin crushes it against the anvil in the primer, detonating the primer. Primers ignite with incredible reliability. In the words of notable Winchester ballistician Glen Weeks:

“Based on the SAAMI-specified drop test, statistics will tell you that our …Read the Rest

Source:: Guns and Ammo