#Malfunction

Ever since I bought a Chronos 1.4 high-speed camera, I have used it to document a lot of things. Most of them are firearm related. One benefit to having a high-speed camera is the ability to slow down fast events that are often too fast for our eyes to see let alone understand. One example is a firearm malfunction. We may know how to clear a malfunction but do we understand why it is happening so we can address the problem rather than perform remedial actions? Here we take a closer look at what causes a slow-motion malfunction.

Malfunctions are a given when using semi automatic firearms. Some guns run better than others and there are a variety of reasons why they stop working. In many cases it comes down to maintenance, ammo and or magazine. Often those malfunctions are usually fail to feed and fail to eject. Sure there are other odd hiccups that can occur but this is definitely a new one to me. From the photo it appears the round has escaped and is trying to squeeze its way between the receiver and the dust cover. Perhaps this is a fail to feed? I imagine a failure to extract or a round is already chambered and a second round tried to be loaded. Since it has no where to go it took the path of least resistance. Is there another explanation besides the possibility it was staged?

The US Army is seeking 12,600 Magpul PMag Gen M3 magazines, or equivalents, from commercial vendors, according to a recently updated listing on FedBizOpps, posted in early August. This announcement was updated soon after the news that Army TACOM had authorized the requisition of Gen M3 PMags with unit funds, by unit commanders

The US Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) has just authorized the purchase of Magpul PMag Gen M3 polymer magazines through requisition by unit commanders, marking a major step in the use of PMag magazines in Army service. Although a previous clarification in 2012 authorized the magazines for use, they could not be purchased using unit (that is to say, Army) funds. The full announcement is replicated below, courtesy of Soldier Systems Daily:

The legacy M9 handgun is ten times as reliable as the standard required for the M17 MHS handgun, claims manufacturer Beretta Defense in a recent press release. During acceptance testing of the most recent delivery lot of M9 handguns, the guns averaged a malfunction rate of one per 19,090 rounds – nearly ten times the mean rounds between stoppages required of the new M17 MHS. Naturally, the manufacturer was extremely proud (rightly so) of this result, saying the following in their press release:

Earlier this week, Fierce Firearms sales manager Courtney Crane posted a video and photos of an catastrophic event that occurred while his friend (unnamed) was shooting a Remington 700 Ultimate Muzzleloader bolt action rifle. The event caused the complete destruction of the rifle, splitting the barrel like a banana peel and destroying the rifle’s stock. The shooter, unfortunately, was seriously injured, with shrapnel tearing through his hand in multiple places, requiring stitches and – likely – major surgery to repair. As of the time of this writing, it is not yet know what caused the catastrophic event. It is possible that the weapon was double-loaded (two charges and projectiles stacked together), causing excessive pressure, but that is not confirmed.

Several models of rifles from manufacturer SIG Sauer are now being recalled, the company announced in a release Friday. The issue stemmed from a problem in the heat treatment of the hammer of SIG’s two-staged trigger used in the SIG716 DMR, SIG516 Carbon Fiber, and SIGM400 Predator models. SIG’s release claimed that over time, this flawed heat treatment could cause a malfunction “creating a significant safety hazard”. Therefore, SIG is issuing a mandatory recall on these models, so that their trigger assemblies can be replaced, free of charge. According to the release, no law enforcement guns are affected by the recall.

The US Air Force’s recent decision to adopt the Magpul PMag Gen M3 was based on Army testing conducted in 2015, according to a spokesperson for the Air Force. In a communication with Military.com writer Matthew Cox, Vicki Stein of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center said that the US Army’s  M855A1 Conformance Testing on Commercial Magazines report, published by Aberdeen Proving Grounds in January of 2015, was the basis for the USAF’s decision. “When pursuing any capability based requirement, and before conducting any tests, the Air Force will first work closely with our joint partners to see if they have conducted any testing. In this instance, we utilized the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center’s M855A1 Conformance Testing on Commercial Magazines to make our decision,” Stein told Cox.

The United States Air Force has become the second US military service to adopt the Magpul PMag as their standard rifle magazine. According to the document USAF AUTHORIZED SMALL ARMS and LIGHT WEAPONS (SA/LW) ACCESSORIES (as of 28 July 17) the Magpul PMag Gen M3 magazine will be replacing both the legacy grey body USGI magazines, as well as the new tan body/blue follower Enhanced Performance magazine in USAF service. The document can be viewed here, but the relevant segment is excerpted below:

The SIG Sauer P320 – scion of the Army’s new M17 MHS pistol – is the only handgun out of eleven different weapons to fail a comprehensive test released today by Omaha Outdoors. The testing protocol involved dropping the handguns at different angles with a primed case in the chamber (no bullet or propellant). None of the ten other handguns – which included four Glocks, two H&Ks, two S&Ws and a 1911 – tested after the P320 fired when dropped. The video released by Omaha Outdoors describing the tests is embedded below:

Those who take advantage of SIG’s recently announced “voluntary upgrade” may soon be taking home a little piece of the Modular Handgun System program: The company evidently plans to introduce a new trigger design developed for the MHS program as part of the upgrades, as relayed in a recent article published by Eric Graves over at Soldier Systems Daily:

SIG Sauer – recent winner of the US Army’s Modular Handgun System competition – is being sued by an officer from the Stamford, Connecticut Police Department Special Response Team over an incident he claims was the result of a defect in their P320 handgun. In the suit, the officer alleges that he dropped the pistol – still in its holster – while he was loading equipment into the back of his vehicle, which caused it to discharge a bullet into his leg. From the Connecticut Law Tribune:

A friend shared this with me. Upon his request he wishes to remain anonymous. He witnessed a catastrophic malfunction with someone’s Sig P320 Tacops.

For those not familiar, the Roland Special is a modified Glock 19 with KKM comped barrel, suppressor height sights, Trijicon RMR06, slide work by ATEi- front and top serrations and mounting of RDS.

Remington’s new handgun has reached the hands of consumers, and the first reviews of the newest striker fired pistol from America’s oldest gunmaker are out… And you all know what I’m going to say next. Just the facts: I watched five reviews of the new handgun on YouTube, and in four of them the handgun exhibited issues. You can watch those reviews below, although I will note the Military Arms Channel’s video goes by far the most in-depth: