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Gun Failure at a Match


Tequila Shooter

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20 hours ago, Kansas City Munny said:

I just had the ejector assembly on one of my NMV depart on the second stage of a monthly match. Fortunately, the spotters found all of the parts including the screw and I was able to put it back together before the next stage. Both main match pistols and my back up have been treated to a little blue thread locker.

After seeing  that happen about 3 or 4 times I added a magnet to my cart. I've found a couple screws for folks with it. 

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Lost a base pin in the dirt and it was never found, that caused me to invest in a heavier base pin spring and ultimately buy from Belt Mountain.  This was the only failure on a  OMV.  I broke a internal spring on a hammered Rossi side by side on the first stage when I first started out.  I used a borrowed CZ the rest of the shoot and wish I remembered who the generous CAS was.  Now I have helped out several with broken guns, eventually all of them will fail to some degree. I once shot a entire 3 Gun with no front sight on my 1911.

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Was shooting a Rossie 92 in .44-40 at the McKey, KY State Match around 2003-04 at the 3rd  shoot out for a 10 shot string the front sight went south, never to be found.  Cleaned the string but change to a Uberti 66 in .44-40, didn't point as good as the 92.  Very fun shot but way to early a start for the distance you had to drive from hotels close to shoot.

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I second what Turkey Flats Jack said earlier.  At our monthly match I was at the first station and with my stainless Ruger Vaquero and I felt it was light feeling when I shot it.  At the unloading table I took it out of the holster and there was no ejector housing, spring, rod and screw.  I and others went back to the 1st position and after a few minutes we found all the parts but the screw in the dirt and dust.  I offered a CIGAR reward if someone found the screw.  By the end of the match I was approached by a cowboy wanting his reward, he found it!  WITH A BIG MAGNET!   He earned his reward and from then on I have a magnet in my cart, no good with brass but heh....

P.S.  Backups to use or loan is always the Cowboy Way...:)

P.S.S.  Always check/resize your brass case shotshell BEFORE you put them in your scattergun.....don't ask how I know.....

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3 hours ago, Turkey Flats Jack said:

After seeing  that happen about 3 or 4 times I added a magnet to my cart. I've found a couple screws for folks with it. 

 

A lesson about magnets that I learned -  This really isn’t a gun failure as much as a complete brain fart.  After the first day of shooting at the Mississippi State match this year it was time to clean up the shootin irons.  I’m shooting Frontiersman and using my usual guns so I don’t have any excuse for what happens next.  Sitting outside my camper I clean the pistols, then I move on to my trusty Marlin 1894CB in .45c.  I’ve cleaned this gun more times than I can remember, anyway, I get my little tub of hot water and dish soap, take the lever, bolt, and ejector out.  I put the ejector and bolt in the tub of water and proceed to clean the barrel, then I move on to the bolt and got that all cleaned, dried and lubed.  You probably know where this is going, I took the little tub of water and without thinking flicked the water into the grass :o.  Next thing I know I’m on my hands and knees looking for the ejector.  Along comes Fire and Fall Back asks what I’m doing and volunteers to help.  Not having any luck he goes to his camper and gets a magnet and a flashlight. Twenty minutes later still no joy.  So here comes Mrs. Fire and Fall Back, while we’re on our hands and knees with flashlight and magnet she asks what’s going on, so we tell her.  She looks down and says “is this what you’re looking for?” :huh:.  Yep, that’s it, just like that.  I do keep a magnet with me now, but I guess a little luck, and good eyesight beats stupidity every time. 

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I carry a magnet the size of a brick in my cart.

It has help many a pard find lost screws, etc.....

 

Its rated at 200#.   It'll nearly suck the spoon out of TN Williams hand while he's eating a Nanner Split.

 

..........Widder

 

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1 hour ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

 

 

Its rated at 200#.   It'll nearly suck the spoon out of TN Williams hand while he's eating a Nanner Split.

 

..........Widder

 

 

See that’s what I love about @Tennessee williams he’s all class, if he wasn’t he’d be using one of those cheap plastic spoons. 

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Wait, wait, wait; y'all got it all wrong. Tennessee Williams don't use no stinkin' spoon. He just kinda holds it close and inhales, presto; no more nanner split', tummy half full, and a big ol' smile on his face as he orders another...

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After 35 years in this game I've had just about it all happen!  Broken mainsprings in rifle & pistols; squibs in rifle, pistol & shotgun!  Broken extractors, lost screws, base pins sliding forwards, base pin retainers lost & all such things!   Broke a hand spring on an 1851, finished the last 3 shots rotating the cylinder by hand!    Cleaning after a match I found a broken leg on a SA bolt, no idea when that happened!  After cleaning my guns from this  year's EOT, making sure the 1851s were in good form. one of them broke it's main spring!

 

My backups have backups, and more importantly, have an inventory of spare parts!  Learned that the hard way, sometimes even cowboy gunsmiths don't always have that little, rare part for your off-the-wall shooter! Now I just need the skills to install 'em!

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On 7/7/2021 at 2:41 PM, Prairie Dawg, SASS #50329 said:

I ALWAYS bring backup guns to a big match!
For all the reasons described above!

--Dawg

Same here, my wife, Leia carries them around and shoots them!

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  • 2 weeks later...

At WV Showdown last year, on stages 2 and 3 my single trigger Stevens 315 locked open when I was reloading, I had to take the barrels off and reassemble it to get it back in action. I messed with it at the unloading table and discovered I just had to be careful not to open it too forcefully. I came in 3rd in my category...

 

I bought my SKB 100 the next day and have never looked back...

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On 7/8/2021 at 6:51 AM, Turkey Flats Jack said:

After seeing  that happen about 3 or 4 times I added a magnet to my cart. I've found a couple screws for folks with it. 

The magnet is a good thing to have handy, but searching for dropped screws isn't as good as a small drop of blue locktite on the screw during assembly, and checking guns over thoroughly before each match.    

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One bad weekend..

Second stage last Saturday (monthly match) I went to the LT, closed the lever of my 73, and discovered a broken trigger spring.  Fortunately I had one in my truck and got it installed in time to shoot the stage.   

 

Then on Sunday, I had an uncrimped round that would not chamber in the same gun.  It cost me 8 misses.  I had to relax the magazine spring to remove the cartridge, and when I turned the rifle over to free the round, the bad round was gone!  Perplexed, I opened the side plates and removed the carrier for a look.  No cartridge.  I put the gun back together and returned it to my cart.  In conversation somebody suggested that the round may have fallen back into the magazine tube once the spring was backed off.  I reopened the magazine tube to check -- nothing.  Then on a whim, I ran a squib rod down the barrel, and found the slug in the barrel.  We think it had fallen out of the uncrimped round into the chamber.  Without the bullet the much shorter case was able to fall out of the rifle.  Had I not discovered the bullet in the barrel, that same bad round would have cost me 10 more misses next stage, plus probably some gas in my face.  

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i launched the entire ejector mechanism of one of my revolvers mid stage once , i finished it and had help retrieving most of the bits but the screw was lost , i sot the rest of the match with it - just used a small screw driver at the unloading table when needed , 

 

the other times i had issues i switched to the 'backups' i started bringing along after that first issue 

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On the 1st stage of Heluva Rukus a few years ago I had the 1st round in the rifle fire but when I went to lever the next round in it wouldn't chamber. I messed with it for a little while then declared the malfunction. After the stage was over I found that the cartridge had split at the cannelure and had stayed in the chamber costing me 9 misses. Since then I make sure to not use brass that has that feature.

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5 hours ago, Major E A Sterner #12916 said:

On the 1st stage of Heluva Rukus a few years ago I had the 1st round in the rifle fire but when I went to lever the next round in it wouldn't chamber. I messed with it for a little while then declared the malfunction. After the stage was over I found that the cartridge had split at the cannelure and had stayed in the chamber costing me 9 misses. Since then I make sure to not use brass that has that feature.

 

Cannelure or split?

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4 hours ago, Tequila Shooter said:

 

Cannelure or split?

Cannelure, It left about 3/8 of an inch of the brass in the chamber.

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31 minutes ago, Major E A Sterner #12916 said:

Cannelure, It left about 3/8 of an inch of the brass in the chamber.


Been there, done that. I no longer reload brass with a cannelure.  Trash.  One less thing to worry about.

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