Warning! THIS is why we need to follow STRICT safety protocol with a new build's first shots.

Racer88

Racer88

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Two words: Slam fire.

When you "go hot" for the first time with your build, PLEASE load ONE round. ONE! And, when you chamber that round, MUZZLE DOWN RANGE. And make sure you have a GOOD GRIP.

If for some reason the striker is protruding through the breach face, you could have a "slam fire." That means when the slide goes into battery, the striker sets off the primer, igniting / firing the cartridge.

This is also why we NEVER function test our builds with live ammo. SNAP CAPS ONLY for function testing at home.

To re-emphasize:​

1. Never function test at home with live ammo. NEVER. That's what snap caps are for.

2. Load ONE round with a FIRM GRIP and muzzle downrange. Fire. Then try two. Then three. Always with a FIRM grip and muzzle downrange.

This man lost his life due to a slam-fire and subsequent full-auto dump of the remaining rounds. Be warned... it's not easy to watch. Dude gets hit multiple times including a spine shot which causes him to fold like a lawn chair.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDDxVWvCG08
 
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Agree that its important to be 100% safety conscious with your firearm.
You can handle it thousand times problem free and it only take once for it to do some unintentional damage to yourself or people around you.
 
Bcichlid said:
Agree that its important to be 100% safety conscious with your firearm.
You can handle it thousand times problem free and it only take once for it to do some unintentional damage to yourself or people around you.
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True, of course. But our P80 builds warrant special additional safety measures when being fired for the first time. I suspect some folks don't know about "slam fires."
 
Michele said:
Good point, we see many with live rounds in the test phase…maybe even before safety checks and sear engagement is verified.
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Yes! It's frightening, really. This is also why MGB's videos are so valuable. He covers all the safety steps - in depth! Nobody else does that I've seen.

A surprising number of builders who have not watched MGB's videos have never heard of snap caps. They don't know what an armorer's backplate is. Many have never properly function or safety tested their build before going to the range - which is where they discover problems for the first time.

This is stuff that builders should know BEFORE they drill the first hole.
 
Damn that's sad. Feel for his family and loved one's. I'm glad I found this group before really getting started on building p80s. I have learned so much about properly saftey checking the glock platform from yall and from MGB videos. For that I am most grateful. I'll be honest, I didn't know about armorers back plates before this group. I always practice the rules of firearm saftey but that only prevents negligent discharges not accidental due to faulty parts or faulty installation or bad build techniques. I appreciate every one of you for what you do and for setting the standard high when it comes to saftey. Keep up the good work.
 
Differently said:
I'll be honest, I didn't know about armorers back plates before this group. I always practice the rules of firearm saftey but that only prevents negligent discharges not accidental due to faulty parts or faulty installation or bad build techniques.
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Glad you found us! Safety is SO important. One of the few times I've chimed in on the Reddit group was when someone had a dangerous situation. He had not checked sear engagement. But he was wondering why his trigger was activating / striker falling when he pressed down on the front of the slide. Yeeeeiiiikes!
 
Racer88 said:
Glad you found us! Safety is SO important. One of the few times I've chimed in on the Reddit group was when someone had a dangerous situation. He had not checked sear engagement. But he was wondering why his trigger was activating / striker falling when he pressed down on the front of the slide. Yeeeeiiiikes!
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I have very rarely seen reddit posters emphasize saftey as much as this group. I agree, it needs to be preached more for the sake of new folks getting into the hobby. There is so much more involved with building your own as opposed to buying factory built.
 
Differently said:
I have very rarely seen reddit posters emphasize saftey as much as this group. I agree, it needs to be preached more for the sake of new folks getting into the hobby. There is so much more involved with building your own as opposed to buying factory built.
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There's a post there right now about a new build that is double-firing. Most of these guys aren't doing ANY safety testing. They don't know about sear engagement or armorer's backplates. I'd bet virtually none of them drop test their builds. MGB made a great video about safety.

Proper safety testing needs to be front and center in the building community. The LAST thing we need is to give our opponents "ammunition" to argue against our Rights.
 
Holy crap that's a bad situation! So a stuck/seized firing pin/striker caused that? What are the odds of our Glock clones doing that? Has one ever? Seems unlikely based on the design but I suppose if just the right piece of debris got in the striker.....?
 
Miltonboro said:
Holy crap that's a bad situation! So a stuck/seized firing pin/striker caused that? What are the odds of our Glock clones doing that? Has one ever? Seems unlikely based on the design but I suppose if just the right piece of debris got in the striker.....?
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Poor sear engagement is typically the cause, as far as I know.

A stuck firing pin can cause a slam-fire... and a run-away full-auto mag dump.
 
I did have a case of a new ghost connector causing 2 or 3 shots. Replaced with a different connector and the problem went away.
 
I'm copying this comment to this post:

Never ever put live ammo in your P80 build to function test (cycle) at home. Use only snap-caps or dummy rounds. The first time the new build should taste live ammo is at the RANGE.

Also... Did you do all the safety tests (including drop testing)? Watch Video #18 here. Did you confirm proper sear engagement (at least 2/3rds) through an armorer's backplate? Don't forget to lube the gun before you go to the range.

First Shots Protocol:​

Load one round in mag.
Rack / chamber round (with muzzle downrange and a good grip, in case of a "slam fire").
Fire 1. Check for slide lockback.

Load 2 rounds in mag.
Rack / chamber round (with muzzle downrange and a good grip).
Fire 1. Fire 2. (making sure it doesn't go "full auto") Check for slide lockback.

Load 3 rounds in mag.
Rack / chamber round (with muzzle downrange and a good grip).
Fire 1. Fire 2. Fire 3. (making sure it doesn't go "full auto") Check for slide lockback.

(You can continue to upload the mag +1 rounds from there in as many steps as you want. I would go to at least three rounds. I usually step it up to 6 rounds before going to a full mag.)

If all is well... load a full mag and fire all rounds.

1667506305409.png



Good to go if:

  1. All rounds load / chamber properly.
  2. Slide cycles properly.
  3. All empty shells eject properly.
  4. All rounds fired as singles (and hit the target!).
  5. Slide locks back on empty magazine.
Optional: Put the gun down on the bench, step back from the shooting lane booth, and do this:

dance baby GIF


Also see this great article by @GSW10 in the Resource Center:
 
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Another gun that a lot of people have, the SKS is susceptible to slam fire as it has a floating firing pin that can get stuck when gunked up.
Check for protruding pin prior to releasing the bolt.
I took my pin out and polished it.
 
Alpa Chino said:
Another gun that a lot of people have, the SKS is susceptible to slam fire as it has a floating firing pin that can get stuck when gunked up.
Check for protruding pin prior to releasing the bolt.
I took my pin out and polished it.
Click to expand...
I've seen reported that the cosmoline dries up and makes the firing pin sticky.
 
Alpa Chino said:
Another gun that a lot of people have, the SKS is susceptible to slam fire as it has a floating firing pin that can get stuck when gunked up.
Check for protruding pin prior to releasing the bolt.
I took my pin out and polished it.
Click to expand...
There is a kit to fix that for the SKS.
 
no4mk1t said:
There is a kit to fix that for the SKS.
Click to expand...

Personally... I've never had an interest in commie firearms. I know a lot of guys do. But they are not for me.

OK... back on track about safety... :)

Make sure you've got a firm grip and control the muzzle (safely down-range) when you chamber a round in ANY gun.
 
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Alpa Chino said:
Another gun that a lot of people have, the SKS is susceptible to slam fire as it has a floating firing pin that can get stuck when gunked up.
Click to expand...

I had a Norinco back in the 90s. Brand new 50s? surplus PACKED in cosmoline. This is back before the internet and I was lucky to find some info on it on how to FULLY disassemble because it needed it! Cosmo in the gas tube, bolt, fp, etc. Nothing gets you more intimate with a gun than having to clean ever square mm of it. :rolleyes: Wished I had kept that gun, it was cherry! :)
 
Racer88 said:
Personally... I've never had an interest in commie firearms. I know a lot of guys do. But they are not for me.

OK... back on track about safety... :)

Make sure you've got a firm grip and control the muzzle (safely down-range) when you chamber a round in ANY gun.
Click to expand...

Striker fired handguns would have an inherent higher risk of slam fire than a hammer gun.
Something else we can blame on Glock.
 
Racer88 said:
Two words: Slam fire.

When you "go hot" for the first time with your build, PLEASE load ONE round. ONE! And, when you chamber that round, MUZZLE DOWN RANGE. And make sure you have a GOOD GRIP.

If for some reason the striker is protruding through the breach face, you could have a "slam fire." That means when the slide goes into battery, the striker sets off the primer, igniting / firing the cartridge.

This is also why we NEVER function test our builds with live ammo. SNAP CAPS ONLY for function testing at home.

To re-emphasize:​

1. Never function test at home with live ammo. NEVER. That's what snap caps are for.

2. Load ONE round with a FIRM GRIP and muzzle downrange. Fire. Then try two. Then three. Always with a FIRM grip and muzzle downrange.

This man lost his life due to a slam-fire and subsequent full-auto dump of the remaining rounds. Be warned... it's not easy to watch. Dude gets hit multiple times including a spine shot which causes him to fold like a lawn chair.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDDxVWvCG08
Click to expand...

This man and the woman hosting this channel are kinda inappropriate and crass with this video.

They show a video advertisement promoting their sponsors at the beginning, then immediately follow that up with a 40 second video of somebody fatally shooting themselves. But that wasn't enough self promotion for their Youtube channel! After the guy shoots himself, they cut the video right there and then and immediately jump right into promoting an upcoming event for their channel! All done with cheerfulness and smiles, pointing to links on their channel with bright-eyed glances back and forth. All of this in 1:35 seconds.

Jeez man! Have some class. Somebody died. and you're acting inappropriately trashy. It ain't the time for a sales pitch with smiles. It did nothing for me to either want to go view more of their videos, let alone go to the event they're promoting. In fact, I shut the video off after the 1:36 mark and didn't watch further. I had seen enough to understand what happened.
 
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