FSC - Firearm Safety Certificate Ammunition and Malfunctions Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are at a firing range and pull the trigger, but the firearm only makes a 'click' sound without firing. What is the safest immediate action to take?
- Immediately eject the round and inspect it.
- Keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction for at least 30 seconds. (Correct answer)
- Look down the barrel to check for an obstruction.
- Attempt to fire the round again immediately.
Correct answer: Keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction for at least 30 seconds.
This situation could be a misfire or a more dangerous hangfire (a delayed firing). The safest procedure is to keep the firearm pointed downrange for at least 30 seconds to see if the round will fire before attempting to clear the malfunction.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes a 'squib load'?
- A cartridge that fires with a noticeable delay after the trigger is pulled.
- A fired cartridge case that fails to eject and gets caught in the ejection port.
- A cartridge that fails to fire completely when the trigger is pulled.
- A cartridge that fires with insufficient force, potentially leaving the bullet lodged in the barrel. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: A cartridge that fires with insufficient force, potentially leaving the bullet lodged in the barrel.
A squib load is a highly dangerous malfunction where the projectile does not have enough force to exit the barrel. This creates an obstruction that can cause catastrophic firearm failure if another round is fired.
Question 3: A shooter experiences a malfunction where a spent cartridge case is partially ejected and becomes trapped vertically in the ejection port, resembling a chimney. This is commonly known as a:
- Double Feed
- Stovepipe (Correct answer)
- Hangfire
- Failure to Feed
Correct answer: Stovepipe
This specific type of failure to eject is called a 'stovepipe.' It is typically cleared by tapping the magazine, racking the slide, and assessing the situation ('Tap, Rack, Assess').
Question 4: When a semi-automatic pistol fails to chamber a new round from the magazine after a shot has been fired, this is known as a 'failure to feed'. Which of the following is a common cause of this malfunction?
- Using ammunition of a higher caliber than the firearm is rated for.
- An improperly seated magazine or a damaged magazine. (Correct answer)
- Excessive lubrication on the firearm's slide.
- A defective primer in the cartridge.
Correct answer: An improperly seated magazine or a damaged magazine.
A failure to feed is often caused by issues with how the ammunition is being fed from the magazine into the chamber. The most common causes are a magazine that is not fully inserted or a magazine that is damaged (e.g., bent feed lips) or has a weak spring.
Question 5: What is the very FIRST and most important step to take immediately after ANY firearm malfunction occurs?
- Rack the slide to clear the chamber.
- Remove the magazine from the firearm.
- Stop firing and keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. (Correct answer)
- Engage the firearm's manual safety.
Correct answer: Stop firing and keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
Regardless of the type of malfunction, the absolute first priority is to stop attempting to fire and ensure the firearm remains pointed in a safe direction to prevent any potential injury or damage from a delayed or unexpected discharge.
Question 6: A 'double feed' is a serious malfunction where:
- The trigger is pulled twice in rapid succession.
- A spent casing fails to extract and a new round is fed into the back of it. (Correct answer)
- Two cartridges are fired with a single pull of the trigger.
- The firearm fires even when the safety is engaged.
Correct answer: A spent casing fails to extract and a new round is fed into the back of it.
A double feed occurs when the firearm fails to extract the spent casing from the chamber, and the action attempts to feed a new, live round from the magazine into the already occupied space. This jams the action and requires a more complex clearing procedure than most other malfunctions.
FSC - Firearm Safety Certificate Ammunition and Malfunctions Questions and Answers
You are at a firing range and pull the trigger, but the firearm only makes a 'click' sound without firing.
What is the safest immediate action to take?