SSK-50 (Contender) - Odd Failure to Fire

SSK-50, 14" SSK barrel .223, 7 twist

Yesterday I was out load developing some new Hornady 80 gr ELD-X bullets and near the end of my session I started having an issue.

As I would press the trigger to fire, I would hear a "click", but the hammer did not fall and the trigger stopped moving. Carefully, with my thumb I reached up and put it on the hammer spur. Immediately it wanted to fall. It did this many more times and would never fire. I put a spent round in the chamber and the hammer would fall everytime without any hesitation. Going back to live rounds, sometimes it would fire and other times it wouldn't. I think the click I'm hearing maybe the sear disengaging so the hammer would fall. If it's not that I don't know what it could be.

I also had some 80 gr Berger VLD that I used to sight the SSK in with and tried those. Never any issue. I went back to the Hornady rounds and same issue. Sometimes the hammer would drop and sometimes it wouldn't.

The SSK would always close and lock up easily with no issues. I don't see where the ammunition itself could be the problem, but I did check out all the remaining rounds and no issues where found with the ammunition.

Any suggestions?

Dose it possibly have a burr that for some odd reason has only acted up with a live round in it?

Sounds to me you are not getting full engagement of your barrels locking lugs. I would first Try bumping the shoulder of your brass back a little more. If that doesn't solve the issue. You may need to fit the barrel to the frame i.e. honing the locking lugs.

Adding more to check ……have you adjusted the external trigger adjustment screws for engagement and overtravel? Allen head on top of trigger, and on back of trigger guard…..do they have enough clearance?

mjshell said:

Sounds to me you are not getting full engagement of your barrels locking lugs. I would first Try bumping the shoulder of your brass back a little more. If that doesn't solve the issue. You may need to fit the barrel to the frame i.e. honing the locking lugs.

Click to expand...

Agreed, sounds like it's not locked up when a cartridge is present, possibly due to not be sizing sufficiently. May also be due to the bullet ogive prematurely engaging the lands and resisting a good lockup. Any debris/fouling present between the barrel and breech? Are you closing it firmly?

I would pull a bullet out of the Hornady round and insert the case back into the chamber and measure case head protrusion. Compare that to your headspace.

I'm confused. If the hammer doesn't fall, is that a lockup issue? IME with the lockup issue, the hammer falls, but doesn't hit the primer.

If the overtravel is adjusted too short, the hammer doesn't fall, but may be intermittent.

If the sear is adjusted too short, the hammer won't remain cocked. Also can present intermittent.

To me, it sounds like you are having the lockup issue. These guns need some shoulder bump to fire reliably. Typically, I found the fired cases to be on the plus side. I find a feeler gauge will tell me when I have some head clearance. I think I was targeting 0.002"-0.003" feeler gauge, if I remember right. I think fired brass was maybe 0.004-0.005" longer base to shoulder.

My notes for actual numbers.

EarlJr said:

Dose it possibly have a burr that for some odd reason has only acted up with a live round in it?

Click to expand...

I don't think it has a burr since the action always feels so smooth. It never feels like there's a problem when cocking or dry firing on a snap round.

mjshell said:

Sounds to me you are not getting full engagement of your barrels locking lugs. I would first Try bumping the shoulder of your brass back a little more. If that doesn't solve the issue. You may need to fit the barrel to the frame i.e. honing the locking lugs.

Click to expand...

I kinda thought that too. When opening or closing the barrel, there is no sticking, hard to open or close. When I close the barrel, I do so in a snap close. Not too hard, but hard enough I know it has locked up. There is no play at all when the barrel is locked up.

KYODE said:

Adding more to check ……have you adjusted the external trigger adjustment screws for engagement and overtravel? Allen head on top of trigger, and on back of trigger guard…..do they have enough clearance?

Click to expand...

No I haven't checked it until you mentioned it. I did notice at the range the trigger was on the overtravel and would not go any further. While doing some dry firing with a snap cap, I did notice the hammer would fall well before it engaged the trigger stop. I look further into the adjustment screws.

Rooterpig said:

I would pull a bullet out of the Hornady round and insert the case back into the chamber and measure case head protrusion. Compare that to your headspace.

Click to expand...

Being new to the contender style of handguns, I did a lot of checking on headspacing, bullet touching the lands, shoulder bump, etc.. When the loaded round is placed in the chamber I think the base of the case is correct with the face of the chamber. When closing there is no drag or resistance from the case touching the frame portion where the firing pin is.

nksmfamjp said:

To me, it sounds like you are having the lockup issue. These guns need some shoulder bump to fire reliably. Typically, I found the fired cases to be on the plus side. I find a feeler gauge will tell me when I have some head clearance. I think I was targeting 0.002"-0.003" feeler gauge, if I remember right. I think fired brass was maybe 0.004-0.005" longer base to shoulder.

My notes for actual numbers.

Contender firing pin not hitting primer consistently

95% of the time it fires. About 5% of the time it doesn’t fire with no primer dent or about half the normal dent. What could cause this? Ideas? Trigger return spring is lightened, but nothing to the hammer or firing pin block. Hmm

www.longrangehunting.com

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One of the other replies also mentioned bumping the shoulder. I know at the time I first started working up a load for this, I checked the headspacing with feeler gauges as well as a mic, and it was in the area of .002. I have not checked it with a piece of fired brass, but I will. I will review your link as well.

I would not have the bullet touching the lands. I would measure headspace with a feeler gauge and then make sure my case was not sticking up past the headspace . I would also compare a case that chambers vs a case that will not chamber ( as far as allowing the hammer to be pulled back and bust a firing pin )... and measure with a comparator.

Bellm TC"s has tuturiol on headspace on T/C's and firing pin bushing shims if needed.Mike provides a machining service on a barrel.
Most Contenders will have lock up issues from rear of barrel hitting firing bushings,you will see a shiny spot on rear of barrel.This will cause lockup issues and flyers.
I used to machine rear of barrel .005-.010 to have enough clearence.Now I use a wide new file,it's easy.Foil is .0005, if ya don't have .001 feeler gauge. If you shut action and it grabs the foil when you try to pull it out,you do not have enough clearence between firing pin bushing and barrel face.
I learn this over forty years ago shooting Contenders , IHMSA
Before a warning is posted,...........Removing material from rear of barrel has nothing to do with headspace.

Here is another interesting read on contender issues.
LINK

koja said:

I used to machine rear of barrel .005-.010 to have enough clearence.Now I use a wide new file,it's easy.Foil is .0005, if ya don't have .001 feeler gauge. If you shut action and it grabs the foil when you try to pull it out, you do not have enough clearance between firing pin bushing and barrel face.

Click to expand...

I just tried this method with the foil. I measured the foil at .0011 before the test. Inserting the foil and closing the action, the foil would not budge.
The information you posted on the Bellum tutorial is the same link I posted just after you posted the information. I'm reading it again so I don't miss anything.

This contender stuff is all new to me. Thanks to all for the help.

Keep us informed on how it works out. It's a great platform.