# A sad tale - OP updated. Very amusing...



## That guy in Fla (Oct 30, 2014)

New guy here with an amusing story from my camp out / hog hunt last weekend.
I just got a new VRL-1 green light for my 30.06 Savage and wandered from camp right at sunset. As I came out of a trail into a clearing right there before my baby blues - a pair of piggies walking side by side. Looked to be about 50 - 60 lbs each. I carefully raise my rifle, switch on the green light and look thru the scope. I clearly see the 2 hogs and their emerald green eyes reflecting my light. They never paid any attention to me or the light. Just kept walking toward me. 
Now there about 75yds out and I start to squeeze the trigger. I have the one on the left right in the cross hairs. Right between his eyes. I squeeze the trigger and *CLICK*

Click? No boom? Just click?
I grab the bolt to chamber another round, they hear the noise, turn and run. I did get a shot off but missed. 
Now, the adrenaline is gone & aggravation sets in. I pick up the round that didn't fire and see a light strike on the primer. No idea why, just did.
I packed it up & went back to camp to tell my tale to the 'lil woman, who got a chuckle out if it.

Well, there's always this weekend. Our property out there is loaded with them. Stay tuned...


Update:
I'm starting to think this should go in the gunsmithing area.
I found what was causing the light strikes that cost me a perfectly good hog. I pulled the bolt out of my rifle this morning and what's the very first thing I see???






The ONLY thing I can figure is that ball bearing next to the cocking piece came from my brother in law's work bench when I was there - ironically right before I did a little hunting that night. I pulled the bolt out of the rifle, set it on the bench and it must've jumped in there with the intention of sabotage. 
The only other explanation I can come up with is the hogs put it in there the night before when we camped out. Maybe they sneaked into our camp and saw my rifle leaning against the tree by the tent while I was asleep?

Beyond that, I have no idea where it came from.


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## 021 (Oct 30, 2014)

I think I'd wanna get that light strike problem resolved....


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## That guy in Fla (Oct 30, 2014)

I think you're right.
I've had the bolt apart, cleaned, checked firing pin protrusion, spring length, lubed, blah, blah, blah...
I went thru the motions & I have a sneakin' suspicion I may not have had the bolt handle pulled down all the way. When I started walking into the clearing I was getting prepared, turning the light on, popped the scope cover off, spit my gum out, on & on. It was probably operator error.
More than likely.


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## Rebel 6 (Oct 30, 2014)

The two worst sounds in the world:

A click when you expected a bang.

A bang when you expected a click.


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## bfriendly (Oct 30, 2014)

Rebel 6 said:


> The two worst sounds in the world:
> 
> A click when you expected a bang.
> 
> A bang when you expected a click.



well said rebel


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## bfriendly (Oct 30, 2014)

BTW-where in Florida are you at? I'm from Bradenton, folks are still down there.......So many pigs down there its rediculous............LOVE IT!


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## weekender (Nov 1, 2014)

keep us posted, it will get better now that the dud is done


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## That guy in Fla (Nov 2, 2014)

bfriendly said:


> BTW-where in Florida are you at? I'm from Bradenton, folks are still down there.......So many pigs down there its rediculous............LOVE IT!



I'm in Melbourne. My property is in Osceola Co. right near Deseret Ranch.

And you're right. They are running rampant here this year. They seemed to migrate during the summer to go destroy someone else's property. Now, they're back & in full force. Some of the area's they have torn up look like a plow had been run thru it.


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## That guy in Fla (Nov 2, 2014)

weekender said:


> keep us posted, it will get better now that the dud is done



No, it's not gone.
I saved it for next time. Maybe that particular cartridge will be the "lucky round" that gets me a few pounds of smokin' meat.

By the way, while I was at camp this little guy wandered by. He was about 50ft from where we were sitting and having coffee. Looked to be about 2 years old.


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## KentuckyHeadhunter (Nov 2, 2014)

Rebel 6 said:


> The two worst sounds in the world:
> 
> A click when you expected a bang.
> 
> A bang when you expected a click.



I like it. Well said.


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## jiminbogart (Nov 2, 2014)

That guy in Fla said:


> By the way, while I was at camp this little guy wandered by. He was about 50ft from where we were sitting and having coffee.



I love that type or terrain/vegetation. I'd love to have a house in the middle of it.


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## That guy in Fla (Nov 3, 2014)

jiminbogart said:


> I love that type or terrain/vegetation. I'd love to have a house in the middle of it.



We have a double wide there just in case the weather turns bad or if someone gets hurt, etc. A little deeper into the jungle (about 400yds) is the next clearing where we camp - just out of sight from the double wide. Beyond that it's heavy jungle until you come to the swampy hammock area. That seems to be where most of the hog activity is.
A great place to relax. No phone, no TV, can't even get a cell signal. We do have power and 3 wells so it has some comforts of home.


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## HoCoLion91 (Nov 3, 2014)

I had a Savage 30-06 that did the same thing several years ago.   Actually several times, pull trigger, hear click, check cartridge and see indention on primer.  Took rifle to gun smith and he adjusted firing pin spring to hit harder.   Sounds like a common defect in Savage rifles.  Very frustrating especially when you have a bead on something.


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## jiminbogart (Nov 9, 2014)

That guy in Fla said:


> We have a double wide there just in case the weather turns bad or if someone gets hurt, etc. A little deeper into the jungle (about 400yds) is the next clearing where we camp - just out of sight from the double wide. Beyond that it's heavy jungle until you come to the swampy hammock area. That seems to be where most of the hog activity is.
> A great place to relax. No phone, no TV, can't even get a cell signal. We do have power and 3 wells so it has some comforts of home.



Sounds like a piece of paradise to me.


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## The Rodney (Nov 18, 2014)

I had an issue like that because I had used poor oil for over a decade to lube my rifle.... seems it gummed up in the chamber (cavity? shaft?)where the firing pin resides.  Shot carb cleaner in there and let it soak for 15 minutes then cleaned it out, blew it out, used very little oil for protection and boom went the rifle.  With the bolt pulled slightly up out of locked position it should not click at all.


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## That guy in Fla (Nov 18, 2014)

The Rodney said:


> I had an issue like that because I had used poor oil for over a decade to lube my rifle.... seems it gummed up in the chamber (cavity? shaft?)where the firing pin resides.  Shot carb cleaner in there and let it soak for 15 minutes then cleaned it out, blew it out, used very little oil for protection and boom went the rifle.  With the bolt pulled slightly up out of locked position it should not click at all.



Thanks much for your input. I appreciate it.
I do disassemble, clean & re-lube my bolt guns about every 6 months or so. It's sorta like the obsessive compulsive disorder we get from reloading just not quite as bad...
The reason I guesstimated it was the bolt not being pulled down & locked was because I have (rarely) pulled the trigger on my Savage rifles with the bolt slightly up from lock and have noticed it doesn't sound "normal" and the bolt handle will move ever so slightly.
It's not something I do often but there has been an occasion or 5 where I was lining up a shot and bumped it while getting ready to remove another pesky hog from our area.
I doubt it was a sticky firing pin. I keep them too clean. 
By the way, since that time the rifle has worked flawlessly and the round that never torched off (light primer strike) was reused with no trouble.
I'm chalking this up to "one of those things that just wasn't meant to be". Even if I did take that hog, I forgot my knives at home that day...


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## danmc (Dec 31, 2014)

That guy in Fla said:


> I squeeze the trigger and *CLICK*
> 
> Click? No boom? Just click?



If it makes you feel better, I've squeezed the trigger with the safety on.


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## Scrapy (Jan 1, 2015)

Well this ain't no cryin tale at all. It's New Years morning. I'm Drunk. I'm a crying drunk. I tuned in to get a tear jerked  and now I  Feel I was deceived by the title.

The OP post had the makins of a "I shot the bear decoy" on the Bear Hunters channel forum thread.


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## chasinggreenheads (Jan 1, 2015)

Going into shooting them with a 12 gauge
HeviHog shells more of a challenge


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## bfriendly (Jan 2, 2015)

danmc said:


> If it makes you feel better, I've squeezed the trigger with the safety on.





Dang It Man!! Aint that the truth


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## j_seph (Jan 2, 2015)

Would have raised bolt up and pushed bolt back down and it would have fired probably


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## That guy in Fla (Jan 2, 2015)

j_seph said:


> Would have raised bolt up and pushed bolt back down and it would have fired probably



That's what most guys would have done.
I was a little preoccupied with trying to chamber another round and get at least one of the two I crossed paths with that fine evening.
Just wasn't meant to be, I guess.


Squeezed the trigger with the safety still on?


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## weekender (Jan 2, 2015)

Why did I have to get in on this thread !@#$%^&*(!

What can you tell me about this expensive Barnes Vortex round?


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## That guy in Fla (Jan 3, 2015)

weekender said:


> Why did I have to get in on this thread !@#$%^&*(!
> 
> What can you tell me about this expensive Barnes Vortex round?



I don't know about anyone else but I can tell you it looks exactly like the round I ejected that fateful night...
Put it back in the rifle & try to torch it off again. The light primer strike could have happened for any number of reasons including a build up of trash & spooge in the bolt causing the firing pin to strike softly or travel too slow...


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## weekender (Jan 3, 2015)

Pretty sure I found what caused mine tonight. Trying to diag the trouble, while removing and disassembling the bolt/firing pin etc., I found wood chips that would have prevented the bolt from closing all the way. First pic you can see the chips down in the hole but before I touched it, it looked more like the second pic.


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## That guy in Fla (Jan 4, 2015)

You haven't been using that rifle to split firewood, have you? Maybe cut down a few trees?

I had mine out to the range this weekend & last. 2 more light strikes. (Grrrrrr....)
I guess that'll be this week's repair job. Pull it all apart and start troubleshooting it. What makes it a bit puzzling is its never caused any trouble in the 6-7 years I owned it.
I reckon it's due to have something break. The action & bolt have a few gazillion rounds on it and it's been 6 different calibers over the years.
Guess I'd better dig out my thinking cap, magnifying glasses, shop light, surgical... I mean smithing tools, etc.


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## Davexx1 (Jan 4, 2015)

Congratulations on your retirement.  Get your gun cleaned up and then give those hogs heck.

Dave


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## That guy in Fla (Jan 4, 2015)

Davexx1 said:


> Congratulations on your retirement.  Get your gun cleaned up and then give those hogs heck.
> 
> Dave



Count on it.
Ain't got much of anything else to do...


Except fix a rifle.


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## That guy in Fla (Jan 5, 2015)

Found the problem.
See the original post.


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