accidental discharges

[treedawg]

this has happened to me 2 times when i tried to remove the mag from the gun when it was jammed. this is a regular SMG that operates from an open bolt........any idea's on what might be causing this problem? could my top cover be worn out or did this one get converted without a racheting top cover? i'm not sure if i know how to tell the diff. in the two types. any other ideas as how to correct this dangerous problem???

thanks
td

[Deanh]

Is the bolt fully retracted when you remove the magazine?

Otherwise my understanding is the bolt will slam forward when the jammed magazine is removed. The ratcheting topcover I believe prevents this.

[UZI SBR AWC]

Ratchet top cover will do nothing if the gun stopped while firing, and then you arbitrarily just pull out the mag.....


YOU NEED TO fully retract the bolt to lock it on the sear, then you can safely romove the mag without the bolt dropping to be able to safely clear you malfunction. I suppose you could retract the charge handle back enough to rest on the bolt, but the std drill should be to lock the bolt to the rear on the sear.

Remeber, always clear firearm/malfunctions in a safe direction.

[treedawg]

thanks for the feedback. i'm going to pull the gun out and look at it in the morning and i'll let y'all know what i find. i haven't brought the gun back out of the safe since the last time this happened....

thanks again,
td

well, curosity was killing me so i pulled the gun out of the safe and it does not have a racheting top cover. this was converted many years ago by DAVID'S GUNROOM IN DULUTH GA, so if you also have one that david's converted you might want to look at the top cover.

where can i purchase a racheting top cover and what should i expect to pay??? will i notice any changes in the way the gun operates and can i use the springs, ect that are on my existing top cover? will this part replacement solve my problem???

treedawg

[tommygun2000]

Originally posted by treedawg
[ will i notice any changes in the way the gun operates and can i use the springs, ect that are on my existing top cover? will this part replacement solve my problem???

treedawg [/B]

The only effect it will have on the operation of the gun is that it will be less likely to accidently discharge, should the bolt not lock back on the bolt catch. The ratcheting cover is essential for safely operating an Uzi. Also, getting into a malfunction routine of
1. Remove finger from trigger
2. Placing the safety on
3. Locking the bolt to the rear
4. THEN and only THEN removing the magazine. and clear the chamber/ejection port.
...ALL of this done with the gun pointed in a safe direction naturally.
Following this drill is very important and especially if your allowing others to shoot your gun at the range.
Normally I tell them to freeze, and step them through it. If its someone who's a little fumbley, I'll take the gun from them and clear it myself.
It's a good drill to practice, but the thing is...there isn't any..or should I say that many malfunctions normally with the Uzi, unless you put a dummy round in the mag somewhere.

Safety First...as always.

As far as solving your problem....If your problem is a malfunctioning Uzi no it won't solve anything. the ratcheting top cover was designed to prevent the bolt from slipping out of the hands of a soldier cocking the gun and having an accidental discharge, usually while moving either on foot or in a vehicle or with a gloved hand.

If your gun is malfunctioning, you need to check your mags, your ammo and your buffer spring. also check that your bolt rides freely(unloaded) back and forth without any snags or tight spots.
But by all means, get the ratcheting top cover, they're cheap and a huge safety factor.

[redondhed]

This can happen when shooting light rounds (ie. subsonic reloads). The recoil just isn't enough to shove the bolt all the way. If you are shooting full power loads and having this problem...that is a problem that calls for new parts ASAP.

[rEAL]

For any malfunction in an open-bolt gun, CONTROL THE BOLT.

Get the bolt under control, then troubleshoot the malfunction.

If the bolt is controlled, there can't be an "accidental" discharge.

Open bolt mantra: CONTROL THE BOLT.

[treedawg]

on both occasions when i had an AD, the gun was in the safe position on the 3 positon selector and i was using an aftermarket 50 round clip. i was also shooting the cheap winchester 9mm that walmart sells for $10.99 a box for a 100 rounds..... i will order a racheting top cover asap

thanks for all the help
treedawg

[UZI SBR AWC]

Originally posted by treedawg
on both occasions when i had an AD, the gun was in the safe position on the 3 positon selector and i was using an aftermarket 50 round clip. i was also shooting the cheap winchester 9mm that walmart sells for $10.99 a box for a 100 rounds..... i will order a racheting top cover asap

thanks for all the help
treedawg

OK, but you do not say if the bolt was locked to rear on the sear, or if you was pulling back the bolt via charge handle and let go prior to sear engagement, or if the bolt was off the sear somewhere in mid travel and reomoval of mag unlocked the jam, thus allowing bolt to finish travel foreward and fire with out your permission.

As stated by another fella, you need to CONTROL the bolt,,, get it locked back..... just having it on "SAFE" is not going to do any thing if the bolt is stuck somewhere other than on the sear or fully closed. I had an AD with my semi, I had mine on SAFE, pulled the knob back, but did not get all way to rear, let go-----BANG, bullet hit about 30yd out to left front in the grass...OOOPPPSS. Using the SMG cover, if you do not lock the bolt to rear, the handle will stay where you stopped pulling rearward, and only reset and go forward if you lock the bolt to rear, this will only prevent an AD when charging the firearm.

I have a cover if you need it, I'll match Tapco price, and possibly ship free if I can get it through the shop, or USPS, usually the cheapest.

[treedawg]

uzi sbr awc...i sent you a private msg.......

[Paul556]

Sounds to me like a magazine problem. Mag inserts too high. Bolt stops on mag, pull mag out to see what is wrong and bolt is relieced firing one round. Maybe try pulling down on mag after insertion. The cheap 50 rd mags can be out of spec.

Paul

[Trebor]

I'm going through the archives and I thought this deserved a bump. I'm sure there are other new UZI owners out there besides me who need to see this.

[MuzzleFlash]

Yeah, I agree. When I was an Uzi newbie, I put one in the ceiling about 12 ft. downrange learning this lesson the hard way.

[Fr8 Dawg]

Why would you pull the magazine out?

I have a couple of the fourty rounders with the mag stops that don't rest on the bottom of the UZI mag well. I learned to insert them and after hearing the click, pull down on them. If there's a failure or a jam, I just use the immediate action drill and move on.

Rack - the bolt to the rear.

Tap - rotate the gun so the ejection port is looking at the ground and tap the gun with the free hand...loose stuff falls to the ground.

Bang - rotate the gun back to the shooting position and re-commence firing.

Works every time.