12 Oct 99

From an instructor in Texas:

“Item of interest that you might wish to pass along to others in relation to rifles, in particular lever actions:

Last night I was at our local range shooting a Winchester Model 94 (30-30 caliber). The five-round tube magazine was charged to capacity. I was shooting Winchester 150 grain power points.

I fired all five rounds at a brisk pace, pausing only long enough to work the lever and reconfirm the sight picture. First five rounds fired normally. I then quickly recharged the magazine to full capacity and resumed firing. The sixth round fired normally. However, upon chambering the seventh round, it immediately ‘cooked’ off!

I promptly unloaded and allowed the weapon to cool off completely. I then started the exercise over again. Sure enough; the seventh round cooked off again, right on schedule!

That was enough excitement for one evening! I concluded that these light rifles were very limited with regard to their tolerance of high-volume fire. If one uses one for defensive purposes, plan on ending the whole thing quickly!”

Lesson: Commercial rifles were never designed to fulfill a military role. Premature overheating is just one of the limitations.

/John