TB 23-7-1

     39.  OBJECT. --  This section is designed to provide necessary instruction in the related subjects of immediate action and stoppages.

     40.  WHEN TAKEN UP. --  Instruction in immediate action and stoppages will be completed before any firing is done by the individual.

     41.  IMMEDIATE ACTION. --  a.  General. --  Immediate action is the unhesitating application of  a probable remedy for a stoppage.  Immediate action deals with the method of reducing stoppages and not the cause.  It is taught as an unhesitating manual operation to be applied to reduce stoppages without detailed consideration of their causes.
     b.  Procedure. --  (1)  If the loaded carbine fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, count to "20" to allow for a hangfire, and then pull the operating slide handle to its rearmost position ejecting the round.  Release the operating slide handle and if the bolt goes fully home, aim and fire.
     CAUTION:  When pulled to the rear, operating slide handle will be grasped by the little finger, with the palm of hand facing up, to guard against binjury should the cartridge fire late and actuate the operating mechanism while operating slide is being retracted.
     (2)  If the bolt cannot be fully locked in (1)  above, pull the operating slide handle to the rear.  Check for a battered round, dirt, or obstruction on the face of the bolt, in the chamber, or in the locking lug recesses.  Discard the battered round;  remove the obstruction.  Reload, aim, and fire.
     (3)  The carbine fires but fails to feed. --  Keep the Carbing in action by workking the operating slide handle as it is still an effective combat weapon.  A detailed examination for the malfunction may be made later when time permits.
     (4)   Trigger fails to move forward when released due to broken or disengaged trigger spring. --  Push trigger forward manuallyafter each shot, until time permits examination and correction.  (Refer to paragraph 38 b (2) ).

     42.  STOPPAGES. --  a.  General. --  While immediate action and stoppages are closely related as to subject matter, the former is treated seperately to imphasize its importance as an automatic and definite procedure to be applied to overcome stoppages.  Proper care of the carbine, before, during, and after firing will usually eliminate stoppages.  Stoppages which cannot be remedied by the application of immediate action can best be eliminated if the soldier has an understanding of the functioning of the weapon and the causes of stoppages.
     b.  Failure to fire. --  (1)  Causes. --  Failures to fire are generally caused by:
     (a)  Defective Ammunition.
     (b)  Defective firing pin.
     (c)  Bolt not fully closed when hammer strikes firing pin.
     (2)  Action. --  (a)  If the primer of a round is deeply indented, the round is defective.  Discard the round.  If the primer is not indented or but very lightly indented, the firing pin may be short or broken or the bolt may not have been fully closed.  Check for dirt or dome obstruction which does not permit the bolt to lock fully.  Remove the obstruction.  If the carbine is clean and lubricated, check the firing pin.  Replace it if defective.
     (b)  Removal of a broken firing pin. --  If the carbine fails to fire annd tthe operating slide handle cannot be moved to the rear by a sharp blow with the heal of the hand, the firing pin may be broken, and having come out of its seat in the bolt it may have become wedged between the rear of the bolt and the top of the reciever.  Remove the barrel and reciever assembly from the stock with trigger housing attached.  Remove trigger housing, and firing pin should fall out.  If barrel and reciever group or trigger housing cannot be removed easily, do not force.  Turn upside down, shake, and work parts carefully until they will come apart.
     c.  Failure to feed. --  (1)  Types. --  Failure to feed is caused by failure of the bolt to go far enough to the rear to pick up a new round.  A failure to feed may have any one of a number of causes.  It will generally result in one of the following types of stoppages:
     (a)  Those in which the bolt fails to go fully home.
     (b)  Those in which the bolt does go fully home.
     (2)  Action to reduce stoppages of the first time. --  Stoppages of the first type may be caused by a battered round, dirt in the locking recesses, an obstruction on the face of the bolt, a dirty chamber, or a ruptured cartridge case, part of which remains in the chamber.  Removl of the battered round, dirt, or other obstructions;  clean the chamber, or remove the ruptured cartridge case.  Occasionally this stoppage may be caused by a magazine which has lost its spring tension, or in which the follower is defective, and does not hold the cartridge firmly in line.  When this occurs, the cartridge will be found in the carbine with the nose of the bullet one side or the other of the entrance to the chamber.  Remove the round;  remove the magazine and discard it.
     (3)  Action to reduce stoppage of the second type. --  Occasionally, when a stoppage of the second type occurs, the spent case is not ejected but is re-fed back into the chamber.  This condition is caused by lack of lubrication, excessive friction  of the moving parts, or lack of sufficient gas pressure due to the formation of carbon in the gas port.  In any case the bolt has not moved far enough to the rear to permit proper functioning.  The conditions are remedied by removing all carbon and thoroughly lubricating  all parts as prescribed in Section IV  --  "Care, Cleaniing and Lubrication."
     d.  Failure to extract. --  (1)  Causes. -- Failures to extract are generally caused by:
     (a)  Extremely dirty chamber.
     (b)  Extremely dirty ammunition.
     (c)  Improper assembly of the rifle, such as failure to replace the extractor plunger and spring.
     (d)  Cartridge case chambered in a hot barrel.
     (e)  Broken extractor.
     (2)  Action. --  (a)  When a failure to extract occurs, the bolt may be found fully locked with a spent case in the chamber.  Generally, most failures to exract can be remedied by pushing the operating slide fully forward and then pulling it smartly to the rear.  If this does not remove the case, use a combination tool screw driver, or cleaning rod.
     (b)  Sometimes the empty case will be left in the chamber, the extractor ripping through the base of the cartridge.  When this occurs the bolt generally will attempt to feed a fresh cartridge into the chamber.  It will then be necessary to remove this round before the spent case can be removed.
     (c)  Where a dirty chamber or dirty ammunition is indicated, clean the chamber and discard or clean very dirty ammunition.  Faulty assembly or a broken extractor will cause recurring failures to extract.  Replace missing or broken parts.
     e.  Other stoppages. --  In the event of stoppages that are not mentioned above and cannot be reduced, the carbine should be turned in for examination and repair.
     f.  If the trigger, when retracted, does not release the hammer, release trigger and retract it again.  If trigger does not release, the trigger spring is probably broken or out of place.  Carbine may still be fired by pushing trigger forward and then retracting in usual manner as directed in paragraph 41 b (4).
     g.  If hammer does not release when trigger is retracted, sear or hammer spring may be broken.  Remove trigger housing group, examine and replace damaged parts.