Mixing shell lengths in SBE 1

[badbob]

My dad mixed 3.5 and 3 inch in his Super Black Eagle and caused a missfire.

Here is how:

 

He manually loaded the 3.5 in the chamber, the magazine was filled with 3 inch.

The 3.5 fired, but the recoil loaded second shot of 3 inch did not. The bolt was not forward enough in battery and it just went click with the hammer fall.

 

So, I guess don't mix shell lengths.

 

What about mixing different total shot weight per shell? Is that the real problem?

 

It was the only missfire for this SBE in 3 years of use.

[mudhen]

Been mixing shells for 15 years with no jams related to the mixed shells.

 

The bolt just did not close on this occasion...

 

mudhen - CA

[DeadlyBenelli]

I've mixed different shell lengths and brands and I have yet to have a miss fire. The only time it went "click" was when the shell didn't fire. The primer was struck so it was a bad shell. The first one in my life, but it was last years left over.