SMA Gun Block Practice Test

Inadvertent firing from a hot barrel or chamber is called a cook-off. When a firearm becomes extremely overheated, the heat can ignite the powder in a chambered cartridge without the trigger being pulled. The round then fires on its own, or may fire as the firearm is still hot and chambers are ready for the next round. This is different from a hang fire, which is a delay between pulling the trigger and ignition; a misfire, where ignition fails to occur at all when the trigger is pulled; and a runaway gun, which involves uncontrolled, continuous firing due to mechanical failure or other causes. Cook-off is specifically about heat-driven ignition inside the chamber or barrel leading to an unintended discharge. To prevent it, allow cooling, avoid overheating, and follow safety procedures for handling hot weapons.