While modern self defense instructors teach jam and missfire clearing drills with no regard for the possibility of hangfires, NRA safety rules and hunter safety classes teach hangfire safety precautions.

The self defense instructors I've discussed this with called hangfires with modern cartridges too rare to concern themselves with. However, to me it's like the presumption that guns will not slam fire when a spring drives the bolt or slide into battery. Working at ranges I've seen too many examples of both and had both things happen with my guns too many times to share their confidence. I once had a neighbor who had a real chrome plated toilet paper holder inlet into his Honda above the rear bumper. It held a fake plastic roll of TP over the bumper sticker "**** happens." Spend enough time at ranges and you are going to see and or experience "rare" events. In the heat of a timed match I take the risk but not while casually target shooting. Is putting your expensive S&W revolver at risk worth saving 20 seconds? It is your gun.

After reading Redcoat3340's cannon story I can not resist retelling an old story that my uncle told me. He volunteered to dynamite stumps on the site my parents were clearing for a house. A charge did not go off. He was so afraid to go near it that he stayed and helped them hand dig the well for two days.