interesting way to clear a squib

Someone sent me that the other day. It may work, but I prefer the old school method.

But, Ill watch you do it, and hold your beer.

And thats not a malfunction youre going to be doing "in the moment" either, so whats the rush or emergency? If you have a squib at a bad time, youre basically DRT gun wise, so do something else.

Wow. That's very interesting but I wouldn't try that; I like my fingers.

I am surprised it would even go bang, except for the primer. I would think one would want to stuff the cartridge with toilet paper to get a good burn out of it.

There was a poster here who said when he had a shop, he would tell a customer with a stuck bullet: "Leave it with me til tomorrow, I will see if I can get it out." As soon as the customer got out of earshot, pull, dump half, bloop; job done.

Hatcher wrote of the method and said that it looked good to start with but he got into some situations where it did not work or bulged the barrel.

Autos are usually pretty easy to deal with, especially if the bullet is near an "end". They usually tap out without much effort or drama.

Revolvers just flat out suck, especially if the bullet makes it to the end of the barrel. Its even worse with a jacketed bullet.

I can see it working in many cases. However, when it goes bad (oversized round) or wrong charge behind a round I would not want to be there.

If you know you're working through a case of crap ammo, and it is all the same, it could make sense.

Need more context.

Sounds like an attempt to emulate what some BP shooters do, get enough powder into the chamber to expel the bullet.

I would never do that.

I keep a brass "squib rod" in my range bag.

I saw one at a USPSA match many years ago, you can find them at hardware stores, or ebay

Us Tier One Operators don't carry 'round no stinking' squib rod.

LOL, and I bet you pull the bullet out of the round youre going to use with your teeth.

Sure, just like they used to do in the movies to get black powder to cauterize a wound.

Yeah...if I have time to pull a bullet and try to launch the stuck one clear of the bore, I have enough time to grab a piece of rod and a smack tool. Then I'll have only wasted one round and will certainly keep all my digits.

Dr. Brownell and U of M did a series on pressure factors several decades ago. One of his grad students tried to clear a stuck bullet in a rifle that way. KABOOM.

I have never done it, but this works with REDUCED charge loads. In fact, naval guns have specific rounds made for the purpose. One is always kept immediately available during firing. They are called "short rounds."

Seems like a pinch of Black Powder in an empty but primed case would do the job.

The worst would be a case full of W296 with the bullet stuck in a revolver forcing cone. Bullet would have to go back in the case somehow.

Jim Watson said:

Us Tier One Operators don't carry 'round no stinking' squib rod.

Click to expand...

Probably shouldn’t be carrying around squib loads either…

Why take the time and RISK of doing this? A squib rod is the correct way and safe.
Especially with a semi auto like that? field strip in a few seconds tap the round out,
I have a few lengths and diameter brass rods in my range bag, helped a few guys at the range.

No thank you!

Seems OK to me. Should work better if the bullet is stuck closer to the chamber than the muzzle.

I have had or fixed a handful of squibs, mostly seen at USPSA matches simple due to the volume of shooting seen. My personal worst one lodged a 200gr .40-cal CMJ about 1/2-inch from the muzzle of the 6.5 inch N-frame. No way to drive it forward so it was backwards. Took the cylinder off the frame. Wraped the barrel in leather and into my bench vice it went and I drove it out using an aluminum rod and a hammer. Nearly drove the lead core out of the jacket by the time I got it out.

The last squib I had was a 158 grain LSWC in my 3" Model 65. Bullet stopped with the shoulder right at the muzzle, with the tip poking out. That one was a real treat.

trackskippy said:

The last squib I had was a 158 grain LSWC in my 3" Model 65. Bullet stopped with the shoulder right at the muzzle, with the tip poking out. That one was a real treat.

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Yeah I don't think the OP's method would have worked in either of our cases. With the bullet that far down the barrel and the cylinder gap of a revolver you probably would never get enough initial pressure to get good enough combustion to produce enough pressure to dislodge the bullet. Even in the OP video the bullet is pushed out but there was not enough pressure/velocity to fully cycle the action.

Nope nope nope nope nope


I have a squib rod in the range bag.
A bullet stuck at the muzzle, barely poking out, on a revolver is a pain. But, it does look cool, at the time.

It would work for a field expedient fix to get a gun back in operation. Worst case it swells the barrel but the gun still wasn't operational to start with.
The one bullet I've had to tap out took considerably longer and had to put the barrel in a vise.

Englishmn said:

It would work for a field expedient fix to get a gun back in operation. Worst case it swells the barrel but the gun still wasn't operational to start with.

Click to expand...

No, worst case is that the gun explodes and that you get injured or killed. Are you sure the squib will push out from the powder of the 'blank' cartridge? Are you sure there isn't damage to the barrel that has weakened it as a result of the squib?

At least the way I was taught, you tap out the offending slug and then you inspect the barrel and gun for damage and function (movement) of all the guns associated parts to make sure the gun is fully functional before firing the gun.