Caliper_Mi
Member
So, I made a mistake while reloading and made a squib 12ga round. By that, I mean it had no powder at all. I caught it, marked the round, checked my other reloads, and was more careful to check for powder on each shell after that...
But, I was curious, what happens when you fire a squib load in a shotgun? I know with a handgun or rifle it's common to lodge a bullet in the barrel, but there is a lot more force involved with rifled barrels than a smoothbore. This shell had a primer, wad and 1oz of #8 shot, so I decided to pop it off. There was no recoil and a funny "bloop" sound. With the barrel level, the shot flew out and I could see it land about 10-15yd downrange. I didn't see the wad go anywhere so I pulled the barrel off and had a look. Sure enough, the wad had stopped about halfway down the barrel so I and pushed it out with a rod. Just plastic sliding on a smooth bore, it came out with almost no effort.
Here's my question then... Has anyone out there seen what happens when another round is fired behind just a wad in the barrel? Yes, I know this is bad news in a rifle, but removing a stuck bullet in a rifle also requires a mallet. I could have blown the wad out like a blowdart if I had wanted to. Would the wad just get pushed out in front of the next charge? Would it act as a hard obstruction and bulge the barrel? Surely someone has witnessed what happens next? (no, I didn't try it!)
But, I was curious, what happens when you fire a squib load in a shotgun? I know with a handgun or rifle it's common to lodge a bullet in the barrel, but there is a lot more force involved with rifled barrels than a smoothbore. This shell had a primer, wad and 1oz of #8 shot, so I decided to pop it off. There was no recoil and a funny "bloop" sound. With the barrel level, the shot flew out and I could see it land about 10-15yd downrange. I didn't see the wad go anywhere so I pulled the barrel off and had a look. Sure enough, the wad had stopped about halfway down the barrel so I and pushed it out with a rod. Just plastic sliding on a smooth bore, it came out with almost no effort.
Here's my question then... Has anyone out there seen what happens when another round is fired behind just a wad in the barrel? Yes, I know this is bad news in a rifle, but removing a stuck bullet in a rifle also requires a mallet. I could have blown the wad out like a blowdart if I had wanted to. Would the wad just get pushed out in front of the next charge? Would it act as a hard obstruction and bulge the barrel? Surely someone has witnessed what happens next? (no, I didn't try it!)