First Squib

[lizziedog1]

I have been shotgun reloading for a couple of years.

This morning I experienced my first squib load.

A quail had just taken off, straight ahead, an easy shot. I came up with gun, pulled the trigger, and "poof". That is what it sounded like. It was like I had fired a load with a silencer on the gun. I think the pellets rolled out of the barrel. I could swear the bird was laughing.

To make sure everything cleared the bore, I unloaded the gun and peaked down the barrel. No obstructions, but it was dirtier than usual. It looked like there may have been unburnt powder.

The shells I fired after this worked just fine.

I have seen other shotgunners experience squib loads. No more sneering at them for me.

I wonder what happened. I wonder if somehow I failed to put powder in that shell. Would a primer have enough power to propel the wad and shot out of the gun?

Who else has had shotshell squib loads?

 

[Steve Koski]

Interesting question. The primer alone would have enough power to push the wad & shot into the bore, but I'm not so sure it could push the wad all the way out of the gun. Maybe the wad kind of slid out of the bore when the shot rolled out.

 

[gamestalker]

No doubt about it, the primer produces enough pressure to open the shell and toss the shot and wad. I had one or two squib shots hells over the years, and the best I could figure is the shell was contaminated. Since I do qite a bit of bird hunting, and then toss the hulls in my vest along with dead birds, it is very likely feather's that probably caused the issue. That was a long time ago, now I check each hull for debrie.

 

[rcmodel]

What you had is called a Blooper in the shotgun reloading world.

It can be caused by several things, but a no powder squib isn't one of the.

Most often it is caused by a cocked or damaged wad during seating.

If the plactic wad skirt is seated crooked or the lip damaged during seating, it can't seal the bore.

The result is a Blooper.
It can often result in a wad stuck in the barrel too so always check like you did.

Check your press's wad guide for damaged fingers, or not centered over the shell mouth when it goes in.

rc

 

[gamestalker]

That makes sense RC. I can't honestly see a few feather's preventing a 209 from lighting the powder up, but your diagnosis makes sense to me.
If you consider a missing powder charge, it would almost be impossible to slip by unnoticed because the crimp would be severely inverted, and the shot would likely be falling out of the shell too.

 

[lizziedog1]

So, that was unburnt powder I saw in the barrel?

Is this what would happen if no wad was used?

 

[rcmodel]

Yes & yes.

Only even worse, as without a wad, there would be no pressure at all.

Not to mention there would be so much extra room in the shell it would be like crimping an empty case.

You would be 100% sure to notice it when all the shot & powder ran out the end.

rc

 

[Bovice]

I could swear the bird was laughing.

hahahahaha

 

[TonyT]

Were you using HS-800X powder for the reload with the squibb? The only time I had a similar experience was when I loaded some 28 ga. loads with HS-800X. The delaer from whom I purchased the powder warned me that it metered poorly - I did not realize how poorly he meant.

 

[1KPerDay]

Since I do qite a bit of bird hunting, and then toss the hulls in my vest along with dead birds, it is very likely feather's that probably caused the issue.

Thanks for picking up your hulls.

 

[lizziedog1]

Were you using HS-800X powder for the reload with the squibb?

Yes, I was.

I am getting conflicting theories.

I have had a few local folks tell me that a shotgun primer does indeed have the force to eject the payload.

Does it?

 

[1KPerDay]

No, in my experience.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=582176

 

[35 Whelen]

A few years ago I got to where I was shooting skeet and sporting clays every week. I was loading lots of 20 ga. shells on my MEC Grabber. I'm very anal about shotshell loads as I load to specific pressures, and like to ensure my loads meet the manuals specs to a "T". I thought it'd help if I installed a powder baffle between the powder bottle and the powder bushing. Worse mistake I ever made. I began having duds or squibs at the rate of almost one per box of shells. I removed the baffle and the squib loads immediately stopped. (FWIW I was usings Hodgdon Universal) So, if you're using a baffle, remove it.
There are lots of variables too. You don't say what guage you're loading, but I'd be inclined to say that a 20 ga. would be more apt to eject the wad and shotload with only a primer than would a 12 ga. This due to the smaller expansion area in a 20 ga. hull.
Something else to consider is the type hull you're using. A compression formed hull such as a AA or STS is tapered internally, so typically the wad will enter the case only so far and be stopped by the tapered portion of the hull. When this happens you'll never know if a shell misses a powder charge.
On the other hand polyformed hulls such as Federal, Cheddite, and hulls from cheap Dove & Quail loads, are straight walled internally. The wad not being pushed all or most of the way to the base of the hull is dependent on the presence of the powder charge. So, during the loading process if the hull is undercharged with powder or not charged at all, the wad will be pushed too deep in the hull which means the shot load won't fill the hull which in turn means your crimp will likely collapse which should clue you in that somethings wrong with that particular shell.
Regarding a cocked or crooked wad, I personally find this highly unlikely unless you somehow crush or severely distort the wad. Just try to insert a wad crooked. They're so long relative to their diameter, I don't think you can do it. To me it'd be like getting a battery crooked in a flashlight. I think you'll find it all but impossible unless you're using something thin like an overpowder card or wad rather than a plastic wad/shotcup assembly.
Hope some of this helps.
35W