First squib

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Tallinar

Tallinar

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Well, it finally happened. After 15 years and thousands of rounds, had my first squib. I am 98% sure I forgot to powder this case. Made the mistake of having too many things on my reloading bench at once.

Pulled the trigger and nothing but a click. Knew something was wrong. Waited a few seconds in case of hang fire, then dropped the magazine and slowly pulled the slide back. Case extracted fine. Could not see light coming through the breach. Field stripped it and found this.

Now to get the dang thing out. CLP, dowel rod, and a hammer haven't availed me. :)

Take it slow and stay safe, friends.

8249076D-36FA-4E61-A377-024681C27BCC.jpg
 
I had my first squib earlier this year, been reloading since 1995.

Part of being human is making mistakes. Part of being a conscientious human being is recognizing mistakes happen and being aware enough to stop when something isn’t right. Good job realizing something was up right away. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
Squibs have happened to me with top name factory ammo. I had my first hang-fire (9mm factory also) during a competition. I fortunately kept the gun on target but was just starting to loosen my support hand when it went off. Scored a ZeroDown hit. It is a little unsettling.
 
I usually weigh about every 5-10 charges to make sure my thrower is still on point.

The mistake I made here is that I had a bowl full of primed cases sitting out next to my tray of charged cases that I was seating bullets for. I believe I sub consciously reached into the bowl (as if I was just expanding or resizing cases) and proceeded to seat a bullet in it absent-mindedly.

To prevent this kind of error, I almost always clear my bench of everything except the components involved in the single step I am working on. I just got lazy.
 
Another thing that occurred to me today is a reminder of another reason I love reloading for .45 Colt. There’s enough air in the case that you can shake it and hear the powder bounce around to make sure it’s in there. Not so much with short auto cartridges.
 
I really can’t get the thing to budge. Have tried to hammer it pretty good with a dowel rod and also a brass punch. Have let some CLP sit in the barrel for several hours to hope to lube it up, but no dice.

What’s my next step?

Bullet is a fairly soft .452 230 gr RNFP from MBC.
 
Tallinar said:
I really can’t get the thing to budge. Have tried to hammer it pretty good with a dowel rod and also a brass punch. Have let some CLP sit in the barrel for several hours to hope to lube it up, but no dice.

What’s my next step?

Bullet is a fairly soft .452 230 gr RNFP from MBC.
Click to expand...
Go to harbor freight and get a transfer punch set. Use the one that best fits your barrel and get it done. Put the barrel in a set of soft jaws in a vise and use a plastic deadblow hammer...
 
Well the good news is a lead bullet is much easier to pound out than it's jacketed counterpart. I have access to a vise with hardwood jaw inserts and some brass rods to use for this purpose. You can also use a hardwood block with a hole drilled in it so the feed ramp is in it and the barrel sits flush. Then use the brass rod and hammer to drive out the bullet from the muzzle end. Once it gets into the chamber area it will just fall out. Make sure the hardwood block is thick enough that it will not break or split.
 
I’ve done this with my rifles, but never got a definitive opinion on whether it was advisable or not - use an underloaded (fireforming) load to powderpuff the squib out.

I imagine you can do the same with pistols, but a proper brass dowel would probably be preferable...
 
I would use Kroil The oil that creeps. Apply from both side let it set for some time. Then apply some more. Place the barrel on a hard solid surface ( chamber side down), use a brass rod, and a dead blow hammer. If the rod is longer than your barrel you can use a a small 2# sledge.
 
I remember my 1st Squib … .460 Mag!

You know when it didn’t light the powder. You get a POP then a bunch of powder all over your bench. H110 is hard to ignite
 
I bought a 12" long brass rod the diameter of the inside of a 38spl case before I started reloading anticipating I may need it someday. Someday came fast bringing my first & only squib(plated bullet)with my first batch of 38spl reloads. I filled the revolver barrel with CLP for an hour & it tapped out pretty easily with light strikes using a tack hammer & the rod.
 
AJC1 said:
The only sqibs I've dealt with are in semi pistols and those are easily dealt with... a revolver squib that bridges the cylinder and forcing cone is a nightmare I have and don't want to experience.
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I didn't have a squib, I had a HBWC blow the cap off and stick the skirt in the gap, in a top-break Webley. My fault, I seated them too deep in a .38S&W and pushed the pressure too high. The load of Bullseye was only 1.8gr. but with nowhere to go... well, it was just lucky for me it did lock up the cylinder because there was a bang, a hole in the target (real low but a hole nonetheless) and I have no doubt if that skirt had lodged in the barrel past the forcing cone, I would have blown up a gun. It was easier to clear than you'd think - I shoved a pen down the barrel and pushed it back into the throat - and I was back to shooting again in less than five minutes. Which was stupid because it happened again. Sometimes I amaze myself. :confused:
 
stonebuster said:
I bought a 12" long brass rod the diameter of the inside of a 38spl case before I started reloading anticipating I may need it someday. Someday came fast bringing my first & only squib(plated bullet)with my first batch of 38spl reloads. I filled the revolver barrel with CLP for an hour & it tapped out pretty easily with light strikes using a tack hammer & the rod.
Click to expand...
I bought a squib rod in 45ACP from brownell’s (actually came in pairs for some reason). Fits the barrel perfectly so one could wail away in confidence I guess.

Since I only load on a turret press or single stage using published loads, any squib I might have would be from some mighty bad inattention.
06DE2B77-6751-4FB3-8372-18C69B538F82.jpeg
 
I’m thinking squeezing/pushing it out might be easier than banging it out. Ever tried to bang out a stuck case vs. slowly pulling it? If you don’t have a jumbo vise, use a long bar clamp (I actually have two of these my father used for something).

Or drill hole in center of bullet and use a looong tap and then a bolt and draw it out like a stuck case.

it’s early, just spit balling here.

actually drilling out entire length of bullet would permit it to crush when whacked by brass rod.
 
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CQB45ACP said:
I bought a squib rod in 45ACP from brownell’s (actually came in pairs for some reason). Fits the barrel perfectly so one could wail away in confidence I guess.

Since I only load on a turret press or single stage using published loads, any squib I might have would be from some mighty bad inattention.
View attachment 1091312
Click to expand...
I keep a Brass Squib rod in my range bag too! also a 1/2” brass punch and baby hammer
 
Are you banging it out the muzzle or backing out?

Backing out will be much easier.
A pipe clamp takes care of it in short order.
 
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