Head scratcher

[sfl_gunner]

So I loaded some 9mm. The first 100 rounds or so fired without a single issue. The second time around I’ve had 2 squibs out of 100. I believe I checked each case had powder but I didn’t check the weight of each charge. So I’m trying to figure out what I may have done wrong to cause these issues. Here’s my recipe:
Brass: Mixed head stamps
Powder: Bullseye 4.3 gr
Bullet: Hornady 124 Gr XTP
Primers: CCI Small Pistol
COL:1.055
Loaded on an RCBS Rock Chucker Single stage.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Do you throw your charges?
If so. Some volumetric measures don't measure pistol powder very well.

 

[Virginia Jim]

By squib do you mean the bullet lodged in the barrel or was it a low powered “bang” with the bullet missing the target completely?
First off, we’re your cases clean and dry inside and free from foreign material?

 

[sfl_gunner]

I use an RCBS powder measure.
The bullets were lodged in the barrel.
They were clean and free of foreign material.

 

[PWC]

Powder may have "bridged" in your dispenser 's drop tube, next drop would have been a + charge. Progressive, turret, or single stage....check every drop visually before seating the bullet.

 

[sfl_gunner]

Two more points. The same day I loaded the 124 gr I also loaded some 90 gr hornady’s. Those all fired without a hitch.
Also I’m going through all of the rounds now and it looks like I’m at .378-.379 at the mouth of the case as opposed to .380 as recommended in all manuals. I don’t think the difference of. 001+/-.001 due to crimping could cause the squibs.

 

[Ironicaintit]

You may want to change something to ensure you have positive confirmation of powder in the case. Better lighting maybe? or even mount a mirror in a spot to get a clear eye on it

 

[edwardware]

The bullets were lodged in the barrel.

Squib.

That's not caused by a small error in charge weight; it's caused by a large error, definitely detectable by eye if your looking closely. Crimping could not possibly cause this. Water in the case might.

Bridging is possible (double tap the handle at the dump side of he stroke) and dramatic undercharging is possible. You can figure out which by measuring!

Make a cartridge with a primer, and no powder; fire it and observe how far the bullet makes it. Now you know what a no-charge squib looks like to compare. In my 9mm pistols, the bullet doesn't clear the throat.

And the solution: Look In Ever Case.

 

[Jim Watson]

I believe I checked each case had powder

Well, you were wrong.
Bullseye is a fine grained powder and usually measures very well, but I had trouble with it in a RCBS Uniflo when I first started loading pistol ammo well back in the last century.

You must check every case for powder. Loading single stage, there are two ways to go about it.
Charge powder, immediately seat bullet.
Charge 50 with powder, get them all in a loading block and go down each row under a strong light.

 

[oprod1]

Problem was lack of powder, question is for you to decide on how.

 

[fxvr5]

Also I’m going through all of the rounds now and it looks like I’m at .378-.379 at the mouth of the case as opposed to .380 as recommended in all manuals. I don’t think the difference of. 001+/-.001 due to crimping could cause the squibs.

The .380" "crimp" is not a recommendation. The drawing they show is from SAAMI specifications and the .380" is the MAXIMUM dimension at the case mouth of the brass. In reality, the actual case mouth diameter dimension for most cases after the bell has been removed will be smaller at around ~.375" +/-, and yours should be, too, depending on the thickness of your brass.

And no, that's not the cause of your squibs. Your squibs are a lack of enough powder or something preventing the powder to burn correctly.

 

[Rod47]

Any sense static electricity could cause a problem with bridging. Dryer sheet might help. Powder baffle would help also

 

[mokin]

Squib.

That's not caused by a small error in charge weight; it's caused by a large error, definitely detectable by eye if your looking closely. Crimping could not possibly cause this. Water in the case might.

Bridging is possible (double tap the handle at the dump side of he stroke) and dramatic undercharging is possible. You can figure out which by measuring!

Make a cartridge with a primer, and no powder; fire it and observe how far the bullet makes it. Now you know what a no-charge squib looks like to compare. In my 9mm pistols, the bullet doesn't clear the throat.

And the solution: Look In Ever Case.

I ran into a similar situation when I decided I liked Blue Dot for my Glock 29/10mm Auto. Every now and then I'd get a round that would "pop!", usually miss the target, the case would fail to extract, and when I manually cycled the action, the case was covered in soot. I did some playing around and figured out the bridge thing. Some time later, while shooting .40 S&W, I repeated the experiment. Mostly out of curiosity. The big takeaway was that a squib charged with only a large pistol primer will clear the barrel. A squib charged with a small pistol primer won't.

 

[mmb617]

You must check every case for powder. Loading single stage, there are two ways to go about it.
Charge powder, immediately seat bullet.
Charge 50 with powder, get them all in a loading block and go down each row under a strong light.

I'm a single stage loader and that's what I do. I added lighting above my bench so it's quite bright. After charging I visually check each case in the block before moving over to bullet seating. I wouldn't be able to catch a small variation in powder charge but I'd see anything significant. I've only been reloading since the beginning of this year but I've run several thousand rounds of 9mm without a squib yet.

 

[Jim Watson]

I do, too.
I tried the load one, seat one procedure with target rifle ammo because I could seat a bullet while the electric dispenser was delivering the next powder charge. But the lack of a block check made me nervous, perhaps unnecessarily so, but I went back to batching 20 or 50 at a time anyhow.

 

[doubleh]

I use two loading blocks set side by side. I put all my primed empties in the block nearest to the powder measure and the other close to the press. When I charge a case I look into it as I place it into the block closest to the press. Empties in one block and charged into the other until I'm done. A bright overhead light helps with the case looking into. I use a 5 watt LED bulb in mine. MTM loading blocks are cheap.

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
I load a lot of handgun cartridges using a RockChucker and a Little Dandy powder measure.
I charge 50 cases in a loading block and I visually check every case. I weigh every tenth charge.
Is it a bit time consuming? Possibly...
I do not get squib loads though.

 

[sfl_gunner]

I load 50 at a time and visually check each charge. Then I pick 4-5 at random and dump them out to re-check powder charges. Last night I reloaded a batch of 50 to see if I have any more issues. For the record I’ve loaded thousands of rounds since I started loading 4 years ago and this is the first time I ended up with squibs.

 

[murf]

when is the last time you cleaned the rcbs powder hopper?

murf

 

[AK Hunter]

Squib loads are very dangerous.

 

[mdi]

In 1970 I had a squib, no powder charge. Since then I use Mr. Watson's suggestion of looking in every case for a powder charge (it won't tell me if a charge is off by a few grains although I have dumped and recharged some that just didn't look right). I have looked in every case I have reloaded to make sure there is powder there, and no double charges, as I have made it a habit, a part of my reloading. Since that time I have had zero squibs and no Kabooms...

 

[23tony]

Squib.
Make a cartridge with a primer, and no powder; fire it and observe how far the bullet makes it. Now you know what a no-charge squib looks like to compare. In my 9mm pistols, the bullet doesn't clear the throat.

Isn't that rather dangerous?

Squib loads are very dangerous.

Like I was thinking.

Also, if a brief detour is ok: if you get a bullet lodged in the barrel, how do you clear it?

 

[Englishmn]

brass rod
sometimes wood rod works.

Water in a case will cause a squib.
I didn't wait long enough after wet tumbling once.

 

[AJC1]

Isn't that rather dangerous?

Like I was thinking.

Also, if a brief detour is ok: if you get a bullet lodged in the barrel, how do you clear it?

It's not the squib that is dangerous it's the next shot with a blocked barrel. They are easy to remove with a punch in a semi auto. In a revolver it can be a real pita.

 

[cfullgraf]

Charge 50 with powder, get them all in a loading block and go down each row under a strong light.

In my opinion, when loading on a single stage this is the best method for checking powder in the case.

You not only want to see the powder but compare each case to the others, the level of the powder should be about the same. Any cases whose powder charge looks too small or too large can be weighed and re-thrown.