Squib, bullet stuck in barrel, etc be honest

Have you ever had a squib or other reloading blunder that was your fault?

  • Yes

    Votes: 110 69.2%
  • No

    Votes: 49 30.8%

  • Total voters
    159
  • Poll closed .
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Nearly 20 years ago...I enjoyed single-stage reloading in front of the television set. Even though I used the loading block and inspected the lot before seating bullets, one got past me. Removing ALL distractions and focusing on the task at hand is seriously important now. Be safe!
IQ45
 
Yes, the square nylon bushing fell out of my Dillon's powder measure and a few got by before I noticed it wasn't dumping powder any more. The bin was pretty well full of reloads so I couldn't pick out the ones without powder. I carried a rod to drive out the squibs as I came across them. (And found that a primer can can actually get a .452 200gr SWC completely through a 5" 1911 barrel. Sometimes.)
I know that bushing.
 
yep, been there, done that, etc. sooner or later, it will happen to everyone. just like a faulty primer. it is no big deal, as long as you recognise what happend, and stop shooting like you did. getting a bullet out, is not a big deal either. a couple of squirts of penetrating oil, a wooden dowel, a hammer, and block will take care of it in no time.
 
I got a batch of 9mm that I will only fire in a slow fire environment where I can chek the barrel or target to ensure the bullet has left the barrel. It's too many to pull or just throw away.
 
I will admit over the course of 15 years reloading I have made numerous errors. I've had squibs on a couple of occaisions but one that bears telling is the one that occured from the same lot of 357 mag. I was baby sitting my toddler while reloading and somewhere between changing diapers, filling the sippy cup, and levering the press, I allowed the short charge mistake to occur. No harm done this time.just two squibs. However, This was a recipe for a disaster.Today I make every attempt to not be distracted while reloading.
 
for decades i have taught re-loading. and CCW courses; basic through advanced.

along with about 16 other Rule #1's is:

unless you are actively involved in combat--do not shoot faster than you can stop

as to reloading mishaps; i have a small box that i put any completed round that i 'feel' is wrong. i make 27 calibers. i've never disassembled a suspect round and not found the correct amount of powder--from any of my 4 different presses. bad primer seating or old brass causes most of my 'problems'.

FWIW if i have to leave my press unexpectedly--i leave the handle in the down position. this leaves no doubt as to where i was when i left.

stay focused and good luck to you.
 
I have had 2 high primers in my 9mm loads, both fired on the second strike. I once also forgot to turn on my powder hopper and loaded about 25 rounds of .223, and had to pull them all. That was a waste of time.....
 
I had it happen to me in a 1006 and a Taurus 85. This was back before I got a Dillon 550. Both times I could tell I didn't put enough powder in.
 
I have loaded .223 rounds that did not get any powder (Lee Charge bar) and I caught them when I noticed one weighted less. I then checked the whole batch of 1,000 on my scale and found 3 more. I no longer use the Charge Bar! I know some swear by it but, I can not say the same. The disks work better for me.
 
It has happened to me twice in 53 years of reloading. I have no idea what my total count is. I think squibs can be avoided if we make it a point to always check each round for powder. I think ways have been devised to do this task for every loading system. We just need to make ourselves do it, without fail.

Happy New Year!
 
Yes, I've had two squibs in my early reloading days. Actually, the first hundred rounds or so. Said blunder was me making a setup bullet with a primed case. It just ended up in with the filled cases.

What I did to prevent it. Setup cases are now always made with unprimed cases.

I had 45ACP bullet stick in barre from the primer only charge. I used a dowel and hammer for extraction.
 
The worst thing I have done, SO FAR, was puttin the powder to cases I had not yet primed. I realized after only 5 or 6 what I had done.

No harm, no foul. I just got ahead of myself.

I have only been handloading for five years so I'm sure I'll screw something else up before I'm done.:cuss:
 
I've stuck 5 bullets in barrels

Once was a 308 round using BL-C2 that I was having ignition issues with

Another and the only one that was truly my fault was a 7.5x54mm MAS round that didn't get a charge

I had a round of Remington golden bullet 22lr stick a bullet in the forcing cone of a single six (luckily I was paying attention)

Lastly and most recently I stuck two 180g jacketed bullets (different days) in a .357mag rolling block carbine. In this instance a combination of a tight bore and underpowered data were the culprit


Tapatalk post via IPhone.
 
Yes but not a squib, just a few that wouldnt chamber because the brass was glocked, OAL too long or not enough crimp.
 
yep. same as the OP; no powder in the case. i had good hearing protection on and didnt even hear the primer go off. just....*click*.....uhhh.......oops. bullet never even left the case. thought i had a hangfire so i ended up holding it on target for a few minutes. finally ejected the round and went on. pulled the bullet later to find out the source of the problem and sure enough....no powder what so ever!
 
No Squib for me ... and not me directly.....but happened on my reloading table..so I take the blame! :uhoh:

A friend of mine came over to reload on a friday night for a saturday day at the range... We reloaded 9mm 38, and .357
I had two single stage presses one on each end of table, and we had loaded for many months and I felt comfortable with what he was doing.

We had our case trays out and casings set up that were ready to be charged... I was doing 38's and he was doing .357 on his end. Well long story short...

Next day at range we were having a good day..side by side about 8-10 foot apart. I was shooting 9mm and he was shooting 38, then he moved to his 4" Smith .357!

His first shot took me by surprise on how loud it was. (we had ear muffs on) and it still took me by surprise .. on his second shot I stepped back and said what the heck..On his third shot I seen the recoil of his 4" Smith and started flagging him to stop.

I then could not get the cylinder to open and noticed slight damage to the back strap..

Later inspection revealed he had Double Charged one of his trays with powder...I believe we were using 4.5 gr Universal on that run...cant exactly remember! But pretty sure... the double charge was 9.0 gr and the max in book for universal is 7.6 for 125 gr Hollow Pt. ! :eek: I also am thankful it was a Smith 586 , I dont know that a cheaper gun or k frame would have not fed us some shrapnel.

That caused loading practices to change at My reloading table.
 
Hell yes. (to the squib load)
I know I shot over 500K rds. as an active IPSC/NRA "Action Pistol" competitor. I'd shoot 600 rds. three times a week in practice, so my reloading time was minimal.
All loaded on a 1050.
This hasn't happened to me in years since.
I STILL keep a brass range rod in my shooting bag.
If you shoot enough, it's gonna happen.
 
yes sir, hate to admit it but my fault both times.
revolvers both times also.
good rule claude clay, would like to see the other 16 rules.

Mott
 
My progressive machine loaded a .380 in a run of 9MM cases.
I had a nephew at the range using a 9MM handgun.
When he pulled the trigger on the 380 the gun did not fire but the bullet was stuck a very short distance down the barrel.
I was standing beside him & jacked open the slide & I could see the bullet in the barrel & gun powder all over.
**** happens
 
I refuse to answer the question. It reminds me of the time I said out loud that I hadn't had a flat tire on my bike in a long time. Some things should not be vocalized.
 
3 or 4 squibs over my 25 year loading career. The most memorable, luckily, the very last round of a rapid fire stage at a NRA sanctioned High Power Rifle match at Fort Knox Ky. I had no idea I'd squibbed and when the target squad called back one complete miss of the target I got looking. Sure enough bullet lodged in the barrel of my M1 Garand. All those rounds loaded on a single stage RCBS RC. Just neglected to charge it with powder or an under charge... Dunno.

Reloading demands complete attention. Give it or suffer the consequences.
 
If you haven't had a blunder (high primers, bad crimp, inconsistent charge, etc...) you've probably only been reloading for a day.

Heck, I got those all out of the way my 1st day! :eek: While setting up my dies I forgot to adjust the seating depth; my first 45ACP was a "45 short". The top of the bullet barely peeked over the edge of the casing. :D I kept if for a couple years as a conversation piece.

2 squibs with my Lee Classic Turret Press. One in 45ACP, the other in 380ACP. Both within the first couple months of reloading; that is when I learned that distractions aren't allowed. I am careful to look into each casing now before seating a bullet, but just in case I carry a couple dowels in my range bag.
 
I had 2 squibs.

The first happened because I used a primed case to set my seating die and forgot it was empty. I resolved to never intentionally seat a bullet in an empty, primed case, again. That was a rookie mistake.

The second was a light wadcutter load. It was just a hair too light. 50 of them shot just fine, albeit they were real bloopers. The second to last one got stuck in the last inch of a 6" barreled .357 revolver. After pounding the bullet out, I found an entire strip of plating over one land was clean missing. I looked on the floor but never recovered it. I wonder if it blew out the muzzle, leaving the rest of the bullet to get stuck?
 
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I'm fairly new to reloading compared to many of you. Done about 2,500+ rounds or so. Had my first squib last week on a new press, followed by 2 more the following day out of only about 150 rounds.

Yeah, there's a lot of things to be looking at with four stages going at once but it's like when I fly a plane... you soon get into the rhythm of what pilot's call "attention scheduling". You start to know the order and timing of what the next thing is that you have to pay attention to.

Loading, just like flying a plane, has consequences when you miss something. Sometimes it's a big consequence, often it's not but the seriousness does drive you to become quite competent over time so hang in there and just know that you'll be better next week, next month, next year.
 
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