squib load experiences

[donttellthewife]

Only one squib, but it was memorable. I was shooting a Kel Tec sub 2000 9mm, the projectile went to the half way mark of a 12" barrel. I used a wooden dowel rod from the chamber end to tap it out ( it folds in half making this easy). The dowel rod was smaller in Dia than I wanted but it was all that was available at the time. As I was tapping it suddenly started moving easy, thinking I was home free I kept right on tapping. Then it became harder and harder to move the rod in any further, so I try to pull it out and it won't budge. It turns out the wooden rod had cracked in a steep angle and the two pieces wedge inside the barrel :banghead::banghead:. Packing up from the range was a tad embarrassing with the dowel rod sticking out from the rear of the gun. Not as embarrassing as winging my chronogragh but bad enough. I now always have a brass rod in the range bag, just in case.

 

[LotI]

Okay, I'll play.

I loaded some .40 S&W loads and while shooting my Sig P239, I had a primer only load lodge the bullet in the barrel. Darn. No tools with me. Put it away for later.

I'm thinking it's an isolated incident so I grab the Ruger P944 to enjoy the rest of the day. Midway through the first magazine, same thing. Pop, no recoil, empty still in chamber.

I got home to pull them apart and I found 3 more out of a box of 100. They were all in a row in the storage box.

What I learned: When you take a break from reloading and turn the powder measure off; remember to turn it back on when you pull the levers again.

 

[BBQJOE]

When I first started reloading, I had a few myself.
The wife was shooting .38spl while I was filling a mag of 9mm.
I heard a bang and about 1/2 a second later I heard the bullet hit the box with a thud.
Before I could get over to her she fired again.
This time there was hardly a bang, but maybe a bit more than a pop.
I stopped her and took the revolver.
The bullet was stuck, and was about halfway out of the business end of the barrel.

I'm sure it was a matter of being excited about reloading and not taking my time.
Now I live in a relatively healthy of fear of the squib.

 

[peterotte]

Mention was made of a double powder charge! Can happen. Best to use a powder that more than half fills the case. (Or better still, completely fills the case to the base of the bullet without overload).

 

[dzimmerm]

Squib loads

I had two squibs from reloading. After the second one I actively pursued fixing my quality control isues.

I have an older press, a Dillon 450 progressive. I did not have a good way to look down into the casing after the powder had been measured into the casing.

I devised a dental mirror and a light setup so I could see directly into the casing from my normal sitting position in front of the press. I now double check powder level visually everytime before I position the bullet onto the casing for the final crimp.

No more squibs have been encountered since that modification to my reloading routine.

BTW, I was reloading 9x18 makarov cartridges. Not hard to do, after a little trial and error. Getting the two squibs out took a fair amount of force. Basically a punch and a hammer were used both times.

I noticed the squib right away, due to the squib not cycling the action on the makarov. It also made a "foof" sound rather than the "bang" sound. The casing had all kinds of black around it, as the primer did not develop enough pressure to seal the cartridge when it went pop.

A very educational experience that I hope I have learned from.

dzimmerm

 

[GRIZ22]

I ahd a squib with a factory round once out of several huinderd thousand rounds I've fired. I never had a squib with a reload. That's due to the multiple checks I do. I do each stage before I go to the next when I reload (size all the brass, bell the case mouth, etc). I think one of the reasons for many squibs is progressive presses. Pull the handle 50 times and I have a box of ammo.

I don't have a high volume per hour, only quality ammo.

 

[BAT1]

Squibs

I had one yesterday. It was my last round. Thank you angel! It went phuff and I noticed the strange sound. I got home and went to clean the barrel, and found it. It lodged partially inside the chamber, if it had gone down the barrel and I had fired another shot... Kaboom. Check powder charge twice. Got a light at harbor freight today that has a magnet on it to light the shell. I wish they would make a clear tube on the risers so you can see it drop. Or a bell or buzzer or something to indicate it dropping. But I would look anyway. Some people charge them in a block to visibility look at all of them first to compare for double charging or no load.

 

[xsquidgator]

What a coincidence! I am pretty sure today that I had 2 or 3 out of a box of 9mm 147LFPs I made a week or two ago. I suspect problems with my Lee auto-pro disk powder measure and Unique powder, the last couple times I've used it I've gotten a worrisome tendency for it to put only a couple tenths of a grain in on some charges, when it ought to be doing 4.0gr.

I was shooting my Kahr CW9 and had 3 rounds out of this box that definitely sound like the pop-no recoil, and on one of them the slide didn't cycle at all. I bet that there was no powder or very little in the cartridge. I field stripped it and fortunately the bullet made it out of the bore, but the sound and feel of the rounds were definitely off. I am once again slowing down the production rate when using my Lee classic turret press until I can get the bugs out of my powder charging operation.