WHEW! dodged a bullet yesterday

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Mr White

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A little less (or more) careful and I wouldn't be posting this right now.

I was at the range yesterday plinking with my AR. I was shooting handloads with 53 gr bullets. There were 2 other guys there shooting pistols. They weren't that good and were missing the cardboard boxes they had set up about half the time.

I figured I'd show off a little bit and decided to shoot the 200 yd gong.
I loaded 10 rounds in a mag and got into a good sitting position. BANG...THWUNK, BANG...THWUNK, BANG...THWUNK, BANG...THWUNK, BANG...THWUNK, bang... no THWUNK. No sound of a missed shot sailing through the brush either. That made me go 'Hmmm'. Flag #1.

I didn't really think much of the bang rather than a BANG since they were shooting too and I had ear protection on. What really caught my attention was my next trigger pull. Nothing. Not a click, not anything. I cycled the action and out popped a spent case. Flag #2.

One doesn't stay alive long if they miss 2 flags in a row, so I opened up the rifle, removed the bolt carrier and looked down the bore. All I saw was black. This can't be good, I thought. I didn't have a rod and neither did the guys next to me. My day was over.

I gathered up my brass and found one piece where the primer didn't have any signs of ANY pressure. I must have missed that round when throwing powder.

I got home and knocked the bullet out. It was only at most an inch past the chamber. My first handload squib really put the fear of God into me.

I weighed every other round in that batch and they all weighed normal. I'll weigh every round before they leave the bench from now on.

I posted this as a reminder to all reloaders to be careful and PAY ATTENTION to anything different when you're shooting and PAY ATTENTION when you're at the reloading bench.
 
I had a few bullets stuck in barrels also. two in a security six with my dads reloads, and one in a 4MK1. And Sunday I wasen't paying attention and loaded 22lr rounds in the mag cylinder of my single six. I shot two rounds without problems and the third got stuck in the barrel. Turns out I guess that the lr brass won't expand in the mag chamber to form a good seal.
Allways pay attention to what you are doing and how loud your gun normally sounds. Being able to anwser the bull*^$# alarm that goes off in you head in time can save you a barrel and possibly your life.
 
But does referring to your "first squb" mean you anticipate a second?
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LOL No. It just means that I haven't had one up to this point. And you can trust that I'll do my damndest not to have another one after this point.
 
Allways pay attention to what you are doing and how loud your gun normally sounds. Being able to anwser the bull*^$# alarm that goes off in you head in time can save you a barrel and possibly your life.
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Very wise words vzenmn. I sort of hit the 'alarm silence' button at the first alarm but paid it more heed when the second alarm went off. That saved my life or at least a whole lotta pain.
 
just a question, i dont reload but i have had a squib once with one of my 1911s. if you know you have a bullet stuck in the barrel could you use a blank with a half or even quarter powder charge to push the bullet out the rest of the way?
 
Honestly, I'm disappointed.

Yeah yeah, reloaders be careful, sure sure...

This is a gun forum and you said DODGED A BULLET!

Where's my matrix story!!!?!?!?




(For those unfamiliar with humor, this is an example)
 
Finaly, not another ND, AD or blown up barrel story.

Someone who actualy pays attention while using firearms. You should be commended as your in the 1% bracket around here.
 
just a question, i dont reload but i have had a squib once with one of my 1911s. if you know you have a bullet stuck in the barrel could you use a blank with a half or even quarter powder charge to push the bullet out the rest of the way?
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NO!

You have to force it out with a dowel from the muzzle end
 
The device is called a squib rod for a reason.

I was at my favorite indoor range one Sunday perforating some targets with my favorite Hi-Power, when it went "pop" rather than "BANG". I looked at the slide, not into full battery, no stovepipe, so I dropped the magazine, racked the slide back to where it locked, and looked a bit closer. I had a slug just far enough into the barrel to stop the next round from chambering (cheap gun-show reloads, only use factory from there on out). Did a quick field-strip, and took the barrel to the resident 'smith at the rental counter, who ran his squib rod in from the muzzle end, and with a single tap from his mallet dislodged the offending slug. Since then, I have carried my own in the range bag.
 
question. what do you do if your barrel isn't accessible by rod from the chamber end? I don't see how I could get a rod into my Garand should I get a squib (something I'm very cautious of since I only shoot surplus)
 
you said DODGED A BULLET!
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Cool!!! Do you a video too?:D

Seriously, it doesn't hurt to take precautions all the time. Squib loads can't be prevented. And yes factory loads can have squibs too, from time to time. Every time while you are shooting, always be vigilant. Remember, if it doesn't sound right, and your gut feeling tells you it isn't right, then it ain't right. No more guessing.
 
No, you cannot push a bullet out by with a "blank load"

No, very bad idea. It has to do with the rate of powder burning and building excessive pressure behind the stopped bullet. If you learn to understand the process of pressure building in the case as powder is ignited and then continues to burn, maintaining pressure as the bullet travels down the barrel, you will have the outline of the problem. Powders burn at different rates; powder quantities, bullet weights, friction, barrel length, all contribute to establishing a safe load.
Reloaders use manuals that are the result of pressure testing under controlled conditions. There is no way to calculate what force it might take to push that squibbed round out of a barrel. The likeliest outcome would be a ruined gun, where pressure builds to levels the gun cannot contain and either the barrel bulges or the action fails. It is possible that the outcome would include injury or death to you or a bystander. Look up "kabooms" on Google.
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1st squib

I had my first squib a couple of months ago, I just started reloading last fall so the squib came from one of my first reloading sessions. Fortunately my Ultra carry wouldn't lock up so I new something major was wrong right away.

that first squib sure is an eye opener but I'm sure it won't be the last. Its like riding a motorcycle; its not a matter of "if" you are going to go down, its a matter of "when".
 
just a question, i dont reload but i have had a squib once with one of my 1911s. if you know you have a bullet stuck in the barrel could you use a blank with a half or even quarter powder charge to push the bullet out the rest of the way?
Click to expand...

Edit: Someone answered far better than I did.
 
Always stop shooting if something seems off. Examine the bore when in doubt.

I have had 2 squibs. One resulted in a cracked barrel in an old H&R double action .22 revolver, and the other was one I caught in my Winchester 69 bolt action .22.

cheap gun-show reloads, only use factory from there on out
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I only use my reloads or factory. I don't trust anyone else's reloads.
 
What happened to the bullet from the first squib ? You fired a 2nd shot that sqibbed also, which might have prevented a blown barrel, but where is the 2nd bullet ?
 
dowel that is the same diameter as the bore is optimal. Use as little force as you can get away with. It will come out.

Use some oil on both sides of the stuck bullet to ease its way out.
 
I have endured two squibs in the last year. The first was in my M-60 S&W- an American Eagle .38 special, the second in my XD 9mm a Double Tap. Both factory loads, both caught immediately and cease fire, cease fire!
MM
 
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