Squibbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Grendel]

Took a bunch of reloads to the range (all 9mm 115/124gr) to test out a few different recipes.

Shot 60 rounds without incident, all grouping nicely at 10 yards from my West German P226. Had a couple that needed a second strike, but I think that's more to do with the lighter hammer spring that I use.

Decided to finish off with some HDY 115gr FMJ with 4.5gr of W231. First round, no problem, second round fired AND ejected, 3rd round would not chamber and, fortunately, kept the slide from returning to battery. Stripped the gun and saw no daylight throungh the barrel - so no more shooting for me.

Got home and two gentle taps with a rubber mallet and fiberglass dowel and out she popped:



As you can see, no rifling marks, and she was just barely out of the chamber. although there was enough powder to eject the case - I am at a loss to explain it.

Checked the pistol and it seems to be fine and undamaged. Still, lesson learned.

As an aside, sighted in my Marlin 1895 and after 40 rounds managed to get it shooting (almost) point of aim, but it beat my shoulder up so bad, I called it quits at that point.

[Earl Keese]

I think just a primer with no powder will eject the brass. The barrel is plugged and the gas has to go somewhere.

[Grendel]

You could be right, although it sounded ( and felt) like a normal round.

[Tok36]

Glad to hear that you caught it. I got my first squib from my reloads in an AR 15, the projectile did not make it out of the case luckily.

[thedude]

I have had a couple of squibs, both times with factory ammo.  In both cases I believe it was a primer only with no powder or very light charge.  It was obvious that something was not right and the rounds were too weak to cycle the action.  Good catch by you! 

[Wobbly]

My son once experienced a squib in a box of factory Winchester White Box. So these events are not contained solely to reloading.

Good catch.

[Practical Shooter]

I also had a few o those from my reloads. They were just rounds with primers and no powder. The good side of it is that the ogive always get stock at the entrance of the barrel stopping the next round to chamber correctly.

[ReloaderFred]

I also had a few o those from my reloads. They were just rounds with primers and no powder. The good side of it is that the ogive always get stock at the entrance of the barrel stopping the next round to chamber correctly.

That's not always the case, especially when shooting revolvers, but also in some semi-automatic pistols.  if the barrel has a long leade, that can allow the bullet to travel far enough into the barrel to allow another round to be chambered with just a primer.  When the second round is fired, the barrel bursts.

As for primers needing a second strike to fire, that's caused by not seating the primers all the way to the bottom of the primer pocket.  If you look at a primer sideways, before it's inserted into the primer pocket, you'll notice the legs of the anvil sitting just a little above the edge of the primer cup.  When properly seated, the legs will be even with the edge of the primer cup, which is calculated by the manufacturer to be the proper distance to set the anvil into the primer pellet.  The first firing pin strike finishes seating the primer, and the second one sets it off.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Birds Away]

My son once experienced a squib in a box of factory Winchester White Box. So these events are not contained solely to reloading.

Good catch.

I also had a squib while using WWB.  I've since moved on to other ammo. 

I'm glad this incident didn't cause any damage to the gun or the shooter.

[Practical Shooter]

I also had a few o those from my reloads. They were just rounds with primers and no powder. The good side of it is that the ogive always get stock at the entrance of the barrel stopping the next round to chamber correctly.

That's not always the case, especially when shooting revolvers, but also in some semi-automatic pistols.  if the barrel has a long leade, that can allow the bullet to travel far enough into the barrel to allow another round to be chambered with just a primer.  When the second round is fired, the barrel bursts.

As for primers needing a second strike to fire, that's caused by not seating the primers all the way to the bottom of the primer pocket.  If you look at a primer sideways, before it's inserted into the primer pocket, you'll notice the legs of the anvil sitting just a little above the edge of the primer cup.  When properly seated, the legs will be even with the edge of the primer cup, which is calculated by the manufacturer to be the proper distance to set the anvil into the primer pellet.  The first firing pin strike finishes seating the primer, and the second one sets it off.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Thanks for the info 

[Czechbikr]

I have had two squibs in the 10+ years hand loading, both on a four hole Lee turret.  I surmise that when I would pull a charged case out to check the weight of the powder thrown that the auto index would advance the case which lead me to seat the bullet on the now empty case.  When the plastic ratchet failed, instead of replacing it, I have since advanced the dies by hand...when I am ready to do so.  I haven't had a squib since and that is in many years.

[Grendel]

Shot my 226 again on Wednesday. As always, a laser. No ill effects from the squib.

As I said in my OP, lesson learned.

[M1A4ME]

I use a "block" to hold 50 primed cases.  For 9MM it's a store bought plastic tray with the round holes and square holes to set bras into.  For everything else with a longer case I use the plastic trays out of pistol ammo boxes.

I charge 50 cases (I looking inside with a small bright flashlight) to insure there is powder in every case and then to compare powder levels in the cases.  Any that look odd, or at least no less than 5 from every 50 get their powder charges weighed on the scale.  If good the powder goes back in the case.  If not I dump in the powder measure and put powder from the measure back in the empty case.

I've not had a squib in just over 40 years of reloading (my wife says talking like that will jinx me and now it'll happen.)  Dud rounds, yes.  Had 2 or 3 dud .223 rounds with Tula small rifle primers about a year ago.  Two or three out of 5 or 10 thousand Tula primers.  Had duds with factory ammo years ago when I was still buying/shooting some just to get brass (pistol) or for those surplus rifle ammo deals you just can't pass up (5.45X39 - $250 for 2,160 rounds - where'd that stuff go away to???)

[Wobbly]

What M1A4ME is saying is true. The "batch" method of reloading allows you to get very good at each individual aspect of reloading because the reloader does the same operation 50 times before moving on to the next step.

Don't knock yourself too hard because we ALL went though this learning stage. We've all had our squibs, bullets seated too deep, high primers, low powder, wrong powder, etc, etc. It's all a part of the learning journey.



Congrats on your second trip.

[sberres]

  I would agree that no matter how well we try to inspect and use due caution that sooner or later errors will occur. I also use the batch charge method so that I can compare the entire tray for approximate level consistency. A missed charge is definitely one that I would like to avoid.
  Backward primer or missing primer; these are easy to miss but not something apt to cause any serious issue.
  I did have a potential issue once with a longer profile in a short throated chamber where the bullet got caught and left the slide slightly OOB. Racking it pulled the bullet loose and ejected the case. The next round pushed the bullet further in but not far enough OOB to prevent trigger pull. Fortunately it was far enough to prevent a square firing pin strike from the hammer but that one could?ve been ugly.