Squib Virgin No More

[Croat]

Glad you caught it and cured it. Squibs ain't no joke. Just ask Brandon Lee.

 

[Catfishmoon]

I had a squib load today in a 9mm semiautomatic, the bullet stuck in the barrel. The slide did not cycle and thankfully I thought to check for a blockage before loading another round. It was a round reloaded by myself. I don't think the cause was lack of gunpowder, I think it was more likely a completely or partially blocked primer flashhole. I can't say for certain either way...
I normally load 50 rounds at a time using a tray to hold the cases and dispense powder with a RCBS Uniflow and then visually check the powder level of those 50 prior to placing a bullet on top and proceeding...
It had not occurred to me until I was researching unblocking the stuck projectile today that a squib could be caused by anything other than a lack of powder. In the past I have not checked primer flashholes for blockage before inserting the primer (I will from now on), but I am good at visually checking the powder level. I have found debris in flashholes previously when washing and drying cases... unfortunately when I ejected the case from the pistol it mixed in with the 100 already on the ground.
Regardless of the exact cause the issue is that I, as a reloader made a mistake. That mistake could have been very consequential if I had not been alert and safety focused when the squib occurred...

Stay safe

 

[TTSX]

Only had one squib. A 308 my buddy and myself were loading for. I was dropping the powder, he was capping them like an assembly line. Either he grabbed one off my tray or I placed an empty one on his. We drove 3 hours to get where we were shooting when it happened so we cobbled together a ram out of chopsticks and beat the bullet back out. Only reason we didn't have a kaboom was the bullet didn't go far enough into the barrel to allow the next to chamber. I was not shooting so can't say what it felt like and how the feeling was missed. Bolt gun.

 

[MikeInOr]

Well it happened. I'm no longer a virgin, I had my first and hopefully last squib load. It happened after I got my first progressive press. I missed the visual check prior to entry. Anyway it was so jammed I couldn't shake it out and had to take it to a professional to remove it. bahabaha! I'm hanging the bullet and casing next to the hornady to remind me of the potential danger.

Out of curiosity, which progressive press were you using?

 

[sikhed]

Had only one ever. During my first year of reloading in 1985. A hollowbase wadcutter shot out of a Detective Special. Must have forgotten to dump the powder on that one, as I was already threw ½ a box shooting normally, when it popped the bullet out halfway into the barrel, and halfway out of the cylinder.
Of course the revolver was 100% locked-up.
Had to go home, and pound the bullet back into the cylinder with a 5/16" piece of brass rod to fix it.

 

[sikhed]

Oh yeah, ran a across this a while back:
Brand new brass in the factory bag.
It wouldn't have caused a squib, only a dud.
But i keep it in my drawer of reloading mistakes.

 

[ma96782]

Aloha, Mark

PS........NO, No, no......the topic is squibs, not squids

 

[edzz]

I had a squib load today in a 9mm semiautomatic, the bullet stuck in the barrel. The slide did not cycle and thankfully I thought to check for a blockage before loading another round. It was a round reloaded by myself. I don't think the cause was lack of gunpowder, I think it was more likely a completely or partially blocked primer flashhole. I can't say for certain either way...
I normally load 50 rounds at a time using a tray to hold the cases and dispense powder with a RCBS Uniflow and then visually check the powder level of those 50 prior to placing a bullet on top and proceeding...
It had not occurred to me until I was researching unblocking the stuck projectile today that a squib could be caused by anything other than a lack of powder. In the past I have not checked primer flashholes for blockage before inserting the primer (I will from now on), but I am good at visually checking the powder level. I have found debris in flashholes previously when washing and drying cases... unfortunately when I ejected the case from the pistol it mixed in with the 100 already on the ground.
Regardless of the exact cause the issue is that I, as a reloader made a mistake. That mistake could have been very consequential if I had not been alert and safety focused when the squib occurred...

Stay safe

If you didn't have unburnt powder remaining in the barre/ chamber you didn't charge it, just saying.

 

[Catfishmoon]

If you didn't have unburnt powder remaining in the barre/ chamber you didn't charge it, just saying.

I agree, that makes sense.

 

[benchmark]

Out of curiosity, which progressive press were you using?

Hornady AP