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October 17, 2017
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After over a half century of shooting I’ve now experienced my first squib load. A little nerve racking, but interesting at the same time. After shooting 20 rounds of Fiocchi .38 Special I decided to try out a new brand of ammo. The very first round out of the box (not sure what the astronomical odds of that would be) sounded odd, and no hole in the target. I checked the gun, and sure enough there was the bullet lodged about a quarter inch short of the muzzle. I think we all have a good idea of what might have happened if I had fired another round. Ouch! Anyone else ever experienced something similar?
DWF Supporters
July 12, 2020
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I have had rounds that have sounded like a bottle rocket going into flight before blowing up which I assume is a primer only shot, but never a stuck in the barrel bullet. But I have to ask can one have a round fire that sounds normal but the bullet doesn't clear the barrel????
I ask since I have found an ever so small bulge in my Model 52-2 barrel which was always a tack driver but now sends more fliers out than POA shots and wondered if I had a squib that almost cleared and fired a second round unknowingly behind it. The bulge is in the last .500" of the barrel.
October 17, 2017
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The thing that grabbed my attention was that there was almost zero recoil, and a very different sound. I think a round that sticks in the barrel probably has very little if any powder in the case. The primer has enough oomph to dislodge the bullet from the case, but little more than that. There are many stories out there about squibs, and they vary in how far the bullet makes it down the barrel. Some only make it halfway into the forcing cone which jams the revolver (the best scenario since it’s impossible to make a follow up shot) while others are more like my experience. I am a “slow fire only” shooter, so I immediately noticed something was wrong, but shooters who rapid fire are more likely to send that next round down the tube because they can’t react fast enough.
September 28, 2008
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About 1980 or so, I took my second 15-2 to the range near my house to shoot. On the first cylinder, there was a weakish POP and it didn't dawn on me until I pulled the trigger again that I should have checked the barrel to make sure it was clear. It wasn't, and the gun just about yanked itself out of my hands when I pulled the trigger. The barrel was bulged and slightly split about halfway down. I took it to the gunsmith there and he and I used a mallet and a hunk of wood to get the shroud off. The shroud had a slight bulge to it, barely noticble, and they had another barrel in stock. I was shooting again about 15 minutes after it happened. I wish I had kept the barrel, but I tossed it into the trash that day. I got another shroud later on, and sold that 15-2 to a coworker. He had it a long time, like about 10 years before selling it because he needed cash.
Dans Club
February 24, 2013
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This past year I’ve had at least 5 squibs in one of my 1911 style pistols. I was shooting 9mm reloads and I was concerned about squibs so I only shoot them slow fire. I keep a wooden dowel rod in my range bag to knock them out. I think I had a bad batch of gun powder.
Dans Club
December 7, 2020
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I had a bad batch of powder on my reloads.
It was suggested that because I was loading Magnum loads in Maximum casings that the powder burns inefficiently.
I do not know, I am still learning.
February 21, 2011
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Very probably.
Modern powders are "progressive" the more pressure they're under the faster the burning rate.
That's why there are lots of warnings about "extrapolating" load data.
Matthew Quigley on handguns:
“I said I never had much use for one. Never said
I didn't know how to use it.”
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Moderators
January 24, 2009
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Scout728 said
I had a bad batch of powder on my reloads.It was suggested that because I was loading Magnum loads in Maximum casings that the powder burns inefficiently.
I do not know, I am still learning.
Umm yeah, load Magnum loads in .357 Mag cases, and Maxi loads for Maxi cases. No matter which powder you are using. You need to use load data seriously. Putting Magnum loads in a Maximum case gives way too much air gap between the powder & bullet. If you want to load the Maxi cases toward the lower end of the suggested powder range for those loads, you should be fine.
Honestly though, if you have a .357 Mag & want light loads, just load .38 SPL cases, then there's no issue because the loads will have the power they need to fire successfully. Same with a guy who may have a DW Model 40 (357SM) who wants to shoot lighter loads, simply run .357 Mag through it at normal Mag loads, and you won't have any potential squib issues.
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