I must tell the truth

[Murphy's Law]

Only been relaoding for two months and I just had my first (and hopefully my last) squib. Yep, here I am plinking away with a new load.... Raniner plated 180 gr, Titegroup @ 3.5, OAL 1.125") and hello.........G23 failes to feed (FTF). I take it apart and instead seeing straight through the bvarrel, there's a bullet stuck just past the breach. What's even worse, I just posted a thread about is it necessary to carry a squid rod......and low and behold, it happens to me. Let me say right now........I didn't hear any strange sounds (guess my Peltor tactical pro's surpresed the sound too well), didn't feel anything strange.....only the FTF. Here I think I'm the most attentive person when it comes to reloading.....and I get a big fat squib. The fix was easy as I had purchased a brass rod from Ace Hardware on recommedation by others (brass rod). If I have learned anything I'd say:
1. Don't try watching Judge Judy on TV while reloading.
2. Don't mentioned to the spouse what happened (very important if spouse is an Aussie).
3. Pay more attention to what you're doing and avoid all other distractions.
4. Stop making trips to the kitchen for coffee that interupt your reloading progress........you sometimes may index the plate when you really shouldn't have (using a Dillon 550b).
4. Pay attention to the "job at hand". Everything else should take a back seat.

Although I'm trying to gain experience......this is not what I had in mind!

:yesnod:

[soundwave]

It happens. And if you learn from the mistake without losing a finger, you doin aight :yesnod:

[ept000]

At least you didn't get hurt. That's the most important. All's well that ends well.

[copdills]

Yep it happens, say man you don't really watch judge judy do ya LOL

[colorado4wheel]

Well, at least you know who to blame. I got a squib on my LM. It's usually the stopping and restarting that causes the problem.

[ISUSteve]

This might make you more causious while shooting. I haven't had one in thousands of rounds. I'm afriad im going to have one and destroy my gun.

[jawjaboy]

Ya lived to tell about it Murph, unhurt, that what counts. I've had one myself. Ain't a warm feelin at all. Makes ya put ya cipher hat on. Did me, anyway. :yesnod: Glad ya OK.

[gokyo]

Yup squibs happen. My expeirence is pretty limited just be glad primers do not have enought juice to push the bullet further down.

I wonder if a magnum primer will push it far enough in to let another round chamber?

IIRMC One of the required specs on the H&K mark 23 was that it fire a round with a bullet lodged in the barrel with out a KB.

[ISUSteve]

...just be glad primers do not have enought juice to push the bullet further down.

I wonder if a magnum primer will push it far enough in to let another round chamber?



Will a primer just push the bullet far enough to not allow the next round to chamber?

[colorado4wheel]

Will a primer just push the bullet far enough to not allow the next round to chamber?

Depends. Mine went 1/2 way down the barrel.

[Oreo]

As a new reloader myself, I'm really worried about having a squib & double-tapping a second shot off before the brain registers that I shouldn't. I'm really quite affraid of that. Sure hope I don't blow off any fingers if / when it happends.

[ustate]

The squib I had pushed the bullet just clear of the case but didn't eject the case, my pistol just went 'pop'. When I pulled the slide back there was an empty case, the bullet easily popped out with the help of a dowel rod.

[creophus]

If I have learned anything I'd say:
1. Don't try watching Judge Judy on TV while reloading. Don't get complacent Murph. BigSlick and some of the others told me that I won't have a squib or a double in my first set of loads but rather the 19 or 900th set of reloads. Getting comfortable is dangerous.

I thank God that he's blessed me with no squibs and no doubles after about 2k rounds.

[PsychoKnight]

The squib I had pushed the bullet just clear of the case but didn't eject the case, my pistol just went 'pop'. When I pulled the slide back there was an empty case, the bullet easily popped out with the help of a dowel rod.

Same here. Light loads aren't enough in my experience to move the slide far back enough to push another round from the magazine, much less a primer-only powered cartridge.

The big scare is a partial charge, perhaps half or less, such as when you raise the ram, and the meter pours a trickle of powder, but something gets stuck, like a misaligned bullet in another station and you stop and quickly lower the ram to remove the bent case from the seating station, without dumping the partially charged case in the other station. Plate auto indexes (just about all except the 550?) and you forget to make a visual, or you see some powder (so its not empty or doubled) but don't realize its a lot less than it normally is.

But like Slick, I've had more than one squib from a factory brand before, so its not just home-handloaders.

[Warhorse]

The squib I had pushed the bullet just clear of the case but didn't eject the case, my pistol just went 'pop'. When I pulled the slide back there was an empty case, the bullet easily popped out with the help of a dowel rod.
My experience exactly.

[Glooooock]

A squib is a blessing compared to a Double charge . It is better to keep the shell plate turning than double short stroke the handle trying to fix something.

Tape this to your powder measure.

[MullahElRon]

Don't try watching Judge Judy on TV while reloading.
Never, nunca. Some shouldn't even have a radio on. Certainly not "talk" shows... Some alright with some music. TV sucks anyway, what anybody want one around the good stuff for?

Pay more attention to what you're doing and avoid all other distractions.
Sometimes you got to take a pass because yo' mind ain't right for the job. this is where having enough ammo made up ahead of time can save you from making mistakes because you are rushed or preoccupied. Nothin' worse that reloading because you have too.

Stop making trips to the kitchen for coffee that interrupt your reloading progress Clear the shell plate before you get up for any reason and start fresh with an empty press. You just axin' for it otherwise. Real good idea to clear the plate for any stoppage or problem too.

[MullahElRon]

First squib I got, I tried a couple different mags but kept having a failure to feed. "Dumb gun..." Den I looked in the barrel into the darkness instead of the light. Damme...back end of a 125 LRN just in the chamber where it meets the lands. Real cool how it locked itself up, because I had no idea. Learned somethin' dat day...No idea on what really happened except that a bullet failed to clear the barrel as "expected". Safe assumption to guess that there was no powder...but how? No idea. God looks after drunks and idiots, mayhaps he takes a glance over reloaders too.

Dat bullet took some penetrating oil and vise supported beating to get backed out. Coulda used Freak's boy on dat one. He can swing dat hammer... :cool:

[jawjaboy]

Same samey here Mullah. Got all watered off, dumb gun, yessir. Then I seen it. :skep: Look'n back, I now know how it happened. Work'n up a load, dial'n in on charges, and dumping back into da hopper. I got mixed up somewhere, plain 'n simple. I don't operate like dat no mo.

[MullahElRon]

Got to know when to take a walk away sometimes for sure jjb. Must be nice to have some chickens to go watch for a little bit.

[skyflyer]

i was working up a load for a new bullet today. backed the powder measure down to a starting load.

weighed my charge and everything looked fine.
ran 15 bullets and found the powder still on the scale.

i tried to pull the bullets in order but of course it was the last one pulled with no powder.

[cvfl]

I've only had one squib in my G26 - and it was quite noticeably recoil difference, and different sound too. Was lodged halfway down - and like Mullah I had to beat that thing out using the vise and a good oak rod.
Worst part it was about round number 5 - so alot of gas driving for very little enjoyment. But as spoken - lesson learnt. No dumping powder back in and trying to re-insert into the press for me either. Once it comes out for a charge check - it is out - period. I take all those primed cases and finish them separately when I have about 20 or so of them.

[Grits]

I've had two in the my twenty plus years of reloading.

One I can't remember which gun but the other was in my 45acp. Bullet just went to the lands and stopped.

Next round would not chamber. Powder residue all inside the chamber and mag well.

I know it had powder, just wonder if it was a bad primer or contaminated primer on my part.

[Steve Koski]

You should watch the video "How to kill a beer and reload .38 Special." It does a good job going over safety and quality control aspects of reloading.

[Pitmaster]

You should watch the video "How to kill a beer and reload .38 Special." It does a good job going over safety and quality control aspects of reloading.

I run that as a continuous loop while reloading.:animlol:

[Crazy4nitro]

Yeah and dont post pics up of your Bench with Water and perscription Drugs on the bench either.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w24/Crazy4nitro/Pink1022.jpg

I caught a little Grief over that one..LoL
Hey if That one dude can Kill a Beer while reloading .38spcl then Why Cant I Chew Muscle Relaxers and Pain Pills while reloading .357's *shruggs*

Yes the spilled powder was swept up,No I dont get trashed and Reload,Yes I drink at the Bench,No not Beer,Yes Coke (Cola) while I'm reloading,No The Pink Rifle is Not Mine,Yes Wifey was Happy at Christmas when she got it,No I dont care that this is the longest run on sentance in my post's yet.

'Nitro

[creophus]

Nitro, I think it's time to take some more medicine. :)

[BigSlick]

Yeah, some medicine dat fix ya color interpretation.

Do you realize dat 10/22 is pink ?

:rofl:

[zac4551]

I have been lucky enough to only have one squib and I knew it was coming.

[creophus]

I have been lucky enough to only have one squib and I knew it was coming.
How'd you know it was coming?

[zac4551]

Ran the hopper out of powder and didnt have a puller so i decided to go ahead and try them and see where I ran out of powder. It was only like 5rds before I noticed and 4 fired just fine.

[chewy]

I lucky to just have one sqib in e 10 years so far (knock on my wood...er...wood). I think it was a sqib. It was in my Ruger GP-100 when I was shootin' some 38 Specials. I noticed a big difference when the hammer fel, more of a "pop" with a small recoil. I opened the cylinder and there was a whole bunch of unburnt powder in the cylinder chamer and barrel up to where the boolit was stuck about an inch and a half to 2 inches down the barrel. Found a stick at the un-official range I was at, punched it out, examined the barrel, no buldges or anything, and nervously shot another cylinder without issue. Weird.

[dayglock]

I had one in .38 Spl shortly after getting into reloading. I - like many others, was a little timid and went slightly under the published loads to start. Fortunately, I realized what happened as soon as it went off - no damage to the gun or me.:patriot:

[BigDog[RE]]

I lucky to just have one sqib in e 10 years so far (knock on my wood...er...wood). I think it was a sqib. It was in my Ruger GP-100 when I was shootin' some 38 Specials. I noticed a big difference when the hammer fel, more of a "pop" with a small recoil. I opened the cylinder and there was a whole bunch of unburnt powder in the cylinder chamer and barrel up to where the boolit was stuck about an inch and a half to 2 inches down the barrel. Found a stick at the un-official range I was at, punched it out, examined the barrel, no buldges or anything, and nervously shot another cylinder without issue. Weird.

I had something similar happen with a 44 I was shooting. I got a light pop, and the bullet jumped the crimp, but didn't clear the case, sop the cylinder got tied up. After I knocked back into the case so I could open the cylinder, I pulled the bullet and the brass was full of soot and unburnt powder. Weird.

[0-16]

I had my first squib in my first 5 bullets that I reloaded. It was a 38sp. Whet home and made me tool to knock it out. Hopefully I will never have to use that tool again.

[chewy]

I always wondered exactly how my revolver sqib happened? There was plenty of powder, none looked to be burned as I recall. Could it have been a bad primer? as in not ebuff "umph!" to burn the powder? Or maybe the powder was moist? From what, I dunno. Maybe a bit of condensation from sittin' around. But I believe it was around early fall when mine happened. Hmmm. Any other ideas?