Round went Pssst. Not bang

[rwsutley]

This afternoon shooting 38 special in my 686 one round went Pssst and not bang. The bullit came out just enough to prevent the cylinder from turning. I took the gun to where I bought the ammo. They cleared the gun and offered a free box of ammo for my trouble. Said the defective round was just under charged. This shop loads their own ammo and generally have very good prices and inventory. Trouble of it is, what if the lead had gone a bit farther before sticking and I had fired a second round? I have bought and used ammo from this shop for quite a while and never had any issues, but know at least one range that will not allow use of their ammo.

Would you continue to buy ammo from these guys or pay a bit more to get brand name?

I do plan to begin reloading but still have a lot to learn before I buy my first press.

Thanks in advance, if this has been covered please point me in the right direction.

[stavman11]

Sorry... I dont even let guys shoot My loaded ammo in there guns... I have actualy a few Times and i make sure they Understand... It's at their OWN Risk

Personaly... i'd buy Factory Ammo..... would the LGS Pay for a Blown up Gun.. and Hospital Bills... probobly not

[Bkreutz]

Originally Posted by rwsutley

This afternoon shooting 38 special in my 686 one round went Pssst and not bang. The bullit came out just enough to prevent the cylinder from turning. I took the gun to where I bought the ammo. They cleared the gun and offered a free box of ammo for my trouble. Said the defective round was just under charged. This shop loads their own ammo and generally have very good prices and inventory. Trouble of it is, what if the lead had gone a bit farther before sticking and I had fired a second round? I have bought and used ammo from this shop for quite a while and never had any issues, but know at least one range that will not allow use of their ammo.

Would you continue to buy ammo from these guys or pay a bit more to get brand name?

I do plan to begin reloading but still have a lot to learn before I buy my first press.

Thanks in advance, if this has been covered please point me in the right direction.

It only takes one round to spoil your day. I won't shoot anyone elses reloads, even if it's a company. Now if the company had the same equipment and quality control of a major ammo manufacturer, maybe, and that's a big maybe. The only two failures I've had in the past 50,000 rounds have both been factory ammo (the primers were in backwards). So even factory ammo isn't always a guarantee. I can't remember when I shot anything but ammo I've reloaded (except .22)

[Twoboxer]

Your take away from this incident should include the fact that you must *always* be prepared to stop shooting when you hear "click and no boom".

Then check the barrel, preferably using a rod pushed all the way through.

Reload enough ammo, and you will likely encounter a squib sooner or later. Whether you buy more ammo from them or not is up to you.

[Rule3]

The shop has to have a license to sell "remanufactured" ammo)

If they don't then stop buying their ammo.

If they sell ammo then "just undercharged " is not acceptable to me!! How many others are out there??

Their junk can't be that much cheaper they regular factory ammo??

You had a squib and most always be alert to that possibly happening. In a semi auto the gun will probably just not cycle and jam up. In a revolver the bullet can travel into the barrel and if you then fire another round, bad things will happen.

Always carry a oak dowel or heavy brass rod to knock out a stuck bullet or you range day is over. I carry several in my bag and have "saved" several guys day at the range.

We had a shop here in Florida also that the same thing happened only the guy blew up his gun.!

[gwpercle]

Be careful and be aware of any round that doesn't feel or sound right...then stop and see what is going on.
It doesn't matter if it is factory new, re-manufactured or your own reloads...things like this can happen and having a license is not going to 100% guarantee it will not happen. I have shot factory ammo that was overloaded and damaged my rifle. No guarantee's here. What you don't want to happen is have a bullet stick in the barrel and fire another round behind it.

Be careful, be aware,
Gary

[rwsmith]

You had a squib round that indeed can get a bullet lodged in the barrel. It can cause damage if a round is fired after it. If you don't hear a clear 'BANG', don't shoot another shot.

Stick to either your own reloads or a decent brand of new ammo. When I first tried LGS reloaded ammo one shot would kick and the next round barely get the bullet out of the barrel. I don't use stuff that is reloaded by other people. Some joe blow has a progressive or maybe even motorized press in his garage, or in the back of the gun shop and they crank the ammo through w/o the care that I would take.

[Autococker07]

I would be another advocate of not using reloads until you are proficient with reloading and can make a educated guess on suppliers....

Would you tell a friend with no mechanical aptitude to buy a used car, or just bite the bullet and buy new? same with ammo..... get a reloading book and start reading, or stick to factory ammo.... glad you caught it.... hope it is a rare occurrence for you....

[rwsutley]

I have used several thousand rounds of ammo from this shop and from other reloaders I purchased at gun shows. Never did have a problem until today.

From the responses so far I feel I have been lucky to learn a lesson without any damage to my gun or myself. Sometimes the lowest price is not the best price.

Not sure what to do with the ammo I still have that is not from a name brand. But I do know I will not be buying any more ammo from reloaders.

Thank you for your response and advise.

[Will2]

If you are considering reloading, I would suggest that you buy at least one Reloading Manual and a bullet puller.

The manual to begin learning "approved" safe loads. Different manuals provide different loads for the same (or very similar) components, need to learn that too. The posts on this forum are very, very important.

With the bullet puller, I would suggest pulling a couple of each "brand" of reloaded ammo you have. You will learn about the different crimps used, but most importantly learn how much extra volume is available in a 38 Spl. The extra space makes double charges possible with the 38. That might help you decide what you want to do with the reloads.

For me, it would be the double charge possibility that would make nervous about using someone else's reloads. I'm good at stoping when I hear a click, 22lr training I suppose.

I really enjoy reloading, very consistent ammunition. I have found it much easier to find 1 year of components, than 1 year of ammo.

Will

[noylj]

If the bullet did not get out of the barrel, then there is a 99.99999% chance that there was NO powder in the case.
This can happen even with factory ammo. Things happen.

[bedbugbilly]

+1 to what Twoboxer said . . .

Regardless of if it's factory or you reload it . . . the possibility of a squib is always there . . .

I only shoot my own reloads . . never other nor do I want others shooting mine. If a person shoots long enough, they are bound to have a squib sooner or later especially with reloads. I have had one . . . so far. . . . and I know how it happened. My wife interrupted me while I was reloading and while I thought I had dropped a powder charge . . I hadn't. I should have pulled the casing off my turret after my wife was done talking and start over . . . I didn't. MY error My mistake . . . and it taught me a lesson that I will always remember.

On my squib, I was shooting my Model 36. It went pfffft instead of boom. There was no powder charge in the casing. The CCI SPP had enough energy to push the lead WC just past the forcing cone in to the bore. Again . . . MY mistake . . . My error . . MY learning experience . . .

[brucev]

Re: OP. No product is always completely perfect. Every single manufacturer of ammo has had and will have product recalls. There is no reason to suppose that a handloader would be any more perfect that these corporate producers of ammo.

Removing a stuck bullet is a matter of tapping it out w/ a range rod. If rather than lead it is a jacketed bullet, it will take a little more tapping, but it is no big deal. If you should fire a round behind that stuck bullet, it will depending on the handgun possibly cause damage. In that case, the shop would be liable. Small claims court would allow you to seek relief.

I have shot a pile of reloaded ammunition manufactured by various producers. Some has been exceedingly accurate and some has been just average. None has ever given a problem. When I started handloading my own ammunition, I stopped buying reloaded ammunition.

Once upon a time the difference in price between aftermarket reloaded ammunition and new factory production was significant. Nowadays there is little difference and in some cases there is no difference at all. If cost is a real issue, I'd go ahead and continue to buy the reloads you've been buying. Save the fired casings and as you are able set aside money for the purchase of a reloading outfit. When you are able, begin handloading. This will allow you to produce very good quality ammunition at a much more affordable price.

[Jellybean]

There is no difference between "factory" ammo and reloaded ammo, the only reason reloads have a bad reputation is because of the number of people that refuse to learn how to do it right. On the other hand, I have found and seen plenty of bad ammo out of the factories, and that is one of the reasons I load my own.

Find out why the other range won't allow their ammo. Is it because of safety issues, or do they just want you to buy from them?

[pokute]

Take it as a not so gentle nudge in the direction of reloading. You will be happier with your own loads... After you get a little experience you will be able to dial-in exactly the shooting experience you want - Nothing beats loading your own.

[flintsghost]

Buying reloads from a small shop is never a good idea. Major ammunition companies have product liability insurance. A small shop never does as it's too expensive. Sure things can happen even to factory ammo and does. But they recall all ammo of the lots that have a problem. Small shops don't even have "lot numbers." Also in a small shop there are lots of distractions. Distractions during the reloading process is a recipe for disaster.

On the other hand there are small companies that do nothing but provide reloads for commercial enterprises. 3D comes to mind as one and there are a lot across the country. These usually provide reasonable ammunition but it can still have a problem or two. At one time my former department used lead bullet reloads that were obtained commercially for training. We had just as many glitches as we did when we switched to Blazer. We switched mainly because of the indoor range and the lead free aspect. This only after doing blood lead testing on the people using the range both instructional staff and academy students. It was a health issue indoors. The cost was nearly the same.

Loading for yourself is considered fun by some and not by others. I personally consider that it's a way to go if there are loads that you want that are not available commercially. For instance I like a particular 41 mag bullet, 210 grain gas check lead. I can't buy that in factory ammo so I load it myself. I've had my equipment for so many years that some of it is no longer made so cost of equipment is not an issue for me. 40 years at least for some of it. But someone starting out has to consider that there is an initial cost that is high.

Reloading for accuracy is also touted as a reason to get into reloading. For hunting rifles I've found this is true. However for target or long range rifles the ammo I can make is only slightly superior to stuff like Federal Gold Medal match. I haven't yet been able to beat GI M852 Match in my 7.62 bull gun.