Compact 2.0 45 squib load question

[TPD252]

At the range this morning I busted out my Apex flat faced forward set trigger equipped compact 2.0 45acp. Loaded it with some loose 230 grain ball ammo I had, and commenced to slow fire.

A few rounds in I had an obviously undercharged or otherwise defective round that resulted in a squib that made it about 3/4 of the way down the barrel. Know nothing about the ammo. If I had to guess it was given to me several years ago. The case appeared to be fine, but the projectile and rear portion of the case were covered in carbon. The breech face also had carbon on it, with a sharp carbon-less clean area where the case was in contact.

What’s weird is when the round detonated I heard what sounded like a bottle rocket launching, followed by what I’m guessing is unburned powder hitting my face. In all my years of shooting I’ve never had a gun fire out of battery, but based on what happened I’m wondering if that’s what happened this morning.

Any thoughts or experiences that would ease my mind regarding the possibility of my pistol firing out of battery? Getting hit in the face with what I’m assuming is powder is what is causing this concern. Pistol is like new, with probably less than 100 rounds through it. I am the original owner, and appears undamaged by this. Thanks all!

 

[Tu_S]

All the residue you're seeing is because the charge that was in the case didn't generate enough pressure to expand it in the chamber and seal it up.

It also happens to be the reason steel cased ammo tends to be dirty, with the steel case not being able to stretch and expand as well as brass.

 

[stansdds]

Since you did not send another round down the barrel with a bullet lodged within the barrel, your pistol should be just fine. Give the pistol a good cleaning and proper lubrication and, of course, push the lodged bullet out of the barrel. I would not shoot any more of that ammo.

 

[TPD252]

All the residue you're seeing is because the charge that was in the case didn't generate enough pressure to expand it in the chamber and seal it up.

It also happens to be the reason steel cased ammo tends to be dirty, with the steel case not being able to stretch and expand as well as brass.

It wasn’t steel cased ammo, but I’m guessing that could happen with brass cased as well, with unburned powder possibly being expelled out the chamber observation hole.

 

[Tu_S]

It wasn’t steel cased ammo, but I’m guessing that could happen with brass cased as well, with unburned powder possibly being expelled out the chamber observation hole.

It's more about not having enough propellant to generate enough pressure to get the brass to expand in the chamber and seal it up.

If you pick up some fired casing that are not from your gun, there's a pretty good chance they won't fit in your chamber since they will have been stretched to match the the chamber they were fired in (,although this is not an exact science and your chamber may be bigger), and need to go through the sizing die when being reloaded.

When working up a new load with components I don't have a match for in one of my many reloading manuals, starting out at 10% under the lowest published starting charge of something close enough to error on the side of safety and work up from there, I often have residue in the chamber and on the ejected casing on the low powered safe/starting rounds.

In the case of a squib that doesn't even get the bullet out the other end of the barrel I would expect it to be even worse, with the pressure even lower in the case, and the bullet stopping whatever would have normally gone out the muzzle end and being forced out the other.

 

[cracker57]

after removing the lodged bullet and cleaning the gun, make sure it is empty. Now rack the slide and then pull back on the slide a little and try dry firing to see if it will fire when out of battery.

 

[LVSteve]

I doubt the gun fired out of battery.

100% speculation, but you mentioned a bottle rocket noise. If the powder didn't all "go" when the primer ignited, I could imagine a situation where the initial bump got the bullet moving down the barrel and the slide moving to unlock the action. Trouble is, the bullet didn't make it out of the muzzle, which is what releases the pressure before the action opens under normal circumstances. So, the action will still unlock but now there is pressure present at a time when it is normally gone. As it was unlocking, the rest of the powder went "whoosh", pushed out by the pressure in the chamber created by the stuck bullet.

Just a guess!

 

[Aegis]

This ^^^^^^^ agree....

 

[Golphin]

Chances are the gun is fine. Now take that ammo and pull it apart before someone gets hurt. That is why I don't shoot others reloads or loose ammo I don't know anything about.

 

[TPD252]

I got it all cleaned up, and ran almost two boxes of new manufacture brass-cased rounds through it without a single hiccup. I really appreciate all the feedback, and whatever concerns I had about the pistol are gone.