Had my first squib load today!

[Rule3]

Loaded 200 rounds of 40 SW with Berrys 165gr plated flat nose. 6.0 grs HP 38. I was using my Springfield XD Sub compact. On about the second magazine, gun went pifff and jammed up. I actually think there was enough powder to partially cycle the gun (can't remember) but I am pretty sure the next round tried to chamber but the bullet was far enough back that it stopped the next round (thank goodness!) When I cleared the gun a small "nest" like wad of powder fell out (looked like a bit of fine steel wool) If it was not for that, I might have NOT looked in the barrel, but i wondered what the heck it was?? Then I saw the bullet.

I keep a oak dowel in my range bag which I sometimes use for cases that do not eject from other guns. Field stripped and tapped out the bullet. Glad it was just a 3" barrel. Went on to shoot 100 hundred rounds and no further problems.

I am just thankful I was taking my time trying for true accuracy at the time and not rapid firing and the gun jammed or things might have be worse.

The planets must have been aligned cause I even found ALL my empty brass plus a few others from previous days (I mark them)

Kind of a unnerving event.

 

[frosty]

I've had a couple of squibs when I first started reloading - think it was cause I didn't pay attention to details. When I pulled the trigger and it went piff, I stopped, dropped the mag, pulled the slide back (it didn'tcycle both times) disassembled it and there it was. The first one I tapped the bullet out the 2nd time had to take a brass drift and hammer. Sooooo now if the shot doesn't sound right, feel right I stop and investigate. Better safe than sorry. Haven't had one since.

 

[michael thornton]

i had one, its a good thing! keeps you on your toes

 

[blastfact]

I had a squib Sunday. Primer went off but the powder never lit off. I pushed the slug back out of the barrel inspected the barrel and round,,, then moved on. I expected to find uglys in the brass like burrs in or around the hole, split brass or some other screw up. Found none of it. And I was fast firing when it happened! Was very clear very quick,,,, SQUIB!!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have yet to experiance a squib from my reloads. I'm guessing the law of averages will catch up with me eventually.

I'm glad you were unable to fire the next round before clearing the barrel. I'm guessing that would have gotten very interesting, very fast...

 

[Hoptob]

Kind of unnerving indeed.

Are you using a powder check die? I have one on all tool plates and they caught many would be squibs. Usually it happens when a shorter case gets mixed with longer ones, for example 38 special case in a lot of 357 mag cases.

Also good to check for excess of oil on your resizing die before each loading session. If you lubricate your cases liberally, excess of oil from previous loading will eventually gather at the bottom of your resizing die. When you start loading again (a few days or weeks later) oil will get deposited in your first case. When enough oil is mixed with powder it may cause failure to ignite. I had a couple of those too, they look similar to what you described -- black wad of greasy powder inside the case.

Mike

 

[Skip Sackett]

Good information Mike.

Another culprit that can cause a squib is inserting primers one at a time with dirty/oily hands. Lubing cases excessively can do the same thing as you describe, or some of that lube on a finger tip on a primer's open side. Same effect.

One thing that you can to take from this OCD is that your skills are improving! How? You noticed the squib, right? I bet when you first started you might have missed it! Many do. Good job.

One other thing with HP-38/W231 that could be a possibility is too light a load to start with. I have tried to get too light of a load with that powder and had similar results. No stuck bullets, just not enough energy to work the slide of a Sig P226 in 9mm. Very expensive single shot!

If your load is right on the bottom of the data, it could be, that you fell on the bottom of your measure's tolerance and just didn't have enough pressure to make HP-38/W231 work right. I have that happen with AA#5 trying to make a light target round, can't remember the caliber right now though!

Several possibilities. Check them out. I know you don't load on a progressive but I can't remember how you charge or prime your cases.

Glad nothing bad happened.

 

[Rule3]

Thanks for the information Mike and Skip. Some things to check out. I am using the Lee Classic turret with the safety prime and Pro Auto disc which drops the powder through the expanding die.

The squib round was somewhere in the middle of the whole batch as I put each round in the cartridge box after it's done.

I have loaded several thousand rounds of all different calibers with this set up using HP-38 and W 231 so it's a mystery.

I do lightly lube all my cases with the Lee lube diluted 10:1 with rubbing alcohol from a mist bottle. One or two spritz to 100 or so cases, SO , I am going to check the die as Mike suggested as that seems a likely culprit. Other than that, I might have sprayed directly into that particular case. I do not use any oil on my dies. I clean them with solvent and wipe them down with a rag that has some dried Rem oil on it (kind of a Teflon wipe)

I was shooting a plastic Springfield Sub compact XD. If I had a really bad squib I would rather it blew up in one of my Sigs (a lot more expensive) but at least it's metal alloy and probably less harm to my hand.

In fact, when trying new or higher powered loads I generally use a Sig, just as a security blanket.

 

[oldRoger]

Welcome to the club! Many members here I suspect. My reloading tools are much better than when I started, but primer quality may not be as high and my head hasn't improved.
This best advice I can give about squibs is not about reloading. Be very alert and conscious while shooting. ANYTIME you sense ANYTHING different stop clear the weapon and check the barrel for obstructions.
Last week one shot was a whoosh not a bang. My 4566 cycled the brass is lost, next round loaded. I cleared it and found nothing; I will never know what the problem was this time.
I have found a bullet in a 1911 barrel under exactly the same circumstances.
I have pulled bullets from many rounds when I suspected a problem, I will I suppose pull many more before I am done.

 

[Paul5388]

Another culprit that can cause a squib is inserting primers one at a time with dirty/oily hands. Lubing cases excessively can do the same thing as you describe, or some of that lube on a finger tip on a primer's open side. Same effect.

I hate to be contrary, but I loaded for about 30 years before I ever had a need for an Auto-Prime of any sort. After I recently broke the second Lee Auto-Prime handle, I switched back to single priming on a press, especially with the old CCI LP primers that are a tad too big for the primer pocket.

The only squib I've ever had was produced on a single stage press and I was using a priming tool at the time. It was a weighed max load of Alcan 7 with a 125 gr bullet that made it halfway into the forcing cone. That locked everything up until I knocked the bullet back into the case when I got to the loading room.

 

[Rule3]

Brings up any question. If and when a bullet is stuck in the barrel(semi auto) is it better to push it out towards the muzzle end or back it out towards the feed ramp? Of course with a revolver there is no question.

 

[OKFC05]

I take the barrel out of the gun and go the short route. Most I see are stuck near the back.

 

[arizona98tj]

I would opt to move it in whichever direction resulted in the shortest distance for getting it out.

 

[MWAG]

anybody who reloads and says they've never had a squib is either not being truthful or not loaded very many rounds. i have had several but only in .357 mag and only when loaded with a lee loader set, the one that you load with a mallet. forgot the charging step. got to the point where i weighed all my 357's and re-reloaded the ones that were too light. since i've been loading on a press there have been none. i do visually inspect my cases after powder charging while they are in the loading tray. this step can only prevent a non-charge or a double charge but i do feel it is necessary in the reloading process. never had a squib due to primer failure so i cannot comment on that. i use a ram prime from lee and always make sure my hands are clean before this step. i will admit i am new to reloading (less than a year) but i have loaded some 2500+- straight wall pistol rounds on a single stage press. anyway, yeah i'm an FNG compared to most of you guys but i am a quick study and i learn something new with each reloading session................

 

[cptdco]

Had my first squib last year after 20+ years and many rounds. I agree its un-nerving. I have no idea why it happened, but I saw no powder buildup in the gun (revolver) so I assume it wasn't charged. Bullet tied up the gun insofar as it didn't make it all the way acrossd the B/C gap.

 

[Fla_Sun]

BTW, What kind of reloading press do you use? I've been reloading 30 years and never had a problem. But then again I'm old fashioned and still use a single stage and weigh each powder charge. I did upgrade to a digital scale though. I've only loaded about 60+ thousand rounds. Retired my 30 year old worn out Pacific press this year and replaced with a Redding turret and dies. I bought a Dillon 550b before the Redding but sent it back because of low powder/ no powder charges that I caught during the cycle.

 

[500 Magnum Nut]

4 years ago I had one with the 500 mag. In cold weather I'd get hang fires, then finally a squib. The problem was with my primer selection. They weren't hot enough to ignite all that H110 I was trying to light. Weird thing was I never heard the primer pop, just the gun was jammed. Also these exact loads ran perfectly in warmer weather.
Later the website revised the reloading information which is still current today.

 

[ncbengal]

Haven't had a squib, but had a "click" the other day with my M&P 40. I waited a few seconds and then ejected the round. Primer had a dent, so I figured bad primer. At the end of the string, I reloaded the round in the chamber and BANG. Never figured that one out unless it was a high primer and the first try bottomed it out. Next time it worked.

 

[Bullseye Smith]

I weight every round as I put them into the storage box, has took the ones I have to 0. Mixed brass makes that hard to do, I use star line all the time.

 

[Class III]

The one and only I have had was in a 1960 born Weatherby Mk V in 300 Wby. I splintered two wooden dowel rods trying to drive it backwards into the chamber. Ended up going to a friends metal shop and using a turned down brass rod to drive it from the chamber to the muzzle. Had too punch that 165 gr bullet through about eighteen inches of a twenty-six inch tube. One of the nice things about the 300 Wby is it's almost impossible to throw a double charge, but it is entirely possible too throw a no powder/low powder charge.

Class III