Preventing Squib Load Accidents

[MichiganScott]

its simple.
squib load, failure to eject, shooter performs the ol Tap,Rack, Bang maneuver without inspecting his weapon for a squib.
All he knows is there was a jam, he cleared it, chambered a new round - and bang!

They always insist that they pulled the trigger, had a squib, the pistol reloaded the next round, they pulled the trigger, kaboom. I doubt that you will get enough recoil impulse if you stick a bullet to complete the reload cycle.

Tap, rack, kaboom, is how I define a shooter assisted catastrophic malfunction.

 

[Protected One]

My one and only squib experienced occurred when I bought 100rounds of Israeli surplus ammo from a local gun range. I was shooting them in my Browning High Power and couldn't even get through 3 magazines without having several failures to fire.

Then, on one trigger pull I heard a "fhsst" sound. It was immediately obvious that the round had not properly fired. I looked in my barrel and saw the bullet stuck about 1/2" in.
The range master removed it for me. Fortunately, the barrel of my gun was not bulged.

That was the end of buying anything but factory ammo for me. I gave the remaining rounds to the range for proper disposal.

 

[GUNs and JEEPS]

The thread that started this discussion does list the ammo as of this morning.....it was reload ammo from a factory. Sorry.... IDK enough to know who made it or exactly what type, I saw "reload" and stopped paying attention.

 

[federali]

I load my handgun ammo on a Dillon 550B. It's is a bit tedious but I look into each and every case as it leaves the charging station. With properly adjusted equipment and through periodic replenishing of the powder supply, I've never had a squib load but I did catch two double charges when a problem at the sizing/primer seating station momentarily distracted me.

I generally load alone and I don't allow any distractions such as a TV. I'm also fully awake and sober when at the press.

 

[*chris*]

Depending on the quality, read consistency, of your reloading components you can weigh every round, but it is a colossal waste of time. If you are using mixed headstamp brass, forget about weighing the rounds or for that matter using any sort of "lockout" die.

The best idea is to look in each case before you place the bullet. My process uses a strong light combined with a powder check die:

The powder check die is good to get a general sense of how much powder is in there, variations in case construction can cause the powder level to vary +- 1/16" or more.

In a semi-auto, squibs are usually easy to detect, the case won't extract or the next round will not seat. In revolvers it is a little more complex unless the bullet locks the cylinder in place. Generally, you can always feel if something isn't right with a reduced amount of recoil.

Don't be afraid of reloading, if you look in the case before you seat every bullet, squibs just should happen.

Chris

 

[Rastoff]

its simple.
squib load, failure to eject, shooter performs the ol Tap,Rack, Bang maneuver without inspecting his weapon for a squib.
All he knows is there was a jam, he cleared it, chambered a new round - and bang!

Two problems with this. First, tap, rack, bang is the improper procedure and anyone teaching that is teaching a potential failure. It should be tap, rack, assess.

Second, you only perform that procedure when you have a click or a dead trigger. On a squib load there is still a bang or pop. So, the symptoms are wrong for tap, rack, assess solution.

Most of the time, on a semi-auto, there isn't enough pressure to operate the slide. So, if you get a smaller than normal bang, it will be obvious and you should check the bore.

The squib is most dangerous with a revolver. While the shooter should notice the under powered ignition, they might not. Since there is no slide to operate, the next round is ready to fire right away. Revolver shooters should be more attentive to this potentiality.