Will a squib cycle an automatic?

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Johnnn01

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I just made a little over 100 40 s&w 165 gn rounds on a rcbs pro 2000progressive press and had a hang up on loading a primer, and found a spent primer was the cause, it was in there sideways.
So I missed somehow sizing the case and removing the primer, or it did not fall down the tube, leaning to the primer got hung up and did not make it down the tube.
So I might have made a squib,, I weighed all the rounds I made and nothing stood out as being too light.
Will a squib cycle an automatic?
Just wanted to know what to look out for
 
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Not sure I totally understand your post as you might have a squib. First thing though, you can't rely on weighing the rounds to determine if you have a squib. A squib can cycle a semi auto gun and I have had it happen to me, in my case the charge was to light which is the main cause of a squib round. Also missing the powder drop will also cause a squib. The way I look at things is when in doubt pull the rounds that you have made as that is the safest way to make sure.
 
Just stand close enough to the target so you can see the bullet cut the paper or kick up dirt on the backstop.
 
Your post doesn't make sense. You say you had a spent primer stuck in the case. That wouldn't make a squib. A squib is caused by low or missing powder. Primers either fire or don't.
 
Squib Load?

As said previously: You don`t have a squib because it won`t fire without a good primer. I`ve been reloading since 1978 and early on I loaded (on purpose) a 45ACP with "just" a primer and a 200 gr LSWC. It exited the barrel and went about 5 ft in a rainbow arc. It did not cycle the slide which is the good news if you ever do load a squib. You might wind up with the projectile in the barrel =Super Bad News if you happen to be shooting a revolver or if the auto slide did cycle out the empty. I`m saying it won`t cycle the slide with "just" the primer as the propellant.
 
If the spent primer didn't come all the way out (preventing new primer from going in) then some powder might have fallen through at the charging stage so if you pulled the spent primer and set a new one without disassembling the round and running it all the way through again then that round could be a squib. As already posted squib is generally at least a good primer but could also be light charge.

A bad primer would result in a failure to fire - but not a squib - a squib means that there was enough energy to propel the projectile into but not all the way through the barrel - which may or may not be enough to cycle the next round into the chamber - more likely a more serious failure - but there certainly have been cases of a tap rack bang which turned into a tap rack BOOM. always better safe than sorry.
 
much ado said:
As said previously: You don`t have a squib because it won`t fire without a good primer. I`ve been reloading since 1978 and early on I loaded (on purpose) a 45ACP with "just" a primer and a 200 gr LSWC. It exited the barrel and went about 5 ft in a rainbow arc. It did not cycle the slide which is the good news if you ever do load a squib. You might wind up with the projectile in the barrel =Super Bad News if you happen to be shooting a revolver or if the auto slide did cycle out the empty. I`m saying it won`t cycle the slide with "just" the primer as the propellant.
Click to expand...

I agree. I have had light loads for PPC that wouldn't cycle the slide on a few semi-autos. But they still expelled the bullet. Even light loads have substantially more 'umph than just a primer alone. I say that a primer only loading, will not cycle the action. Now, a way under charged load, and primer, it might! But I have never seen it in many, many 1000's of light loads. Unless springs have been replaced, you just about have to meet, as a minimum, the starting loads listed in the load manuals, to reliably cycle semi-autos.
 
With a stock recoil spring, not likely. Just pay attention. If you have a squib, stop & check the bbl with a range rod.
 
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Saw a squib a couple weeks ago, friend firing a PPK with "factory reloads". The empty case didn't show evidence of any burnt powder, just a primer. The 95gr .380 made it about 2/3rds the way down the barrel, did not cycle the gun.

Of course, this is anecdotal evidence. It's absolutely possible for a squib to cycle a semi given the right conditions. A new, tight gun with a strong spring? Very unlikely. A range gun with a round count in the four or five figures? Definitely possible.
 
I always check the barrel if a round doesn't appear to go off. It's possible for a bullet to stick but not work the action. If you eject the case thinking the previous round didn't cycle the action but sent a bullet down range and then shoot an additional round, exciting things will happen. My biggest concern has always been with revolvers and fast double action shooting.
 
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The term "squib" has several different definitions, which all refer to low powered loads. I'm not sure what you mean or how you would have made one based on your post.

If you have a round made with a spent primer seated sideways it's not a squib.
 
It is extremely doubtful a squib load would cycle a semi-auto center fire. There just isn't enough pressure created to move the slide back far enough to pick up another round, or probably even enough to eject the empty.
 
In a 3" barrel 9mm..............

I had a 115gr plated RN (fmj) type bullet exit the barrel five times at only 784 fps average.
Low was 735 fps, high was 816 fps and I had only one "stove pipe".

To me, these are "Blooper loads" but at this speed in a 4" barrel may become a Squib ?

A load with a primer loaded sideways should not go off.....
and become a "Dud" if all things work correctly.

As mentioned..........
see a hole or dirt fly before pulling that trigger again or.....
pull the bullets which is not a big thing with an Auto.
Now if it were a revolver with a crimp on the bullet, that's another thing !!


One BIG reason I like the single stage loader.............
where I can look into ALL my cases in the loading tray and inspect them for.......
correct priming........
later, powder in the cases...........
before finally adding the bullets.
 
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I have experienced numerous "squib" loads over the years, through both my own carelessness and the carelessness of others. In no instance has the slide cycled when a bullet got stuck in the bore. If you're using an auto and you get the click when you expect a bang, ALWAYS stop and check the bore. Sometimes you can't hear that faint "pop" and you won't realize there's a bullet in the bore until you actually take a look. You might be surprised by what you see. The revolvers scare me more, since if I'm shooting fast I can not react quickly enough to stop my trigger finger. I recall one range session where I could've blown up my nice 940, except that the squib was number five of five in the cylinder. I was shooting fast and wouldn't've been able to stop if it had been one of the first four.

Dave Sinko
 
David Sinko said:
I have experienced numerous "squib" loads over the years, through both my own carelessness and the carelessness of others. In no instance has the slide cycled when a bullet got stuck in the bore. If you're using an auto and you get the click when you expect a bang, ALWAYS stop and check the bore. Sometimes you can't hear that faint "pop" and you won't realize there's a bullet in the bore until you actually take a look. You might be surprised by what you see. The revolvers scare me more, since if I'm shooting fast I can not react quickly enough to stop my trigger finger. I recall one range session where I could've blown up my nice 940, except that the squib was number five of five in the cylinder. I was shooting fast and wouldn't've been able to stop if it had been one of the first four.

Dave Sinko
Click to expand...

It's tricky to stop when shooting fast, for sure. I got lucky once. I was shooting the 12-in-20 in PPC when I had a squib. The guy shooting next to me yelled out "check your barrel". I had already stopped and was opening the cylinder when he got the word "your" out. Shooting HBWC's, the bullet depth and crimp combo actually created enough pressure to send the bullet bouncing down range. I thought that I had seen it come out (literally, bouncing along the floor). But in the very fast time that it happened, I wasn't sure. So I stopped and checked. I knew something definitely wasn't right at the time the primer went off. No bang, just a dull pop. But, the bullet exited the barrel. Needless to say, I dropped a few points that stage.
 
I've only had a couple squibs (primer but no powder), none have cycled the gun enough to eject the empty and feed a fresh cartridge.

Like others have said, what you describe isn't a squib, but a incorrectly seated primer. A sideways primer may not (probably won't?) go off at all when fired.

An incorrectly seated primer is a different issue than a case with no powder.

Weighing loaded cartridges will not tell you if a cartridge is missing powder due to the small weight of the powder compared to the variation in brass and bullet weights.

From the OP, I don't really understand what was done to correct the issue, but it is unsafe to seat a primer in a case that has powder in it. Dump the powder back in the hopper before seating a primer.
 
To answer your question, a locked breach semi-auto will not fully cycle on its own unless the bullet leaves the barrel.....

A blowback semi-auto will....
 
When we received the Glock 19's to replace our 686's we were issued WW 9mm 147 subsonic rounds that were supposedly used by the Seals in their MP5's so the could use a suppressor. These were very weak loads and while I was shooting one day I fired one round the empty ejected and fired the next round which forced the first bullet out of the barrel. the first bullet had just made it to the muzzle. Needless to say the barrel had a slight bulge at the muzzle. It did not effect the accuracy at all which was terrible to start with. We changed to the 115 +p+ and traded to pistols for .40's a few months later. I also had some of the 147's fire and not extract the case. I would not have thought a squib load would have ejected the case but mine did. It did not feed the next round.
 
The third generation guys (see the semi-auto forum) will tell you that the 5900 series S&W's will cycle empty cases!

One of the first things I learned as a new reloader was to listen very carefully when on the firing line. And Be Prepared to cease fire in mid-string lest I chance bulging a barrel.

"Pffft" means my brass failed and may mean trouble.

"Click no bang" definitely means trouble.

It's a chance we take with either our own ammunition or purchased, (*coughWinchesterWhiteBoxcough*).

As someone else posted, a "range rod" or a wooden dowel the diameter of the barrel, is something you may want to keep in your range bag.

And stay alert.
 
Dangerous Assumption!!

much ado said:
As said previously: You don`t have a squib because it won`t fire without a good primer. I`ve been reloading since 1978 and early on I loaded (on purpose) a 45ACP with "just" a primer and a 200 gr LSWC. .......
Click to expand...

My squib load in 45 ACP did not clear the barrel, but did cause a jam. I cycled the slide, cleared the jam and the next round cleared the barrel, locking the barrel bushing on the barrel bulge. Squibs do not feel like a normal round. Squib loads don't feel right, always check for an EMPTY barrel.

The proper load will cycle the slide correctly with a 10# spring (light 675 FPS target load) or with a 24# spring (bowling pin load with max charge).
 
Perhaps. You do not want a squib to cycle the action. You want to manually extract and check your bbl when that happens. Not a lot worse than a squib stuck in the bbl and enough pressure to eject. A new shooter may not have noticed the lack of recoil.
 
I was breaking in my new S&W 1911 E Series last Saturday and experienced a squib load about 5 rounds in.

The projectile got stuck about 1/4 of the way down and the report was just a "pop". I was evaluating the operation of the gun, so I was slow-firing and checking for accuracy. I'm glad I wasn't doing a string of double-taps.

There's definitely a difference in sound and feel of a squib versus a proper round. It did not cycle my gun. The brass didn't eject and the next round was still in the mag, waiting to be picked up. YMMV.
 
When i was a reloading rookie i had a double squib in my M&P40 with one of my reloads. The first squib sounded normal and cycled the gun no problem. The 2nd shot made a poof sound then i knew something was wrong. I said to myself,"hey its a squib". Sure as **** when i got home i pushed out 2 rounds. They were 155g Frangibles, and man were they a b!tch to get out. I have no idea how the gun wasnt destroyed or at least bulge the barrel. To this day i still shoot that gun with no issues stemming from a double squib.
 
John, the danger is when the round fires but the bullet doesn't have enough force to exit the muzzle, it stays in the barrel, then the trigger is pulled again. Unless you are paying close attention and shooting slowly, listening to the sound of each shot and counting the holes in the target, it is very easy to pull the trigger again and have a big problem. You get into a motion of shooting and can't stop.
I load on a single stage press, yesterday I charged 25 cases and seated bullets in them, glancing down in the shooting block, one hole had some powder in the bottom.... I knew one case was short. So I pulled all 25 bullets , resized, charged , carefully looked at each and seated the bullets. I thought about just shooting them but that is a foolish thing to do.
You know the correct thing is to pull them all down and start over.
Load safe...gary
 
I have a Ruger LCP that I use with my CCW class. The last shot from one student squibbed, the next student had it blow on his first round.





The good news was no one was hurt, and Ruger replaced the gun. Pretty nice
 
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