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Posted: 5/7/2016 8:25:59 PM EDT
Picture says it all. I got careless while adjusting my dies or checking a charge weight or something. I got off work the other night and was beat but I just had to get some rounds loaded for a pistol class today. Like a moran I had adjusted my dies at the end of the last run (from a good sweet spot) to try a different projectile. Didn't get what I wanted and so I had to reset everything when I sat down after work that night. Got a bad feeling through the run and decided to just use the last of my factory ammo for the class. Post class blasting the gun went puuft and seemed to cycle but the hammer wasn't cocked. Thought I'd shallow seated a primer and racked it expecting to eject the bad round but an empty ejected and the next round wouldn't go into battery. |
Things that make you go    .Glad you're okay, and hope you identify the fault. Advice I've followed is if I'm exhausted, sick, mad, or otherwise distracted and my mind isn't at the reloading bench, I don't load. ETA: This was an old load that wasn't stored properly...   |
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I recommend this 4 pc kit, sort of pricey but well worth it http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/handgun-tools/stuck-case-removers/squib-rod-prod1251.aspx I learned the hard way after using a wooden dowel to remove a squib in one my revolvers and breaking the dowel, had to have a gunsmith remove it. Never again.  |
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You need to incorporate a way to ''Look in every case for powder and the right amount'' before setting a bullet on top into your reloading routine. It will ensure this doesn't happen again.
These are the types of malfs that can really hurt you if not noticed. If the bullet went half an inch further into the barrel you may have fired another round and...KABOOOOOM !! In the 9 years I've been reloading I've had 2 squibs, both in the first 100 rounds I made. 45 Colt in a SAA would have been easy to just cock the hammer and fire another, but I had enough shooting experience to know something was wrong. Unloaded the gun, looked down the barrel and it was blocked. I used a branch from a nearby tree to pound out the bullet. I knew right away it didn't get charged, when I got home I figured out what the problem was, fixed it and started looking in every case for powder and the right amount and haven't had a squib since. Doing that gives me a sense of complete confidence in my ammo, but I still remain aware that anything else can go wrong. |
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I've had three squibs. In all incidents, there WAS powder in the case.
I was running quick doubles with light 38 loads in a S&W 3" 13. BamBam.... BamBam..... popBam..... I got a squib as the first shot in that last pair, and the second round blew both bullets out the bore. Recoil was ultra light for the squib, and stout for the second. It wasn't intentional, I was sort of in the groove running on auto pilot.... The gun looked fine. Thankfully, these were light loads with 148 cast wadcutters. I couldn't immediately figure out WTF happened. So i started slow shooting others in the box. I got another squib a few rounds later. There was unburned powder in the case, in the forcing cone and the barrel, with the bullet about 1/2 way down the bore. The primer popped, but the light charge of unique did not ignite fully. I knocked it out, and in the interest of curiosity fired more rounds from the lot. Another squib later, again with powder. I cannot claim to know what happened. The primer was hot enough to drive the bullet half way down the bore, but the powder charge was visible as whole, unburned flakes in the case, forcing cone and barrel. For what its worth, I load on a rockchucker. I dump powder into each case on the loading block, then use a flashlight to visually inspect each case. You can see if the case has no charge, a double charge, etc. Its quick and painless to check |
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In 8 years of reloading, I just had my first squib a couple months ago in a .45 ACP. It's a real eye opener since I pride myself on being extra cautious in my reloading.
There couldn't have been any powder in the case - I saw no unburned powder anywhere, and the bullet barely made it past the chamber. Scary stuff.
My 11 year old was with me at the range and I explained in great detail what a squib was, showed him how to pound the bullet out of the barrel, and stressed how important it is to be super careful in reloading and shooting. I think he got the message, so there was definitely a silver lining. |
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Don't feel bad,
Last time I when shooting with a friend, ended up knocking out bullets from his barrel twice during the outing. He has a Lee 1000 that I have not had a chance to go through to get it to reload reliable yet, and the problem at hand with the no powder in the two rounds. |
| i have been reloading for 3 years now and in my first year i had 2 in .38 when i was using a pro 1000. i wont blame the loader, i blame myself fortunately nothing bad happened i simply stopped shooting and packed up the gun (model 15) took it home and tapped out the bullet. now i am using a loadmaster and better lighting and i have not had one in well over 12k of 9mm and about 7k of .38. i am in the habit of removing all cases from the loader if i stop loading for any reason and starting over. im not any faster or slower just consistent pulls on the handle and better lighting. i think the lee auto drum works a lot better at giving consistent powder charges than the auto disk ever did. |
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