Author Topic: Squib Loads  (Read 3764 times)

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Offline NavyCanDo

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Squib Loads
« on: April 04, 2014, 06:18:43 pm »
Firearm Malfunctions: Squib Loads  

Knowing what a squib load is, how to recognize it when it happens, and  what to do and not do when it happens can save life and  limb. One happened to me to me recently and I had to educate myself on what just  happened. I should have been aware of squib loads long ago before it happened. Thankfully because I could see the stuck bullet, I did not shoot behind it. But lots of people do, and lots of people get hurt or damage their gun by not clearing the obstruction.


With all that said, here's what a squib load sounds like:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcHJajwkWyM
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Oceander

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #1 on: April 04, 2014, 07:34:01 pm »
Firearm Malfunctions: Squib Loads  

Knowing what a squib load is, how to recognize it when it happens, and  what to do and not do when it happens can save life and  limb. One happened to me to me recently and I had to educate myself on what just  happened. I should have been aware of squib loads long ago before it happened. Thankfully because I could see the stuck bullet, I did not shoot behind it. But lots of people do, and lots of people get hurt or damage their gun by not clearing the obstruction.


With all that said, here's what a squib load sounds like:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcHJajwkWyM


He was da*ned lucky the safety officer called stop.  One question, did the spent casing actually eject properly, or not?  It looked to me like the casing jammed in the  slide, but I couldn't tell for sure.

Offline NavyCanDo

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2014, 08:23:27 pm »
In my case with a Beretta tomcat  the case partially ejected ending up with a stove pipe so the next round failed to feed. Strangest thing looking at the bullet stopped half way out the end of the barrel.    I was first blaming the Tomcat which was still fairly new, but in my research I learned the cause is almost always the ammunition.
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Offline EC

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2014, 08:40:28 pm »
For some reason UK manufactured ammo is notorious for squibs. The QA on the propellant is horrendous. You can have entire cases that might have one or two rounds that actually work. Not a fun thing to find out in the field!
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Offline xfreeper

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2014, 09:42:48 pm »
I was just wondering if this is a problem fairly unique to home reloading. After roughly 50K rounds I have never had a single squib. The only oddity I ever experienced in all those rounds was one bullet set too low in the case. I've never used any ammo from the UK though.

Offline EC

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2014, 10:05:00 pm »
I was just wondering if this is a problem fairly unique to home reloading. After roughly 50K rounds I have never had a single squib. The only oddity I ever experienced in all those rounds was one bullet set too low in the case. I've never used any ammo from the UK though.

I've never had a squib from any Russian made. One from the USA, out of several thousand rounds. Two from Chinese stuff, both of those looked like reloads - and one guy had a blow out from the same batch. Poor sucker lost two fingers and an eye for that. Not that we could ht up the manufacturer for damages though - that lot was obtained, not bought. Pashtun 5.56 and 9 mm reloads - never a problem with them.

The UK stuff - horrendous. Either works perfectly or not at all and you can never tell. We used to trade it almost instantly for stuff that actually worked. About the only good ammo made in the UK are sabot shells for shotguns and .50 caliber.
« Last Edit: December 03, 2014, 05:22:34 pm by Mod1 »
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Offline Chieftain

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2014, 10:38:08 pm »
For some reason UK manufactured ammo is notorious for squibs. The QA on the propellant is horrendous. You can have entire cases that might have one or two rounds that actually work. Not a fun thing to find out in the field!



yah...it would be kinda like that.........


Offline EC

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2014, 11:21:38 pm »
Stick in a caption of the guy saying "God hates me." and it is exactly like that!  :silly: :silly: :silly:

The sudden need to empty your bowels and run can be implied .....
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Offline xfreeper

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2014, 04:38:14 am »
Roughly 60K rounds, never a single squib. Occasionally shoot rapid fire so a squib could be a major problem. I shoot a lot of .357 Sig so I always check my ammo for any that are pushed too far into the case which seems to occur with that cal more than most because of the shape of the brass. I think in all the years of shooting I have found one, maybe two.

Offline EC

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #9 on: December 03, 2014, 06:03:20 am »


How is this even possible?
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Offline NavyCanDo

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #10 on: December 03, 2014, 01:28:36 pm »
Makes me wonder if they were all squibs, because that should have been a  catastrophic death of a firearm, and probably a serius injury.      Then I start counting bullets, and it gets stranger.  8?   He reloaded?
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Online Bigun

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #11 on: December 03, 2014, 03:29:19 pm »
I have purposely hand loaded and tested squib loads to include rounds that consisted of a only a primed case and a seated bullet.

In no case have I ever had a projectile stick in the bore of a weapon. The primer charge itself is sufficient to push the projectile out of the barrel even on rifles with 26" barrels.

But I will hasten to add that ALL of this testing was done on either bolt or lever action rifles.  I'm quite sure that the results would be VERY different with gas operated semi auto weapons.
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Online Bigun

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #12 on: December 03, 2014, 03:33:01 pm »


How is this even possible?

In my estimation this could only happen in a very loose revolver shooting squib loads and the gas escaping at the front of the cylinder would have been horrendous even then!
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
- J. R. R. Tolkien

Online Lando Lincoln

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #13 on: December 03, 2014, 04:52:39 pm »
In my estimation this could only happen in a very loose revolver shooting squib loads and the gas escaping at the front of the cylinder would have been horrendous even then!

Agreed.  And, I suspect the shooter was using crap .38 Special ammo.
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Online Lando Lincoln

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Re: Squib Loads
« Reply #14 on: December 03, 2014, 05:02:50 pm »
Agreed.  And, I suspect the shooter was using crap .38 Special ammo.

I still don't quite get how each round pushed up against the one in front of it so tightly.  Idiot or newby was pulling the trigger for sure.
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