Squib - ever happen to you?

[BearTitan]

I am familiar with what a squib is, and try to watch out for them, but have never had one happen to me. Has it ever happened to you?

Any idea why? Cheap ammo? Reloads? FMJ?

Is it one of those things that happens to everyone eventually or can it be avoided with maintenance and proper ammo?

[LittleRedToyota]

I am familiar with what a squib is, and try to watch out for them, but have never had one happen to me. Has it ever happened to you?

Any idea why? Cheap ammo? Reloads? FMJ?

Is it one of those things that happens to everyone eventually or can it be avoided with maintenance and proper ammo?

i have never had it happen to me, but i have been present when it has happened. most times it was with re-loads, but i did see a squib with factory (WWB 9mm FMJ) ammo once. it was the only round that ever squibbed in that gun (at least according to the owner), and the rest of the box went bang just fine, so i'd say it was just a bad round.

nobody has 100% perfect QC, so, frankly, i'm kinda surprised it never has happened to me.

[roland]

Yep, happened to me a couple of times last year. Aparently I forgot to drop powder when I was having problems with my primer feeder. Repaired it and alls been good, except for the shortage of heads. Cal. 45 acp.

[Agent Ronin]

Yea i had one two weeks ago. Apparently I missed one casing when handloading some 30-06 ammo. Good news is i taper crimped the round and the bullet did not move.

[Lycanthrope]

No....but I've pounded out my share for others. Luckily, in most autos a round with primer only usually won't throw the slug far enough for another round to fully chamber.

[Karys]

I had one with a Taurus .22 revolver a couple of years ago.

I had just got the gun back from the factory for repairs and the first shot from the second cylinder full squibbed on me. I was shooting the Federal jacketed hollow points from Wal-Mart that come 550 to a brick.

Obviously there was no powder in the case. Luckally the primer didn't push the bullet down the barrel too far and I was able to push it out with a cleaning rod. I still have the bullet and the empty case. I shot the rest of that brick of ammo with no other problems so I think it was just and isolated incident.

I was pretty lucky because someone was talking to me while I was shooting and had I not noticed the squib and touched off another one with the bullet still in the barrel, it could have gotten ugly.

[BearTitan]

So it sounds like the chances of it happening are greatly increased when shooting reloads. Although there is one report of Federal factory ammo.

It is one of those things that has always been in the back of my mind, but I was never really worried about it. I saw a thread here yesterday with some photos of guns with split barrels and such. It sort of freaked me out.

Thanks for the info, fellas.

[John Fox]

I never had one with my reloads [different calibers] but had one once with a 22 single action Colt which my young grandson was firing. Believe it or not it was a Remington bullet.

[Farbmeister]

I loaded up 1000 .357 with surplus WC820 from gibrass.com. Said to load it like AA9. AA9 is in my load book for .357.

I pull the trigger, hear the primer/see the primer flames shoot out the cylinder, buts its a fiz rather than a bang.

158 grain lead bullet is maybe half an inch in the barrel and powder is packed behind it.

Use a brass drift to punch out the bullet, a brush down the barrel and away we go.

WC820 is a ball powder, and I've read that ball may need a magnum primer... but neither the retailer or my load book said to use magnum primers.

Hope they go better in my carbine.

[luckyned7]

Never happened to me except for when I had a H&R Sportsmen 999(?) for a few days. Twas 99% new and I had waited 20 years to get another..fiqured out it was the hammer on 2 cylinders with x-brand of cheap factory ammo. I did cause a squip to myself during a IDPA practice with my new Kimper..thank God..I was forcing myself to go slow thru the course of fire anyways..but sure got alot of screams of "STOP..STOP!" Daulp..my Dillion is 20 yrs old and was in need of a refit..flipped a few primers backwards. No big-deal. (Thanks again-God.)