Clearing a Squib

[ras_oscar]

Now that the immediate problem has been solved, and just because i'm a curious fellow:

any thouhts on clearing the squib by popping in another squib with primer only, no powder no wadding, no projectile? the only reason I'm considering the implications is because it would be fairly easy to load up a few put them in a plastic bag and keep it in range bag for each caliber I reload. Of course in nearly 5,000 reloaded carriages i've only had 2 squibs thus far.

 

[outrider58]

Now that the immediate problem has been solved, and just because i'm a curious fellow:

any thouhts on clearing the squib by popping in another squib with primer only, no powder no wadding, no projectile? the only reason I'm considering the implications is because it would be fairly easy to load up a few put them in a plastic bag and keep it in range bag for each caliber I reload. Of course in nearly 5,000 reloaded carriages i've only had 2 squibs thus far.

IDK. With most empty squibs, the bullet barely gets wedged in the rifling just beyond the chamber. Light loads, like one you encountered, will jam anywhere inside the barrel, depending on how light the charge was. I would not recommend trying to blow those the rest of the way out. Never.

 

[Archeryrob]

I have an 8mm brass rod from amazon for pistols. Down the barrel and tap tap and out it comes. The best way to clear it as its is a obstruction still.

But a live blank would clear it. FWIW, a squib and a live blank is what killed Brandon Lee. They did a shot with a bullet "blank" with a live primer and then followed up with a live blank. The bullet from the first scene lodged in the revolver and and second blank in the same gun killed the man. So it should work, but I wouldn't bet on it with my hands and my gun.

 

[atblis]

Now that the immediate problem has been solved, and just because i'm a curious fellow:

any thouhts on clearing the squib by popping in another squib with primer only, no powder no wadding, no projectile? the only reason I'm considering the implications is because it would be fairly easy to load up a few put them in a plastic bag and keep it in range bag for each caliber I reload. Of course in nearly 5,000 reloaded carriages i've only had 2 squibs thus far.

I posed this question earlier. What I had in mind was an actual product. You’d likely need more than just a primer. The propellant doesn’t necessarily need to be smokeless powder though that might work. Seems like something like trail boss might work.

 

[lazarus]

I posed this question earlier. What I had in mind was an actual product. You’d likely need more than just a primer. The propellant doesn’t necessarily need to be smokeless powder though that might work. Seems like something like trail boss might work.

The problem is smokeless needs compression to ignite properly. Otherwise it just burns sorta fast. You'd likely need a couple of grains of black powder and a primer to do it. BP doesn't need compression to ignite properly.

The biggest issue is that in a revolver the cylinder gap works against you big time. Light charges are much more likely to lodge a bullet in a revolver than a semi-auto, because the pressure starts dropping right away and rapidly decreases there after because of the gap. That is one of the reasons that long barrels increase velocity more in semi-autos than in revolvers. You can still lodge one in a semi-auto, it just takes a really almost nothing charge to do it (basically primer only) or a long barrel (like a rifle).

You get a squib, if you can't knock it out with a range rod, take it home and work on it there.

 

[Sundazes]

Did someone say squib?

 

[outrider58]

Did someone say squib?
View attachment 488172

That's a good'n!

 

[ras_oscar]

hey, point that in a safe direction !!!

 

[Phoenix_1295]

Now that the immediate problem has been solved, and just because i'm a curious fellow:

any thouhts on clearing the squib by popping in another squib with primer only, no powder no wadding, no projectile? the only reason I'm considering the implications is because it would be fairly easy to load up a few put them in a plastic bag and keep it in range bag for each caliber I reload. Of course in nearly 5,000 reloaded carriages i've only had 2 squibs thus far.

I’m thinking most ranges would not allow you to do this.

 

[outrider58]

I’m thinking most ranges would not allow you to do this.

Anyone who has ever had a gun explode in their hands would never contemplate doing this.

 

[Sundazes]

hey, point that in a safe direction !!!

Yeah, I was waiting for a comment. I should post it on YT and watch the $hit fly....

 

[atblis]

Anyone who has ever had a gun explode in their hands would never contemplate doing this.

Avoid double charges of Titegroup and I think we'll all be okay.

 

[Bountied]

No laughing here. Anytime I hear squib, I wonder about the possibility of a double charge existing somewhere in the same batch. A decidedly unfunny thought.....

Happened to Outrider and we saw what that did.

 

[Doco Overboard]

The problem is smokeless needs compression to ignite properly. Otherwise it just burns sorta fast. You'd likely need a couple of grains of black powder and a primer to do it. BP doesn't need compression to ignite properly.

The biggest issue is that in a revolver the cylinder gap works against you big time. Light charges are much more likely to lodge a bullet in a revolver than a semi-auto, because the pressure starts dropping right away and rapidly decreases there after because of the gap. That is one of the reasons that long barrels increase velocity more in semi-autos than in revolvers. You can still lodge one in a semi-auto, it just takes a really almost nothing charge to do it (basically primer only) or a long barrel (like a rifle).

You get a squib, if you can't knock it out with a range rod, take it home and work on it there.

Smokeless powder doesn't need to be compressed to burn it needs to be confined to build pressure which becomes additive and to a higher rate as the burning progresses. That’s why blanks are crimped or have a glaze board disc. And, they’re a different powder composition altogether as far as I know.
Other wise black powder would more than likely work better just like you said.
It’s common practice to shoot a tight chambered 22 with a de-bulleted case filled with powder but my experience has always been in a rifle not a revolver because of the obvious gap at the cylinder mouth.
But a case full of 4 f might do it with BP or an equivalent.
I never tried it though however.
I think at the least attempting the same with a rifle mid bore or near the muzzle would more than likely be cause for a ringed barrel, not so much as a bore obstruction with results.
With either black or smokeless powder. And not because of the powder, the construction of the bullet- homogenous or soft lead the former being the possible worst offender for ringing a barrel.
I just use a square steel or metallic rod or as close to bore diameter as possible in worst case scenarios.
The larger the better to avoid the rod flexing and bending then contacting a greater degree of rifling at the same time if it needs pounded on.

 

[Uncle Duke]

Happened to Outrider and we saw what that did.

It's happened to a whole lot more people than Outrider.

What we saw with Outrider was something a whole lot less than commonplace, in that Outrider had the stones to post his story in detail for everybody to see. And in so seeing, to hopefully think about and evaluate his less than pleasant experience, with regard to each of our own reloading practices.

Gotta respect the man for that.

 

[Sundazes]

Happened to Outrider and we saw what that did.

Anyone have a link to the thread?

 

[Uncle Duke]

Anyone have a link to the thread?

Here you go....

Double Load(checked that box)?

Catastrophic failure: I was at the range this morning and this happened. I had experienced a squib round(no powder) where the primer pushed the 9mm bullet into the rifling. Hearing just a puff sound, I knew to stop, wait, drop the mag and eject the expected empty case. I made the gun safe and...

www.mdshooters.com

 

[Bountied]

It's happened to a whole lot more people than Outrider.

What we saw with Outrider was something a whole lot less than commonplace, in that Outrider had the stones to post his story in detail for everybody to see. And in so seeing, to hopefully think about and evaluate his less than pleasant experience, with regard to each of our own reloading practices.

Gotta respect the man for that.

True.

 

[atblis]

Smokeless powder doesn't need to be compressed to burn it needs to be confined to build pressure which becomes additive and to a higher rate as the burning progresses. That’s why blanks are crimped or have a glaze board disc. And, they’re a different powder composition altogether as far as I know.
Other wise black powder would more than likely work better just like you said.
It’s common practice to shoot a tight chambered 22 with a de-bulleted case filled with powder but my experience has always been in a rifle not a revolver because of the obvious gap at the cylinder mouth.
But a case full of 4 f might do it with BP or an equivalent.
I never tried it though however.
I think at the least attempting the same with a rifle mid bore or near the muzzle would more than likely be cause for a ringed barrel, not so much as a bore obstruction with results.
With either black or smokeless powder. And not because of the powder, the construction of the bullet- homogenous or soft lead the former being the possible worst offender for ringing a barrel.
I just use a square steel or metallic rod or as close to bore diameter as possible in worst case scenarios.
The larger the better to avoid the rod flexing and bending then contacting a greater degree of rifling at the same time if it needs pounded on.

I was thinking that if you used a propellent of composition and quantity such that the total energy content is insufficient to cause damage or do anything catastrophic, but still move the stuck projectile, that might be a workable solution. Even if it takes multiple firing to clear a squib, it would still be pretty convenient. I suspect a fast burning powder with some paper wadding might do the trick. I'd be curious to see if the pressure more less spikes internal to the case, and then drops as it expands down the barrel, perhaps spiking when the barrel obstruction is encountered, but not spiking above the initial peak pressure. It'd be a curious experiment, and I bet with modern pressure measuring equipment it'd be doable.

Revolvers likely pose an issue, but I wonder if one could use a soft metal shim to seal up cylinder gap.

 

[lazarus]

Smokeless powder doesn't need to be compressed to burn it needs to be confined to build pressure which becomes additive and to a higher rate as the burning progresses. That’s why blanks are crimped or have a glaze board disc. And, they’re a different powder composition altogether as far as I know.
Other wise black powder would more than likely work better just like you said.
It’s common practice to shoot a tight chambered 22 with a de-bulleted case filled with powder but my experience has always been in a rifle not a revolver because of the obvious gap at the cylinder mouth.
But a case full of 4 f might do it with BP or an equivalent.
I never tried it though however.
I think at the least attempting the same with a rifle mid bore or near the muzzle would more than likely be cause for a ringed barrel, not so much as a bore obstruction with results.
With either black or smokeless powder. And not because of the powder, the construction of the bullet- homogenous or soft lead the former being the possible worst offender for ringing a barrel.
I just use a square steel or metallic rod or as close to bore diameter as possible in worst case scenarios.
The larger the better to avoid the rod flexing and bending then contacting a greater degree of rifling at the same time if it needs pounded on.

Right on. Sorry, I meant confined and not compressed. That was a brain oopsie.