What would happen?

[2muchfreetime]

I am new to forum and new to reloading.So far all is great.I have loaded 9mm 40s&w 357 mag 380 auto with good results.This question came up between my friends and I the other day.What if you were rapid firing and one round had no powder.A squibb I believe it is called.My friend says the gun would blow up.True or false.

[RandyP]

True/False.

If you get a squib and immediately stop shooting to clear the barrel of the stuck bullet? No worries. If you fire another round into the plugged barrel? Bad things happen.

[gdmoody]

I have seen the side of a "plastic" gun blow out and I have seen barrels bulge, and I have seen pictures of barrels splitting. Blow up might be a pretty good term for it!

Edit: Here is a link to some pictures of "blown up" guns: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...M8j0gAf7wN2JDw

[steve4102]

Originally Posted by 2muchfreetime

I am new to forum and new to reloading.So far all is great.I have loaded 9mm 40s&w 357 mag 380 auto with good results.This question came up between my friends and I the other day.What if you were rapid firing and one round had no powder.A squibb I believe it is called.My friend says the gun would blow up.True or false.

Rapid firing or slow firing the gun will not blow up with a squib.

As you know a squib is a round that has no powder and is fired. The primer usually has enough energy to push the bullet out of the case and into the barrel where it stays, stuck bullet.

The squib does NOT have enough energy to cycle the action. The case remains in the chamber and the shooter must cycle the slide by hand to eject the spent brass. This is where the squib becomes dangerous.

If the shooter has a squib, hand cycles the action to remove the case, then chambers another round and continues to fire, BOOM.

Anytime you have a malfunction especially a squib, check the barrel for any signs of an obstruction and you will be fine.

It's not the squib that blows up the gun, it's the round after the squib that is dangerous.

[Alpo]

A squib is an intentionally underpowered load.

A 38 Target Wadcutter is a squib.
An Aquila Colibri is a squib.
"Cowboy" loads are squibs.
If you took a 308 and loaded it with a 150 grain cast lead bullet at 1100 fps, it would be a squib.

A bullet with no powder in it, that does not make it out of the barrel, is a dud.

For some reason, people, in the last few years, have started calling duds "squibs". They are wrong. There are many people using the term. They are ALL wrong.

So, whenever anyone tells you that a bullet getting stuck in the barrel is a squib, laugh in their face, because they are wrong.

When you have a bullet stuck in the barrel, and you fire another round, the new round goes charging up the barrel, pushing air in front of it. Since the barrel is plugged (and how it is plugged does not matter - whether it is a lost cleaning patch, or you stabbed the muzzle in the mud, or you have a stuck bullet) the air in front of the bullet cannot escape, so it starts to compress.

As it compresses, the pressure gets higher. One of three things is going to happen.

The increased air pressure blows the plug loose, without damaging your gun. This is the best of the three. You Lucked Out.

The pressure gets so high that the barrel expands, and then the plug gets blown loose. This results in a "bulged barrel". Sometimes the damage is very slight, and you cannot see it from the outside, but you inspect the rifling, you can see a circle in the rifling where the barrel started to stretch. This is called a "ringed barrel". Other times the damage is great enough that you can see and feel the damage from the outside. Your gun is not dangerous now, but because of the bulge it may no longer be accurate.

The third possibility is that before the air pressure blows the plug loose, the barrel wall ruptures. This is a "burst barrel".

[312shooter]

Wow great post Alpo! that is really good info, didnt think anything of using the squib term all these years incorrectly.

[steve4102]

For some reason, people, in the last few years, have started calling duds "squibs". They are wrong. There are many people using the term. They are ALL wrong.

So, whenever anyone tells you that a bullet getting stuck in the barrel is a squib, laugh in their face, because they are wrong.

2muchfreetime, semantics aside, a squib or a dud, the end result is the same. If you encounter one you will not blow up your pistol unless you chamber and fire another round over the top. The pistol will not cycle on it's own, it's up to you to cycle it by hand and cause the KBOOM , not the "Squib".

Then if you decide to "laugh in the face" of a fellow handloader or shooter because they used the term "squib" instead of Alpo's choice "dud", you may find yourself in a different sort of bad situation. Best to forget the semantics and focus on the issue at hand.

[gdmoody]

Alpo has posted this information at least one time before that I have read. It is great information BUT I will still call it a squib load, no matter if I'm right or wrong. When the word squib is used, we all know what is meant by it.

[mb1]

Everybody Ive ever known uses the term "dud" for a round that doesnt fire at all, whether its a cartridge or a firecracker, and "squib"for a load without gunpowder. Now for a history lesson. A "squib" is the ignitor that was used to fire a cannon in the old days, made of a thin tube, filled with gunpowder and sealed on the ends with wax. When a cannon was fired without gunpowder or without enough (probably because someone wasnt paying attention) using only the squib the projectile wouldnt fire out of the barrel, it was referred to as a "squib" load. Hmmm, sounds familiar, now what does that remind you of?

[Alpo]

People say I am too hung up on "semantics". But there are many people out there, that when they want to cast some bullets, they "smelt" the lead. And once it is "smelted", they cast some "bullet heads".

Both terms are wrong, and when folks use 'em around me I will correct 'em. Just like when they say squib, when they mean dud.

[76Highboy]

Originally Posted by Alpo

People say I am too hung up on "semantics". But there are many people out there, that when they want to cast some bullets, they "smelt" the lead. And once it is "smelted", they cast some "bullet heads".

Both terms are wrong, and when folks use 'em around me I will correct 'em. Just like when they say squib, when they mean dud.

I agree Alpo. Now I need to go load the clip of my Springfield XD45.

[mb1]

Originally Posted by Alpo

People say I am too hung up on "semantics". But there are many people out there, that when they want to cast some bullets, they "smelt" the lead. And once it is "smelted", they cast some "bullet heads".

Both terms are wrong, and when folks use 'em around me I will correct 'em. Just like when they say squib, when they mean dud.

So why do you think your right and everyone else is wrong? The Military refers to a round that doesnt clear the barrel as a squib. My fathers dictionary from the 1940's refers to that as one of the definitions of a squib(so its definately not just in the last few years). Most of the industry refers to it as a squib. So everyone else is wrong but youre right, because you say so? Where does your definition come from?

For what its worth smelting is a step in casting bullets. Many people use used lead. Fluxing the impurities out is a step in the smelting process(Roasting and Reduction are others). While most of the steps in the smelting process have already been done, removing impurities using flux is absolutely considered smelting.

[steve4102]

So if a round with no powder when fired ignites the primer and sticks the bullet in the barrel is a "Dud". What is a round called that fails to ignite the primer and just goes "Click"?

[cycloneman]

Originally Posted by steve4102

So if a round with no powder when fired ignites the primer and sticks the bullet in the barrel is a "Dud". What is a round called that fails to ignite the primer and just goes "Click"?

PD

Primer disfunction

[carver]

Originally Posted by 2muchfreetime

I am new to forum and new to reloading.So far all is great.I have loaded 9mm 40s&w 357 mag 380 auto with good results.This question came up between my friends and I the other day.What if you were rapid firing and one round had no powder.A squibb I believe it is called.My friend says the gun would blow up.True or false.

With a semi-auto pistol you will stop firing as soon as the bullet with no powder is fired. No powder, no cycle of the slide! There will be a definite difference in sound also. You will know when it happens. A revolver on the other hand can be fired fast enough that a round can be fired into the barrel on top of a stuck bullet! You will hear the difference when it happens, but if you are going really fast, you might not have time to stop form firing the next bullet.

[Appliancedude]

In short. If you have a bullet stuck in your barrel and shoot another one?


BOOM

[soundguy]

could a dud not also indicate no primer fire off.. or a primer fire off that fialed to ignite the powder charge?

and since 'squib' seems to refer to an 'underpowered' load.. then a load with no powder, and just the primer to kick the bullet out of the case and into the rifleing.. seems to fit the 'book' definition of a squib. as it was 'underpowered due to lack of a propellant charge.. no?

[Alpo]

A squib is an INTENTIONALLY underpowered load. If you forgot to put powder in it, that does not make it INTENTIONALLY underpowered.

A squib can be a dud. If you intentionally put a very little amount of powder in the case, and thus did not make the round powerful enough to get out the barrel, it is a dud, even though it is also a squib. That does not, however, make all duds squibs.

And as for "the military calls it" - the military says you piss in the latrine or the head. You eat in a mess. You sleep in a rack. You wear a cover on your head, and when you police the area you wear either fatigues or utilities. Me, I piss in the bathroom, eat in the dining room, sleep in a bed, and wear a hat on my head, and when I pick up trash in the yard I wear jeans and a tee shirt. What the military calls it means absolutely nothing.

[BlackEagle]

2muchfreetime, welcome to the forum.

It sounds like you got the answer to your question. The people here are great sources of help; there is a wealth of info and experience here.

We enjoy helping others out and learning ourselves. Sometimes there can be lively discussion, but it's all in good spirit, and people enjoy kidding each other.

Ask all the questions you want...the only dumb question here is the one not asked.

[soundguy]

Originally Posted by Alpo

A squib is an INTENTIONALLY underpowered load. If you forgot to put powder in it, that does not make it INTENTIONALLY underpowered..

Um.. you answered a question different than i asked.

You assume a 'forget to put powder in'

if one intentionally did not put powder in.. would it still not be a squib.

as long as the primer fires.. it would not be a dud, it seems?

[Alpo]

Well, yes, if one intentionally did not put powder in, hoping that "primer power" alone would drive the bullet, then it would be a squib. Then if it got stuck in the barrel it would also be a dud.

[Alpo]

I answered a question different from what you asked because I presumed you were talking about a reloading error -leaving out the powder.

[mikld]

Originally Posted by steve4102

So if a round with no powder when fired ignites the primer and sticks the bullet in the barrel is a "Dud". What is a round called that fails to ignite the primer and just goes "Click"?

Called an OOPS!

And my day is so much better now that I've had my semantics lesson

SQUIB;
A small firecracker that does not explode, or a broken firecracker.
A short humorous or satric writing or speech.
A non-magical person who is born to at least one magical parent.
An electric match is a small explosive device which is used in pyrotechnics and display.
A "squib" load is defined as one which has insufficient power to propel a bullet through the barrel of a gun.

But no mention of a "low powered load for target shooting"...

[soundguy]

well there are soo many options to think about.

i know cd and bb caps are not apples to apples here.. but I have also seen 'wad' guns that use primers in cartridges with a wad only.. simplar to a blank setup.. etc..

[ryan42]

Originally Posted by Alpo

A squib is an INTENTIONALLY underpowered load. If you forgot to put powder in it, that does not make it INTENTIONALLY underpowered.

A squib can be a dud. If you intentionally put a very little amount of powder in the case, and thus did not make the round powerful enough to get out the barrel, it is a dud, even though it is also a squib. That does not, however, make all duds squibs.

And as for "the military calls it" - the military says you piss in the latrine or the head. You eat in a mess. You sleep in a rack. You wear a cover on your head, and when you police the area you wear either fatigues or utilities. Me, I piss in the bathroom, eat in the dining room, sleep in a bed, and wear a hat on my head, and when I pick up trash in the yard I wear jeans and a tee shirt. What the military calls it means absolutely nothing.

Thats pretty good Alpo I like how you think.