Sqib loads revolver vs semi

[turtlezx]

This is my UNFOUNDED THEORY looking to see what others feel about the following

A semi auto pistol is safer when it comes to squib loads
Reason being if there isnt enough power to send the boolit out the barrel the gun won"t cycle
When running the semi fast you cant send another boolit down the barrel and KABOOMING

with a revolver it doesnt care if theres 1 stuck 1/2 way down the pipe you pull the trigger
and the fun is over

With slow fire prpbably not a problem with eighter 1
Iam talking FAST fire were the trigger is running faster the your wee little brain can say
stop theres a problem followed by OOOOOOOOOOHH NO too late

[M-Tecs]

I see far more damaged semiauto rifles and pistols from squibs than I have seen with others types. People still rack the action try to continue with semiauto's.

[Yissnakk]

I had a squib once that did, in fact, cycle the action. It was a compact (3.5" barrel) and I believe that there was a possible powder position issue (using red dot and a very light charge) but it did cycle the action and eject the sent cartridge. It produced noticeably less recoil, though, and there was no new hole in the target...

[stubshaft]

In either case you might get barrel damage with a squib load. The difference is that the revolver has a form of pressure release in the B/C gap as opposed to the Semi being in a closed loop. Not to mention that the barrel of a revolver is more stout that a semi.

[RogerDat]

I have no idea or examples but it seems to me that a slide would be more likely to become a reward traveling projectile than a revolver hammer or cylinder. Assuming that second shot was fired after the squib. The slide is designed to travel back from the force of the bullet firing and if that force be increased would it overcome the catch that limits rearward travel?

I have seen a hand that took an exploding handgun and while nasty and certainly a bad injury I would think a slide to the head might be worse. Especially if the hand took some blast in addition to that slide coming back.

[Mytmousemalibu]

I honestly don't think there is any one action design that is "safer" concerning squibs. I have witnessed squibs kick empty brass out of a semi with a bullet lodged in the barrel. This is a topic of big concern with me as a USPSA Range Officer. It is my job to immediately stop the shooter on the course should a squib possibly occur. Its mostly an auditory alert that one has occurred as they sound markedly different most of the time. Between the acting RO and the scorekeeper, both of us should be watching the shooter for a multitude of things. We try to watch for bullet impact as a visual marker too. That said, even under the speed of competition, even with an RO immediately intervening and stopping the competitor, most know instantly something is awry. It is always a concern. There are several of us in my local club that are capable of some ridiculous split times between shots, myself especially. One more reason I use an RCBS lockout die in all my progressively loaded ammo. Got to have your brain fully in gear for safety sake whether at the bench or the range.

Just a few weeks ago one of our Open Division guys blew up his 2011 pretty good. Luckily no injuries except being peppered with burning powder or particicals. We don't actually know what happened, it wasn't a squib but it split the barrel almost perfectly vertically in half from breech to muzzle. This gun has a cone-bushing compensator that the barrel split down into a ways. Crazy it split one of the thickest areas too, right through the middle of the feed ramp which is a Clark/Para style. It bulged the slide good, deformed the frame rails, bent guide rod, spit the magazine out too. Trashed the gun but its going to be warranted by SPS. My guess the root cause started at the loading bench.

You've just flat got to be careful. The gun you're about to shoot can just as easily be a grenade if you are careless.

[dverna]

Not sure it matters much as I select the gun for the intended use. So I have both types. I use a 1050 to load the bulk of my pistol ammo....soon to be all. I added a powder check die.

[contender1]

I understand your thoughts on the theory of a semi not cycling after a squib.

However,, I recall seeing a full auto,, Ingram 9mm sub machine gun that had several bullets stacked in it before it "blew."
I have also seen a few other semi's that have fired a squib,, and fully cycled another round. And sadly,, I've seen a few semi-auto handguns blown up due to squibs.

I have also seen revolvers blown up. More commonly due to detonation in the chambers.

But I too shoot USPSA,, and have been a RO for many years. As noted above,, we have to watch each shooter closely & try to QUICKLY catch them if we feel a squib has been fired. Not always easy,,,,!

But,, I do not feel either type of handgun is better or worse when a squib is concerned.

[turtlezx]

though being a weak charge semi wouldnt cycle ?? thats not the case unfortunately

thanx for the info to the above posts

[Honcho]

One more reason I scale weigh every charge, in my handloads, aside from being retired and having the time to do it! I've had squib loads occur with factory ammo, and had my share of "duds", which usually go after a second whack-- Everyone that I have trained, in over 60 years, I have always stressed to keep the firearm facing down range, and to hold it there, for at least a minute. In all those years I've never seen, nor experienced a "hangfire", but better to be safe, than sorry!

[Bigslug]

Having "disposed" of a lot of folk's old ammo of uncertain assembly, I think the bad ammo possibility that scares me most is that of a hang fire in a revolver that doesn't go off until trying for the next shot.

The potentially hairy thing about squibs is that a lot of combat training makes getting the gun running again Priority #1, which means tap and rack the autos or take the next shot with the wheelgun without spending any time thinking about why the thing went "CLICK!" instead of "BANG!". Given that the guns are proofed with stuff a lot hotter than you should shoot, there's a good chance the gun won't come unglued, the bore will get cleared - and likely bulged - and the gun will continue to function to some degree. Not a great outcome, but if the alternative is another man's bullet killing you, it's a fair tradeoff.

As to which of the two is safer when that happens, that's going to depend a bit on hotness of the ammo and what the launch platform is. A squib with .357's in an old S&W 19 is a good candidate for grenadehood; a GP-100, considerably less so.

[ShooterAZ]

I know a guy who lodged five jacketed bullets in his 6" S&W 686 (wimp loads). He took the gun to a local gunsmith who then bent the frame of the revolver trying to remove the barrel. He ended up getting a brand new gun over the deal. I didn't see the gun after he lodged all those bullets, but the owner said there was no apparent damage to the gun. Unbelievable.

[scattershot]

I would tend to agree. Although as pointed out above, a squib might cycle the action, the chances of that happening would have to be infinitesimal.

[Mytmousemalibu]

Most of the semi autos I have seen that suffered a squib and were fired again normally bulge the barrel. That is likely to take the gun out of action since it swells the barrel enough the slide can no longer reciprocate. The 2011 I mentioned above was completely locked up after it took out the barrel. The gun had to beaten apart with pretty swift blows to get the slide back/off.

[bigboredad]

I shoot pin shoots where the pins are on the back of the table so it doesn't take a lot to knock the pin off. Because of this some guys load their semis ridiculously light and every year someone in the interest of speed will get s bullet stuck in then barrel and the gun will cycle then they fire a second and in 1case a third that bulges the barrel enough to stop the slide from from cycling. After seeing this a multiple occasions I shoot rather warm loads so if I get a squib it is easily noticed by the reduced recoil. Also it's enjoyable beating people with my loads compared to there flee fast loads

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[NoZombies]

I would tend to agree. Although as pointed out above, a squib might cycle the action, the chances of that happening would have to be infinitesimal.

Actually, a lot of semi's will cycle a squib. I've had a few that would cycle primer only loads.

[reddog81]

Actually, a lot of semi's will cycle a squib. I've had a few that would cycle primer only loads.

What kind of gun will cycle a primer only load?

[NoZombies]

What kind of gun will cycle a primer only load?

A marlin camp-9 with a factory spring was the most recent culprit