Shoot out squib

[blackthorn]

In the thread titled "Barrel life expectancy?" TXGunNut stated:

My old PPC gun (S&W 586) had a few thousand rounds thru the original barrel and maybe 10K through the first Douglas barrel before I ringed it by chasing a squib out with a round that had powder in it. Best I can figure the third and current barrel fired somewhere in the neighborhood of 200K rounds of PPC target loads (mostly swaged wadcutters) during nearly 20 years of fairly serious competition and practice before I retired from competing awhile back. I suspect it will still hold the 10 ring on a B27 target easily at fifty yards.....just wish I could.

I would like to know exactly the procedure followed that resulted in a ringed barrel. This method of squib removal interests me as I have read of people doing this successfully, with no damage to the firearm. This raises the question as to just what might be safe (if anything) to do. I started this new thread as I did not want to hi-jack the original.

Thanks.

[454PB]

Many years ago I had an "incident" with my Ruger SBH .44 magnum. I was hunting Elk, had a squib without realizing it (young. excited, and dumb). This left a 250 grain cast boolit stuck in the barrel. I fired another round, and immediately knew what had happened. Surprisingly, the gun was undamaged. In fact I owned it for another 15 years and fired about 10K rounds through it.

There is no way I would ever attempt clearing a squib by firing intentionally. Did I mention I'm a Ruger fan?

[poppy42]

First off I’d like to say that I have never done this and probably never will. And I have no information on the subject of the ringed barrel. As to shooting out a squib, there is a video out there and I believe it’s called shooting out of square that I have seen . Basically the process consists of making a load with a primer and a wax plug. Filling the battle with water loading around and shooting it out the hydraulic pressure on the water forces the squib load out the muzzle of the barrel . The gentleman in the video did this with various weapons of various calibers . As I said in the beginning of my post I have not done this and do not necessarily recommend although it does seem feasible . In my years of shooting I have experienced very few Squib rounds. fortunately for they do happen . The ones I have experience I’ve had to do nothing more then push the round out with the cleaning rod or some other rod that fits in the bore. You can make your own decisions about the safety of shooting out a squib load. I know this is very specific but I hope it helps you in your search for the process.

[farmerjim]

I can't find it with search, but what they did was to fill the barrel behind the bullet with water then chamber a round and shoot it out. water is not compressible and will not be seen as an obstruction. I don't remember the powder charges used.

[afish4570]

In the thread titled "Barrel afishlife expectancy?" TXGunNut stated:
I carry a brass rod in my shooting bag. This plus a small tack hammer is used to drive the stuck bullet out by inserting rod into muzzle end of barrel and driving out the bullet. They can take a substancial whack. Never use a steel rod or wood dowel. Probably aluminum is ok as it is softer than the barrel....mine is brass rod......I ringed a barrel shooting a stuck bullet out caused by no powder in a night fire training excercise. In the excitment I sidnot hear the primer only discharge, racked another round into chamber and shot. I then knew something bad had happened. afish4570


My old PPC gun (S&W 586) had a few thousand rounds thru the original barrel and maybe 10K through the first Douglas barrel before I ringed it by chasing a squib out with a round that had powder in it. Best I can figure the third and current barrel fired somewhere in the neighborhood of 200K rounds of PPC target loads (mostly swaged wadcutters) during nearly 20 years of fairly serious competition and practice before I retired from competing awhile back. I suspect it will still hold the 10 ring on a B27 target easily at fifty yards.....just wish I could.

I would like to know exactly the procedure followed that resulted in a ringed barrel. This method of squib removal interests me as I have read of people doing this successfully, with no damage to the firearm. This raises the question as to just what might be safe (if anything) to do. I started this new thread as I did not want to hi-jack the original.

Thanks.

I always use a brass rod which is carried in my shooting bag. Drive from muzzle to breech tapping rod with hammer. Sometimes they are really stuckin there. My rod has helped alot of other shooters over the years. Never use a steel or wood dowel. Never had one stuck in a rifle. Had two bad experiences one shooting one out (unknowingly in a night fire exercise). Barrell looked ok with no visible damage but kept throwing a wild shot every two or 3 rds. Replaced the barrel and all was well. aish4570

[fredj338]

Yeah shooting out a squib, not a really good idea. You might get away with it in a low pressure rd like target 148grwc in 38sp, but try it with a high pressure rd like the 9mm, 40, not gonna be a good day. A brass or steel squib rod is your best bet. I wrap either with tape for a bit of extra muzzle protection.

[Texas by God]

Did it by accident. Lee 105swc/ 9mm luger. Bulged the barrel. Don't do it! Luckily i found a complete barrel/slide on eeby for $100- back in buisness. Oh yeah- Ruger P95.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[farmerjim]

I just found the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SiW1Tk0XV8

[scattershot]

I found out the hard way, when I was much younger.Don’t do it. I bulged the barrel of a Colt Official Police by shooting out a .38 special squib.

[StratsMan]

Question for the OP writer...

Are you asking what caused the barrel ring??? As in pressure curves etc??? Seems everyone is just giving opinions about clearing a squib, but the quote in the OP doesn't sound like a squib to me (which I think of as a primer-only, no powder load)... That quote sounds like a too-lite charge that resulted in a boolit stuck mid-barrel... Much harder to extricate than a primer-only boolit stuck in the forcing cone.

Hence the reason folks use another charged case instead of a dowel or rod. I haven't tried water in a revolver yet, but I have used it with success in an auto... I agree that another full-caliber boolit is a bad idea to move one that's stuck mid-barrel, so I made up a real lite load with a wad to hold the powder against the primer for my snub nose 38 Special. Then I cut a half inch long piece of quarter inch oak dowel and dropped it in the case... Chambered it and fired. Not much report, but there was enough impulse from that sub-caliber dowel to push the stuck boolit out the barrel. And no ring....

[Tatume]

I carry a brass rod in my shooting bag. This plus a small tack hammer is used to drive the stuck bullet out by inserting rod into muzzle end of barrel and driving out the bullet.

Soft taps with a heavy hammer are more effective and less likely to damage the barrel than strikes with a small hammer. While the momentum can be approximately the same, to achieve that momentum with a small hammer requires more velocity. The increased velocity is more likely to upset the bullet (making it tighter) than low velocity taps with a heavier hammer.

Also, the rod should be fairly close to the bore diameter. Using a rod too small can also upset the bullet, and make it tighter. Recently I read of someone who used a 1/4" rod to drive out a stuck chamber cast in a Trap Door Springfield. The casting became almost hopelessly stuck.

[gwpercle]

Oh Yeah....If the "experts" do it on you tube then it must be real and true ...it will work with no problems !
Sheldon Cooper would say " That's Sarcasm right ? "
Yes Sheldon , that's Sarcasm !

[john.k]

I had a squib in a 44,the case seemed to have white wax in it.....I assume bullet lube buildup in the seating die had fallen into the case.....anyway,the powder didnt fire,just like it was oilsoaked......The cast bullet was nearly at the muzzle,and pushed out easily with no resistance.

[Walter Laich]

rod and hammer is my method--much cheaper than new barrel and we're not even to the safety aspect of it yet

[gregtu]

Oh Yeah....If the "experts" do it on you tube then it must be real and true ...it will work with no problems !
Sheldon Cooper would say " That's Sarcasm right ? "
Yes Sheldon , that's Sarcasm !

The you tube video wasn't what I was expecting. It looks like he just purposely barely put the bullet in, and they were jacketed. If I get a squib (crossing my fingers not to), I would expect my larger than bore cast boolit to be sealed enough to even prevent the water from comming through. In the video, the water clearly seems to go around the bullet and out the end of the barrel. I don't know that my circumstances will fit his. I'm not saying it won't work. Rather than carrying a jug of water, a baster to put the water in, and a special load with 1-2 grains and wax, I think I will just keep the rod and hammer with me.

[15meter]

Get a copy of Hatcher's Notebook, he has an entire chapter on the Army's tests with bore obstructions. You probably will decide against shooting out something stuck in the barrel.

If you do, I'll hold your beer for you from behind NOT the nearest big tree.

[blackthorn]

The reason for the question requesting info on just how TXGunNut proceeded was because a long time ago I read about someone who apparently removed a stuck bullet using cases with progressively stronger charges of powder-only. In real life I have had only one stuck bullet (no powder in the case) and I removed it using a rod and hammer. Fortunately for me in that instance the bullet came out quite easily.

[mdi]

The way I read the story in the OP was a shooter damaged (bulged, "ringed") a barrel because he followed a squib with another round, which seems would be pretty easy when shooting quickly during a competition. Because he was using wadcutters with probably a light load, the barrel didn't explode, but bulged when the new bullet was fired into the stoppage.

I would never attempt to remove a squib/bullet from a barrel by firing another round not even if it was a blank, it's just very easy to tap a stuck bullet out, just like slugging a barrel. That reminds me of the guy that attempted to clear the snow/mud out of the muzzle of his deer gun by shooting it out...

[trapper9260]

I had a squid in my 22 single six on the trap line and did not know it until after the 2nd round I shot, lucky there was no problem to the gun.Rugers I know hold up good. but I did not want to do it again so now I got a rod I keep in the Ranger I use on the trap line to take care of it if it happened and I catch it before the 2nd shot.

[Larry Gibson]

Over the years developing minimal cast bullet loads and other testing I have had numerous cast bullets stuck in the bore. I routinely carry small primers along with containers of Bullseye and Unique powders and dippers throwing varying small charges in my range kit along with simple depriming and repriming tools. I have "shot out" many cast bullets that were still lodged in the bore. There has never been any damage done to the barrels or firearms.

The trick is to use a small enough powder charge of the fast burning, easily ignitable powder to just shoot the bullet out. No wad or filler ....absolutely nothing..... is used to hold the powder in the case. Of course the muzzle must be elevated slightly when loading such a charged case with powder only. The barrel then can be slowly leveled down range before firing. What is created is just a larger case is all. With no wad, filler or anything to cause any "ringing".

That method is safe and is the one recommend by Whelen in his book.

To use any loaded cartridge with a bullet, wad, filler or anything in the case other than the powder is highly NOT recommended and is just asking for damage to the firearm and/or the shooter.

I have on a few occasions done the same with lodged jacketed bullets but prefer to use an appropriate rod to knock those out.