Squibs

[meshugunner]

I've been getting some strange squibs with the cream puff loads that I make up for my j Frame.

These are .38Sp/105 SWC/ Bullseye 2.8gn/ Federal Small Pistol #100

In some cases the powder is failing to ignite. The primer detonates, I hear a hissing sound and when I open the cylinder I find the bullet wedged in the forcing cone with unburnt powder packed behind it. Exactly the sort of thing I get if I fail to put a powder charge in the round except for the unburnt powder.

I've used this batch of Bullseye in other loads w/o problems. The primers just arrived from Midway after a long drought.

I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks

[Sensai]

Sounds like the primer is forcing the boolit out before the powder ignites. Sometimes a stiff crimp will solve it and sometimes you have to open up the priming flash hole. If you do open up the flash hole be sure to mark the cases so that they are only used with light loads. Some folks also use dacron fluff as a filler to keep the powder against the flash hole. I don't like using fillers, just a personal thing. By the way, you're lucky to be able to "open the cylinder", I've had to beat the boolit back into the cylinder with a cleaning rod just to open the cylinder before. It ain't fun ! :|

[aspangler]

Could be powder contamination. The lube may have gotten to the powder charge. Wipe the lube off the base of the boolit and try again.

[williamwaco]

2.7 grains of bullseye is a time honored target load with the 148 grain wadcutter.

I do not think your powder charge is the problem.

I have seen the problem you describe but I never found out what caused it.

It would happen a few times in a batch then not in the next batch.

Since it was intermittent and unreproduceable, I suspect lube but I have zero evidence to back that up.

.

[meshugunner]

Thanks for the comments, guys. Hadn't thought of crimping tighter. That's easy to try. I have several hundred rounds of this load. I'll try running a box through the crimping die again. Re William's comment that this charge usually goes with a 158gn bullet and I am using a 105gn it seems plausible that it could be an issue of the lighter bullet taking off too soon.

The other ideas will have to wait until I load a new batch. Which won't be far off. Rapid fire training goes through ammo fast. Weather in NM is bone dry so I don't think the powder is damp. The lube is beeswax/paraffin. I've not had trouble with this batch of bullets till now and the box of rounds that showed a couple of squibs had been loaded only a couple of hours before. But I will pay attention to keeping the bullet base clean on the next lot I cast & lube.

I was thinking of increasing the charge. I would actually like a bit more recoil. These loads clock about 500fps. Like an air pistol. So it doesn't hurt to try that when I've shot this bunch. But if the powder is not igniting, I don't see how more would change things.

Perhaps I should switch to SP Magnum primers to ensure ignition? The charge is so light that I don't think overpressure would be an issue.

[meshugunner]

Ok, I ran a batch of 50 through the crimping die and crimped them tight. Just back from the range and no squibs! Last batch of 50 had 3. Could be I got lucky but this is promising. Makes it hard to pull bullets though.

Thanks again.

[btroj]

More neck tension could help. Ue a minimal flare to seat bullets without shaving. Crimp does less than neck tension in getting a good burn.

[williamwaco]

Thanks for the comments, guys. Hadn't thought of crimping tighter. That's easy to try. I have several hundred rounds of this load. I'll try running a box through the crimping die again. Re William's comment that this charge usually goes with a 158gn bullet and I am using a 105gn it seems plausible that it could be an issue of the lighter bullet taking off too soon.

The other ideas will have to wait until I load a new batch. Which won't be far off. Rapid fire training goes through ammo fast. Weather in NM is bone dry so I don't think the powder is damp. The lube is beeswax/paraffin. I've not had trouble with this batch of bullets till now and the box of rounds that showed a couple of squibs had been loaded only a couple of hours before. But I will pay attention to keeping the bullet base clean on the next lot I cast & lube.

I was thinking of increasing the charge. I would actually like a bit more recoil. These loads clock about 500fps. Like an air pistol. So it doesn't hurt to try that when I've shot this bunch. But if the powder is not igniting, I don't see how more would change things.

Perhaps I should switch to SP Magnum primers to ensure ignition? The charge is so light that I don't think overpressure would be an issue.

PLEASE!

Do not use this ammo in rapid fire!

We need all the members we can get and don't want to loose any hands or eyes.

[BD]

You're 1/2 grain light on powder, or 40 grains light on boolit, however you want to look at it. In any event your riding the very bottom edge of the pressure level needed to get the powder to burn at all, much less efficiently. Any little thing, (like not quite enough crimp, or a cold day), could be enough to cause a squib. 2.8 grains is a time honored load for the 148 grain wad cutter. The 105 grain SWC is significantly lighter, and seats out significantly farther, (more volume at ignition = less pressure). IMHO a more appropriate load for that boolit would be closer to 3.3 grains of Bullseye. FYI, 500 fps has long been considered the "rule of thumb" for sticking a bullet in the barrel. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. What you have here is a load for carefully shooting rats in the basement without waking your wife. Not at all anything safe for rapid fire training, or target practice.
BD

[shoot-n-lead]

You're 1/2 grain light on powder, or 40 grains light on boolit, however you want to look at it. In any event your riding the very bottom edge of the pressure level needed to get the powder to burn at all, much less efficiently. Any little thing, (like not quite enough crimp, or a cold day), could be enough to cause a squib. 2.8 grains is a time honored load for the 148 grain wad cutter. The 105 grain SWC is significantly lighter, and seats out significantly farther, (more volume at ignition = less pressure). IMHO a more appropriate load for that boolit would be closer to 3.3 grains of Bullseye. FYI, 500 fps has long been considered the "rule of thumb" for sticking a bullet in the barrel. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. What you have here is a load for carefully shooting rats in the basement without waking your wife. Not at all anything safe for rapid fire training, or target practice.
BD

Bingo...

[flintlock62]

Does the powder have an acrid smell to it? If it does, it's no good to use. What do you use to measure your powder?

[w30wcf]

Historically speaking, here is a box of the earliest .38 Special mid range loading. Note the lighter 115 gr. bullet. 2.3 grs. of Bullseye was the powder charge.

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o25/w30wcf/Vintage%20cartridge%20boxes/38SpecialMidRangejpg.jpg

Replication handloads with no crimp averaged 634 f.p.s. from my 6" Security Six revolver. If I raised the muzzle prior to firing to put the powder back against the primer - 704 f.p.s. average. I will say that I fired only about 20 rounds but all went off aok.
Primers were 1 1/2 Remingtons.

w30wcf