Squib removal rod?

[Miller]

New to reloading with about 1,500 rounds loaded so far. No squibs yet but I am sure it happens in the beginning so I thought maybe I should get a brass rod to toss in the range bag. Brownells sells an 8" x.3435" brass rod for $29.99.

I have a friend that works for a supply company. He couldn't find a 5/16" rod (.3135") but was able to get my a 1/4" rod. I am assuming this will work because people say they knock them out with brass cleaning rods.

I hope it will work fine because I've got a 1/4" x 3' rod coming my way.

Sorry if I missed this question answered somewhere. I didn't see it...

[labradigger1]

I have had 2 squibs in 20 years. Usually i use an old brass cleaning rod that i wrap with black tape to about bore diam.
be prepared to get the hammer out, the j-word 357 i stuck came out very hard and the 44 mag cast came right out. Check every few whacks to make sure you are not driving the rod "into" the boolet. It does not happen as often as you think.
lab

[mac60]

I've had it happen 3 times (twice in handguns and once in a rifle). All three times the projectile in question was just ahead of the chamber and easily removed with a piece of 1/4" steel rod. That squib rod from Brownell's sounds good - but $30.00 + shipping for a piece of brass rod 8" long? I'd imagine that I would have considered it a good investment if the boolit was half way down the bore.

[Miller]

The 1/4"x3' piece my friend ordered for my was $6.

I thought the $30 from Brownells was a bit excessive.

[osteodoc08]

I've had it happen only 2 times I can recall. Both loaded on a Dillon 550. Both in 41 Mag. Unknown tens of thousands sent down range. Both caught and no harm no foul. Last one was in a Marlin. Pulled trigger and nothing. Drew hammer back again and nothing. Went to eject and only a casing came out. Odd. I checked for a squib. Didn't want to look down barrel so dropped empty 22 casing down barrel. It didn't pass through, so I put it up for the day, came home and mocked out the boolit with a 20g cleaning rod.

[John Allen]

You could make one out of a brass rod and a round ball. you should be able to get both at Lowes or home Depot.

[bhn22]

You can find what you need at the local hardware store. No need to spend too much.

[blackthorn]

Check around for an industrial supply business and you should be able to buy any size(s) you need. Get your rods 6' long and you can cut 40" off to make a "slugging" rod long enough to slug military bores from the breech and use the rest to make short starter rods etc.

[44man]

Brass rod is cheap, don't use a cleaning rod. No need to wrap brass but use tape on a steel rod. Round off the edges where the rod was cut and get it close to bore size, don't use a thin rod or you will beat it into the bullet and expand it. Use a big enough hammer.
I carry a brass rod in my shooting bag, had a lot of fail to ignite with starting loads of 296 in the .454's. Funny to find all the powder in the bore behind a boolit. SR primers!!!!!!!!!!!
The worst rods to clean with are aluminum and jointed aluminum. The metal loads with dirt and dust. Hard steel, one piece rods are best but always use a muzzle protector or a chamber guide.

[parson48]

I use a steel rod wrapped in tape. Have slugged barrels with it and never had a problem.

[w5pv]

On the metal rods that are used in firearms bore use heat shrink tubing to cover the metal.

[TheCelt]

I have had one squib load. It was in a 45-70 and the Boolit (490 gr GC) got stuck halfway down a 26" barrel. I used a 3/8" wooden dowel and a small hammer to continue the Boolits trip down the bore. it worked well.

[LenH]

I have had 2 or 3 squibs in 30 years of reloading. Those were in .45 colt, I use a wooden dowel about 3/8 dia. as some said before it was just past the chamber,
and was easily pushed back into the cartridge. I put a 9mm brass over the end that I hit with a mallet. Works for me.

I had one in .45 AP during a Bullseye match during a slow fire match, the brass ejected and the guy next leaned in and told me I better check before I fired
the next shot. He said it didn't sound right. Sure enough the bullet was lodged about halfway down the barrel. Glad it wasn't during timed or rapid fire!

[robpete]

Amazon sells a 3/8" x 12" rod for $9.50 shipped.

[gnoahhh]

I'm curious when the definition of 'Squib' shifted in the vernacular of we shooters. For years, back in the day, a Squib load was a light cast bullet driven at very low velocity, used for close range or indoor practice. Now I see a lot of guys using it to describe a bullet stuck in a barrel. Just curious when the meaning changed. (Probably when an idiot gun writer used the term incorrectly and the rest of the world took it as gospel, but I'm just guessing.)

[lt250r_86]

Happend to me one time with a 40 cal. Used a wooden dowel and tapped it out with a soft hammer. Came right out.

[Jack Stanley]

The local welding supply store is your friend ................

Jack

[fecmech]

The local welding supply store is your friend .............
+1 Brazing rod
Actually the taped steel rod of almost bore dia. is best IMO. Wooden dowels are the worst!

[nekshot]

gnoahh thats funny. Squip loads to me for the last 50 years were loads that did not go bang as loud as expected or greatly reduced loads. If a bullet did not exit it was a bullet stuck in the barrel load.I still cannot get to using the term squip, I like mouse fart loads when talking of loads that are sticking in the barrel velocity and I have done my share of these.I'll go along with the current definition just to be social!

[David2011]

At one time my presses were temporarily in a workshop that was not particularly tight and had no climate control. I had June bugs (grub beetles) crawling into the brass in the case feeder. That caused a few poor ignitions before I discovered the cause. The decapping pin assembly was compressing the bugs into the bottom of the case, interfering with ignition but they were squashed so flat that the powder charge monitor didn't notice the difference in volume. The easy solution was to keep the case feeder covered. I only had to knock one or two boolits out because of this. I carry some repair tools in my range bag including a brass rod and small hammer just for such events. It's save the day for a lot of shooters at matches over the years.

David

[bedbugbilly]

If what you're looking for is a brass rod with a ball on the end - a muzzleloading "short starter" should work fine. Many are threaded on the end to attach a bore jag to for starting patched round ball loads and others have a concave end on the rod. The shaft diameter is determined by the caliber of rifle you are shooting. I have several in my shooting box for various calibers and that's what I'll go to for a squib if I ever end up with one. Normally the shaft on the short starter would be long enough for most barrels 6" or under - depends on the short starter - but by putting a brass jag on the end, you can extend it a little further.

Check on eBay for "short starter" or "bullet starter black powder", etc. - lot's of times there are uses ones on there that can be bought cheaply or check out a LGS and see what they have in their muzzleloading supplies. Some of the short starters I have were made up a number of years ago for me by a fellow - I have several in 5/16" for smaller calibers and several in 3/8" for larger - they have a larger diameter round brass T handle on them. I had mine made with a concave end and then threaded for a screw on cleaning jag. I have another with a nice sized ball handle. Something like that should do the trick.

[zuke]

I carry an M-14 sectioned cleaning rod when I go shootin.
If it doesn't come out in a couple tap's I bring it home, pour in oil behind the boolit/bullet let it sit for an hour then use a 1 piece cleaning steel rod wrapped in electrical tape to get it out.

[wallenba]

A brass rod is what you need, but I think that the time working on a solution to a problem that has not happened yet, is time better spent on preventing a squib from happening. I make mistakes all the time. How I deal with catching them has served me well. I use a check list placed prominently over my bench. I use a loading block for small batch loads, and check visually with a light into all charged cases. I use an RCBS lock out die on the one progressive press I use. Also, I don't allow myself to be distracted when reloading. No TV, or telephone at the same time, radio is ok.

I've had two squibs in 40 years, both on the same day, same gun, same loading session. I had set up my turret press with an RCBS little dandy and trusted myself to my own rythmn. I had company in the room and was engaged in conversation. I missed dropping two charges. First squib at the range, just failed to fire. Later, the second squib, the cast boolit, a 148 grain 38 wadcutter entered the forcing cone and stopped. End of shooting that day.

[mdi]

I'm curious when the definition of 'Squib' shifted in the vernacular of we shooters. For years, back in the day, a Squib load was a light cast bullet driven at very low velocity, used for close range or indoor practice. Now I see a lot of guys using it to describe a bullet stuck in a barrel. Just curious when the meaning changed. (Probably when an idiot gun writer used the term incorrectly and the rest of the world took it as gospel, but I'm just guessing.)
As far as I know the meaning changed over 30 years ago when I got a cartridge with very little or no powder in my revolver and the R.O. called it a "Squib"...

At one time I thought of going into business selling "Squib Rods". I can (and do) get 6', 1/4" to 3/8" brass rods for under $10.00 each and sell 6"-8" sections for $20.00+...

[Shiloh]

Delrin or brass rod available from many online metal suppliers.
https://www.onlinemetals.com/

Got mine locally.

Shiloh

[Mk42gunner]

I prefer a brass rod close to bore diameter, and not too much longer than the barrel (kind of depends on where the projectile got stuck).

As 44man said, use enough hammer. Two pounds is usually enough for even jacketed bullets.

I have been lucky, I cannot remember ever sticking one of my own handloads; but I do remember having an M-60D barrel brought into the armory that one of the visiting Helo Squadrons had been trying to get a squibbed bullet out of for a couple of hours with a 16 oz. hammer. One hefty tap with a two pound hammer (from my pick-up) got the bullet moving and then out of the barrel.

Robert

[pirkfan]

You can work harden a piece of copper ground wire (# 6 or #4 depending on gun bore) by putting one end in a vise, and chucking the other end in a drill. Slowly twist the wire with the drill until it forms a straight rod (it gets hot so have a care). This tempered copper is surprisingly hard. #6 is $0.89 a foot at the local big box home improvement store. A round birch knob is 0.99 at the same store

[Shooter6br]

Hardwood dowel works for me. No worries.

[fredj338]

Steel, brass or solid alum, Ace or TrueValue, cheap. A 5/16" covers all service calibers, 8"-10" long.

[rexherring]

I've always used a hardwood dowel close to bore diameter without problems so far.

[lt250r_86]

+1 Brazing rod
Actually the taped steel rod of almost bore dia. is best IMO. Wooden dowels are the worst!

If you don't like wooden dowels thats fine. Worked fine in my case, cast bullet. I would never put a steel rod in any barrel, taped or not!

[44man]

There is a difference between an empty case and one that has powder that fails to ignite but both stick boolits!
I had a strange one in the 45-70 using 4759---YEAH, 4759. I tried a heavier boolit so I cut the charge 1/2 gr to start, darn it, it failed to fire. Gun full of unburned powder, boolit in the bore. Had to increase the charge.
The problem is there are not many listed loads, starting to max, using 4759 for all weight boolits.
There is danger there waiting to happen! What if the powder HAD gone off after the boolit was up the bore?

[fecmech]

If you don't like wooden dowels thats fine. Worked fine in my case, cast bullet. I would never put a steel rod in any barrel, taped or not!
That's your call my friend but these may interest you.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?102629-Removing-Stuck-Wooden-Dowel-and-Soft-Lead-Sinker-from-a-barrel
http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=7&t=503701
http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121879
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-589138.html
http://www.handloadersbench.com/forum4/16992.html

[dondiego]

If you don't like wooden dowels thats fine. Worked fine in my case, cast bullet. I would never put a steel rod in any barrel, taped or not!

Do you use aluminum cleaning rods? All US military cleaning rods are steel. They work.

[Walter Laich]

I've got an aluminum rod that I use (or will use if I need to)

fecmech listed this link: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?102629-Removing-Stuck-Wooden-Dowel-and-Soft-Lead-Sinker-from-a-barrel

really worth reading if you plan to use a dowel. I have used them before I read this but stopping using wood after reading it--just my 2₵

[lt250r_86]

Do you use aluminum cleaning rods? All US military cleaning rods are steel. They work.

Yes I use aluminum cleaning rods, not steel though. Just won't use them. In my case, it was a Glock 23 Lone Wolf barrel. Round just needed to be tapped out.

I read all those links and they were all rifle squibs. Probably would use a brass rod for those. Thanks for the links.

[barrabruce]

I got one or two stuck in the bore from trying squib loads out.

I just filled the muzzle end with some ed's red. wrapped a tight fitting patch around the cleaning rod and pushed it home as far as I could.
A good wrap on the rod with hydraulic and maybe a bit of pneumatic pressure worked well fro me.

Of course you end up with oil and shi### in you action and over everything :) but worked for me.

Ohh I taped the rod in sections with some electrical tape I had in the ute just to be sure.

Anything wrong with this method???

Barra

[.22-10-45]

Indeed! The term squib was a completly different meaning in years past: A Snider squibbed in the Jungle...Somebody laughed and fled...And the men of the First Shikaris picked up their Subaltern dead...with a big blue hole in his forehead...and the back blown out of his head!
It's interesting that a Snider with it's 60gr. charge would be a squib...could it be that the Burmese in that long forgotten war had "invented" a subsonic "Whisper" load..to avoid detection?

[Mandoair]

I had one yesterday in a xdm 10m and came here for advice. Plated Barry 180 grain flat nose stuck just passed the chamber. I tried wood, I tried A pushrod from a Chevy 350, tried several other things that didn’t work, then I found a 6 1/2“ x 3/8” stainless steel rod flattened both ends gave it some camber and when I put it in the barrel to see if it fit the bullet fell out. All that to say now I have a rod in my bag and I’ll never need to use again. Perfect fit .374” smooth and .015” smaller than the bore‼️‼️

[Moleman-]

Reloaded for 30 years before ever needing one. Made one with a 5/16" brass rod from the farm store and a section of barrel blank drop to give it some weight. Had a batch of 500 9mm subsonic ammo where there was an occasional squib due to a spider web in the measure cavity. Added a powder alarm to keep it from happening again. The added weight of the 4" section of 1" barrel blank drop gave the rod enough weight to easily drive out 147gr jacketed bullets.

[rintinglen]

If you don't like wooden dowels thats fine. Worked fine in my case, cast bullet. I would never put a steel rod in any barrel, taped or not!

In my abortive gunsmithing foray I had a fellow bring me a model 60 Marlin with a stuck bullet and a splintered wooden dowel (heavily soaked in oil and swollen) jammed in the barrel. Removing that was a mother bear. First I had to fabricate a 3/16" brass circular "saw" to grind the dowel out, then soak the bullet with penetrating oil over night, (I swear by kroil brand), then use a steel rod to tap the bullet out into the chamber. (always drive the boolit back the way it came, unless it is handing out the barrel.) I charged him #35 dollars and he hollered, but I had over four hours shop time in the job which ought to have run him 80 dollars.

I would never recommend using a wooden dowel. Use a solid brass or steel rod with a wrapping of tape, and a bigger hammer.

[fredj338]

Go to the Ture Value & buy a piece of 1/4-5/16 dia brass threaded rod, pretty cheap.

[country gent]

I made my squib rod from 5/16 round stock working end s cupped and 12" long, the other end has a shoulder pinned and pressed on with a 1/12-2 pound slide hammer on it about 1 1/2" stroke. While Ive never needed it myself several club members have and its very good and easy to use. O ,ade it as I got tired of people borrowing my dewey rods and bending them

[barrabruce]

Sometimes I need to remove a bullet in the throat or a stuck case that my weak extractor won’t move.
I carry a piece of 6" long 1/4" brass tube filled with lead.
Went you let it go from the muzzle end it usually knocks things out.
A bit of a run up and it removes more stuck things pretty well.
I use it for breachseating as well.
I just drop a bullet in one of my guns and tap it gentle with the rod to firmly place it on/in the lands.
Most people think I’m luny anyway.
But if I went hunting I’d take it along with me.
Beats fencing wire anyday!
Ha

[Hanzy4200]

I have only had one instance. Personally, I don't think it's something that should be fixed in the field. Normally those suckers are going to be wedged in there pretty good. I keep a length of dowel in my bag for extracting stuck rounds. I have some barrels that are keen to get a loaded case wedged halfway into the chamber and not budge.

[KCSO]

A Brass bore size rod works best. I lightly cone the bullet end. I am still using one I made in 1972, I carry it in my range box and have loaned it out at the range many times.

[hawkeye1]

Definitely a brass rod. I keep one in my range box along with a small brass hammer along with an assortment of other tools that come in handy at the range.
I've only had a couple in the last 30 years, having a few tools on hand made the difference between continue shooting and going home. Plus I've helped a number of others along the way.

[No_1]

Everything I shoot is 9mm and larger so you will find a 12” long 5/16 aluminum rod in my range bag. I have only had to used it to remove a boolits after testing low pressure .38 special loads but will keep it in the bag for the future.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I've got a 1/4" aluminum rod that I wrapped some duct tape around to cushion it. Works fine.

[Wm Cook]

+1 parson48

Per Geargnasher’s “how to for poundcasting” Wrap the metal rod with a closely spiraled, single layer of electrician's tape to protect the bore, and build bore-diameter "bushings" for a reasonably snug, centering fit on the ends and middle of the rod if one layer of tape isn't sufficient to support the rod in the center of the bore. Good luck, Bill.

[pworley1]

I use a hardwood dowel.

[Alferd Packer]

BIB = bullet in bore

Squib load= Small quiet underpowered initialized bullet.

BIB is bullet stuck in bore.
Squib loads are shorter range than gallery loads for shooting a pest in a corner or ceiling or just shooting in a basement or tiny target range.Squib loads can kill close up. Used for many things, but they are not said to be a bullet stuck in a barrel.
Mixup said to be attributed to shooters who disdain the use of earplugs as not being manly.
"Only a girl scared of loud noises needs ear plugs!"
They also make fun of squib loads saying "What good are they?"
The Commandos shot sentry dogs with Squib loads because they could be effectively muffled by a silencer.Usually .32 caliber pistol shell wadcutter loaded down , but effective at close range.
The almost deaf shooters think BIB and Squib are the same thing and even misquoted the terms in writing some latest shooting manuals and being accepted as common term.
Many reloaders today always start loading with the MAX loads listed ,saying that is the factory load.
Then other reloaders read the text saying use the starting load and work up.
At least one loading book was put out that said that you must be careful or a squib load will blow your gun up by a bullet sticking in the barrel.
If it's in the book , it must be true.
Now I read more about shooting than actual shooting so I'm not concerned about the guy next to me shooting the planet wrecker loads in his Magnum maybe blowing shrapnel every direction and into me as well.
Over the years, I have seen magnum guns shot into loose pieces of junk through the use of max loads that while are meant for hunting and occasional use, they are shot as everyday practice loads and they soon take their toll .
Starting loads, midrange loads are closer to factory loads in power. Chronographing of factory loads can prove to you that factory loads are under powered from what they say in the catalogue.
Manufacturers are just careful to keep from getting sued for putting out loads that quickly wear out the firearms.
That's why reloads void the warranty.
Take note of that and use starting loads and no higher than midrange loads.You will have a more favorable experience.
And the dead game can't tell the difference.

[charlie b]

According to SAAMI:

SQUIB LOAD
A cartridge or shell which produces projectile velocity and sound substantially lower than normal. May result in projectile and/or wads remaining in the bore.

==================
Oxford Dictionary

squib
/skwib/

noun
1.
a small firework that burns with a hissing sound before exploding.
2.
a short piece of satirical writing.

[scattershot]

Go to Lowe’s and buy a dowel. .99 cents or so, and cut it to the length you need.

[LaPoint]

I made one from an old brass cleaning rod. I only had the one section of the cleaning rod so I chucked in the lathe and cut the threads off of it and then epoxied it to a large wooden ball. Unfortunately I've had to use it a few times. It works great.

[arlon]

No squibs but I'f slugged a 100 rifle and pistol bores with lead bullets. I just use a brass rod cut to fit from 3' lengths that are available in a rack at most any hardware and some hobby shops. Cheaper than the shipping cost for anything purchased online. WAY cheaper than something "made" for the purpose.

[David2011]

Earlier in the thread there was a suggestion that the welding shop was your friend. Be aware that brazing rod, which looks a lot like brass, is phosphor bronze and is much, much harder than brass. I would use the same protective precautions as for a steel rod.

Brass and aluminum are my preferences. I know some have been successful with wooden dowels but I would not attempt to use one. It’s not worth the risk.

[robg]

i have removed stuck boolits from 17 up to 45-70 all have been removed with the appropriate cleaning rod.more 17 than anything else .i admit i have had a few personally but most at the range as an RCO.

[Mytmousemalibu]

The squib rod in my range bag is just solid brass rod cut from a length of grounding rod from a hardware store. I have not personally had to use it but many a fellow competitor has, works great 👍

[kevin c]

…brazing rod, which looks a lot like brass, is phosphor bronze and is much, much harder than brass. I would use the same protective precautions as for a steel rod…

I thought the best bore brushes are made of phosphor bronze, or are there different alloys of different hardness all going by the same name?

For my club I recently got a quarter inch brass rod from Ace Hardware, long enough for PCC barrels. The last club squib rod got kinda beat up from a shooter who decided to knock out the slug the long way, from breech to muzzle, even though the bullet was just forward of the chamber.

[tazman]

I use a brass rod and a soft face hammer to remove stuck boolits. The brass rod deeds to be just small enough to go down the bore of whatever caliber you are shooting and at least 1-2 inches longer than the longest barrel you will be using.
It has worked well when I had such issues.

[David2011]

I thought the best bore brushes are made of phosphor bronze, or are there different alloys of different hardness all going by the same name?


You are correct. The difference is that bore brushes are made of fine wire; not heavy rods. For most of my life I thought brazing rod was brass. I needed some material to machine a “gold” front sight bead so I took a hacksaw to one. The blade just skidded because I wasn’t expecting to have to apply pressure. It was about like cutting tempered steel music wire and much tougher than mild steel. I was surprised to learn that the alloy was in the bronze family.

It made a nice gold bead.

[Mk42gunner]

For all the people proclaiming that a wooden dowel is all you need; they can work, until they don't. It is when the going gets tough that the wood gives up, usually with added problems.

I much prefer to avoid possible problems if I can. A few dollars for a brass or steel rod isn't going to cause anyone to have to eat ramen noodles for a month.

Robert

[AndyC]

I keep a 12" long 5/16" dia (about .31 cal) steel rod in my shooting bag.

[TNsailorman]

I don't load or shoot squib type loads, so I never had a problem of a stuck bullet. But if I did, I think bedbugbilly gave you a very good solution. james

[AndyC]

I don't think many do, on purpose. It's nice to be able to sort out someone else's stuck bullet, though.

[kevin c]

The only squibs I personally loaded were deliberate or anticipated.

The first was when I was starting out in Action Pistol. I wanted to know what a squib round sounded like so I could stop myself or a shooter I was RO’ing if it happened in a match. The second was a deliberate experiment on seeing the effects of heavy case lube contamination of the case interior. Also in the second category was the one time I ran the measure dry and wasn’t sure I’d seen every charge before seating the bullet. That batch of rounds got segregated for single shot use.

In all cases I fired single rounds into a close target where I could see the new bullet hole. No hole, or weak report or lack of cycling, I used the rod to check the barrel and/ or clear the lodged bullet.

I haven’t yet cut that three foot length of brass rod. Too long I think could bend. Too short I see folks cussing because they whacked their crowns with the hammer. Maybe three or four inches longer than the maximum barrel length plus chamber anticipated? Maybe widen the hammering end by cutting some threads and then welding on some nuts?

[BRatigan]

I use 5/16 inch bronze rod for my 32 win spl and 357 barrels. I think Mcmaster Carr was the source. They measure .313 inches and are true.

[CastingFool]

I keep a 12" long 5/16" dia (about .31 cal) steel rod in my shooting bag.

This is what I use, except my rod is brass. It's actually a valve stem out of a frostfree spicket.

[Alferd Packer]

Many years ago a squib rod was carried when a fellow was loading and testing squib loads for practice shooting.
A bib was a bullet stuck in the bore of course, but squib loads were purpose built for close range shooting and teaching new shooters and women and children how to shoot.
Many times loads that worked fine in hot summer were no good in cooler weather so you always carried a squib rod just in case.
It used to rankle the experienced shooters to hear a noobee call a bib a squib load, but anymore, you know the noobees never learned about the value of actual squib loads being used to teach new shooters.
Indeed, many of the latest gunwriters have never seen or heard of squib loads and their uses.
I was fortunate to learn from some oltimers when I was growing up. I was first born and my Dad was over thirty when I was born.
He was even a bit old for WW2 being 26 when he joined up.
He said most all the guys were 18 and 19 years old that fought that war, just like every war.
Squib loads were part of growing up and everyone at the range carried a squib rod with them for rifle or pistol and even the shotgun shooters who were always experimenting too.
Most old reloaders are old experimenters anyway I think .
Me, I still have my learners permit.

[Alferd Packer]

I use a piece of 1/4 rod with a .25 cal pistol case taped to the end for cal.30 rifles .A 3 foot piece usually.
A 12 inch piece same way is usually good for all pistol barrels.