OOPs Squib

[dtknowles]

I happened to me today. Must have seated a bullet in an empty case for my Ruger #3 in .22 Hornet. I have been loading a bunch of this ammo without weighing the charges just dropping them and I was checking each batch by looking in the mouth of the case to check for double charges but missed something. I could tell right off the shot sounded odd. The barrel was blocked. I set the gun aside to deal with when I got home and finished the rest of my planned shooting. Thinking about packing up it occurred to me that I could pull the bullet out of one of the remaining rounds and shoot the bullet out. It is a really mild load of Green Dot and the bullet is a 45 gr. plain base LRN-FP. I actually think I have read about people doing this and maybe even a thread with some saying no and some saying yes. I believe that there might be times where it would be a bad idea. This time I talked myself into it. Pulled the bullet, chambered the round with the barrel angled up. Sighted on a clay pigeon on the 100 yard berm. squeezed the trigger and bang and the clay shattered. Now I don't have to push the bullet out the barrel with a rod and I can shoot some more of these rounds which were making me so happy. About 1500 fps, groups running between 1.25 and 1.5 MOA but I shoot as many at clay pigeons as I do at paper.

I need to check, I think these things are still supersonic at 100 yards. If not I will need to increase the loading.

Tim

[454PB]

I'm glad it worked for you, but it's nothing I want to try.

[BK7saum]

If it was just a primer with no powder then the boolit was probably just in the throat of the chamber. In this case it would be about the same as breech seating boolits.
I wouldn't attempt it if the boolit was further down the barrel.

[dverna]

dt,

You can avoid the problem by seating the bullet immediately after charging the case with powder. NEVER let the case leave your hand once the powder is charged. Seat the bullet immediately. There is no way you can double charge or miss a case using this method and it is likely a bit faster than how you are doing it now.

It also eliminates the need for a loading block - unless you need one to count how many you have loaded.

Don Verna

[GOPHER SLAYER]

AMEN TO THAT DON. That is the only way I have ever reloaded any ammo. Over the years of buying gun or reloading collections I have accumulated several reloading blocks. They remain unused here.

[JSnover]

Years ago I did the same thing (twice) with some ultralight/defective loads in a 6 inch .357. I popped them out as nice as you could ever hope, all it took was an empty case and a magnum primer. Sure beats the heck outta beating them out...

[tazman]

If it was just a primer with no powder then the boolit was probably just in the throat of the chamber. In this case it would be about the same as breech seating boolits.
I wouldn't attempt it if the boolit was further down the barrel.

Plus one on this opinion.

[Foto Joe]

I had my first squib in 30+ years a few weeks ago as well. 44-40 won't go far with just a large pistol primer. Well far enough to end the day for that particular SAA. Can the boolit be shot out, apparently it can but....

Is it worth your hand, eyes, LIFE or gun to find out that trying to disprove Darwins theory was a bad idea?? I prefer to leave the job of being the crash test dummy to the crash test dummy.

[Sweetpea]

I had some sqibs last weekend, my first.

Turns out, the powder measure on my new Dillon needed some adjustment...

But I'm going to mount a light on the press so that I can inspect every charge.

Brandon

[youngda9]

I neck size, seat primer, bell the mouth of my brass, and then set it in to the loading block. I do this repeatedly until the loading block is full...holds 28 rounds IIRC. I then fill each case with powder by passing the full loading block under the measure. I then visually then look into all of the cases to make sure they are all filled to a uniform level. Then I remove the rod that makes my press rotate and I seat the boolits into all of the rounds in the block. This process is repeated until all of my rounds are reloaded.

I tried the method of doing the brass priming/sizing steps, removing the brass from the press to put under the powder measure, and then putting the brass back into the press for bullet seating...but occasionally I would forget powder or question weather I added powder or not remember if I checked the powder level before seating the boolit. I then would be shaking rounds to see if I could hear the powder. Seemed like too much going on at one time. So I simplified it by breaking the reloading process into three steps (sizing/priming, powder, boolit)...works for me.

Different strokes for different folks.

[dtknowles]

Unless I am using a progressive press, process in batches not one round at a time.

I process brass (decap, size, clean, bell, etc.) for the lot of cases, then I prime the lot of cases, then in the loading block I charge each case with powder, I hold the loading block under the light and verify all the cases are full to the same level. I take the loading block to the press and seat bullets. I am not sure how this one cartridge got thru but I don't have and explanation for why I would have a squib if the case was charged with powder so somehow I failed in the inspection or I dumped the powder from that case without noticing during bullet seating.

Actually the rounds were loaded with unsized cases and unsized bullets but that just means case prep is only decapping.

Tim

[Foto Joe]

There's those that have done it and then there's those who are gonna do it. You now have no doubt about which group you're in.