Squib removal rod?

[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/show...-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/i.../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/show...-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.