Consider yourself lucky if you extracted the bullet with wood. One real problem with wood is that it will splinter inside the bore, if it breaks inside the barrel, you won't be getting it out. Wood is a bad, bad, choice for driving an obstruction out any tube, never mind a barrel.
I purchased this pistol from a shooting buddy who used in PPC Competition, He said he fired about 60,000 rounds of 38 Specials loaded with 148 LWC's and 2.7 grains of Bullseye. He used Federal primers. The primer choice and powder choice are important.
One weekend, more than a decade ago, I took to the range the well worn 586 and the other a 95% Colt Trooper Mk III in 357 Mag.
The weather was cold there were infact snow flakes in the air, it was overcast and the wind was blowing. The ammunition had been overnight in the bed of the truck.
I had misfires, no hangfires, and I had squibs with a load I tested in 103 F weather. I had rounds that felt anywhere between full power and squib. My load was with a 158 LRN with 12.0 grains AA#9. I used WSP primers. Below is test data in a S&W M27. This was data in much warmer weather. At 103 F, 12.0 grains AA#9 was close to my “reference” load of 13.5 grs 2400, so that’s what I used.
AA#9 is a very fine ball powder. It shot just fine in warm weather.
One round left a bullet in the throat of the 586, another round left a bullet lodged between the cylinder of the Colt and the throat.
Luckily I had a long shafted screwdriver and was able to knock the lead bullets out and continue shooting.
The bullet stuck in the 586 throat had a column of ball powder behind it. Ball powder was all over the mechanism, I had to get a paper towel and wipe it out from under the extractor star, cylinder recess.
Below is the case that was fired in the Colt. As you can see the bullet was shoved back in the case.
You would think the firing pin strike was powerful, but the indentation is deceptive.
I may have had light primer strikes with the 586, but as you can see from the primer on the Colt case, I had deep primer indentations. I have looked at the fring pin protrusion with the 586, and that looks to be good. It really sticks out.
I loaded this ammunition on a Dillion 550B over a couple of years ago. Out of 100 rounds, these were the only two that stuck in the barrel, but I did have squib rounds.
Shot well, even out to 50 yards. The squib loads barely rocked the gong.
Smith & Wesson M27-2 6.5” barrel
158 LSWC 13.5grs 2400 R-P cases CCI primers
9-Oct-05 T = 64 °F
Ave Vel = 1273
Std Dev = 44.03
ES = 176.7
High = 1372
Low = 1195
N = 30
Very accurate.
158 LRN 12.0 grs AA#9 CCI500 Mixed cases
5-Aug-06 T = 103 °F
Ave Vel = 1278
Std Dev = 34.98
ES = 117.4
High = 1344
Low = 1226
N = 27
Accurate little or no leading
158 LRN 12.5 grs AA#9 CCI500 3-D cases
5-Aug-06 T = 103 °F
Ave Vel = 1348
Std Dev = 34.16
ES = 134.7
High = 1386
Low = 1251
N = 25
Very Accurate no leading
The very same month, maybe the next week, I went to the range with the M586 with a new mainspring. Temperatures were 50ish. Used the exact same load of a 158 L with 12.0 grains AA#9. No squibs. The conclusion is, the squib resulted due to a combination of a weak hammer strike, cold weather, and ball powders. Ball powders are harder to ignite and this difficultly increases in cold weather.
But, I used long shafted steel screwdrivers, and probably a block of wood to knock out the bullets. As you can see the standard screwdrive dug into the bullet, so if I had been at home, I would have been looking for a long shafted, 35 caliber punch. Drill rod might have worked, or grinding the tip down on a phillips head screwdriver. Something solid, something steel, and something close to bore diameter.
), pulled the slug, and dumped out
