Squib

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Epicurean

Epicurean

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So I had this issue the other day:
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...h-leading-to-a-question.862314/#post-11365481
As paranoid as I was, one got by me and I had a squib yesterday. It was stuck about 1/2" past the forcing cone in a major way. Years ago, when I first started reloading, I had a squib and it drove out with an old brass cleaning rod and a couple of good whacks. The one yesterday would not budge; I mushroomed a cleaning rod wailing away at it. I sprayed some penetrating oil to no avail. Part of the problem, as luck would have it, was it was a 148 gr coated WC without the lube groove; so it had a lot of contact area with the barrel. It was also 16 BHN. I think those two attributes combined to make this amazingly ornery. It just would not budge. I was tempted to take a sledge to it but didn't have a padded vise to secure the gun.

I researched the web and You Tube and everyone showed the bullet dislodging with a few handsome whacks; I finally found one thread with a similar predicament to mine, a bullet that wouldn't move. I tried what this gentleman did which was to put the gun in the freezer over night. This morning one good whack and the projectile popped out! The cold either shrunk the bullet or hardened it or both. Easy peasy.

Just thought I'd pass this along in case someone else has a brain cramp and sticks one really bad.

PS It's reorder time. Can someone PM me MBC code?
 
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A good way to get a stuck squib out is to get a piece of plastic tubing with the od same as the bore of the gun. Get a drill bit the size of the id of the tube and drill the through the bullet.
The tube protects the barrel from the drill bit and once you have a hole in the bullet, it will loosen right up. I had several when I was trying to load some plated bullets with a light charge of bullseye and didn't know that plated bullets have a lot more friction than lead, so I got a few in a 8 inch barrel. Thought it was a loader problem but found out you just need to up the charge a little for plated.
 
That's literally a cool solution! Steel and lead have different coefficients of thermal expansion. My only foray into reloading was when I was 21, using a Lee loader for .38 Special for practice on a budget with my newly purchased S&W Model 13. A few squibs taught me I wasn't using enough discipline while reloading, and I never picked up reloading again.
 
Using the coefficient of expansion to separate things works well. Sometimes heat and sometimes cold work for you. Cold also works with stuck brass in a die. Just see what the two substances have and either expand the outer or shrink the inner by changing their temp. Had trouble removing a revolver barrel once. Froze the gun then put the frame into hot water and it came apart easily. Ever use a fire to remove a broken axe handle? Drive the blade into the dirt and that protects the temper. Build a fire around the back and burn the old wood out. Works quite well in fact.
 
Texas10mm said:
Things not to use as a squib rod...cleaning rods and wooden dowels.
Click to expand...
+1.

I found 1/4" socket extension wrapped with paper towel to protect the barrel works well to remove squib bullets from the barrel as it won't bend like brass cleaning rods or shatter like wooden dowels.
 
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In 1970 I had a squib and it too was pretty tight. It was a 38 Special so I found a brass rod as close to bore diameter as I could. I used a dead blow hammer to dislodge the bullet (commercial cast 158 gr RN). While I haven't had a squib since, I do slug barrels and use a brass rod (not steel, not aluminum, not wood, no cleaning rods) as close to bore diameter as I can find. I have turned down some rod a few thousandths and used a smaller rod to drive it through (I turned down a 3" piece of 3/8" rod to fit the barrel of a 357 Mag. and pushed it through with a 1/4" brass rod, and a 7/16 rod can be turned down to .44 cal).
 
Texas10mm said:
Why are you using .38 wadcutters with a BHN of 16? That's a waste of alloy.

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-...s/stuck-case-removers/squib-rod-prod1251.aspx
https://deeprivercustoms.com/product/squib-rod/?v=7516fd43adaa
https://dawsonprecision.com/arredondo-squib-rod/

Things not to use as a squib rod...cleaning rods and wooden dowels.
Click to expand...

Agree. I found Acme and gave them a try. Very pretty rounds (lipstick) in a neat box and cheaper than MBC. I just re-ordered 12 BHN from MBC.
 
Arredondo makes a dedicated, heavy-duty plastic squib rod (pistols only). I have yet to break mine and I deliberately run squibs from time to time for testing purposes.
 
I made squib rods from material I had at home. Got solid steel rods of a diameter just a bit smaller than the bore, wrap with electrical tape totally like bicycle handlebar tape fashion. Have one each for the calibers I shoot. don't bother with cleaning rods, or anything really flimsy, besides you ruin the cleaning rod. And I keep a small hammer in the car always.
 
To me, #1 rule of squib rounds is to not make them in the first place.

If you produce a squib round, you should review your reloading practices and change practices/incorporate quality control measures so as to eliminate them.

I used to make finished rounds with no powder charge long time ago. :D After I found out what caused them, I no longer make finished rounds without powder charge

Then we don't have to worry about hammering out stuck bullets from barrels.

Be safe.
 
I agree 100% with livelife! I had a squib in 1970, figgered out why and have had no squibs since. I made a minor change to my reloading method and haven't had to remove a stuck bullet in over 35 years of reloading. The only time anything is pushed through my barrels is when I slug the barrels to find my guns' critical dimensions (And steel, no matter if it's a wrapped rod, a hammer or any tool goes near the muzzle/barrel of any gun I own).
 
Two homemade rods of a length of hardwood dowel with a round drawer knob glued to one end are a part of the range kit. Squibs happen, have never had one that couldn’t be moved out of the barrel with moderate force.
 
whughett said:
Two homemade rods of a length of hardwood dowel with a round drawer knob glued to one end are a part of the range kit. Squibs happen, have never had one that couldn’t be moved out of the barrel with moderate force.
Click to expand...

NO. NEVER use wood. If that wooden dowel breaks and jams in the barrel you'll pay hell to get it out.
 
I made solid brass rods just under the barrel size for each caliber handgun I shoot. For a long gun you take a round, pull the bullet, put some paper or cotton in the neck to hold the propellant in and shoot the round. The gasses will push the bullet out. Some will say this is dangerous but many gun smiths do this often and it is safe. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE HIGH ROAD OR ANYONE ON HERE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU DO THIS SHOULD YOU INJURE YOURSELF. There legal disclosure is done.
 
Some of the local 'big box' hardware stores have threaded brass rod in 16" lengths. I have a 1/8 diameter rod for .22 rimfire and either a 3/8 or 5/16 for .355 and up calibers; works on .44 and .45 calibers as well. Obviously will not damage the bore.
 
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