How do you remove one of these? Is this the same as a stovepipe?
I use a brass rod and a hammer.
In my experience, stovepipes are more a brass issue than a squib issue. Squibs dont cycle the slide. I shoot my brass to failure, and as its getting close to retirement, I start to get more and more stovepipes as the case rims wear from constant extraction, and the extractor doesnt get a good purchase on the rim during extraction. I usually start getting an increasing number of split necks about the same time.
Unless something really didnt feel right, I normally do a TRB with a stovepipe. If the slide didnt cycle, or is closed on a dead trigger, I stop and check.
In addition to the lack of a loud noise, if you don't feel the normal recoil after you have pulled the trigger, stop and investigate.
I agree as well. I think if youve been shooting awhile, your brain is wired to pretty much everything going on, even if youre not overtly conscious of it.
Up until last year, in over 50 years of shooting, and about a bazillion reloads and factory rounds, I only ever had two squibs, and just one left a bullet in the barrel, the other, the bullet never made the target at 10 yards. In both those cases, it was due to a faulty powder measure in a Lee progressive press, and I caught/thought there might be a problem while loading, and had the issue down to a single box in both cases, and was paying close attention.
Last year, I had a lot of trouble with AA#9 in my 357's, and had a number of squibs. For what ever reason, even magnum primers werent igniting the powder, or igniting it completely, but still drove the bullets into the barrel at varying depths. A couple just made the forcing cone, locking the guns up.
I think revolvers are more of a scarier proposition in this case, as they will allow a quick second, third, or even more rounds fired very quickly.