Another squib. Just ammo or should I be concerned?

S

Slimjim9

New member
Was at the range today and I got another squib from my Ruger LCR357 shooting Freedom Munitions .38 125gr reman. Same thing happened last week with this gun. 2 squibs in probably 40 rounds. I'm definitely not shooting any more of this load through this gun. I'm considering just calling it a "this gun doesn't like this ammo issue" since:
-the other 60 rounds went bang from the GP100
-other loads shot fine from the LCR this week and last included Magtech 158, Remington 125+P and UMC 130gr

Or could this be pointing to some other potential problem with the gun like barrel bore too small?
 
I'd suspect a weak (if any) powder charge first, especially since all the squibs are from the same brand of ammo.

Was there a noticeable difference in the sound?
 
The odds are strongly against it being the revolver's fault. The biggest clue to me is this: "reman[ufactured]". The fact that there were no squibs in the remaining 60 means very little. The only meaningful statistic is that you had a 2% failure rate with that particular brand of ammo and a 0% failure rate with the others you have tried.

Please describe the squib. Did the bullet lodge in the throat or further into the barrel - how far? Was there any unburned powder left in the barrel? Was there any sooty marks on the casings?
 
If I remember correctly, Freedom Munitions is a reloaded ammo company.

I would say it IS the ammo. Unless you mean the primer didn't go off.

A squib occurs when the primer detonates and for some reason the projectile is unable to exit the barrel. Whether there was not enough powder, no powder, contaminated/bad powder, it's just not enough to push the bullet through.

At that point however, the gun has done it's job of detonating the primer successfully. Since other bullets have passed through before with that same load, we know the bore is large enough to function. No problems with other ammo points to bad ammo, not a crazy idea for reloads, and if from the same lot, someone may have been snoozing at the factory that day.

You're wondering if this was a normal powder charge but your barrel was too narrow. Well let's think of it this way. If your barrel was so narrow to tread the line between barely letting the bullet exit and getting it stuck, this would have happened much more often and accuracy would be terrible, nowhere to the point of aim as a bullet happens to just have enough force to dribble out the barrel. And it would be unsafe, and I'd expect all that combustion to have only 1 place to go: out the cylinder gap - if it truly was a normal charge. I don't think that happened though.
 
Was there a noticeable difference in the sound?
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Absolutely. Both the squibs had a soft "poof" sound instead of bang. The 125 and 158gr loads supposedly have the same muzzle velocity so that would suggest weaker charge in the 125s, right? I wish I hadn't bought 5 boxes of this stuff. Still have 3. I'll try to use it up in the GP but if I get one more squib the rest is going in the trash. Either way this was my first and last experiment with remanufactured ammo.
 
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Please describe the squib. Did the bullet lodge in the throat or further into the barrel - how far? Was there any unburned powder left in the barrel? Was there any sooty marks on the casings?
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Both squibs were lodged about halfway down the barrel. I don't think there was unburned powder in the barrel but the casing was definitely sooty.
 
That most often means that the primer was the only active ingredient in the round - no powder (or maybe a few grains, not by weight, actual powder grains). Primers are very sooty by themselves, add some powder and the soot is burned or expelled along with the other gases. Primers are also powerful enough to push a bullet into a barrel. How far depends on several factors.
 
If your barrel was so narrow to tread the line between barely letting the bullet exit and getting it stuck, this would have happened much more often and accuracy would be terrible...And it would be unsafe, and I'd expect all that combustion to have only 1 place to go: out the cylinder gap - if it truly was a normal charge.
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That's what I was thinking too but wanted some reassurance. This is my NQEDC (not quite every day, I admit :o ) so I don't want to do anything stupid with it.
 
First thing to do is not use reloaded ammo in your carry gun. If there was no bang, just a poof, I wouldn't even consider any possibility other than the ammo.
 
let's just say that you are very smart to have noticed the difference in sound and feel and check for a squib, before destroying your gun. kudo's for your awareness, lots of shooters would just keep going. obviously an ammo issue, you should call and ream the company, for your pleasure and hopefully so they can make changes before they destroy someone else's gun and possibly injure someone.
 
I'll try to use it up in the GP but if I get one more squib the rest is going in the trash. Either way this was my first and last experiment with remanufactured ammo.
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Including your own?

I wouldnt trash it, the brass is probably fine, and just needs pulled down and reloaded.

Ive been reloading since the 60's, and only ever had the issue a couple of times (once in a .44mag, and twice in a .45acp) up until a year or so ago, when I had a rash of them, in my 357's, when using AA #9. For some reason, there were ignition problems with that powder/caliber combo, with both standard and magnum primers, and I had a number of bullets stuck in the barrel/forcing cone on a couple of guns.

One of the downside to the revolvers is, if youre not paying attention and tuned into the gun while you shoot, its very easy to just send another (and maybe another, and another...) into the tube. Autos normally dont cycle the squibs, and are easier to catch, but they still arent immune. TRB's are not "always" a good thing. One reason I usually do the "TR" part and just say "Bang" instead of actually pulling the trigger. Then I clear and check the gun.

I normally dont buy or use commercial remanufactured ammo in my guns, as why bother, its still cheaper to reload myself. You always hear of things like this, but then again, Ive had more issues with big name ammo makers factory loads, than I have with my reloads over the years, so its all really a crap shoot. At least if you reload your own, you have control and some quality assurance.
 
It's about time we started keeping a count on Freedom Munition failure reports.

A few more and we might be able to label it an epidemic.
 
Good points AK. I don't (yet?) reload. This is the second ammo related problem I've run into. The first was apparently a bad box of Blazer Brass 115gr that had multiple cycling problems in my G19. And now the squibs with Freedom reman. I haven't yet contacted Freedom but I'm probably not willing to try their 'new' ammo now as they claim to run the reman and new through the same process. As you say, the brass and the bullets seem fine (BTW, I inspected all 50 rds before shooting), so why wouldn't I expect the same failure rate with the new. Probably just stick to bigger names until/unless I decide to reload.
 
Now that they're suspect, if they're magnums, pick up every round and shake it next to your ear. Unless it's a compressed charge, which is unlikely, you should be able to hear the powder. (I can hear it normally, and I'm hard of hearing) Any that you cannot hear, or that sound lighter than most, pull apart for components.
 
Not magnums, standard pressure .38 special. Should I still be able to hear the powder? Never would have thought to try that.
 
Unfortunately with handgun ammo a good deal of faith/trust is needed in its making. No easy way to check it's charged at all. Rifle ammo like 223 and 308 the charge can be felt/heard when lightly shaken with your paws. :)
 
Shaking - Depending on the powder you can hear it shaking around in a 38 special round. It doesn't tell if there is an under or over charge however. Good news is I think your GP100 would handle even a double charge if it would fit. Weighing each round is likely not reliable as reloaded brass from different makes would change the weight by a few grains already.

If you bought it at a brick and mortar store and still have the receipt you could return the rest and inform them what happened.
 
It's about time we started keeping a count on Freedom Munition failure reports.

A few more and we might be able to label it an epidemic.
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I've run about 1500 rounds ot FM in .40 flawlessly. Interesting to hear about the issues others have.
 
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