Can I fire the gun or not?

F

flwolf

Inactive
I own a beautiful stainless steel Ruger Vaquero 45 cal. I don't get to shoot it very often, since we don't have a shooting range in our town. The last time I was at a range, I fired the gun. The first shot went normal, the second, however, only made a "piffffff" sound. When I opened the drum, the bulled was stuck just barely in the entrance to the barrel, half of it sticking out. At home, I wrapped a steel rod in electric tape, so not to damage the bore, and carefully knocked the bulled out of the barrel, which wasn't very hard to do. My question is: What is your opinion on shooting the gun as is, or not. I can't see any damage. Thanks for your input.

Wolf
 
I would shoot it again...sounds like you got a bad round. I don't know if I would use the other ammo from that batch though. Are they reloads?
 
Sounds like you are describing a squib round.

A squib is a round that either has no powder, too little powder, or doesn't have complete ignition. This causes the bullet to not have enough velocity to exit the barrel.

This is an issue with the ammunition not the gun. I'd be careful if you have more of the same ammunition.

As long as the barrel is free of the bullet and any other obstruction you should be good to go.

Rugers are built like tanks. A squib is absolutely nothing. The real danger is getting a squib and then firing the next round.
 
I doubt any damage was done to the gun. The problem was the round of ammo and if you got the entire bullet removed from the barrel there shouldn't be any damage. Think about it this way, the bad round of ammo put almost no stress on the gun compared to a good round of ammo. Just make sure there isn't any of the bullet left and load it up and shoot.

BTW, if it ever happens again use a wood dowel. Less chance of damaging the barrel.
 
Shoot with "new/good" Ammo

My compliments on protecting the barrel the way you did, while making your extraction. I think I would be more apt to distrust your ammo, than your revolver. ...... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
BTW, if it ever happens again use a wood dowel. Less chance of damaging the barrel.
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I've heard a lot of people say to never use a wood dowel. If the wood splits, it's going to wedge that bullet in tighter than before.

Safest bet is probably a soft metal like brass. Steel is a no-no.
 
Depending on your caliber, you can cut down an old pool cue stick, it's generally hard ash, and use that to knock the round out.
 
To the op; I'm curious as to whether you were shooting reloads/"re-manufactured" or factory ammunition. If it was factory, what brand and type were you using? In any event, you handled the situation well and, to your question, based on your account of what happened, I think you can continue to shoot your Ruger "as is".
 
My question is: What is your opinion on shooting the gun as is, or not. I can't see any damage. Thanks for your input.
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it's a squib. it happens. Shoot the gun, you're fine. (Once the barrel's been cleared, of course.)

I see your point but I would think that if the bullet is that hard to remove, something else is wrong.
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A bullet like that is wedged in there pretty darn tight.
 
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You can also use a 45 brass jag on an old piece of cleaning rod to get it out - since that combo is brass and aluminum, no barrel damage should happen as you tap it out
 
I see your point but I would think that if the bullet is that hard to remove, something else is wrong.
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Maximum pressure for .45 Colt is 14,000 psi. At 14,000 psi, bullets come out of barrels relatively easy.

With your hand? Not so much.
 
Wow! In my neck of the woods, pool cues are made from maple and are generally 13mm at the narrowest point.

Good luck.

BTW, shoot it and carry a wood dowel to the range....99% of the time a good do well will knock it out.
 
flwolf, your Vaqeuro is fine.
Go get some good ammunition
and see what all the fun is about.
;)



ps:
Where'd the bad ammo come from?
 
Howdy

It happens. I have seen it plenty of times in CAS where reloaders go way below the recommended minimum loads in order to achieve minimum recoil. Sometimes the bullet just does not have enough oomph to get out the barrel. Or the shooter may have forgotten to put any powder into the case. Just a primer will easily drive a bullet out of the case and get it stuck in the forcing cone.

Most of the time if a bullet does not get all the way out of the cylinder it has to be driven back down into the chamber in order to clear the gun. This may or may not involve driving the bullet back into the spent case. Which may or may not easily receive the bullet.

I never use wood or steel to drive a bullet. I have brass squib rods that live in my guncart in case somebody has a squib. I keep a couple of lengths handy. 5/16" diameter will work for everything from .38 to .45. You can buy brass rod at any well equipped hardware store and cut it to the length needed. I use the same rods for slugging barrels.

The good thing here is if the bullet only got partway into the barrel, it probably locked up the gun, preventing you from firing another round behind it, which could have been a HUGE problem. If the squib bullet clears the forcing cone, but does not exit the barrel, that is a BIG problem, because the gun will keep functioning and allow you to fire another round into a barrel obstruction. Very bad juju.

I too would be suspicious of that ammo. Is it factory or somebody's reloads? That is why I never shoot anybody else's reloads, only my own.

As everybody has said, as long as you completely removed the bullet from the barrel, it is doubtful you did any harm to your Vaquero.
 
Is it safe to use a barrel cleaning rod from a gun cleaning kit?
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Honestly, I'd go with a wooden dowel (made of a strong wood) before a cleaning rod. Assuming the cleaning rod is brass, its going to be too small in diameter to be able to easily knock the bullet out without hitting or knocking on the side of the barrel.
 
As already mentioned . . you experienced a "squib". More than likely, that cartridge didn't have any powder in it. The 45 Colt uses a large pistol primer. That primer can produce enough pressure to push the slug out. I experienced the same thing with a 38 Special I had reloaded - my error - I didn't dump a charge in the casing before seating. The small pistol primer used on that cartridge pushed the lead slug (I cast mine) into the barrel just past the forcing cone.

While a lot of folks, especially those who use store bought ammo, don't ever experience a squib . . .they do happen. And, store bought ammo is not to be considered immune to it.

What causes a major problem is when a person has a squib - the bullet gets stuck in the barrel and then they fire another round. You could get anything from a bulged barrel to a split barrel. That's why it is important to PAY ATTENTION when you are shooting each round. If something doesn't seem right - STOP AND CHECK YOUR WEAPON.

A squib is fairly easy to remove. Depending on where it is in the barrel, the cylinder can be removed or swung out (depends of if it is SA or DA) - oil squirted in and it lightly hammered out towards the breech using a mallet and a brass rod, etc. If the bullet is stuck partially in the cylinder throat and then into the forcing cone, locking up the cylinder . . then care must be taken to get the bullet pushed back in to the cylinder throat. More than likely, there will e live cartridges in the cylinder so great care has to be taken . . but it can be done. With the bullet pushed back into the cylinder throat enough for the cylinder to turn . . it can be removed (SA) or swung out (DA) . . the live rounds and spent casings removed and the bullet then gently tapped with a mallet and short rod - preferably from the chamber out the throat since the bullet is already pretty much swaged down (if an oversized cast).

If this happens at a public range with a range officer . . you need to set your handgun down facing down range and notify the range officer. Most have run into the problem before and can assist if you aren't familiar as to how to handle it.
 
If the squib bullet clears the forcing cone, but does not exit the barrel, that is a BIG problem, because the gun will keep functioning and allow you to fire another round into a barrel obstruction. Very bad juju.

This is how Bruce Lee's son died.
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Well.... the first paragraph is absolutely true and is the primary danger to the shooter - kaboomed barrel, shrapnel, not good. DONT DO IT. :eek:

But that is not exactly relevant to Brandon Lee's death. If you read the Wikipedia article, it was not a second round down the barrel but the original squib load fired by a second bulletless cartridge. Probably very little danger to the shooter in that situation.
 
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