Lets See Who Has the Best Explanation For This

[AK103K]

I saw this same thing posted elsewhere, and the explanation was, they were "light loaded" .38's.

I had a 4" Model 29 that had a 240 grain LSWC stuck in about the same position as the first bullet in the above barrel. The disk in my Lee 1000 progressive was hanging up, and I had caught it, and I had the problem isolated to one box, so I was on the look out for it. Im sure there was "some" powder in the case, as there was a report, although a good bit less than normal.

Ive had a few 357MAG's fire the primer and not ignite the powder charge, and still, it drove the bullet just past the forcing cone, but not much further.

I can only really see something like the above happening, if the shooter wasnt paying attention. I think if youre used to the load, youre gong to know somethings not right, and if you arent used to it, you'd be checking at the sound of the first shot.

Then again, if it is from Miculeks page, and he was shooting, maybe it took that long for his finger to slow down.

 

[lee n. field]

I had a 4" Model 29 that had a 240 grain LSWC stuck in about the same position as the first bullet in the above barrel. The disk in my Lee 1000 progressive was hanging up, and I had caught it, and I had the problem isolated to one box, so I was on the look out for it. Im sure there was "some" powder in the case, as there was a report, although a good bit less than normal.

My first squib was from a loading session with a Pro 1000 where I had forgotten to turn the Pro Autodisk measure to the ON position. No powder in any of 50 rounds. The bullet from the first fired cartridge stuck in the forcing cone, tying up the cylinder. It had to be driven back into the cartridge case from the muzzle end.

Now, I load on a Classic Turret and visually inspect every cartridge after the powder is metered into it.

 

[James K]

Saying the we should pay attention to the sound of the shot sounds good. But with most folks wearing muffs and sometimes ear plugs to boot, detecting the sound (or lack of it) on a busy range might not be so easy. I for one think hearing protection is more important; a damaged barrel is less important than damaged ears.

Jim

 

[AK103K]

Sound is just one aspect, function can also be another. Autos are a little more forgiving there, as they tend not to cycle with loads that stick in the barrel, not that sometimes they dont. Revolvers tend to be a little scarier there, as you can already be onto the next round, if youre not paying attention and shooting fast. Still, you notice when something isnt right, from round to round, if your attuned to it.

Not that Ive had a lot of bullets stuck in the barrel (in 55 years or so of shooting, I can count those on one hand), all were in revolvers. Ive had a couple of rounds not cycle in autos, but they all left the barrel.

I knew not to shoot the next round in each case, and heard and felt the difference when it happened, even with plugs in. If "anything" seems off, I stop and check, even when doing IAD's. Ill finish the drill, and stop just short of firing the round, and then check the gun.

 

[Dragline45]

I for one think hearing protection is more important; a damaged barrel is less important than damaged ears.

What's that? I cant hear you over the ringing in my ears.

I agree though, for those who have tinnitus from noise exposure, you don't need me to tell you it's no fun.

 

[berettaprofessor]

I recently had a Beretta 85, with a normal group of 1 inch offhand at 7yards, go to a 4-5 inch group. Upon exam, the mid-barrel was bulged. The only thing i can remember out of sorts is that the very first round spit a little back at me but had normal sound and recoil and ejection snd what i thought was a hole in the target....but must have been a squib or partial and the next round cleared the barrel.

 

[gwpercle]

The best and only explanation for this is....stupidity!
My dad would say the shooter is " eat up with a case of the " screaming stupid's".

 

[Sevens]

I hardly feel old enough to say, "well, back in MY day..." but I've got to say... back when I started shooting (late 1980's), the only thing ever taught or suggested anywhere that I ever looked, listened or was very specifically taught was that when you were shooting -- if something stopped or was "off", you stopped shooting, you kept the muzzle pointed in a safe direction (waiting for a hang-fire) and then you slowly assessed the situation and you got to the bottom of it.

I had never heard of a tap-rack-bang until the world went tactical and everyone wanted to be an "operator." And as a new handloader at the age of 17 & with no mentor, internet, or anything other than my Speer#11, there was *NO WAY* I was going to load something up and then wail away at light speed. That only ever seemed like throwing ammo away to me - and dangerous, to boot, for a handloader.

The other point that was mentioned earlier but should be given more weight here is the massive difference in revolver versus a semi-auto when it comes to a "much too light" or squib load. That flash gap is a gargantuan pressure relief valve when the pressure is far too low for the round. If it did not exist, the world would know a fraction of the stuck bullets it has seen. Being that most revolvers and semi-autos are chambered for different calibers, it is not the easiest thing to compare side by side, but I'm willing to bet that loads that stop up in a revolver barrel every time -- likely exit the semi-auto barrel far, far more often. (obviously... not every time, witness the bulged pistol barrels of the world)

 

[jad0110]

I can see someone (moron, but that's just an opinion) firing all six without realizing none had come out, possibly, but I just can't see anyone doing that, and then reloading the gun and doing it twice more!

And surely at some point the dope in question must have wondered why he wasn't hitting the target AT ALL.

Unless he was also a horrible shot and was used to going home with reusable targets .

 

[DaleA]

Lots of good points made here.

Jim Watson in post #9 explained why the shooter might not have noticed they were not hitting the target.

Buck460 in post # 13 had a good point about the cylinder gap bleeding off the pressure.

Lee n. field in post #16 mentioned the side blast from the cylinder gap.

My experience was at an indoor range where a bunch of us were shooting bullseye targets at 50 feet and I was very close to a guy who had a squib.

He had a mid-sized frame .357 magnum revolver with about a four inch barrel and was shooting hand loaded very light target loads and one bullet didn’t make it out of the barrel. It was obvious something was wrong right away.

1. There was a soft ‘pop’ instead of a bang. We were all wearing ear protection but the difference in the noise was still noticeable.
2. There was a cloud of smoke around the shooter. The bullet was partially sticking out of the barrel so most of the gases went out the barrel cylinder gap which produced the cloud of smoke around the shooter.
3. Shooting bullseye targets at 50 feet-I cannot make out each shot especially if there are already a few holes in the target so I wouldn’t jump on a shooter for not immediately realizing they hadn’t hit the target.

The guy stopped shooting and there was enough of the bullet sticking out of the barrel that he was able to grab it and pull it out and there was no damage that we could see to the gun but he didn’t shoot any more of his ‘target loads’ that night.

That’s the only experience I’ve had with a bullet getting stuck in a barrel and with different loads and different calibers and guns the results certainly could be different than my experience…it might not be so obvious as the above case but I’d have to believe there would be some difference than a normal round being fired.

 

[Snyper]

Quote:
Originally Posted by GaryED50
I'd bet its a goof a fake

We had a guy bring an Uzi into the gunshop that had 9 bullets stuck in the barrel.

I don't remember if it was a full auto, but you could SEE bullets looking in both ends of the barrel

 

[Ricklin]

I'll bet the Lee Pro 1000 has a lot of these "squibs" to it's "credit" happened to me. I noticed it right away and quit shooting, got the stuck one out no damage to me or the gun.

Your powder scale can be your friend if you sort your cases. A loaded round will be several grains lighter W/O powder....ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL.

The above is not 100% foolproof by any stretch of the imagination, esp. if you have mixed cases. It can help you narrow it down.

 

[colbad]

Obviously the shooter did not see any new holes in his target. I think the barrel might have been a little tight (or wrong caliber bullet) and the shooter was using loads with no powder. I would think any powder would have reacted violently with the clogged barrel blowing up. Don't understand how it would not be noticed....let alone go to a reload!

This dude must have had a guardian angle!!

 

[lee n. field]

I'll bet the Lee Pro 1000 has a lot of these "squibs" to it's "credit" happened to me. I noticed it right away and quit shooting, got the stuck one out no damage to me or the gun.

With the Pro 1000 it's really difficult to actually see down the tall .38 case to inspect.

 

[olddav]

Let's see it's 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 point IQ.

 

[44 AMP]

ok, a couple pages of what might have happened. Does the OP actually have the real story about what DID happen?

otherwise, we're just gassing in the wind...

 

[feets]

Stuffing 18 gr of H110 behind a 270 gr Thunderhead in a 454 Casull is not a good idea. You can't use heavy Colt starter loads in the slightly longer 454 case.

The target was shot up and I thought I saw a bullet impact. When I checked the barrel visually I thought I saw all the way to the firing pin. Sadly, it was the nose of the T-head about half way down the barrel. Poor lighting didn't help.
I tried the second round and it sounded fizzy.

Yep! Two slugs stuck in the bore.

 

[Bob Wright]

Here is a blown barrel from a S&W Model 10 that was brought in to my gunsmith.



The bullet visible in the photo is the second bullet, the one that did the damage, the first bullet is not visible in the photo. The rupture is attributed to compressed air trapped between the two bullets.


As a matter of interest regarding wearing ear muffs at the range, I can still detect a squib load. In fact I can hear the cap fire before the charge fires when someone is shooting a muzzle loader next to me. Sort of a "pop-BOOM! sound.


Bob Wright

 

[peggysue]

Hammer and a punch.

 

[feets]

No hammer and punch for me. I tried that gently but it didn't work out. My punch was an old Chrysler 440 push rod. They are nicely rounded and won't gouge the barrel.
In order to have better control over the removal I put a wood handle through the window in the frame and set it in my press. Once more, the push rod was used and the bullets slid out in a drama free fashion.

The gun still shoots nice little groups at 50 yards.