Squib Load...Anybody Else Experienced This?

M

MeanestNiceGuy

Inactive
What's going on, everybody! I'm new here and I've spent a little bit of time reading around the forums....cool stuff.

I'm a pretty novice shooter (shooting for about a year) and I purchased a Kel-Tec PF9 back in August. I took it to the range a couple of weeks later (got stuck with an audit at work). I had no problems with it.

I took it back to the range again in October and had no problems with it, initially. I fed some Federal target ammo through it, while my girlfriend was firing a Glock 42 (which she enjoyed, nervously).

I let her shoot my Kel-Tec and she passed it back to me and said, "It won't shoot". I just thought that she was afraid to shoot it, so I took it and fired the first round with no problem. I noticed the trigger was a bit harder to pull on the second round, then BOOM! The front of my gun EXPLODED while firing. WTH???

It freaked me out and I swear my left hand was ringing like crazy. I went ahead and put it back in my bag so the range officer wouldn't see it and deny me a chance to rent one from the front desk.

I won't lie, that was a traumatizing experience and my senses haven't been the same at the range...not to mention that it was my girlfriend's first time shooting. I almost wanted to get rid of the gun because I thought I was sold a lemon.

I've been hearing mixed reviews about the Kel-Tec, so I didn't know how to respond to the explosion. When I found out that I had experienced a squib load, I was at ease...a little.

I packed it up and got ready to send it back to Kel-Tec....when I found out (at the counter) that I HAD to send it Next Day Air. I had three price options....$93, $87, or $62....I'm sure you can guess which one I chose, lol.

They sent my gun back (took about 19 days), and now I have it AND my Smith & Wesson MP Shield 9MM (which I bought the day after the explosion) along with my Mossberg 55 that I bought on sale back in August. I'm not sure I want to sell it, but I'm torn, because it's a lot more concealable than my S&W...so I may keep both. :confused:

Has anybody else experienced a squib load? I can't be the only one. How did you handle firing after you experienced it?
 
Squibs are not uncommon.

I personally have had a few squib reloads, all my fault. My first two were learning lessons as I fired a subsequent round without recognizing the problem and clearing the bullets which were lodged in the barrels of my 1911. Both times, it caused my barrels to bulge in the middle making it inoperable. I was lucky that the only damage on both occasions were to the barrels which were replaced. From what I have read, squibs are not uncommon, but you have to recognize when it happens immediately or else you will have major or really major problems. Sorry to hear about yours.
 
I had a squib while shooting an IZH35M .22LR target pistol, during the rapid fire section of a Bullseye Match. But, I didn't know it right away. It's a semi automatic pistol, and the squib load must have been enough to cycle the action, but the bullet never left the barrel. The follow up shot pushed the stuck bullet out of the bore, along with the follow up bullet. This badly leaded the bore. All shots afterwards were spraying all over the target. Hey, I'm not that bad of a shot, I thought. I looked down the bore and could see none of the rifling, the bore was that badly leaded. Took it home and cleaned the bore, which took days of scrubbing and 3 or 4 bronze brushes. This happened 7 or 8 years ago, and I still shoot this pistol, as no parts were damaged. It's every bit as accurate as the day I bought it. If it was a centerfire, well, bad things could have happened.

Edit: In case anyone is wondering what ammo this was, it was Winchester T22 Target standard velocity. I still have the remaining brick of ammo this squib came from. I don't have the courage to shoot any more in fear that next time I won't get so lucky.
 
I don't have the courage to shoot any more in fear that next time I won't get so lucky.
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If we stopped firing all brands of ammo that we have heard had squibs and other problems, we would have no ammo to shoot.
 
If we stopped firing all brands of ammo that we have heard had squibs and other problems, we would have no ammo to shoot.
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Good point! I have since shot Winchester .22s, just not out of that brick.
 
Had it happen with an M16 back in the day. Thank God we weren't rapid firing during that course of fire and I was able to catch it before a follow up shot. That could have been interesting.
 
I won't lie, that was a traumatizing experience and my senses haven't been the same at the range...not to mention that it was my girlfriend's first time shooting. I almost wanted to get rid of the gun because I thought I was sold a lemon.

I've been hearing mixed reviews about the Kel-Tec, so I didn't know how to respond to the explosion. When I found out that I had experienced a squib load, I was at ease...a little.
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It's not a Kel Tec problem, it's an ammo problem.

that I HAD to send it Next Day Air. I had three price options....$93, $87, or $62....I'm sure you can guess which one I chose, lol.
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Welcome to the world of gun ownership. Be glad you didn't have to ship something heavier.
 
I would also like to add that if this was some non-name brand ammo that blew up OP's gun, this thread would be booming with 300+ posts about "that crap ammo."

When it's Federal, Winchester, Remington, and other holy water blessed ammo straight out of Jesus's hand, then the attitude is "well, stuff happens."
 
What's going on, everybody! I'm new here and I've spent a little bit of time reading around the forums....cool stuff.

I'm a pretty novice shooter (shooting for about a year) and I purchased a Kel-Tec PF9 back in August. I took it to the range a couple of weeks later (got stuck with an audit at work). I had no problems with it.

I took it back to the range again in October and had no problems with it, initially. I fed some Federal target ammo through it, while my girlfriend was firing a Glock 42 (which she enjoyed, nervously).

I let her shoot my Kel-Tec and she passed it back to me and said, "It won't shoot". I just thought that she was afraid to shoot it, so I took it and fired the first round with no problem. I noticed the trigger was a bit harder to pull on the second round, then BOOM! The front of my gun EXPLODED while firing. WTH???

It freaked me out and I swear my left hand was ringing like crazy. I went ahead and put it back in my bag so the range officer wouldn't see it and deny me a chance to rent one from the front desk.

I won't lie, that was a traumatizing experience and my senses haven't been the same at the range...not to mention that it was my girlfriend's first time shooting. I almost wanted to get rid of the gun because I thought I was sold a lemon.

I've been hearing mixed reviews about the Kel-Tec, so I didn't know how to respond to the explosion. When I found out that I had experienced a squib load, I was at ease...a little.

I packed it up and got ready to send it back to Kel-Tec....when I found out (at the counter) that I HAD to send it Next Day Air. I had three price options....$93, $87, or $62....I'm sure you can guess which one I chose, lol.

They sent my gun back (took about 19 days), and now I have it AND my Smith & Wesson MP Shield 9MM (which I bought the day after the explosion) along with my Mossberg 55 that I bought on sale back in August. I'm not sure I want to sell it, but I'm torn, because it's a lot more concealable than my S&W...so I may keep both.

Has anybody else experienced a squib load? I can't be the only one. How did you handle firing after you experienced it?
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I'm a bit confused here, you said you fired it immediately after the firearm was returned to you and it fired just fine, then you fired it again and it blew up, is that so? If so, you didn't have a squib load, you had an overcharged load, a squib load is a bullet that lodges itself in the bore, obstructing it dangerously! A squib is always marked by a light sounding ignition, such as a childs cap gun would make, the cartridges primer usually being the only propellant.

If you had a squib, then you MISSED it and fired another round into the obstructed bore, and you are solely responsible for the mishap if such is the case, is that what happened?
 
I have had squibs boh with factory and reloads. The real issue is that you must use eztreme caution using any ammo. The only ones you can relax on are those you may have reloaded yourself -- and taken the care to know that they are reloaded reliably.
willr
 
I have had squibs boh with factory and reloads. The real issue is that you must use eztreme caution using any ammo. The only ones you can relax on are those you may have reloaded yourself -- and taken the care to know that they are reloaded reliably.
willr
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Squibs are the primary reason I never shoot at a public range, I will never place myself in the danger of standing beside some twenty-something as they cackle and giggle while they rapid fire their pistols, and they always do so, I have never been to a public range where some idiot has NOT done just that, and in doing that it is simply impossible for them to cease fire in time!
 
Squibs are the primary reason I never shoot at a public range, I will never place myself in the danger of standing beside some twenty-something as they cackle and giggle while they rapid fire their pistols, and they always do so, I have never been to a public range where some idiot has NOT done just that, and in doing that it is simply impossible for them to cease fire in time!
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I'm not sure where age enters into it. Any drill involving controlled pairs or double taps has the potential for a problem when it comes to squibs. At my range typically shooters of all ages practice those at some point in their sessions. You hope you notice and catch it in time. But if it does happen, it shouldn't take that person and you out. Decent barrels and slides usually bulge rather than turning into fragmentation grenades.
 
Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee. died from a squib made on movie set. They pulled the bullets & powder, fired primers. Placed bullets back into carts but missed firing one primer. Pop, bullet got stuck in barrel, later was followed by a blank.
 
I've had squibs, but always caught them before firing a second shot. One advantage of being a fairly slow shooter I suppose. The one that happened back in my IPSC days when I was shooting fast, failed to cycle the slide, and I did notice the difference in the sound, so I stopped shooting. All the rest were with revolvers.

I keep an old aluminum shotgun cleaning rod in my range bag, with a plastic hammer to tap out stuck bullets (I only shoot 9mm/38 and up these days). I've never seen any damage to a gun but have no doubt it could happen.

At the range I used to shoot, they had a barrel from a Ruger Speed-Six, cut in half length ways. Inside that barrel, you could count six stuck bullets. The story was the first round squibbed, and the shooter didn't notice it. Didn't blow the gun up either. True? I don't know. It was pretty impressive though.
 
I let her shoot my Kel-Tec and
she passed it back to me and said, "It won't shoot".
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You mention being relatively new to shooting, so advise for what it's worth to you.
You failed a basic rule of safety in the above.

1. Do not make a habit of passing loaded guns back and forth.
Just like the handoff in football, sooner or later one of you will fumble the exchange.

I noticed the trigger was a bit harder to pull on the second round, then BOOM! The front of my gun EXPLODED while firing. WTH???
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Not clear as to how a squib affects a trigger.

I've been lucky in that I've never had a squib cycle any semi, and I've had my share.

And you say a squib cycled your locked breech 9mm?

Please understand I'm not being critcal of your post.
Hoping to hear from others who have had a squib cycle a locked breech semi.

JT
 
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lee n. field
It's not a Kel Tec problem, it's an ammo problem.

Welcome to the world of gun ownership. Be glad you didn't have to ship something heavier.
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The range owner told me the same thing, so I was a bit relieved. He told me that I may have had a bad round. Do you weigh your ammo before you go to the range? I've heard some people do it...seems to be a tedious process, but I won't knock it til I try it. As for that shipping cost...I would've lucked up if I was sending off my shotgun or a rifle....at least I would have had the ground shipping option, which I'm sure would have been a bit cheaper. Lol
 
I had a squib of my own making, soon after starting reloading. It isn't the squib that does the damage, it is firing a gun with a barrel blocked by the squib - the shot after the squib, in other words. I realized I had a squib. It is something you need to have in your mind. Soft recoil, soft noise, or a malfunction needs to be checked out before you continue shooting.

As Mr. Field said, the fault lies with the ammo, not the gun. If I understand you correctly, Kel-Tec repaired or replaced a pistol that was severely damaged by a combination of bad ammo and operator error (in the sense that you didn't recognize the squib). That is quite generous on their part.
 
Badfinger
I'm a bit confused here, you said you fired it immediately after the firearm was returned to you and it fired just fine, then you fired it again and it blew up, is that so? If so, you didn't have a squib load, you had an overcharged load, a squib load is a bullet that lodges itself in the bore, obstructing it dangerously! A squib is always marked by a light sounding ignition, such as a childs cap gun would make, the cartridges primer usually being the only propellant.

If you had a squib, then you MISSED it and fired another round into the obstructed bore, and you are solely responsible for the mishap if such is the case, is that what happened?
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Yes, she passed it to me and the first round fired just fine. The explosion happened on the following round.

It could have been an overcharged load, but there was an empty shell casing lodged in the chamber after I field stripped it later on. I'm going post a pic in a few minutes.

At this point, I've accepted responsibility for the incident, whether it was a bad round or not. After noticing how hard it was to pull the trigger, I should've stopped at that very second.
 
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