Glad you got it out, High Valley...how's it shoot now?
I'll relate this experience with squib loads:
In 1967, I was the range director while qualifying new USAFA cadets using the then standard issue S&W M-15 revolver. On our firing line we had over 50 points and a range officer for every ten or so new cadets as most of them had never fired a handgun before and safety was the prime focus.
The ammunition then was issued Remington, .38 Special, 130 gr FMJ's, and we loaded with five rounds as standard practice. Cadets were cautioned to raise a hand if there were any problems encountered.
At one point, one of the new cadets signaled a stoppage and our line range officer took the revolver and noted about 1/2 of a round nose, FMJ sticking out of the barrel muzzle and also that he was unable to open the cylinder.
We called in the range gunsmith and he found that the cylinder/forcing cone gap was blocked by a bullet. Taking the gun back to his work shed, he padded the vice, clamped the barrel in its jaws and used a steel drift to pound the protruding bullet back down the barrel.
With some care and a lot of hammering, he cleared the cylinder gap and opened the cylinder. The bullet that had blocked the gap was free in the chamber and fell out as he opened it. The other four were still in the barrel and he proceeded to pound them back through the forcing cone.
The theory we came up with was that the first round was a squib, and the inexperienced shooter did not recognize the lack of recoil and fired the rest of the loads, one after another. Each moved the preceding bullet a little farther down the barrel till the squib was left protruding at the muzzle.
The gun appeared to be unharmed after this rough treatment, with neither bore damage nor problems with the lock up et. al. After some discussion, we reloaded it with six rounds and fired off a rest at 25 yds getting the usual 3-4" group; about average for that military issue ammunition.
The pressures, we guessed, had been dissipated through the cylinder/forcing cone gap before any barrel damage ensued. One benefit, not often noted, of a revolver vs. an auto.
In another instance, my #2 son, once had a squib while firing a series of double tap drills with a Colt Series 70, .45 ACP. He recalled that the squib felt about normal, but the following round definitely had more recoil; and he stopped firing at that point. On inspection, the barrel was partially out of the locking hubs, and the slide/bbl. assembly couldn't be disassembled normally.
A gunsmith removed the bulged barrel with considerable pounding and replaced it, as well as the link & bushing. No damage was found to the frame, however. With the same target loads (200 gr LSWC's and a moderate load of Win 231), the formerly superbly accurate gun was just as good and every bit as reliable.
Best regards, Rod