glockdude1 Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 (edited) What would be causing my reloaded 9mm to "squib" twice in the past week???...in both instances, the bullet was lodged half-way down the barrel and had to be pounded out...both times, I had to eject the casing and it looked burnt more than normal.. I have a new Dillon 550B reloader and am being extra careful to pull the handle the same every time, and I will weigh a sample of powder every 25 rounds.. The first squib was with this load... 115gr Berrys jacketed bullets Wolf small pistol primers 4.4gr Alliant Unique powder 1.09 OAL The second squib was with this load... 124gr Berrys jacketed bullets Brand new Winchester small pistol primers 4.5gr Alliant Unique powder 1.119 OAL Any suggestions, guys...HELP!! Edited November 13, 2012 by glockdude1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 As you place a bullet on a case in the seat die position, look in each case and verify that there is powder in the case...nothing beats visual confirmation. jj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powder Finger Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 As you place a bullet on a case in the seat die position, look in each case and verify that there is powder in the case...nothing beats visual confirmation. jj agree....you can only load as fast as you can see in the case at the seating station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glockdude1 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 I started to do that with my loads yesterday, but how common is it that the Dillon 550B will not deposit as much powder as it is set up for??...it had to have a little powder or else the bullet would not have even gotten 1/2 way down the barrel... ..and why would the casing have burnt powder residue all over it? I am very confused... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Vigilante Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I would look at changing to a different powder that meters better than Unique which has a tendency to bridge while being dispensed. Unique is a "flake" powder. Look for "ball" powders which meter more consistently than "flake" powders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atbarr Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Make sure, part # 13799 has pressure on the spring. Check each time you refil primers. Very important! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glockdude1 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 Part #13799 has plenty of pressure on it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glockdude1 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 I may try changing to the WW231...is that a ball powder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGibe Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 When I first starting loading I had a couple of squibs, one of which bulged (ruined) a limited gun barrel. Since that time I have watched every single time to make sure powder is in the case before the bullet goes on. And you know what? In 20,000+ rounds since then I haven't had a squib. I'm not saying it can't happen, but if you watch for powder every time you will catch it if there is no powder. My experience was that it would happen after a "stoppage" of the press where I would index without dropping powder or without being able to do a complete pull. My experience was financially painful so I am willing to spend the little bit of extra time checking each drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gng4life Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I started to do that with my loads yesterday, but how common is it that the Dillon 550B will not deposit as much powder as it is set up for??...it had to have a little powder or else the bullet would not have even gotten 1/2 way down the barrel... Very uncommon...I have thousands and thousands of rounds loaded on my 550B over the last 21 years and I never had one that wasn't my fault. You must visually inspect each case to ensure you have the powder drop. Also, use a light to help with the visual inspection. Uniquntek sells one or you can buy one of the mini lights to put on the toolhead to get you some light at stage 3. Even a clip on light somewhere in the area pointing at stage 3 would help. Like was listed above, it might be the powder but I have heard of lots of people using Unique so not sure about that one. I have loaded all types of powders (ball, flake, pencil, etc) without any issues but some meter just a tad better than others. 231 is a flattened ball powder but that metered very well through my 550B when I use to load with it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glockdude1 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 I have a feeling that the Unique "flake" powder may have jammed and may not have deposited the correct amount into those casings, and I did not visibly check each casing before I put the bullet on... So, today I just went and bought some WW231 "ball" powder and am visibly checking every casing for powder.. Thanks for the feedback, guys!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 It doesn't happen a lot, but on occasion foreign material in the powder hopper block the powder drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redial Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Make sure to keep the powder measure at least half full when throwing light (less than 10 grains) charges. I loaded a bunch of squibs with WST before I figured this out. Taking the measure apart to clean it every once in a while helps too. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maksim Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Get a RCBS Lock Out Die.... problem solved. The issue really is what you do and what happens during a stoppage when you are reloading. Sometimes you will advance the case before you dispensed powder... (then again, a dillon 550 is not auto index).... yeah, use a lock out die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Presses are like computers. Garbage in, garbage out. The press will only do what you tell it to do. Just slow down, pay closer attention, buy more light, whatever it takes to visually confirm every step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glockdude1 Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 Thanks for the tips, guys.... I loaded 40 rounds with WW 231 Ball powder, and I inspected every casing before putting the bullet on top.. I just got back from the range and everything went fine.... I will check the powder measure every once in awhile to clean it out, AND I will fill the powder measure 1/2 way to give the powder a little gravity weight... Great help guys...Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justsomeguy Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 (edited) Actually, isn't 4.5grns of Unique a bit on the light side with an 115grn bullet? 5.3grns is a "factory duplication load" with an 124grn bullet. If you use powder drops less than those that are listed as "starting loads" in the books you could get just what you are seeing... squib loads that fail to light up correctly and don't even expand the case to fill the chamber, thus giving you the "dirty shell syndrome" you experienced. Unique is a good powder, but any powder must reach a certain pressure to operate efficiently. Below that, they don't work properly. I think those loads are just too light. Also, make sure that the powder column in your powder measure is clear. Getting any debris in there, like a spent primer or something else, could interfere with a good drop... But that would be rare of course. You always put the cap back on the powder measure I'm sure. P.S. I am also supposing that the Unique was in good condition, stored properly, not wet, and all that. If loaded to the correct pressure, Unique will work. For really light loads you need a faster powder. Unique is a sort of mid-range powder and again, you need enough pressure to insure complete ignition in this application. This is true of almost ALL powders, in that if you have too little pressure they don't work right. That's why the books list minimum or starting loads in each caliber for which that powder is suitable. Edited November 14, 2012 by Justsomeguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vluc Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 I would suggest adding a gooseneck lamp to shine light right down on the shellplate so you can absolutley see into that case. Did that with my 550, now I do the same with my 650. Any problems I have had with ammo on either is my fault, not the presses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glockdude1 Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 In the Lymans 49th edition book, Unique powder is to start at 4.4gr for a 115 bullet and goes as high as 5.2 (if I remember)...4.5 was on the light side, but it should have been OK... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevyoneton Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 (edited) I've run a lot of Unique through my 550B over the years and have never had a bridging issue with it that I know of. I have had a squib (ONE, in 10s of thousands of rounds loaded) but it was with Titegroup and was no powder at all (bullet stuck right in the lead) and I am 100% sure it was my fault. I do wonder if the "new" powder measure might be part of the issue. I can't remember where but have read of a measure maufacturer (probably Lee) suggesting running some powder or graphite though a measure to lube it up. I hope low charge weights of Unique are not an issue, I am running .38 Specials right now with 4.0 grains of Unique behind a 158 grain SWC. Very nice load and right at 137 PF so is not exactly a pip squeak. It is the starting load in one of my manuals and lower than that shown in my older manuals but I wanted a mild load. Edited November 14, 2012 by chevyoneton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 I won't say that this will solve all your issues, but here is what I do. 1. Stand while you are reloading or sit high enough so that you can look down into the case in the powder station. 2. Place a lamp where it is shining down into said case. 3. As you reach up to turn the index, look at the case and make certain that it has a full load of powder in it. And if you have even the slightest distraction while loading, stop and check everything and be absolutely positive you know what state each station is in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 If the press is setup correctly, its very unlikely that it would just fail to dispense powder every so often. More likely causes: a) you mention you weigh the charge every 25 or so. Is it possible you put a case back into the press after dumping the powder out of it and forgot to replace its powder charge? you have a newer style powder measure and loaded some rounds without the failsafe rod in place, so the powder measure was not resetting. In that state, it can dispense very small amounts of powder, but not full charges. The only squibs I've had, I'm pretty sure I was guilty of b above as the cause. In mine, the bullet (230gr JHP in a Glock 21) just entered the rifling and 2 of the 3 were easily removed. One was a bit of a PITA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougCarden Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Since no one else has said it, Is there a possibility that you indexed the shellplate without dropping powder? Everytime I talk to people, and I get a lot of emails as well...and they tell me about a doublecharge or a squib.......invariably it is a 550. I am not maligning the press at all, or saying that you did it. It is just hard to understand how if there is powder in the measure and it had a full stroke and you have not been able to duplicate it....Consider it a possibility. Just something to watch for. Good luck, DougC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njl Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 That's kind of related to option a in my post above. Any time you stop on a 550 (i.e. to deal with a primer feed issue, a case where the primer stuck to the decapper and went back into the pocket, to check the powder charge weight), it's critical that you get all 4 stations back into their proper state before continuing. i.e. you don't want to deprime and reprime the same case, skip dropping powder into a case, drop a second charge of powder into a case, forget to seat a bullet, etc. I've done that last one once...and it makes a huge mess of the finished cartridges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 I started to do that with my loads yesterday, but how common is it that the Dillon 550B will not deposit as much powder as it is set up for??...it had to have a little powder or else the bullet would not have even gotten 1/2 way down the barrel... ..and why would the casing have burnt powder residue all over it? I am very confused... It ain't the Dillon. Likely user error. Quit checking every 25 rounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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