How Bad Does Bad Get?

[38superman]

I almost had a catastrophe at the range not too long ago while chronographing ammo.

I pulled the trigger and the hammer fell with a "click" producing no other sound and no recoil.

I thought the gun must have somehow failed to feed a new round after my last shot.

As I racked the slide to chamber a fresh round it ejected a spent case.

That spent case was an important clue that something was wrong but I didn't think much of it at the time.

I took aim and pulled the trigger, once again the gun didn't fire.

I discovered that the slide hadn't closed completely and the gun hadn't quite gone into battery.

After further inspection I discovered the first misfire had been a squib.

Apparently no powder at all in the case.

The primer fired and pushed the bullet into the bore without making a sound.

The only reason my gun is still is one piece is that the primer didn't have enough force to push the bullet far enough into the barrel to allow another round to chamber behind it.

The difference was minimal.

Another 1/8" and my SVI would now be junk.

That was close.

It was the first squib I have ever had in thirty plus years of reloading and frankly it shook me up a little.

I keep thinking about what almost happened and how easy it could happen in a match.

My gun doesn't go to slide lock when empty and if the gun doesn't fire its almost an automatic reflex to rack the slide and keep shooting.

I will redouble my efforts to make sure a squib doesn't happen again,

However, given the many thousands of rounds loaded each year, its a good bet that Muphy's Law will come into play sooner or later.

I have seen pictures of a Glock 40 after firing a double charge.

Clearly, the when the gun came apart it sent pieces of the barrel and slide flying as shrapnel in random directions.

Fortunately, the shooter was uninjured.

However, I have to wonder if anyone has accidentally fired a round with a bullet stuck in the barrel and just how bad was the damage.

Tls

[dfwmiket]

I have seen those pics of a Glock.... since they were mine.

The barrel split completely in half, bent slide, guide rod, etc..... you get the idea. Wasn't pretty. It was a case of not hearing squib, and doing the 'tap/rack/bang' but getting 'tap/rack/BOOM' instead. Best advice, install a powder checker on the press, just to have piece of mind.

-Mike

[mscott]

I watched a guy a couple months ago do just what you did except the second round fired. That split the barrel in his Glock 17 from one end to the other and knocked the slide off the frame rails. He beat it apart with a rubber hammer, replaced the barrel, and all is well. I am amazed that there seem to be very few injuries when these guns explode like that. A couple years ago a guy managed to blow up a .40 Glock with his overcharged loads of Bullseye. He was convinced the first gun was junk or defective and used the same batch of ammo to blow his second gun apart the following weekend. The only harm he suffered was to his wallet.

[jrguar]

However, I have to wonder if anyone has accidentally fired a round with a bullet stuck in the barrel and just how bad was the damage.

Tls

Hey Tony,

I had this happen to me with a Combat Conmmander over 20 years ago. I had a poof...racked the slide, and a strange bang, and actually heard 2 bullet strikes on the steel plate I was shooting at . Now for the rest of the story....slide stuck after ejecting the fired case, did not run all the way back, would not close, I had to beat the slide closed with a hammer and a piece of wood, pulled the bushing/recoil spring, removed the slide, found a barrell bulged about midway, no other appearent damage, that being said I believe I was shooting some pretty light loads behind 200 grain SOFT lead bullets. I had a local gunsmith check it, he replaced the barrell with a storm lake pre-fit.. turned this gun into a tack driver..

I have seen this happen to a friends barrel where it actually bulged to a split in the barrell, this was in a 6"longslide, he uses it for a pull chain on his basement lights (just as a reminder).

You should have asked me back in September about this (at the nationals), I was one of the limited guys in your squad

Take Care

Joe

[Tang]

Squib in February of 2006, end result, CQB back to Wilson Combat for new barrel and bushing.

Double check, then triple check.

[lynn jones]

if it don't sound right, it ain't!

lynn

[38superman]

That was part of the problem.

An odd sounding round would tip you off to trouble.

This was no sound at all. No recoil at all. No slide movement. No nothing.

Just the click of a hammer falling on an empty chamber.

Same sound as dry firing.

T

Edited November 21, 2006 by tlshores

[wsimpso1]

Once, about 26 years ago. Full sized Colt 45 ACP and light loads. My first encounter with primers that would not light the powder charge.

Some would go bang normally, a few would go "poont" and the eye could follow the bullet to the target, and other times it went click without even moving the bullet. I got used to these three modes, then I got one that squibbed. I responded like it was the dud the others had been, and the next round pushed two bullets.

Ringed the barrel, but it still worked afterwards. Now if that had been a serious load, the mag would have been blown out the bottom, the barrel ruined, and perhaps the slide too.

Always check for barrel blockage when something is not right...

Billski

[lcs]

Three weeks ago, same thing happened to me on my new glock 17. I wear double ear protectors so I could not hear the bird fart.

I thought I had fired the last round. I dropped the mag and reloaded the mag, racked the slide and an empty dirty case came out ODD I THOUGHT, but alas I attempted to fire the gun. Lucky for me the bullet only went in far enough to stop the next round from loading and the slide stopped short of full battery. I thought the newly inslalled trigger just F&&@@-up. I just put the gun in the case and fired my STI for awhile

I did not see the bullet in the barrel until I began checking the G17 for problems at home. Then it all became clear as I replayed the events in my head and then I went for clean shorts.

It can happen very fast. I was lucky that day.