In a previously published article, I wrote about the hang fire, how to recognize it, and what action to take should you experience one. In this article, we will start with the next type of malfunction, which is called the dud. I would dare say that if you have been shooting long enough you have no doubt encountered a dud.
It might have been a disappointingly bad date, a friend that did not perform up to expectations, a lousy party, or a cartridge that did not fire. But by any other name, a dud is a dud. As previously mentioned, in the early days of firearms using centerfire ignition, the quality of the powder and primers wasn’t always good.
When the trigger was squeezed, the hammer or firing pin would strike the cartridge primer firmly, but the primer cap or propellant in the cartridge would not ignite and nothing happened. The factors that could cause dud cartridges include a bad primer cap or poor procedures in the cartridge loading process.
If a dud round is encountered, the recommended standard procedure is to keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction and wait for approximately 30–60 seconds. This ensures that it is not a hang fire. If, after the prescribed time, it does not fire it is most likely a dud. The procedure to follow for a dud is to then eject the round and dispose of it properly, as it may still be dangerous.
Of all the firearms malfunctions one might encounter, the dud is the most benign. A true dud, just like the bad date. just sits there and does absolutely nothing. The only time to be concerned is the period it takes for the dud to prove she is really a dud. Just like a dud date, spending money and waiting is the most painful time for the dud cartridge.
The Squib Load
The next type of malfunction is called a “squib load” and may well be the most dangerous, because if not recognized immediately, it will lead to disaster. The squib is often caused by an insufficient quantity of propellant in the cartridge case. This could be because the quality of the ammunition is poor. It may have been a reloaded cartridge that received an insufficient powder charge or no charge at all during the reloading process.
A squib occurs when the shooter squeezes the trigger of the firearm, and the firing pin strikes the cartridge properly, but instead of a loud bang! with the usual recoil, the firearm makes a softer “poof” sound. The felt recoil is much less than normal, if at all. Additionally, instead of the muzzle flash and smoke coming out of the end of the barrel, it comes out of the ejection port if it is a semi-automatic or the cylinder gap if it’s a revolver.
What the soft sound and lack of recoil are trying to tell us is that round did not have enough force to push the bullet out of the barrel. In other words, the bullet is stuck in the barrel.
This causes an extremely dangerous situation — if it is not immediately recognized and firing ceased. If not recognized and another cartridge is fired, the stuck bullet will create a condition of overpressure that may cause the firearm to explode. That is why firing should stop and the stuck projectile should be safely and immediately removed.
So what causes squibs to occur? As mentioned previously, it can often be traced to poor quality control during the loading process. The person responsible may not add enough propellant into the cartridge, or completely forget to put any propellant into the cartridge at all. In most cases, the primer may have enough force on its own to force the bullet to lodge in the barrel.
These are problems usually seen with cartridges that are reloaded by inexperienced people, but they may also happen with factory-loaded ammunition (especially if the manufacturer has a poor reputation for quality control). It’s possible for the bullet to become misshapen and a bit too large for the barrel, which is another reason it may get stuck in the barrel.
If the shooter doesn’t notice the squib cartridge and fires another cartridge with the barrel blocked — a possibility when shooting drills with rapid strings of fire — there is a very good chance that you might not get off the trigger fast enough. If you fire another round, the barrel could become bulged, and the firearm ruined at the very least. There is also a greater possibility that the barrel could explode and lead to possible injury or death to the shooter or someone standing in the area.
The squib does have an interesting tell when it occurs in a semi-auto firearm. In most instances, it does not have enough force to extract and eject the case. When this happens, another cartridge cannot be loaded. This stops the process and forces the operator to pause and clear the firearm. This forces the shooter to attend to the problem — if they did not notice it prior to the malfunction. With a revolver, the only tell might be when the bullet does not clear the chamber completely and binds the cylinder, preventing it from rotating and keeping the hammer from being cocked.
The best advice is to be careful and maintain awareness and trigger control. At the first sign of something untold, cease fire. Always pay careful attention to your firearm when shooting. If the firearm emits a quiet “pop!” sound, instead of a loud noise, if there’s a lot less felt recoil than normal, then a squib load should be assumed.
Cease fire immediately. Wait for a little while to ensure this isn’t a case of hang fire, and then unload and disassemble the firearm. Remove the obstruction from the barrel before doing anything else.
It is always a good idea to have some basic gunsmithing tools with you when you go to the range. A good cleaning rod can get you out of a jam. You will also need a small mallet but be careful when removing the obstruction. I make it a habit to keep a small gunsmithing kit in my vehicle, just in case I have a problem — regardless of where I might be. A little foresight will prevent your day at the range from getting ruined and keep your blood pressure from spiking.
Disposing of Ammunition
Just a few words about the proper disposal of bad ammunition. Most all shooting ranges have a bucket somewhere for shooters to dump their stray dud rounds. Please remember that disposing of ammo improperly can be dangerous. Most ammo contains lead. Depending on where you live, throwing lead out with the garbage might even be illegal.
Burying the ammo in a rural area seems to be a common solution to the bad ammo disposal problem. Another option might be your nearest police department or sheriff’s office. Call and ask whether they can take it off your hands.
Another option might be a hazardous waste drop-off in your area. If you’re not dealing with a large quantity of unusable ammo, you might check in with your local indoor shooting range. They should already have a safe procedure in place for getting rid of bad ammo and might be willing to take a few rounds off your hands, especially if you buy something first.
A friend of mine told me about a guy who bought a Taurus revolver. He was using some reloads that were given to him. The reloads had no powder in them. Anyway, he fired all 7 rounds, then discovered the squibs. The first bullet was sticking out the end of the barrel and the other 6 jammed behind it. He brought it to the welding and machine shop that my friend works at. He had also broken 2 drill bits inside the barrel. The guys in the shop cleared the barrel and the gun still works fine. I told my friend that the guy should share this with Taurus. He said that he was to embarrassed to. He sent me photos.
I have had 4 experiences with squibs, all my own reloads. The experience is chastening.
First experience, 9mm, i had no idea what happened, but 2nd round bulged the barrel and jammed the receiver back.
The 2nd occurred when my son was shooting and did not know about squibs. Blew the Glock .45 apart. Fortunately, no damage to his hand, eyes or ears. He said the sound was much louder.
Since then, when I spot a squib, I react immediately, field strip the weapon and pound out the blockage using a wooden dowel. I also tore apart my progressive reloader, found and corrected the cause of the squibs, and now I regularly tear the reloader down for cleaning.
This is why the personal carry weapon should be loaded with “factory, fresh” ammo.
When you drive that bullet out of your revolver barrel be sure to support your frame. I like a thick length of hardwood held in a vise (you may need a friend to support one end of the stick). First, use the wood to support the barrel right at the breach/forcing cone. When you’ve driven the bullet that far, support the frame as close to the barrel as possible and continue driving that bullet until it’s out. With a semi-auto, remove the barrel and use a bench block of soft metal, tough plastic or hardwood with a hole the diameter of the bullet to support the muzzle or just support the breach and the bullet will fall into the chamber. Done. Stay safe. Merry Christmas!
I was a deputy sheriff back in the dark ages and our department approved semiauto carry, after inspection by the dept armorer. The department provided Winchester Silvertip when we qualified, enough for one fill of the pistol and two loads. I got home from qualifications and proceeded to load the magazines for my 4506, and noticed that something didn’t feel right. I had two rounds that did not feel right. I took them to the armorer, who fount that the aluminum shell for the bullet had no lead. They issued me two more rounds and said they sent the bad rounds to Winchester-Western
Had two squibs in the last year. One in my 6.5 CM. Light pop but I cleared the barrel. Second was with a 38 wc that my wife was shooting. Heard a slight pop. Had her stop and discovered the bullet at the throat of the barrel. Tap with a rod and we continued shooting.
I have experienced a squib from shooting some .38 caliber ammo that someone else had reloaded. That was a big mistake and I should have known better. Some of the ammo I shot was very hot and some was very light with very light recoil and little sound. When I fired the round that got stuck in the barrel I knew immediately it was a squib. I got a wooden dowel and started hammering it out of the barrel. I could not believe how much force and how much hammering it took to get that bullet out of the barrel. After I cleared the barrel I continued shooting very cautiously just waiting for another squib. I never got another one from that batch. Although I do my own reloading I am very safety conscious and one thing I do is inspect the powder charge in the case before seating the bullet. I have never had trouble from a squib load with factory ammo except for .22LR. On some occasions I have shot factory .22LR ammo and when it fires I get a “puff” sound along with little or no recoil. At that point I still clear the firearm and check the barrel with a bore light to make sure there is no bullet in the barrel. So far, I’ve been lucky and found an empty barrel.
I’ve experienced a number of squib rounds this year, and just like the squib rounds I experienced 40 years ago when I began reloading, they were 100% MY FAULT. In the most recent instances, I was forced to try a different powder for my handguns, thanks to the craziness of the ammunition/powder/primer supply situation. I discovered that the powder I was trying out may be fine for magnum pistol loads, but not so much at all for lighter loads. Accuracy was terrible also. This was in a .38 Special S&W Model 642. Combine this with me trying a different, plated double-ended wadcutter bullet with a much longer bearing surface than the lead round nose I had been loading with, and I was ripe for mishap. The first time I took the mess home and was forced to drill the slug before it would tap out of the barrel. The second time, the guys operating the range brute-forced the slug out. Thank goodness I had the good sense to recognize the problem and not cause further harm to my weapon or myself. I finally determined that this powder was not a good match for this particular weapon, and have since found other, more suitable powders.
Subsequently, I purchase a new powder thrower and mounted it to a different location on my bench. I was reloading some 9mm, and thought it might be interesting to change up my reloading routine a bit. DUMB IDEA! My muscle memory developed over 40 years was a reasonably reliable means of making sure I didn’t skip a step (such as charging the case with powder…) It sure doesn’t matter how good a match the powder is to a given load if you screw up and don’t put any in. Fortunately, these were easier to clear from the barrel.
Prudence in reloading pays off.
Squib loads are scary. An unwary shooter can easily cause catastrophic damage to their weapon and themselves if they don’t know how to react when they happen.
Excellent, accurate and informative article. As a range safety officer and firearms instructor, I have seen many squib loads- most, in time to prevent another round being fired after them. But, not all and I have also seen the resulting damage of shooting with a barrel obstruction. They key to preventing squibs, and their potential for gun damage and personal injury, is EDUCATION at all levels from novice to expert shooters. Most squibs are encountered with reloaded ammo. Great care in the reloading process, including a visual inspection of the round’s powder level (in the case) before bullet seating is essential. Watching your powder level in the hopper of a progressive press is essential. If manually putting powder in the case / cases, again – visual inspection is essential before bullet seating. If a cartridge fails to discharge with the usual report / recoil CEASE FIRE IMMEDIATELY and verify that the barrel is not plugged (usually with a cleaning rod or similar) before resumption of any shooting. Make sure your fellow shooters know how to prevent squib loads and how to recognize them if they occur and to STOP SOOTING IMMEDIATELY and check for barrel obstruction.
I had a squib load in my 45 once. I noticed a poof then I heard something hit the gravel in front of me. I wouldn’t have noticed the gravel hit if I hadn’t had noise cancelling hearing protection. I did also have a stovepipe. When I looked at the gravel, I found my 45 bullet. Even though I found it. I field stripped my gun to make sure nothing was stuck in the barrel. This was brand name ammo which I never used again.
AW come on. Take it to the police? Take your trusty kinetic bullet puller or your brass or wood rod & wood/plastic hammer & handle it. Chances are your brass is fine, so once processed shoot it again.