Help! SP101 locked up!

[hulley]

I was at the range today shooting my SP101 357 and the gun locked up. I was shooting my 38spl reloads and after the 3rd round (of that load) the hammer only goes part way back and thats it. I'm guessing I didnt seat a primer all the way and now its jammed but not sure until I get it apart.

What should i do? I shot around 25-30 loads before this happend. How can I get this "unstuck"?

Thanks
Steve

[hulley]

Ok I got it. I had a round that didnt get powder, so when the primer went off the bullet moved forward just enough to keep the cylinder from rotating. A dowl rod and some light hammer tapping pushed the bullet back down and I was able to free it up.

I was worried there for a moment, I just bought this SP101 used and thought I had some serious problems. So for now the dowl and hammer stay in my range bag and obviously only factory loads when carrying.

[FrankenMauser]

Be glad you didn't get to set off that next round with the squib bullet a little farther into the barrel.

[lee n. field]

Ok I got it. I had a round that didnt get powder, so when the primer went off the bullet moved forward just enough to keep the cylinder from rotating. A dowl rod and some light hammer tapping pushed the bullet back down and I was able to free it up.

I was worried there for a moment, I just bought this SP101 used and thought I had some serious problems. So for now the dowl and hammer stay in my range bag and obviously only factory loads when carrying.

And, yeah, be extra careful with the handloading.

I've stopped loading .38 on my Pro 1000, because the angles on it are such that it is difficult to reliably visually check that powder is in each case.

[carprivershooter]

if the primer is not seated all the way don't use a dowel and hammer, you could set the primer off. I am sure there are folks that can walk you trough removal of the cylinder

[willr]

Have had the same problem with my 38 spl --my own fault, of course. But trying to force the bullet back into the cylinder started to be a real hassle. So I found that by squirting some CLP down the barrel, letting it sit for a while, and then pounding the bullet back is MUCH easier.

BTW, I found some 1/4" brass rod that works well. The CLP also can make a wooden dowel work pretty well, too -- just be sure that it is large enough to pretty well fill the bore so that it doesn't spread out to make things worse.

willr

[YARDDOG(1)]

Suprized you did'nt fell the differece in recoil & sound JMO ; ) PS Be Safe

Y/D

[hulley]

I should have stated that the third round didnt fire. The first two rounds fired and the third was a dud. I heard the primer strike but no bang. I assumed the primers were causing the jam, but it was the primer that pushed the bullet just forward enough to jam. I have the dud round and you can see some black around the edge of the case.

[Colorado Redneck]

And my daughter-in-law was shooting my son's new Smith. Like you, we were all lucky that the slug only lodged in the forcing cone and prevented the cylinder from rotating. None of us knew what happened, only that the cylinder was locked up. Took it to the local gunsmith. He chewed my butt. I NEVER seat the bullets without visualy checking every case for powder. Only takes a few seconds to look at a tray of brass. If the bullet would have lodged in the barrel, that would have really sucked. The young lady didn't understand the squib load, and pulled the trigger after that round.

[ghostdoc]

Glad things worked out without incident. Doc

[hulley]

Yeah, i'm questioning my loads now. I'm not wild about not seeing the powder in the case like i can on other loads. I'm thinking I'll have to do a visual on each one. This is the first time its happened to me since my very first reloads.

[Crankgrinder]

Ill say just tighten up the qc on your loads and dont load light on 38s you should be fine. When i load those ill weigh every 5 rounds. You can shake one alittle and hear the powder shaking around inside on the ones you dont weigh too but that is not a substitute, just alittle re assurance.

[carprivershooter]

Glad to here you got the gun up and running. I also weight every 5th round. When I reload I do it alone, also had a few squibs in my time, learn from this and move on it can make you a better reloader. Primers that are not sitted deep enough have caused me some range issues. QC as you go along. Reloading is a hobby take your time and enjoy the process.

[lee n. field]

Yeah, i'm questioning my loads now. I'm not wild about not seeing the powder in the case like i can on other loads. I'm thinking I'll have to do a visual on each one. This is the first time its happened to me since my very first reloads.

.38 Special is kind of a difficult one, because a full charge of powder barely amounts to anything in the bottom of the case.

[wayneinFL]

Be glad you didn't get to set off that next round with the squib bullet a little farther into the barrel.

A friend of mine stacked 3 or 4 gun range reloads in my model 10 like this. Thank God it's a low pressure round. Ruined the barrel, but no one got hurt.

38 Special is kind of a difficult one, because a full charge of powder barely amounts to anything in the bottom of the case.

I mounted a light above my press for this very reason. Had to get it at the proper angle, but I can spot the powder in the bottom of a 38 case.

[hulley]

I've since mounted a brighter light directly over my bench and because I'll be reloading the 38 and 357 in small batches I'll just check every case. I only make around 100-150 at a time. I'm kinda thinking of pulling all my rounds and starting over. I'm using a lee Turret press with the Pro-Disk measure. I pulled the hopper and found the rubber sleeve to get hung up when switching to the closed position. I cleaned the hopper/sleeve real well so I shouldnt have any more issues......hopefully.

[kcub]

Have you ever noticed that nearly all kabooms involve reloads?

[Sevens]

Have you ever noticed that nearly all kabooms involve reloads?

I have not noticed this -- have you?

Where could we find such evidence?

[hulley]

Have you ever noticed that nearly all kabooms involve reloads?

Who said anything about a Kaboom? I had the exact opposite, a click. Did you even read the 1st or 2nd post?

[Sevens]

hulley, I did NOT say anything about a kaboom, I quoted the post above mine.

Your quote seems to be responding to me.

[hulley]

^Not at all, I was qouting kcub.

[Sevens]

We handloaders do get defensive, don't we!

[feets]

When loading with a single stage press I will drop the powder charge then put it in the press and seat the bullet. The case is in my hand and I can easily see the charge.
With a progressive press use the RCBS lock out die. No more problems.

[hulley]

We handloaders do get defensive, don't we!

LOL guilty here, I quickly realized I had to own up to this one seeing as I reloaded it! Lesson learned, I'm just glad no one nor myself got hurt, I'd probably quit loading if I did cause someone to get hurt.

[dgludwig]

Would a bulky powder like TrailBoss be a suitable substitute for relatively fast-burning powders like Unique or Bullseye in a .38 Special case?? I don't know if the case is even big enough to get equivalent velocities nor do I have any idea what the accuracy potential of TrailBoss is (I shoot Bullseye matches and the best accuracy I can muster from my reloads is always a goal).
The biggest reason I have for considering a powder like TrailBoss is that it would seem to be almost impossible to double-load a .38 Special case with it.