Bullet stuck!

WookieRookie · December 27, 2010, 03:50 PM

Hey guys, got a question. Just came back from the range. My trip ended early due to a bullet getting stuck in the barrel. It was right at the rifling. I am 99.9% there was a full 4.2 gr charge of 231 (147 gr xtp 9mm load). Im very careful when loading. The slide didn't slide back, and the report from the shot sounded normal. When I racked the slide, the case popped out, an was covered in black soot. Completely covered. There are no signs of high pressure, everything else seems fine. Any idea what could have happened?

DiscoRacing · December 27, 2010, 03:53 PM

Sounds like it was not at the charge you thought it was... it couldnt have been oversized bullet...or it wouldnt have chambered without jamming

zxcvbob · December 27, 2010, 03:53 PM

Sounds like that .1% uncertainty finally got you. (and .1% is actually pretty good)

Brian Pfleuger · December 27, 2010, 03:54 PM

Right at the rifling, like the chamber end I assume?

If there was powder that didn't ignite for some reason it would pour out when you opened the slide. The black soot comes most likely from the primer or possibly a small charge of powder.

You had a squib load, with little or no powder.

I can't imagine how the shot could "sound normal" but everything else you describe is a classic example of an uncharged round.

demigod · December 27, 2010, 03:56 PM

No worries. Bump the bullet out and move on. I like to get a visual of every powder charge I set a bullet over. You can usually tell if there's a normal looking charge in the case.

If the bullet only made it a little into the rifling, I bet there was little or no powder in there at all.

WookieRookie · December 27, 2010, 04:02 PM

Guess it's possible I missed one when loading. Got a wooden rod and bumped it out fairly easily after dropping some oil down there. Best part, tgr "range master" grabbed a phillis head screwdriver to try and push it out. Yikes!

m&p45acp10+1 · December 27, 2010, 04:14 PM

I keep a spare cleaning rod in my range bag for the unexpected squib. I have had 3 of them in the many thousands of rounds I have shot over the past year. One of those was from my own handloads. The other two came from factory ammo.

.
The one that was my own handload was a magnum load with H-110. I learned to not reduce it to below the recomended starting load

, and since have not had the problem.
There seems to be two camps as far as squibs go.
1 Those that have had one.
2 Those that almost ceartianly will have one eventualy.

HeroHog · December 27, 2010, 09:51 PM

Here is mine. ALL the loads for this gun were hand loads as factory ammo is all but unobtainable! It is an AMT AutoMag III in 9mm Winchester Magnum (9x29):

I knew when I pulled the trigger it was an underpowered round and called "SQUIB!" and the line shut down. I dropped the magazine, racked the slide making sure it was unloaded and inspecting the casing then looked in the muzzle only to find the projectile RIGHT at there!

I pulled the barrel and pushed out the round with a cleaning rod and continued shooting without any more issues. It was quite easy to tel a light round as the normal rounds pack quite a punch.

WookieRookie · December 27, 2010, 11:35 PM

That's what I thought. Mine felt normal. At least to me it did. I've shot some under powered loads, but this one barely engaged the rifling. Just a primed charge maybe?

700cdl · December 29, 2010, 05:07 PM

Yep, you missed one. I have to be honest and say in over 25 years of hand loading I've never missed one. But, I do it a little different than most. I'm the type of guy who never gets over confident with my process and with that I mean I physically inspect every case before I seat. Also, I weight every charge and have never wanted to use a volmetric powder measure. I only load the slowest of burning powders also, which makes the powder charge a lot more visable due to the heavy charge being close to the mouth.

December 27, 2010, 03:50 PM	#1
WookieRookie Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 2010 Posts: 105	Bullet stuck! Hey guys, got a question. Just came back from the range. My trip ended early due to a bullet getting stuck in the barrel. It was right at the rifling. I am 99.9% there was a full 4.2 gr charge of 231 (147 gr xtp 9mm load). Im very careful when loading. The slide didn't slide back, and the report from the shot sounded normal. When I racked the slide, the case popped out, an was covered in black soot. Completely covered. There are no signs of high pressure, everything else seems fine. Any idea what could have happened?

December 27, 2010, 03:53 PM	#2
DiscoRacing Senior Member Join Date: December 19, 2008 Location: milton, wv Posts: 3,640	Sounds like it was not at the charge you thought it was... it couldnt have been oversized bullet...or it wouldnt have chambered without jamming __________________ Desert Eagle Alliance Group Launcher Extraordinaire ______ ----Get Busy Live'n.....Or....Get Busy Die'n......Red -------They call me Dr. Bob,,,, I have a PhD in S&W

December 27, 2010, 03:53 PM	#3
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	Sounds like that .1% uncertainty finally got you. (and .1% is actually pretty good) __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

December 27, 2010, 03:54 PM	#4
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	Right at the rifling, like the chamber end I assume? If there was powder that didn't ignite for some reason it would pour out when you opened the slide. The black soot comes most likely from the primer or possibly a small charge of powder. You had a squib load, with little or no powder. I can't imagine how the shot could "sound normal" but everything else you describe is a classic example of an uncharged round. __________________ Nobody plans to screw up their lives... ...they just don't plan not to. -Andy Stanley

December 27, 2010, 04:14 PM	#7
m&p45acp10+1 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2009 Location: Central Texas Posts: 3,930	I keep a spare cleaning rod in my range bag for the unexpected squib. I have had 3 of them in the many thousands of rounds I have shot over the past year. One of those was from my own handloads. The other two came from factory ammo.. The one that was my own handload was a magnum load with H-110. I learned to not reduce it to below the recomended starting load , and since have not had the problem. There seems to be two camps as far as squibs go. 1 Those that have had one. 2 Those that almost ceartianly will have one eventualy. __________________ No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.

December 27, 2010, 03:56 PM	#5
demigod Junior member Join Date: March 13, 2008 Location: AZ Posts: 1,129	No worries. Bump the bullet out and move on. I like to get a visual of every powder charge I set a bullet over. You can usually tell if there's a normal looking charge in the case. If the bullet only made it a little into the rifling, I bet there was little or no powder in there at all.

December 27, 2010, 04:02 PM	#6
WookieRookie Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 2010 Posts: 105	Guess it's possible I missed one when loading. Got a wooden rod and bumped it out fairly easily after dropping some oil down there. Best part, tgr "range master" grabbed a phillis head screwdriver to try and push it out. Yikes!

December 27, 2010, 09:51 PM	#8
HeroHog Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2008 Location: Shreveport, LA Posts: 486	Here is mine. ALL the loads for this gun were hand loads as factory ammo is all but unobtainable! It is an AMT AutoMag III in 9mm Winchester Magnum (9x29): I knew when I pulled the trigger it was an underpowered round and called "SQUIB!" and the line shut down. I dropped the magazine, racked the slide making sure it was unloaded and inspecting the casing then looked in the muzzle only to find the projectile RIGHT at there! I pulled the barrel and pushed out the round with a cleaning rod and continued shooting without any more issues. It was quite easy to tel a light round as the normal rounds pack quite a punch. __________________ Speedy AKA: Hero Hog, Dr. Speed, "That fat, old, balding, Grey-bearded gimpy guy" *I don't have NEAR enough ammo on hand. `Nuff said.*

December 27, 2010, 11:35 PM	#9
WookieRookie Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 2010 Posts: 105	That's what I thought. Mine felt normal. At least to me it did. I've shot some under powered loads, but this one barely engaged the rifling. Just a primed charge maybe?

December 29, 2010, 05:07 PM	#10
700cdl Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2010 Posts: 216	Yep, you missed one. I have to be honest and say in over 25 years of hand loading I've never missed one. But, I do it a little different than most. I'm the type of guy who never gets over confident with my process and with that I mean I physically inspect every case before I seat. Also, I weight every charge and have never wanted to use a volmetric powder measure. I only load the slowest of burning powders also, which makes the powder charge a lot more visable due to the heavy charge being close to the mouth.