Has anyone chronographed a "squib" load

Blue Duck357 · June 2, 2001, 11:52 AM

A few months back I posted about shooting some 38 reloads that were underloaded. I could actually see three of the bullets leaving the barrel and in flight towards the target only 7 yards away. I just got curios as to around how fast these loads must have been going?

griz · June 2, 2001, 12:41 PM

I don't know if these qualify as squibs but I was clocking some 38 specials with 158 lead bullets with a little less than 3 grains of titegroup. I don't have my notes here so am not sure about the charge weight. They were going about 700 FPS and one that sounded noticeably quieter was around 500. If I had not been measuring them I would still have known it was slower because of the sound. I couldn't see the bullet though. And a word of caution. If you get a pop insted of a bang, especially with jacketed bullets, check the bore before firing again. The lead bullets usually don't get stuck but I saw an underlaoded JHP get stuck one time.

Blue Duck357 · June 2, 2001, 03:32 PM

Don, it was green dot powder, and a 158 grain LSWC, a friend gave them to me so don't know the charge. One actually did get stuck in the barrel eventually. He did not intend to load them this way, just an accident of some type.

I just mentioned the fact that I could acutally see the bullet (and it's arc) at only 7 yards to show how slow they were moving. Now that I think about it my dad claims to be able to see 22 stingers in flight in flight in bright sunlight, I never could though.

Basically I'm just curios as to how low a velocity people have seen that acutally got the bullet out of a barrel. Even with a lead bullet I would assume at least 400 FPS?

griz · June 4, 2001, 05:46 AM

Yes, I still use the load I was talking about. It's for cowboy shoots so I'm not looking for top velocity, just consistency. I will look up the charge weight if you are interested, it’s less than three grains and a RNFP bullet. The squib was the fault of the powder measure, not the powder. I started checking and it would sometimes throw a charge about a grain short, which looked close enough for me to miss it during the visual inspection. Generally I have found Titegroup to be very consistent.

dick w. holliday · June 4, 2001, 07:46 AM

this doesn't answer your question but since we're on the topic of squibs i thought you might like to see this...i was shooting a three gun match once (Not sanctioned by anyone just held on a guys big farm) We were shooting from the back of a moving pickup truck across a field...anyway i was hosing some IPSC targets with my glock 40 that i think had a 30 round mag....i had a squib and saw the bullet actually bounce off of a cardboard ipsc target. i'd say velocity was about 5 or 6 FPS....Good shooting and take a kid shooting...Dick

June 5, 2001, 12:51 PM

I chronoed a .38 special 125 JHP reload @ 331fps from a 3 1/16" barrel a couple of weeks ago. Sounded like a pop, but it did get out and the Master F1 Shooting Chrony read 331.6. I was a screw up with a Lee Perfect Powder measurer.

June 4, 2001, 05:46 AM	#4
griz Senior Member Join Date: July 31, 2000 Location: Middle Peninsula, VA Posts: 1,588	DonQatU Yes, I still use the load I was talking about. It's for cowboy shoots so I'm not looking for top velocity, just consistency. I will look up the charge weight if you are interested, it’s less than three grains and a RNFP bullet. The squib was the fault of the powder measure, not the powder. I started checking and it would sometimes throw a charge about a grain short, which looked close enough for me to miss it during the visual inspection. Generally I have found Titegroup to be very consistent.

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June 2, 2001, 11:52 AM	#1
Blue Duck357 Senior Member Join Date: October 6, 2000 Posts: 1,460	A few months back I posted about shooting some 38 reloads that were underloaded. I could actually see three of the bullets leaving the barrel and in flight towards the target only 7 yards away. I just got curios as to around how fast these loads must have been going?

June 2, 2001, 12:41 PM	#2
griz Senior Member Join Date: July 31, 2000 Location: Middle Peninsula, VA Posts: 1,588	I don't know if these qualify as squibs but I was clocking some 38 specials with 158 lead bullets with a little less than 3 grains of titegroup. I don't have my notes here so am not sure about the charge weight. They were going about 700 FPS and one that sounded noticeably quieter was around 500. If I had not been measuring them I would still have known it was slower because of the sound. I couldn't see the bullet though. And a word of caution. If you get a pop insted of a bang, especially with jacketed bullets, check the bore before firing again. The lead bullets usually don't get stuck but I saw an underlaoded JHP get stuck one time.

June 2, 2001, 03:32 PM	#3
Blue Duck357 Senior Member Join Date: October 6, 2000 Posts: 1,460	Don, it was green dot powder, and a 158 grain LSWC, a friend gave them to me so don't know the charge. One actually did get stuck in the barrel eventually. He did not intend to load them this way, just an accident of some type. I just mentioned the fact that I could acutally see the bullet (and it's arc) at only 7 yards to show how slow they were moving. Now that I think about it my dad claims to be able to see 22 stingers in flight in flight in bright sunlight, I never could though. Basically I'm just curios as to how low a velocity people have seen that acutally got the bullet out of a barrel. Even with a lead bullet I would assume at least 400 FPS?

June 4, 2001, 07:46 AM	#5
dick w. holliday Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2001 Location: NC Posts: 589	this doesn't answer your question but since we're on the topic of squibs i thought you might like to see this...i was shooting a three gun match once (Not sanctioned by anyone just held on a guys big farm) We were shooting from the back of a moving pickup truck across a field...anyway i was hosing some IPSC targets with my glock 40 that i think had a 30 round mag....i had a squib and saw the bullet actually bounce off of a cardboard ipsc target. i'd say velocity was about 5 or 6 FPS....Good shooting and take a kid shooting...Dick

June 5, 2001, 12:51 PM	#6
KilgorII Guest Posts: n/a	I chronoed a .38 special 125 JHP reload @ 331fps from a 3 1/16" barrel a couple of weeks ago. Sounded like a pop, but it did get out and the Master F1 Shooting Chrony read 331.6. I was a screw up with a Lee Perfect Powder measurer.