How dangerous are squibs?

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Hi,

I’m currently looking at getting involved in shooting. Considering I have very little knowledge about handguns I was looking for some advise. I have been warned about the possibility of squibs. I was wondering:

• How dangerous are squibs? I understand they can wreck your gun, but do people lose fingers, hands, eyes, or their life from them if you accidentally fired another round after, or would that push the first round out and just swell the barrel?
  
  
• Are squibs less dangerous with automatics? (ie: if there’s not enough power to push the projectile out, does that usually mean there’s not enough power to push a slide back so an accidental shoot after one is less likely with an automatic?)
  
  
• Are there any good ways to know the load is correct? (Can you weigh bullets, to see if any are missing powder, etc)?
  
  
• How obvious are they / easy to tell and 'pull up' before firing the next round with rapid firing competitions.
  
  
• Has anyone witnessed a shot after a squb, and if so what was the outcome?
  
  
• Are their any techniques that can be used to reduce the possibility? (ie, weighing bullets before loading to see if they have the right amount of powder, etc), or is the powder weight that small compared to everything else that it may not be detectable?

I don't want to get paranoid about this, but I do want to know what the possibilities are especially when it comes to injuries.

Thanks for any advice in advance...

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[BehindBlueI's]

Buy or load quality ammo. Odds of a squib are somewhere in Powerball territory. It happens to someone, but it probably won't be you.

Wear eye protection. A gun can come apart, and for reasons other than a squib being stuck in the barrel and you firing again.

I guess you could weigh bullets. I've never bothered too. Keep in mind there is some variation in the weight of each individual bullet, each individual piece of brass, etc. The bulk 230 gr bullets I load .45 with will range +/- 2 grains.

Our range staff has seen a few and they always say it sounds and feels different, so if you feel the gun recoil weakly and the "pop" is weak, stop and let them check the barrel in the armory. I have no first hand experience with one, and have never witnessed it. The low power "pops" they have seen have still managed to get the bullet out of the barrel.

I would not overthink it.

[JV_]

I've had 2 squibs over the years. Neither cycled the action of my Glock, there was no way I could have followed up with another shot to potentially cause a catastrophic failure.

[Ptrlcop]

Last one I witnessed sounded like a cork gun going off and did not cycle the gun.

[Malamute]

A friend had one in a 1911, it bulged the barrel and tied the gun up. He managed to get the gun apart, replaced the barrel, and it was fine.

I've seen one Smith & Wesson 357 that somebody bought CHEAP reloads at a swap meet. The gun finally stopped rotating the cylinder after he fired 6 rounds with all the bullets stuck in the barrel. I think it swelled the barrel, but was fiunctional after the bullets were driven out of the barrel.

[45dotACP]

With a semi auto, squibs don't usually cycle. But you will know it when it happens. Had it happen to my G34 and had to punch the bullet out with a cleaning rod. Buy good ammo and you won't see it frequently. Shoot enough and you will likely see one eventually.

[idahojess]

I've seen three, maybe four of them, all in autos (none in guns I was shooting). I don't believe the guns cycled fully after the squib. A couple of them, maybe three, were from one guy's gun shooting his own reloads in two different classes. (Nice guy, but he really shouldn't have been reloading). Those were cleared with a punch after disassembling. Another was from a reloaded "frangible" ammo sold by a gun range for their pop up steel targets. That was with my dad's glock 19. The gun didn't cycle after the shot, and was out of battery. That was cleared with a punch after disassembly (I don't trust that range's reloaded ammo anymore).
The final, and most interesting one, occurred to my buddy. He was shooting his Kahr, I believe with hollow point defensive ammo. We had gone mountain biking the day before, and the gun, and ammo, had been totally soaked (ankle holster mountain biking). He fired the shot, it sounded weird, the gun was out of battery, and it took us a while to figure out what occurred. I think he just punched it out later and has had no issues with the gun since.
I guess just be careful what ammo you are using, pay attention, and always wear good eye pro. Good luck,

[ReverendMeat]

I've had a few, all with value pack .22 lr (Remington for sure, can't remember if there were others). Just pay attention when you're shooting, sounds like a particularly loud dry-fire and won't cycle the action. Bring a flashlight and cleaning rod to the range, wear eyepro either way, you'll be fine.

[rglassma]

I've see two. One was a 9mm in a P226 and the other was a 45 in a 1911. Neither would cycle the gun. They were just punched out and the guns were fine.

[David S.]

I'm glad to hear that a squib probably won't cycle the gun. That's always been a weird concern of mine.

Sounds like another benefit of semi-autos over revolvers.