My first squib

[ER_STL]

After looking at the photo again I'd feel even more confident in assuming that you didn't get decent ignition for that round, probably because of a bad primer. I didn't notice any unburned powder when I squibbed the one in my 442 so I assumed that I truly missed a powder throw when dealing with brass catching during one of the stages. The bullet still managed to make its way all the way to the crown of the barrel...

Ironically, the only time I ever had an ammo-related issue with 9mm was with factory ammo...with the last box of factory ammo I purchased actually. I had several powder-puff rounds go through my gun resulting in an FTF and, after stopping to inspect the barrel I noticed unburned powder all over the place. That came from the standard 100-round pack of 115gr WWB that used to cost $9.97 at Walmart back in the good ol' days.

[LSP552]

I personally believe that my reloads get more attention and QC than most factory rounds. Most of us who have seen institutional amounts of factory ammo have seen plenty of problems with factory stuff. I've seen bad primers, crinkled cases from seating, a couple of primers loaded up side down, and we had one batch of .45s were the bullets were oversized. Steve, refresh my memory but didn't we have at least one P220 bulged barrel due to a factory oversize round followed by another...

[Hambo]

If you shoot enough you'll find duds in factory ammo. As well as bullets loaded backwards and various other things.

[BehindBlueI's]

I finished up the last 60-ish that included some from the old primers. Probably 20 of them were old primer, but impossible to tell which was which. I had one more squib and three that felt so light I stopped shooting and shined a flashlight down the barrel to verify the bullet exited. I then shot 50 that I know are new primer and they all functioned fine and were consistent.

As such, I'm satisfied the issue was the primers that were left out on the bench when I stopped reloading due to cold weather.

[Moonshot]

This may be a stupid question on my part, but will a squib damage the barrel? This assumes you do not fire a round behind it.

Does it matter how you remove the bullet, and whether it's lead or jacketed?

[LSP972]

This lot has been very inconsistent. The primers had gotten hot and the box had a bit of red in it. I think they may have gotten too hot, the primer compound melted, and some were tipped or tilted and didn't have as much primer compound left.

Bingo.

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[LSP972]

. And I hope my first post didn't give the impression I was questioning anyone's conscientiousness. That wasn't the case at all.

It didn't. And I wasn't trying to talk over you... was simply pointing out that a powder checker, while useful, isn't THE cure...

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[LSP972]

Steve, refresh my memory but didn't we have at least one P220 bulged barrel due to a factory oversize round followed by another...

More than one; don't remember exactly how many before we figured it out.

Then there was the factory 9mm cartridge that had no primer OR flash hole; just an empty primer pocket. Bullet & powder, too. That one won me a steak dinner, because the Federal rep didn't believe me when I called him about it. That one, and two R-P .45 ball rounds with no extractor groove turned into the case head, are tied for my personal favorites.

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[BehindBlueI's]

This may be a stupid question on my part, but will a squib damage the barrel? This assumes you do not fire a round behind it.

Does it matter how you remove the bullet, and whether it's lead or jacketed?

I don't believe so. Removal could cause damage, I suppose, if you used the wrong tools and gouged the rifling or boogered up the muzzle. I prefer a dowel rod because wood isn't likely to damage steel. There are aluminum tools made specifically for the task as well, and likely others I'm not aware of.

[LSP972]

I don't believe so. Removal could cause damage, I suppose, if you used the wrong tools and gouged the rifling or boogered up the muzzle. I prefer a dowel rod because wood isn't likely to damage steel. There are aluminum tools made specifically for the task as well, and likely others I'm not aware of.

Brass is best. Softer than any barrel metal (ok, maybe excepting Hi-Points), and the mass "helps" to move the offending stuck bullet easier with less percussive energy applied. Look under "range rods"... several varieties available.

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