OP
A point that can not be dittoed enough!
Curious As To Who All Has Had A Squib Load Or Double Charge
- Thread starter TheTexasRAT
- Start date
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Back when I shot IPSC (before USPSA) I shot a LOT and early Dillon powder measures had a steel on aluminum wear point that would cause the powder measure to not drop powder. Once Dillon fixed that issue the possibility of my having a squib went to (for me) zero.
Obviously a brain fart and loss of concentration due to distractions can still make a double charge or squib possible but preventing them by loading without distractions like music, refreshments, children etc. will go a long way to making reloading fool proof.
Some auto indexing machines can make errors less likely but safety between the ears is as good or better than relying on automation and I do not have any auto indexing machines.
Obviously a brain fart and loss of concentration due to distractions can still make a double charge or squib possible but preventing them by loading without distractions like music, refreshments, children etc. will go a long way to making reloading fool proof.
Some auto indexing machines can make errors less likely but safety between the ears is as good or better than relying on automation and I do not have any auto indexing machines.
TULLYMARS
Single-Sixer
I'll soon be 68 yrs old and have been reloading 50 of those years. Never had a squib but I did destroy a S&W mountain gun just a few years back. Using HS-6 powder to load .44 specials I can only assume that I double charged 1 case out of a batch of 100.
I had fired exactly 30 rounds when the top strap and half the cylinder blew off. When I put the gun down on the bench the barrel also fell off.
Counted to see that all my fingers were there then went home and pulled the bullets and powder from the remaining rounds. All of the remaining loads were what they were supposed to be.
Loading was done on an RCBS PRO 2000 manual indexing progressive press.
My load that day was 10 grs of HS6 under a 240 gr. lead bullet in .44 special brass.
20 grs of that powder will fit in the .44 special case and will definitely take a Smith &Wesson apart.
I had fired exactly 30 rounds when the top strap and half the cylinder blew off. When I put the gun down on the bench the barrel also fell off.
Counted to see that all my fingers were there then went home and pulled the bullets and powder from the remaining rounds. All of the remaining loads were what they were supposed to be.
Loading was done on an RCBS PRO 2000 manual indexing progressive press.
My load that day was 10 grs of HS6 under a 240 gr. lead bullet in .44 special brass.
20 grs of that powder will fit in the .44 special case and will definitely take a Smith &Wesson apart.
stonebuster
Single-Sixer
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2017
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I had a couple squibs when I started reloading 38spl with low starting load using Hodgdon data. A poof and unburned powder in the barrel and cylinder face. Bullet made it near the end of 4 inch barrel revolver. Tighter crimp seemed to correct it but now I don't use starting load data. I start slightly higher & haven't had another squib. Never had an over/double charge. I use a Lee Classic 4 die turret press but prime single stage one day & load another day. That way it's just dump powder, seat bullet, crimp and done. K.I.S.S.
OP
I'm finding that Hornady has the lowest starting charge weights, then Hodgdon has the second lowest. I try and stay with Lyman's, Sierra's, or Speer's load data for Hodgdon powders. For Western Powders' powders and load data I tend to use Western Powders' manual or Lyman's.
I would only use Hodgdon's load data for load data so obscure as the 6.5x68mm Schuler's being the Hodgdon #26 manual has the only written recipe for it [other than Cartridges of the World which copied the data from Hodgdon's #26 manual]. And then as you mentioned I probably would start a little higher than their minimum recommendation to try and be on the safe side.
P.S. - A firm crimp is more important than many understand, especially when it comes to fast burning handgun powders.
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Don Lovel
Hunter
Low powder charge in a 338 Win Mag was not any fun at all
The Preacher
Blackhawk
Had a squib load a couple of years back because I broke my cardinal rule No.1; never shoot someone else's reloads. My 90 year old neighbor gave me about 5 boxes of old 38 Special 158 gr. lead semi wadcutter target loads. (looked to be from the late 50's or early sixties by the cardboard Western boxes) Didn't really want them but I thought, what the heck, he's just trying to get rid of them. Well, eventually I took a box out to the range with my .357 S&W 3" Mod. 65 and ran a few rounds through it. As said above; I pulled the trigger on a round and nothing, no loud sound and no hole in the target. Stopped right away and found a bullet lodged about half way up the barrel. End of range session and eyes up to the heavens with a quiet thank you for not pulling the trigger again. Went home and used a wooden rod to tap the bullet out. No harm done. But ever since I've been in the process of pulling the bullets on a couple of hundred rounds to trash the brass and powder and save the bullets for recasting. Lesson learned for breaking my rule No. 1.
trebor44
Blackhawk
Had both, a squib in a Ruger SBH and a double charge (what I suspect) in a Glock. Got scars and a trip to the ER (my choice) from the Glock and just a bulged barrel in the SBH (later cut down and reused as a shorter barrel).
BoggusDeal
Single-Sixer
Had three in .45 ACP loading on a Dillon 650 and a piece broke on the powder measure. I am NOT blaming Dillon.
OP
From what all I have read and heard I would only use a powder measure for plinking rounds and even then I would still want to fill the loading block and do a visual check before seating bullets. Or use the powder measure to drop a slightly lower charge weight and then trickle up from there on a scale for all the important rounds.
BoggusDeal
Single-Sixer
I have loaded tens if not hundreds of thousands of rounds of competition winning rounds of ammo on Dillons. And will continue to.
jmca
Single-Sixer
Why trash the Brass?
OP
I thought that same thing and then after thinking some more I figured because he did not know how many firings or what kind of loads where previously ran through them. So why take a chance.
jmca
Single-Sixer
Actually? Reading this again. The way it's written implys "Vintage" ammo? Around here Collectors buy that for over current market value. Especially if the boxes are in decent shape.
OP
This 90 year old neighbor could have been reloading the same cases from the boxes of ammo that he bought in the 50's. Could be that he had been reloading them for over 70 some odd years and putting them back in the original boxes. The neighbor could of loaded them hot many times over the years and then just decided he better start loading them with light target loads as not to stress them out anymore so they in hopes that they might last him another 70 years or so. One never knows when it comes to reloads just what was going on.
I know a lot of reloaders that pick up spent brass which others left behind, not knowing how many times the brass had been reloaded or how hot the loads were. Some times it isn't worth taking chances.
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