Another thread got me thinking a PSA wouldn't hurt.

How many are familiar with the word SQUIB?

No, not the "Squib" from Harry Potter.

A Squib, for those unfamiliar, is a "light load" or an "incomplete burn"... any round that fails to fully ignite the propellant for whatever reason is called a "squib". Additionally, should someone fail to add suffient propellant, or any propellant at all...thus utilizing only the primer, that too would be a squib.

Often, a squib will fail to clear the muzzle. So a "squib" is also any round that fails to clear the muzzle regardless of reasons. The primer charge is, however, often sufficient to push the projectile into the barrel...

AND LEAVE IT THERE.

Can anyone tell me what happens if the round that follows is not a squib?
Yes class! Very good!
Something bad indeed.
Like a receiver or barrel blowing apart.
Which can injure or kill not just the shooter, but also anyone around the shooter, including those behind.

Fortunately for many, a squib is not capable of functioning the slide of a semi, so it is unlikely, though not impossible, that the next round will feed as design intends.

But the uninitiated or uneducated, not getting the desired result, might rack the slide manually and squeeze off another...
With predictable results.

And then, there are revolvers. That is different. Very different.

So then, how do we recognize a squib?
Me...it's the sound.
In my capacity as an RSO, I listen.
If I hear a light "pop" instead of an expected bang, I immediately think squib. But that came from years of training and experience; of actually firing a primed but not charged round to hear it, over the cacophony of an indoor range.

Thus one day years ago I heard the first of what happened to be many squibs over a brief period.
It was a young person shooting for the first time and quite perplexed as to why the anticipated recoil didn't happen. That was an interesting event as it was also my first "range squib." And because I had received expert training, I was moving to that shooter before I was aware of what I was doing or why.

The next squib of the day was a bit more exciting. The shooter racked the slide manually and was some kind of pissed when a pair of hands not belonging to him took control of his gun before he could fire it. He had a round lodged in the barrel. That was easy to fix.

Blown off fingers are a bit more difficult.

So pay attention always. If it doesn't feel or sound right, there's a good chance that it isn't. Stop and do the entire misfire routine. Never just assume.

That guy who had racked his slide was, at the time, a 15 year veteran of one of our local police departments.

Class dismissed.

Add in suppressed weapons and a whole new thinkspeak is at hand.

SR

Btdt as a 20 year old new shooter. Miraculously the brain worked and all the fingers are intact. Think about it sometimes. Which is good.

I carry a little brass hammer and a wooden dowel for tapping squibbed bullets out of the barrel because I bought 100 reloads from a friend. Rats. It's the sound and the recoil.

CDFingers

Great post.
I can see an uninitiated person racking the slide to feed another. I've never had a squib in my uh .... gosh, 55 years of shooting.
I've had FTF's and casings stuck in semi's.
Anybody with a little experience should know the round didn't go off. But happily there are range officers like you.
So yeah in a revolver, oh my that would not be a good day.

SubRosa wrote: Thu Jul 14, 2022 8:03 pm Add in suppressed weapons and a whole new thinkspeak is at hand.

SR

Well....
Not exactly. But I get your point. Had that 15 year vet been firing suppressed, would I have heard and reacted? I've no idea. Perhaps...probably not...depends...maybe...?
I can't say.

First and foremost of course, the responsibility falls to the user.
It's on them to know everything about their stuff. How it feels, responds, sounds, smells...everything.
Something isn't "right" it's on them to find out why.
Before squeezing off the next round.

The intent of my psa is to advocate against complacency.

If it doesn't feel right then it probably isn't. Safety is no accident.

Those that are into the hobby of reloading your own ammo, recognizing squib rounds should be foremost on your mind. Being embarrassed for underloading or forgetting to add powder altogether takes a back seat to catching a squib before a potential disaster as Rolandson described in his tutorial above. The primer cap alone is enough energy to push the bullet into the barrel with an anemic “pop”. Then that pistol is pretty much out of commission until you carefully hammer out the stuck bullet from the muzzle end.

Those enthusiasts who get so into firearms as to reload ammo naturally should have a higher awareness for what sounds and feel proper when shooting. Because quality control for the rounds you shoot rests in your own hands, you certainly want to keep those hands with all the digits intact for years to come.

Don’t drink when you shoot.

Don’t drink while reloading.

And don’t drink when cleaning your guns.

CD, Rolandson, would you agree that everyone should know what a squib round feels like? Should we arrange to to have a safety training where everyone gets to fire an intentional squib in their own gun and learn how to carefully hammer out the bullet using a Chinese fast-food chopstick? (Everyone keeps a pair of disposable chopsticks in their car, don’t they?)

Squibs in semi-auto pistols are far safer than a squib in a revolver. Knowing the sound and feel of a squib round really is important part of the sport.

Sure--that would rock. First time it happened to me I was lucky in that it was the first round for that target. Light recoil and no bullet hole. Also a stove pipe with the brass caught in the slide. I already had the hammer and dowel in there, so just did it. Once people know what to do, it's no big deal. Great idea to do it on purpose.

CDFingers

There were several of us in the training session. It was conducted on an active range. Each of us took turns as the shooter. The point of the exercise was for us the hear the distinct difference, so the observers had their backs to the range and were unaware of when the squib round would be fired...
Keeping in mind there were other shooters blasting away and we had our ears on.

We were listening. A huge requirement for an RSO.

Sure, gaining experience is valuable. But more importantly is the "see something-say something" mindset, except along the pov of:

If it feels or sounds different, it is different...find out why.

THAT! -is a great exercise.