Questions about Squib Loads and Catastrophic Failures

[zippygaloo]

I've never had a squib load or catastrophic failure.

1. Double Tap.
2. Pulling the trigger as fast as you can on a semi-auto.
3. Keeping the trigger pulled on an automatic fire gun.

If a squib load lies somewhere in the magazine, aren't all of these senarios going to result in a catastrophic failure? i.e. the weapon blowing up if a round is stuck in the barrel?

Or is this not possible because the gun won't cycle if you encounter a squib load? Does the cartridge ever eject on a squib load?

How does one avoid this ever constant possibility/danger?

[markm]

This isn't anything to worry about. The bolt will likely not cycle. The odds of a projectile getting stuck past the port yet leaving enough gas to cycle the weapon are astronomical.

[JBnTX]

.....
How does one avoid this ever constant possibility/danger?



Use only the highest quality ammo you can afford.

Stay away from reloads, unless you are absolutely
certain they are of the highest quality.

Keep your rifle clean and in the best possible mechanical condition.

Any interruption in the firing cycle must be
thoroughly investigated before continuing firing.

[5pins]

The real danger with a squib would be from manually cycling the action thinking it was a misfire then pulling the trigger. Here is a YouTube vido of that happing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWygoxV_ApM

[Spooky130]

Pat Rogers had a pretty good book of AR15 problems. He had seen a lot of ARs blow up over the years. It seemed that most of the time when they did go boom the majority of the explosion was vented down out of the magazine well. Probably not a design feature but somewhat comforting that I will likely keep all my digits if my AR blows up...

Spooky

[markm]

The real danger with a squib would be from manually cycling the action thinking it was a misfire then pulling the trigger.


That's true. Ideally you should check the bore for obstruction if you ever have this happen.

[zippygaloo]

That's true. Ideally you should check the bore for obstruction if you ever have this happen.

What is the correct and safe way to check the bore?

[Achilles]

Drop the mag, cycle the action and look in it to make sure there is no brass in the chamber. Then separate the upper and lower at the take-down pin, remove the bolt carrier group and look down the barrel from the chamber end. If you can see daylight through the barrel, you are good to go.

[RD62]

Pat Rogers had a pretty good book of AR15 problems. He had seen a lot of ARs blow up over the years. It seemed that most of the time when they did go boom the majority of the explosion was vented down out of the magazine well. Probably not a design feature but somewhat comforting that I will likely keep all my digits if my AR blows up...

Spooky

One reason I'm not a fan of the magwell hold.

Call me paranoid.

:D

-RD62

[zippygaloo]

The guy in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqEQqHIcyxE) says that if the gun doesn't go bang you're suppose to perform "Immediate Action" (tap, rack, bang). Well what if the round was a squib?

[JBnTX]

The guy in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqEQqHIcyxE) says that if the gun doesn't go bang you're suppose to perform "Immediate Action" (tap, rack, bang). Well what if the round was a squib?




With a squib load you may hear a "pop" followed by little or no recoil.
Here's the definition of a squib load:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squib_load

This is different from a simple jam where the round did not fire at all.
There are different responses to each type of malfunction.

With a squib load I'd follow the advice given earlier by Achilles.

[markm]

With a squib load you may hear a "pop" followed by little or no recoil.

Exactly. An "audible pop" as I've heard the Marines refer to it. Red Flags should be flying like crazy if this happens.

[zippygaloo]

Check out this video (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b9c_1201440552)? Why did this gun go boom?

[Failure2Stop]

The gun most likely will not cycle on a squib load. With a squib load, the bullet usually gets no further than the throat, which usually causes the next round to fail chamber. If you have a stoppage and the next 2 rounds does not chamber when the CH is racked, it would be prudent to check the barrel instead of smashing the cartridge into place with the forward assist.

However, bore obstructions come in many forms. It doesn't take a whole lot of sand to stop a bullet in the barrel.

"Audible Pop"- this gets me. Is there a "Silent Pop" I should be aware of?

Holding the magazine while firing is poor technique and will probably result in some injury if you have a kB. However- I have yet to see an injury when using the magwell as a backstop for the hand, though it can cause a stoppage if the fingers block the ejection port cover from freely opening.

[Iraqgunz]

Zippy,

It has to do with odds and probabilities. The odds of you having a squib round are there, but not as high as the probability that if you have a malfunction in combat and you don't take immediate action you will get killed.

I also doubt that when the SHTF you will even realize that you just a squib round go off.


The guy in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqEQqHIcyxE) says that if the gun doesn't go bang you're suppose to perform "Immediate Action" (tap, rack, bang). Well what if the round was a squib?

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

Not an AR, but I once blew a Springfield Loaded's barrel to hell by doing a tap-rack-bang drill on some of my doofy reloads. Luckily Springfield replaced the barrel and it worked perfectly.