RA9T Squib

[Obiwan]

Balmy 10 degrees up at my favorite shooting area so I took my new PSP out to test drive it. As is my custom, I took mixed mags of whatever 9mm I had on hand to check for reliability

First two mags went great bu on the third mag the pistol went pop instead of bang. Luckily I was paying attention and I stopped shooting

Sure enough, when I checked there was no light at the end of the tunnel

Banged my dewey rod (brass) through the barrel and out popped a Winchester RA9T hollowpoint (the only hollowpoints I had loaded into the mixed mags)

I had assumed it was one of the cheap Fiocchi (sp?) rounds I was also using

First time for me....kinda disconcerting

[ToddG]

Sadly, this falls under the category of "shit happens."

http://9x19mm.com/photos/SquibSide.jpg

You may want to weigh the rest of your RA9T to see if any of the other rounds turn up light. If so, I'd call Winchester with the lot # from the box.

[Obiwan]

Wow...yours made it much farther than mine:D

Mine barely moved into the barrel

[5pins]

I doubt you would be able to tell if there was no powder by weighing them. When you consider the variations in the case and bullet weight and the fact that the powder charge is only about five grains or so.

Call Winchester and let them know what happened. A friend of mine did this when he got some bad ammo from them and got some coupons for free ammo.

[decodeddiesel]

Oh great, I've got 500 rounds of this stuff at the house. :(

It's probably a one in a million lark but still that is unsettling. What would happen if you were doing a hammer drill at say 5 yards and banged the trigger the second time on a squib? I suppose I am lucky in that all I've never had a round malfunction like that.

[four]

Oh great, I've got 500 rounds of this stuff at the house. :(

It's probably a one in a million lark but still that is unsettling. What would happen if you were doing a hammer drill at say 5 yards and banged the trigger the second time on a squib? I suppose I am lucky in that all I've never had a round malfunction like that.

nothing would happen. if the cartridge doesn't have enough energy to clear the barrel, it's not going to cycle the action.

now if do a failure drill and the breech actually closes you could be in trouble.
or if you're using a revolver.

Todd's is the only one I've ever seen actually make it to the end of the barrel and still not make it out. I love that picture.

[decodeddiesel]

nothing would happen. if the cartridge doesn't have enough energy to clear the barrel, it's not going to cycle the action.

now if do a failure drill and the breech actually closes you could be in trouble.
or if you're using a revolver.

Todd's is the only one I've ever seen actually make it to the end of the barrel and still not make it out. I love that picture.

Of course your right, my brain wasn't engaged. :o

[ToddG]

It becomes a problem when the bullet gets just enough impulse via the primer detonation to get into the barrel a short distance. Then another round is set off behind it and the "stuck" bullet creates enough resistance that the chamber pressure builds too fast. Depending on the gun, the ammo, and exactly where along the barrel the bullet is stuck, you can get a bulged barrel, a ruptured barrel, or a small thermonuclear explosion. (hey, I said depending on the gun)

FWIW, I'm willing to bet that if I'd fired another round behind the one I pictured, both the stuck bullet and the new bullet would have left the barrel. If a squib is going to happen, the best possibility is as four mentioned, it will prevent another round from chambering. The next best thing is for it to get as far down the barrel as possible so there is substantially more volume for the burning powder (of the second round) to expand into before the two projectiles meet.

And four good to see you here, brother! :cool:

[E53001]

todd's pic reminds me of a saying i hear frequently, "i promise ill just put the tip in, thats all" haha

[YVK]

I am very-very-very far from expert, I am just thinking aloud...

Since it is a PSP, I would have somebody experienced examine chamber gas port. While I highly doubt that eroded gas port can cause this by itself, it may be contributory at least theoretically, if it bleeds off too much pressure... What is a correct term, tolerance stacking?

[Obiwan]

Thanks, but if it were a gas issue, it would not have sounded like (and felt like) a cap pistol:D