there is not much info in their postings. There was at least one KB reported around Christmas. they thought there was a preceeding squib. here is a link to that reported Chirstmas KB http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1201064541/0
are you OK? what ammo were you using? how many rounds through the gun? was a stock gun? provide more info i just had one with a p-40
Say what are the tell tail signs of a squib, so that you know what to look for that way you wouldn't fire the nx possibly fatal round. Thanks Tom j.
Say what are the tell tail signs of a squib, so that you know what to look for that way you wouldn't fire the nx possibly fatal round. Thanks Tom j.[/quote] One of the big keys in detecting a squib is to listen to your shots fired. All of your rounds should pretty sound exactly the same. If you are shooting rounds that sound normal, then you have one that sounds muffled or not as loud then you could possibly have a squib. Once you hear that, STOP SHOOTING!!! Inspect your firearm by either removing the barrel from the slide or locking the slide back and passing a cleaning rod completely through the barrel from muzzle to chamber. If you cannot see through the barrel or pass the rod completely through, then you have a squib round that is lodged. Another thing to consider is if you hear a very noticable difference in the sound volume between rounds, I would cease shooting that box of ammo. Set it to the side, and consider it a bad batch. It's better to loose 10 bucks or so by discarding a box of ammo than facing possible injury and destruction of your gun by using suspect ammo. I hope this helps you out, Tom. Jason
Thanks Keltec Cajun say how about mussel flip seems like you wouldn't have a pronounced mussel flip if the bullet didn't exit the barrel. Tom j
Muzzle flip is something else that definitely needs to be considered, as well bullet holes in targets as Artimus stated. I participate in USPSA events 6-10 times a year, and I am conscious of sound more than muzzle flip or bullet holes when I am competing. Many competitive shooters listen to their shots as a way to keep track of shot count. I am sure everyone is different, but sound is what I have trained myself to be most alerted towards.
Only problem with me is I wear so much hearing protection at the range I'm not sure I would notice a difference, unless it was really pronounced. Tom j.
My considered opinion is there was definitely an obstruction in the barrel of this gun. Has anyone ever seen a brass case with a piece blown out of it before ? In a 380? I've seen double charged 44's that split, bulged 45's, once put the wrong powder in a 32 H&R mag and split 4 cases in half (but boy were they hot loads!) but I have never seen a shell case with a chunk actually missing before. My opinion, something was lodged right up against the bullet when this thing fired and the shell casing had to take the place of the barrel for just a moment. Back when the Ruger P85 was being developed, the engineers were screwing around with one and threaded the inside of the barrel, screwed a plug in the end and fired it. The bullet lodged against the plug, the extractor broke but the gun was still functional. They fired another 5,000 rounds through it and then cut half the slide off. another 3,000 rounds and the remaining side of the slide began to show fatigue failure and they retired it. (The rest of the story is that when they told Bill Ruger about it, his comment was "Dammit, I told you I designed it hell for stout, now quit screwing around and get back to work" ;D Point of the story is that was a 9mm and the case didn't fail like the one in the photo. I thought a .380 (9mm Corto) is basically a 9mm shortened, same case thickness, same web, etc I'm impressed that after seeing these kb's that no one is missing any fingers, eyes, or limbs. Dan R
Heck, I can feel the difference between different brands of similar ammo. You can absolutely FEEL a squib load even with good hearing protection. -Scott
That sure is a close one. The other forum this is from says a woman tried shooting it to consider for her CCW piece. First impressions are everything and I'm sure this did'nt help her like it much.
I'm a little puzzled why Kel-Tec hardens their 4140 steel barrels to 48 HRC. This makes the steel very hard but brittle. Most barrel makers harden 4140 to about 22 to 35 Rockwell C which is a compromise between ductility and hardness. Barrels of this hardness (22 to 35) tend to stretch and "balloon" without the catastrophic failure that occurred here. Looking at the edges of the failed barrel here, it looks like a failure of an embrittled barrel. This is just an opinion from looking at the picture and could only be confirmed by having the failed barrel tested at a materials lab.
Problem is my old eyes can't see that tiny hole in papre out past 20 feet or so. Also & this is no kidding I was shooting my .357 Blackhawk at 15 yards or so & couldn't see the dust kicked up on the berm. +1 on the electronic muffs. I don't have any but I do have an old pair of earplugs with a sound baffle built in that cuts out at 85 Db. Works great & I don't have a problem shooting my Subbie. DOn't know if they still make them. Trade name Sonic II. Had them for 20 or 30 years.
ive had my fair share of squibbs while developing extremely underloaded gallery rounds. the challange is not to tell the difference between a squibb and a full power load, but to tell the difference between a squibb and a primer that failed to ignite. they are *very* quiet.
Partial Quote:I'm impressed that after seeing these kb's that no one is missing any fingers, eyes, or limbs. I AGREE!! ;D Tom j.
