Received my CWL but may have damaged my gun.

[Moops]

Well, after almost six weeks (as advertised), I opened my mailbox yesterday, and picked up my permit. Finally.

The only problem is that I fear I might have damaged my LCP the other day. I took it out to New Mexico recently, and my brother was shooting it. One of his rounds let out a little "pop" rather than the "bang" we were expecting. Upon closer inspection, the slug was still stuck in the barrel. Luckily it was close enough to the breech that the next round wouldn't chamber, or I fear what might have happened to my brother's hand.

Couldn't push it out, so I brought it home and hammered it out with a wooden dowel. It took quite a bit of effort to get it out, much more than I would have expected.

My question is, how tightly is a round supposed to fit in the barrel? I know it has to be snug, or else the pressure wouldn't be high enough to give it effective velocity. But it took some serious pounding to get { it }out. The only thing that touched the barrel was the dowel, so I don't think I damaged it, but if the slug was too tight, could the pounding have caused any damage?

And should I throw out the rest of that ammo box? I guess it's called a "squib" fire, or so I've heard (it's what killed Brandon Lee, according to Wikipedia), but it seems there was no powder in the shell. Is this common, or is that what I get for buying the cheapest target ammo I can find?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[OPFOR]

What brand is the ammo? An undercharged round is pretty rare, all things considered, but it does happen. Rounds are supposed to be quite snug - IMO you didn't damage anything, but there are plenty of folks here with more experience in these matters who will be able to tell you more specifics.

[farronwolf]

If you pushed/pounded the lead out with a wooden dowel and nothing else is amiss, you should be good to go. What kind of ammo were you shooting? If it was really cheap stuff there is little lost by tossing it and buying something else. Lots cheaper than a new gun and a trip to the ER after the gun blows up in your hand.

Clean the gun back up, inspect it thoroughly and take it back to the range. Shoot some practice rounds, and some carry ammo and you should be good to go.

[buckeye .45]

It sounds to me like you experienced what is known as a squib round, which has nothing to do with how snug the round fits in the barrel.

For some reason all the powder didn't burn, or there wasn't enough powder, and so the round did not have force to exit the barrel.

I would recommend calling the ammo maker, and letting them know, if you still have the box, they will most likely want the lot #

As long as you just used a wooden dowel, it shouldn't of damaged anything, but then again, I'm not a gunsmith. When you call the ammo maker, ask them if they will pay for you to have the gun looked at by a gunsmith, since their faulty ammo may have damaged it.

[kmagnuss]

It happens, just a squib and yes it was a good thing another round didn't load or you could have had a bad day.

Your gun will be fine. Bullets fit tight.

IMO I wouldn't throw the rest of the ammo away. If you want you can mail it to me and I'll test it for you. :)

[Moops]

Thanks, I didn't think I had done any damage (none that I can see, anyway). It was Tula Ammo, which I've used before in my Glock and my 1911 with no problems (although the local indoor range prohibits its use; they say it starts fires). The company is based in Russia, fwiw. I might call their US Distributor and let them know. Thanks for the advice.

[lowercase]

Thanks, I didn't think I had done any damage (none that I can see, anyway). It was Tula Ammo, which I've used before in my Glock and my 1911 with no problems (although the local indoor range prohibits its use; they say it starts fires). The company is based in Russia, fwiw. I might call their US Distributor and let them know. Thanks for the advice.

My LCP had a rough time with Tula Ammo the other day, as well. No squib rounds, but the gun hated the stuff. Like yours, my Glocks have zero problem with Tula.

[kmagnuss]

...(although the local indoor range prohibits its use; they say it starts fires).

That made me LOL. The REAL reason(s) they don't want you to use it is a) it's not brass cased so they have to separate it from the rest of the brass they sweep up to sell or reuse and/or b) you're not buying their ammo which obviously costs them money.

[archer51]

I've never had any problems with the Tula ammo. That being said, anything is possible. It could also be possible that bullet for 9mm Makarov got mixed in with 9mm bullets, not likely, but again possible. Since the 9 Mak diameter is .363 vs the 9mm Para and .380 measure out at .356/.357. That could explain the extremely tight fit.

[Elk Hunter]

Did you have the barrel out of the gun when you pounded it out. The only reason I ask is if you just pounded it out and that last hit jammed the bullet back into the extractor it could have caused some damage. Clean your gun pull the trigger a few times to make sure everything is working. In addition I suggest you chamber a snap cap and cycle the action to make sure it extracts. If you can't do the I suggest you got to the range and cycle a live round in a safe manner to make sure it gets extracted.

[Yoda]

Did you pound it from the breech end or the muzzle end? How did you restrain the barrel while pounding?

Wooden dowel will cause no problems to the barrel. If you saved the casing and the bullet, bag them up and also bag the box of ammo just in case there is a problem.

[bigjason6]

Yep, you had a squib alright. If it ever happens again, please don't use a wooden dowel! You run the risk of it splitting in the barrel and acting as a wedge. If that happens you'll have a bear of a time getting it out. The best thing to use is a soft metal rod such brass. You won't ever get that one stuck in there!

[BIGSAM]

That made me LOL. The REAL reason(s) they don't want you to use it is a) it's not brass cased so they have to separate it from the rest of the brass they sweep up to sell or reuse and/or b) you're not buying their ammo which obviously costs them money.

EXACTLY

[Freedomofchoice]

Some how, I just knew you were going to say Tula or Wolf. Read some of the reviews for that ammo. Squib loads are more common than you think. Stick with a popular American brand and you should be ok.

[dukalmighty]

Next time a shot sounds different or you have a lighter recoil STOP SHOOTING,REMOVE MAGAZINE,EXTRACT ANY CHAMBERED ROUND,LOCK SLIDE OPEN AND EITHER INSERT A ROD DOWN THE BARREL OR LOOK DOWN THE BARREL AND MAKE SURE THERE ISN'T A ROUND STUCK IN THE BARREL.