Primer Issue?

[alfsauve]

This just cropped up recently.  Had one a month ago but today during practice 7 out of 150 rounds experienced a problem.  Squibs.

FYI: .38 spl.   Federal Primer.  4.3gr of Tite Group.  Borderline Power Factor for ICORE.  Easy PF for IDPA.  Shooting through a SW 686.  Loaded and stored in 50% humidity climate control environment.  None of the components are more than a year old, except the brass.   Haven't had any problems with this load, or my loading in many years.

Except this is a little different.  Not quite the normal full "pop" of any squib I've had.  That plus the bullet didn't make it fully into the barrel. 

Point of Reference:  I've had a couple of true squibs, no powder, of my own and I had three squibs out of a "lot" of S&B factory ammo during the Covid Affair. I  think I know what a squib feels and sounds like.   In all cases the bullet has made it fully into the barrel, clearing the cylinder.  One of the S&Bs actually dribbled out of the barrel.

Not a problem to correct.  I have a heavy brass squib rod and it backs them back into the cylinder with just a tap or two.  Of course if it were competition then that's a really bummer, score wise.

I think I have a bad batch of primers.  To test this theory I loaded a squib on purpose and sure enough it sounded and felt different and the bullet made it fully into the barrel.   

Went and checked the powder magazine.  The last 1000 rounds I loaded were with Federal MATCH primers.  Got them on sale and didn't think there'd be any different from regular Federal SPP.  I can use up the remaining loaded ammo with practice.  But do I trust the MATCH primers?  I have 1,000 more. 

Or hey, maybe it is me? 

Anybody seen this happen?  Words of wisdom?

[alfsauve]

UPDATE:

First, the batch of reloads was from May and used regular Fed 100 SPP.  I only had a box of 50 left which I shot today with no problem.   I don't keep that good of records but I think that was from a group of Federal primers bought in the last 12 months.  (I usually by in 5,000s)

The Federal Match I have loaded 1,000 and didn't shoot them until today.  200 of them with no problems.

A side story, bear with me.  One of the largest gun stores, Adventure Outdoors, in Smyrna, GA, has been running a sale for 3 months now.  BOGO on CCI and Federal ammo.  Rimfire, CF Pistol and Rifle. "WHY?" you ask.  Seems like CCI had an unusually high number of lots that did not pass QC.  Adv Out worked out a deal where they got all these SECONDS ammo at half price.  They are clearly marked with labels as "SECONDS" and the reason why.  Some say, "Misfire" and some say, "Failure to Eject".  Good deal if you don't mind the high rate of failures and a lot of plinkers think it's worth the savings.

BEAR WITH ME, on this.

Reading between the line I'm betting these were a result of the Wuhan Affair era.  At the time CCI and Federal where all owned by Vista, since sold off overseas.  Now if they had so much ammo that failed QC because of Misfire, I'd think that was a primer problem.   See where I'm going?  I thinking one of my lots of Federal Primers were part of that era of Not-So-Good-Ammo.

I loaded up two real squibs and in both cases the bullet was pushed fully into the forcing cone allowing the cylinder to open.  My failed ammo did not put the bullet quite half that far.  So I'm holding onto that this problem was a primer problem.  And I'm now unto the "Match" for the next 2,000 rounds before I go back to the regular Fed #100 primers. 

OR  I am willing to believe it was my problem.  Maybe my powder measure had a bridge and didn't drop any powder for 7 or 8 rounds and I didn't notice.  To that end I'm going to change my routine with .38spls and start using my Powder Cop again, especially when I go back to the standard #100 primers.  Problem is I only have a 5 station press and with this I'll need 6.  NO, i'm not buying another press, I'll resize, prime and expand in one pass then change out the dies; Powder, Cop, Seater and Crimper in the second time around.

Probably take me into next year before I use up all the Match primers, but when I get back to the #100s and I'm SURE there's no squibs and I have the problem, then we'll know it wasn't me.  OF COURSE, if I don't have the problem again then we'll know it was me.

[alfsauve]

I’ve loaded 500 round using the powder cop.  Definitely different only having to worry about priming on the first pass and about powder on the second. Thursday I’ll take out 100:of these w/ Fed #100 and 100 with Fed Gold match.  The powder cop did stop me on 3 of them but the powder difference was minute. Like within 10%.  Shows it’s pretty sensitive.

As an aside my microprocessor reloading counter has gone bonkers.  I’ve made no changes, but I think the program has become corrupted.  Alpha rays from outer space.  Sometimes the counter stops counting for a few rounds then all of a sudden it catches up.  Sometimes the whole program freezes.  Kinda of weird for a change of having no audio or visual confirmation.  I’m in the process of rewriting the program. Simply. Simplify is the watch word.