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Ever have a KaBOOM? (case failure?)
spclark
Member Posts: 408 ✭
I've been reloading now for awhile & consider myself competent to follow the load manuals & strive to play by the rules of the game.
I even take the time to weigh each charge & look into each case before seating the bullet to make sure I haven't done something stupid.
I'm wondering now about other reloaders' experiences with case failures & what the circumstances were. If you've suffered thru this experience, reloader or not, I'd like to know what the circumstances were & what you discovered about the possible cause.
Last Sunday I had a KaBOOM while load-testing some cartridges I'd made up a few days before, using charges well under the manual's specs for the bullet & caliber I was loading for, .45 ACP. Brass was once-fired nickel-plated Starline, resized & trimmed to specs. Bullets were Hornady HP/XTP 230grain, powder was AA 5 at from 7.6 to 8.0 grains in .1 grain steps, 5 cartridges each. COL 1.230". First 7.9 grain load is the one that failed.
I can account for every bullet I fired so I'm confident none had lodged in the barrel before the round whose case failed. Even the bullet fired with the round that failed hit the paper at 25 yards, though about 6" below & to the right of the others.
Ruined my HK USP Expert (only a month old), ruined my afternoon, ruined my peace of mind. Fortunately it didn't ruin my hand or eyes; I wear glasses all the time anyway & came away with nothing but a stinging finger.
Blast went down thru the in-place magazine, blowing the floorplate to pieces (literally) but the magazine stayed in place. Was shooting off a bench with my hand resting on a sandbag, on top of which I'd placed a white shop rag folded over three or four times into a pad. The burn marks on the rag pad went thru four or five layers of cloth, the HK jumped from my hand when the case failed & the frame split from slide to handle bottom on the right side, facing my palm. The receiver jumped off the slide pins on the left side (rotated clockwise) but stayed on the pins on the right side, jammed tight. Barrel & receiver solidly married by the blown case, no visible cracks to either.
I even take the time to weigh each charge & look into each case before seating the bullet to make sure I haven't done something stupid.
I'm wondering now about other reloaders' experiences with case failures & what the circumstances were. If you've suffered thru this experience, reloader or not, I'd like to know what the circumstances were & what you discovered about the possible cause.
Last Sunday I had a KaBOOM while load-testing some cartridges I'd made up a few days before, using charges well under the manual's specs for the bullet & caliber I was loading for, .45 ACP. Brass was once-fired nickel-plated Starline, resized & trimmed to specs. Bullets were Hornady HP/XTP 230grain, powder was AA 5 at from 7.6 to 8.0 grains in .1 grain steps, 5 cartridges each. COL 1.230". First 7.9 grain load is the one that failed.
I can account for every bullet I fired so I'm confident none had lodged in the barrel before the round whose case failed. Even the bullet fired with the round that failed hit the paper at 25 yards, though about 6" below & to the right of the others.
Ruined my HK USP Expert (only a month old), ruined my afternoon, ruined my peace of mind. Fortunately it didn't ruin my hand or eyes; I wear glasses all the time anyway & came away with nothing but a stinging finger.
Blast went down thru the in-place magazine, blowing the floorplate to pieces (literally) but the magazine stayed in place. Was shooting off a bench with my hand resting on a sandbag, on top of which I'd placed a white shop rag folded over three or four times into a pad. The burn marks on the rag pad went thru four or five layers of cloth, the HK jumped from my hand when the case failed & the frame split from slide to handle bottom on the right side, facing my palm. The receiver jumped off the slide pins on the left side (rotated clockwise) but stayed on the pins on the right side, jammed tight. Barrel & receiver solidly married by the blown case, no visible cracks to either.
Comments
My gun is prettier than yours, and it's a Glock!
The worst part was that it felt like I'd just high fived Mike Tyson.
Edited by - Txs on 04/28/2002 18:21:39
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conf
SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC
I was thankful my wife did not have it in her hand when that round went off.
I don't understand why. I fired a full box, trying to figure it out. They don't appear to be 'hot loads'. To my knowledge, brass does not degrade with age.
how far under?, under charging can be just as dangerous as over charging, it changes the amount of boiler room, and can make pressure slower than min charge normally would, and cause increased pressure then KABOOM, if you chronograph them you will notice an increase in velocity the lower you go, this a a sign of under charged load
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
Posted - 04/28/2002 : 2:28:41 PM
Thanks. Now I feel stupid for having almost asked for pics.
Now I feel stupid for having told you how stupid I feel.
When will it end?
IT SET THE NEXT ROUND OFF THAT WAS IN THE MAG
(lucky only 1 was left).
felt like my 44mag when it went off. only damage was to my hand and mag, still shoot the gun with the same barrel every month. SA1911-A1
after that i started reloading my own
quote:Originally posted by Old-Colts
Posted - 04/28/2002 : 2:28:41 PM
Thanks. Now I feel stupid for having almost asked for pics.
Now I feel stupid for having told you how stupid I feel.
When will it end?[:D][:D][:D]
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
quote:Ever have a KaBOOM? (case failure?)
here's a kaboom for ya!
the 9mm nato i just got is loaded hotter than +P, but none of my guns have complained.
quote:Ever have a KaBOOM? (case failure?)
here's a kaboom for ya!
I bet a change of underwear was required
I squeezed the trigger and felt a sting on my cheeck and heard the small peices of case fragments hitting a barn wall about 8 feet away. I didnt put it all together a once, my face was bleeding, and the rifle had jammed. The mangled case was still in the bolt.
I just got a little scatch. But If I had been shooting an SKS I'd probably be eyeless right now.
i`m glad your ok though...guns can be bought for a lot less than it costs to fix people.
Broke a few small parts in the gun- firing pin tip, follower spring. Drenched me with gas.
No injuries. No brass stinging me in the face. Nothing.
Gotta love milsurps. Built like tanks, even the crappiest of them.