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View Full Version : Raise your hand if you've ever experienced a kaBoom.



fuse
12-10-2011, 11:47 AM
...during an Aim Fast Hit Fast class

...during a solo F.A.S.T. run.

All of your hands should be down. Mine is not, sadly.

It has taken me awhile to write this, mostly due to the mental trauma sustained in this incident. This is part of my healing.

It was during my 3rd FAST run of the class, on Sunday morning. After getting on The Wall (http://pistol-training.com/archives/5334) the day before, on this run I proceeded to badly miss both headshots, reload, and blow my gun up on the first body shot.

It happened very fast, obviously. I remember dropping the gun; Todd says it was more of a touchdown spike. I remember looking at my now black hands from the partially burnt powder, and seeing and feeling all my fingers. That part felt nice.

Then the realization set in of exactly what happened. I just blew up my gun.

TLG was awesome. Not only did he not tell me to GTFO of class, he secured the gun and spent about 10 or so minutes un-jamming it to see the full extent of the damage. It was locked up extremely tight, and freeing the slide involved viciously pounding it on a wood block to get it back far enough to get the safety plunger out.



So how did this happen? The TLG version of the story is that after seeing the headshots miss, I purposely grabbed a magazine that contained a 9mm bomb of my own deliberate manufacture, in order to use my one allowed reshoot due to "extreme equipment malfunction". While very hilarious, it isn't true.

The most likely answer is that I simply screwed up. Screwed up fantastically. A textbook double charge is my current assumption. But I am open to other possibilities, particularly ones that don't make me appear so bumpkin-ish.
At that time (SEPT 2011) I had been reloading for around 8 or 9 months, and had reloaded about 7k trouble-free rounds. Like most accidents firearm-wise, it only takes one.


Damage

As you'll see in the pictures, damage is actually not that bad. Nothing appears to be permanent.

The extractor was lost. We never found it. I imagine its still in orbit. Or perhaps some of it is.

The White Sound HRED I had installed (aftermarket spring loaded extractor bearing) was half-destroyed. I have the big rod, but the spring and the small part that contacts the extractor were lost. I imagine they are wherever the extractor is.

Half the casing was sealed in the chamber. Apparently this is not difficult to remove.

The magazine shot out of the gun, and was destroyed. The magazine catch seems to be fine.

And of course my pride was grievously injured.

As bad as it was, it really could have been much worse.
My Glock is currently back home at Glock INC in Georgia, being inspected for damage by the pros at the factory. If its ok, it will get a new extractor, the new ejector, and the latest recoil spring assembly.
I can't wait to get it back. I have been shooting a couple of my gen3 Glocks since, and its shown me how much I really dig the GEN4 frame.

I still reload. I recently passed the 13k mark on my 550b. But I'm alot more careful, and I don't reload as much at one time. I actually have an idea of how I could have done this. It involves me loading for a long period, becoming fatigued and letting myself get distracted.

And now, pictures of the carnage. I fear you'll be a little disappointed.



http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp15/ebtromba/extracty/photobucket-2937-1323530687126.jpg

the casing sealed in the chamber


http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp15/ebtromba/extracty/photobucket-3431-1323529929975.jpg

The other half of the casing. The deformity is pretty amazing. I can't even read the headstamp, as it is totally flat. The pressure apparently literally flattened out the headstamp. Awesome.


http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp15/ebtromba/extracty/photobucket-3542-1323529981068.jpg

more of the case

http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp15/ebtromba/extracty/photobucket-3679-1323529917565.jpg



http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp15/ebtromba/extracty/photobucket-3142-1323529939281.jpg


the magazine. as mentioned, its toast.


http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp15/ebtromba/extracty/photobucket-2965-1323530031587.jpg


http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp15/ebtromba/extracty/photobucket-5716-1323529992542.jpg


http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp15/ebtromba/extracty/photobucket-3641-1323530021851.jpg

here the "track" the magazine catch cut through the magazine can be seen.


http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp15/ebtromba/extracty/photobucket-3060-1323529903149.jpg

my Gen4 17, before it got sent back to Glock.

http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp15/ebtromba/extracty/extracty.jpg

a humble tribute

CCT125US
12-10-2011, 01:07 PM
Fuse,

Glad you walked away with all your physical parts. Also great to see that this did not stop you from reloading, this would have been an easy time to stop. Not sure what your standard load or powder is, but I purposely pick a powder that is bulky and has a relatively slow burn, just in case I screw up. My powder of choice for 9mm and .40 is Unique made by Alliant. I have found that this powder is bulky and fluffy enough to leave just enough room for bullet seating, while maintaining safe pressure and velocity. In the event of a double charge, it overflows the case and gives me a visual warning while I set the bullet in the case mouth. And you asked for other possibilities.... (1)If you are using brass of unknown origin and unknown times fired, the case may have been catastrophically weakened before you loaded it. It may have been bulged past its elasticity and re sized without your knowledge. (2) It could have been once fired brass and got damaged while on the ground (pressed onto a rock, making a weak spot), that might have been enough if your loads run on the higher pressure side. (3)And yet another possibility is that some tumbling media or other foreign substance remained in the case; this would take up case volume and cause a pressure spike......

Again just some possibilities. But glad your are ok and that the situation was handled well.

TGS
12-10-2011, 03:03 PM
Wow bro, no bueno! Good to see you've still got your phalanges and whatnot.

As to quality control, what is commonly done by reloaders to ensure things like this don't happen?

What else can be done?

willowofwisp
12-10-2011, 03:20 PM
While I was not the shooter...about 10 years ago I was at teh range with my grandpa and he was shooting his AMT .45 win mag, I'm not sure if it was a double charge or a round followed by a squib but the gun exploded...sending part of the slide through the ceiling of the shooting range and causing the barrel to peel back...I was only 13 at the time but I remember having a holy sh!t look on my face, luckily no one was hurt.

JV_
12-10-2011, 03:36 PM
As to quality control, what is commonly done by reloaders to ensure things like this don't happen?
Don't multitask
Don't let yourself get distracted
Visually inspect every case

I'm about to setup my Dillon Powder Check:
http://www.dillonprecision.com/content/p/9/pid/23805/catid/3

TGS
12-10-2011, 03:46 PM
Don't multitask
Don't let yourself get distracted
Visually inspect every case

I'm about to setup my Dillon Powder Check:
http://www.dillonprecision.com/content/p/9/pid/23805/catid/3

The whole "don't multitask and be distracted" thing isn't very solid given we're humans and make mistakes. That's not a QC measure in my opinion....AFAIK, QC are processes to check that we did the job right.

Would visually inspect every cartridge include weighing the product? If it was double-charged, you'd be able to tell by weighing, right? I imagine it'd be pretty time consuming to weigh every cartridge, but maybe weigh 500 at a time. There's the small chance that one could be overloaded and one underloaded, leveling out the total weight, but I think it'd be a better compromise than just saying, "nah, I did it right" and going about the day.

Or does this powder check pretty much take care of the issue?

I only ever reloaded shotgun shells when I was a kid, about 30 to 50 at a time. Never reloaded handgun or rifle ammo, and have never reloaded in bulk.

JV_
12-10-2011, 03:54 PM
The whole "don't multitask and be distracted" thing isn't very solid given we're humans and make mistakes. The point is, you'll make more mistakes if you allow yourself to be distracted. Don't watch TV, don't surf the web, don't do things which force you to pay LESS attention to the task at hand.


Would visually inspect every cartridge include weighing the product?No, visual is just that - visual. I'm not going to weigh each round that I reload for pistol. You should be able to see a double charge, and if you pick the powder correctly, you won't be able to seat a bullet. It's easy to look in the charged case before you seat a bullet.

I do weigh each charge that I reload for precision rifle, but I don't weigh the loaded round.


Or does this powder check pretty much take care of the issue?The dillon system checks for gross charge errors, like a 0 or 2x charge.

rsa-otc
12-10-2011, 04:52 PM
Dude glad you're OK.

25 years plus of reloading I never had an issue UNTIL, my Dillon powder measure started sticking in the delivered position. I would constantly clean it, check for burrs, stuck powder etc. I never called Dillon and asked about a replacement.

At my first outdoor IDPA match I had perfect storm of errors that led to a bulged barrel, broken ejector and bruised pride. First my electronic ear pro failed mid match. It wasn't a battery problem, they just quit working. Now after 3 decades of shooting and working around loud truck motors my hearing is less than perfect. So midway thru the last stage of the day I had a squib round that just the primer went off, there was no powder since the powder measure had stuck in the open position and I missed it. Since my ear pro failed and I can't hear worth damn without them I thought it was a dud. Tap Rack BANG! It seemed that the squib round pushed the bullet only half way down the barrel. The follow up shot cleared the stuck round and caused the barrel to swell enough that the slide locked half way back and was stuck on bulge. Good news was the result was 2 down zero shots. Bad news was that it took a rubber mallet to free the slide and a new barrel and ejector to fix the gun. Thank god I was shooting CDP and the 45 is a lower pressure round. Add to that the S&W 645 is built like a tank. Only injury was my pride.

Lesson learned. I immediately contacted Dillon and they sent me a new powder measure at no cost. They really mean lifetime no BS warranty, no arguments no lengthy discussions. Secondly I limit myself to loading 200 to 300 rounds at a time. If I get tired or distracted I stop. Each and every case I look into and make sure there is powder in it and that it looks like the right amount. If I think I missed checking a round I pull the bullet and make sure there is powder or throw it in the permanently rejected box for proper disposal. Also I had new ear pros the next time I was at the range.

The match director was an extremely good guy and took pity on me. He scored the 4 shots I didn't shoot as misses and did not give me any FTN's. That allowed me to finish forth in the division. I should have gotten a DNF.

BigT
12-13-2011, 02:25 PM
The whole "don't multitask and be distracted" thing isn't very solid given we're humans and make mistakes. That's not a QC measure in my opinion....AFAIK, QC are processes to check that we did the job right.

Would visually inspect every cartridge include weighing the product? If it was double-charged, you'd be able to tell by weighing, right? I imagine it'd be pretty time consuming to weigh every cartridge, but maybe weigh 500 at a time. There's the small chance that one could be overloaded and one underloaded, leveling out the total weight, but I think it'd be a better compromise than just saying, "nah, I did it right" and going about the day.

Or does this powder check pretty much take care of the issue?

I only ever reloaded shotgun shells when I was a kid, about 30 to 50 at a time. Never reloaded handgun or rifle ammo, and have never reloaded in bulk.
The variance in bullet and case weight (especially if like me you use mixed cases for most ammo) is enough that weighing single rounds wouldnt tell you much reliabily. Weighing 500 at a time would tell you nothing.

The plated bullets I use have a grain or two variance in weight. The cases even more. The 4.5 grains of powder can easily be confused.

BigT
12-13-2011, 02:29 PM
BTW Fuse really glad your okay.

JV_
12-13-2011, 03:31 PM
The variance in bullet and case weight (especially if like me you use mixed cases for most ammo) is enough that weighing single rounds wouldnt tell you much reliabily. Weighing 500 at a time would tell you nothing.

The plated bullets I use have a grain or two variance in weight. The cases even more. The 4.5 grains of powder can easily be confused.

Just for fun, I checked the weight of 50 rounds in my latest batch. There were a handful that were 4 gr less than the others. My charge is 4.2 gr, so you could easily think they're missing powder. I pulled each of the 5 and they were properly charged.

IMO: Your best defense is to visually inspect before each bullet is seated.

fuse
12-13-2011, 04:27 PM
Yep.

I thought of weighing the finished round when I first started out, thinking I was a great genius having not read about it anywhere else.

It won't work, as mentioned.

JV_
12-13-2011, 04:42 PM
I really like my Dillon Powder Check, but I'll have to remove it when I get my Mr. Bullet Feeder.

I'm not sure what I'll do about that. Because the bullet is automatically placed, it'll be harder to visually confirm, and I'm losing the powder check. Perhaps I should reconsider that purchase.

JeffJ
12-13-2011, 04:51 PM
Yeah, I like to look into each case before placing the bullet.

I had early reloading problem with not dropping powder-led to squib round that didn't get far enough down the barrel to allow the next round to chamber - thankfully because I was just plowing ahead and didn't notice the squib. In fact I TRB'd twice and then started to try and clear a double feed when I realized that it was something totally different. This of course happened at a match, not in practice.

Glad you're OK - the kaboom frightens me although it seems like most of the time only the firearm is seriously injured.

Stuffbreaker
01-07-2012, 11:39 AM
Fuse,
Thanks for having the nads to post this so we can all learn from it. It was in the back of my mind while I loaded my weekend supply this morning, and it slowed my roll to some degree. I'm glad you are OK, and its a testimony to the quality of Glock that you were not injured. I'm especially impressed that the frame didn't crack down the grip like so frequently happens in KBs. I shudder to think what might have happened if you were shooting a lower quality pistol or a subcompact with your pinky tucked under the baseplate.

Anyone who has reloaded long enough knows that strange things can happen despite our best efforts. After more than 30K pulls of the handle, I detonated my first primer (Fed SP) just last week. These things remind us that we are only human. A few things I've learned that may be of benefit to those reading this thread:

Some distractions are largely out of our control. When your machine jams or a small part breaks in the middle of a session, one can easily forget to manually index a machine like the 550 after adressing such an issue. Be mindful of this when there is a break in the action.

Cleaning media has a funny way of accumulating and compacting in the bottom of a case, especially if you use a liquid polish like Nu Car Finish in addition to crushed walnut. Most of these stuffed cases don't make it past the resizing die, but I had one get through my 650 recently. The case overflowed with powder after the drop, and I caught it at the seating station. This, I believe, could easily lead to an over-pressured round.

A longer and heavier bullet that somehow slips into your lot of lighter bullets can result in a massive overcharge. If, for instance, a 147g 9mm makes its way into your 115g bullets, bad things can happen. Keep a tidy bench.

Bullets from the same manufacturer can have slightly different ogive shapes, leading to irregular lengths. The lot of Precision Delta 115g FMJs I loaded this morning yielded overall lengths of 1.130 to 1.150. Not really an issue for a load with a wide margin for error, but this could cause problems with loads that push the envelope. I'd probably be pulling some of them if I were loading a heavier/longer bullet with a narrower margin for error.

DonovanM
01-07-2012, 04:30 PM
Thanks for posting this! I'm glad you're OK and still shooting/reloading. I'm saving up for a press and really value the vicarious wisdom I get from reading posts like this. And you managed to make it funny too :D

stainless1911
01-08-2012, 08:02 PM
Read the wrong chart, wrong powder and overcharged the round. I think I was at 6.4 with a max of 5.1 I dont remember exactly. I fired a few and no problems, then I rapid fired a few, and all the sudden click. WTF? The round fired, but didnt eject. Turns out, I had sheared the little hook off the barrel that connects the barrel to the lock. At least nothing got hurt. I had to replace the barrel and the lock.

rjohnson4405
01-09-2012, 03:27 PM
I did this with my Sig 229. Very sad.

What I learned is that when I'm shooting and have one that feels weak or I'm not sure about I TRB, get sights on target but don't shoot.

Then I step back, unload the gun, and visually inspect everything before I put it together and shoot again.

Mine happened in an indoor range and there was so much shooting I couldn't tell if mine had gone off or not (non-electronic hearing protection). I was also shooting a .40 S&W 229 converted to 9mm with a Bar-Sto barrel and new springs so recoil was VERY light.

fuse
01-18-2012, 01:32 AM
EPILOGUE

Got my G4 17 back from Glock today, about 7 weeks after I sent it back.

They replaced the barrel, and extractor, for free under warranty.

I figured they would replace the extractor for free, but I never thought they'd just throw a new barrel in there, at no cost to me.

nice job, Glock.

They also updated the ejector to new design, and replaced the long defunct unmarked RSA to the current model.

Pretty pleased with the service, since this was 100% my fault.



And you managed to make it funny too :D

actually, I just remembered, I meant to include this video in the original post-

WHAT I DID RIGHT AFTER IT HAPPENED

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAYL5H46QnQ

RoyGBiv
01-18-2012, 10:19 AM
I'll add my "glad you're ok" and relate my one similar experience.

This happened about 10 years ago....
I bought 250 rounds of redneck reloads at a gun show. Was shooting them through a Kahr P40.
When the bad round went off, thankfully, it seems all the energy either exited the barrel or the ejection port.
The mag still had several rounds in it. :eek:
I never did find the extractor, but the spring and pin were on the floor at my feet.

After Kahr repaired and inspected it (they charged me for the privilege and the parts) the only problem found was the missing extractor.