A graphic reminder to............

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

M2 Carbine

member
Joined
May 29, 2003
Messages
6,983
Location
Texas
..........to wear your safety glasses every time you shoot.

A couple days ago I was shooting a FN FNP9 (9mm) and this happened.
Blown9mm1.gif

Blown9mm2.gif

Blown9mm3.gif

Although it was exciting, I received no injuries and the gun wasn't damaged.

The cause was a internal defect in the case. That's rare but it does happen.


My intention is to show that such a thing, and worse, can happen anytime you are shooting, so wear your glasses every time you shoot or standing by someone that's shooting.
 
Federal Champion ammo? Factory loaded?

Glad you are safe and your gun is OK, too. Thanks for the post
 
My reloads, so I know it wasn't a overcharge, etc. Of course I have no way of knowing the internal condition of the case at the base.
Over the years, in different calibers, I've had a number of factory and reloaded cases fail, usually just splits the side of the cases though. I have had a couple rounds in which the base almost cracks away from the case.

In the last couple days this has been looked at closely and the final conclusion is a defect in the case at the base.

Interesting that yesterday I was picking up a rifle at a (old time) gunsmith's place. He happened to have some (factory) blown cases that looked just like this. He cut open some of the unfired rounds and found internal defects at the base of the case.

Stuff happens.
 
My son had one of those with his 1911 a few years ago. One of my reloads from a single stage press, so I KNOW it wasn't overcharged. Some redness on his face and neck, and the mag spring was all smashed down into the bottom of the mag. Pachmyer grips saved his hands.

Turned out to be AMERC brass. That was before I knew better. Now any AMERC range pickups go into the scrap bucket.
 
BTW Do you think the case may have worn out? Glad you're okay.
Click to expand...
Very possible.

I load and shoot thousands of 9mm. Over time some cases may get reloaded once or twice and some could have been reloaded 5-10 times.

Most pistol cases when "worn out" crack along the side or at the case mouth. Normally no problem and you don't know it happened until you happen to look at the case.
Like these reloaded M1 Carbine cases and this factory 22 Mag case.
SplitCarbine.gif

22magcasecrack.gif


The problem comes when there's a defect near the base of the case. Like these cracked, when formed, factory 30.06 cases.
The hot gas burns through the case like a blow torch.
casecrack.gif
 
when i was 13 i had a friend who was helping to strap down some material on a trailer and i saw a rubber "bungi" cord slip and litterally snatched his left eyeball out of the socket....now i wear saftey glassed to mow, weedeat, shoot...almost eveything...i want my eyesight.
 
when i was 13 i had a friend who was helping to strap down some material on a trailer and i saw a rubber "bungi" cord slip and litterally snatched his left eyeball out of the socket....now i wear safety glassed to mow, weedeat, shoot...almost eveything...i want my eyesight.
Click to expand...
Our eyes are so delicate it's amazing that most of use get through life with both of them.

A lady I'm teaching to shoot handguns is a retired movie stunt woman and motocross rider. (Interesting woman. She set the motorcycle speed record that stood for over 30 years. :) )

As a spectator at a race, her ex husband was hit in the eye with a piece of gravel. He lost his eye.

Considering we shooters, many thousands of times, have our eyes just inches from powerful explosions, I suppose we have a petty good safety record.
 
This example is why I NEVER use "pickups" at ranges. You never know if they had been once fired or 8 fired. When I take mine to the range, I police all brass in my area before I start so that I will know what brass is mine and I keep logs of firings. Example: I reloaded 100 once fired cases, take them to range, when brought back, they go in the twice fired bin. Sounds like a pain in the butt but really it isn't and it's a very handy way of keeping track of your brass.
 
Not quite full on safety glasses but I'm glad I spent a little extra on prescription lenses to get the 'safety' shatterproof ones.
 
Larry Ashcraft said:
My son had one of those with his 1911 a few years ago. One of my reloads from a single stage press, so I KNOW it wasn't overcharged. Some redness on his face and neck, and the mag spring was all smashed down into the bottom of the mag. Pachmyer grips saved his hands.

Turned out to be AMERC brass. That was before I knew better. Now any AMERC range pickups go into the scrap bucket.
Click to expand...

Well, now that's unsettling. Been using some AMERC in my 1911's lately, and saving the brass if I ever start reloading. Guess I melt that junk down...
 
D-Day, fire up the smelter! That stuff is HORRID to put it mildly. I often wonder who comes up with their metallurgical mixes for their brass.
640px-Chimpanzee-Head.jpg
 
I'll be recycling my Federal 9mm cases now...
Click to expand...
I shoot way too much with too many different guns to keep records.
But my gut feeling is I've had as much trouble with Federal as anything else.



A few days ago I had the first, of any brand 22LR round, in a long time, that had no powder.

It's not at all unusual for bulk (Wal Mart) 22LR rounds to have little or no primer and misfire but Remington especially is bad.
When I have a 22 dud I pull the bullet and check for no primer. Federal and Winchester seldom has no primer but it's common with Remington.
But the rounds always have powder.

The other day the 22 bullet did clear the barrel but I saw it going through the air, it was going so slow.
 
Sorry but you should know the history of your brass, especially on high pressure rounds. Brass has a lifespan, it cannot be infinitely reloaded. At this point all loads from this lot of brass should be considered suspect.
 
At this point all loads from this lot of brass should be considered suspect.
Click to expand...
OK, this is about 15 precent, where should I start.:D

45incans.gif

45and38reloads.gif

45ACPinammocan.gif

reloadsinjars.gif

hotweatherreloads.gif

No such thing as a "lot of brass".
More like, that 5 gallon bucket of (mixed) brass is loaded, so I'll start on the next bucket.:)
 
Sorry but you should know the history of your brass, especially on high pressure rounds. Brass has a lifespan, it cannot be infinitely reloaded. At this point all loads from this lot of brass should be considered suspect.
Click to expand...
I would agree 110% with rifle brass. I separate them by lot, and know exactly how many times each was fired.

With pistol brass, its really a non issue. I shoot mine until they fail, which as was pointed out, are almost always splits in the case neck. Ive loaded a bazillion rounds of all sorts of pistol ammo over the years, and havent encountered a failure like the one above yet. Fair amount of split necks though.

Right now, Ive been running through the same lot of around 3000 rounds of 9mm for about three or four years now. With a low side estimate of 300 rounds a week (I usually shoot 3-500 rounds a week), Im cycling through it about every 10 weeks or so. So at this point, its all been loaded around 18 times give or take. Im just now starting to get a split here and there, and most of them are with nickel cases, which historically always go first.
 
^This.

When I was shooting IHMSA Silhouette in the early eighties, I would keep my 44 Magnum brass separated and count the reloads. I never had a case failure in several thousand rounds. Granted, revolvers are a lot easier on brass than autos, but still...

I recall a magazine article way back when, before internet, where they tried to find the useful life of a 38 Special case. I think they started with six cases, and then narrowed it down to one in the interest of time. After 130+ reloadings of that case, they finally gave up. The case was still in great shape.
 
That's what they all say .....
Click to expand...
From looking at his "stash", Id say hes probably got his grove down when it comes to loading.

If you use good loading practices, problems are rare. Ive had more issues with factory ammo than Ive had with my reloads, and Ive been loading since the 60's.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top