Dr_B
member
Experienced my first case failure during last weekend's steel challenge. Thought I would share in case anyone can learn from this. It happened like this, and it was my fault:
My M&P 9 malfunctioned on my last string of the day. I did a tap-rack-assess to clear the gun and keep moving... only the slide wouldn't move rearward. Keeping it pointed downrange, I told the range officer (RO) I had a problem. I pulled the slide back and sitting in the chamber was a live 9mm round, with no evidence of a firing pin strike on the primer.
RO said,"Your extractor's broken." I looked, nope not the problem. I closed the slide and tried again to eject the round. No luck. Extractor still there. Side of the casing not chewed up. Huh...
I removed the magazine and the RO called for a squib rod. A second RO shows up with a brass rod. We tried to bump the round out of the chamber. No luck. The second RO asks to take my gun over to an area where he can work on it and put more pressure on the squib rod. Here is where I made my mistake, and why I say this is my fault. Think about it: What happens when you hammer a squib rod into the front of a cartridge?
The round still wouldn't budge. I was experienced enough to know better but, when the first RO told me to shoot the round out of the pistol, I did it (but I should have said no).
I fired the round into the berm. The recoil was noticeably more than usual. I felt a stinging sensation on my left palm where some skin was exposed near the bottom of the magazine well. My left thumb had a black line where powder had escaped between the slide and frame. The slide was locked back and there in the chamber was the empty casing. The primer hole was empty and was oval in shape. You can see for yourself below.
The bullet had been set back into the case by the squib rod and the increased pressure pushed the casing backward. The unsupported portion blew out down the feed ramp and out the magazine well (i.e., the stinging palm sensation).
The gun is fine. But next time the RO tells me to do something like this I will speak up. Who was responsible for the gun? I was. I should not have followed instructions in this case. We could have disassembled the gun and removed the round. That's my take anyway.
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
My M&P 9 malfunctioned on my last string of the day. I did a tap-rack-assess to clear the gun and keep moving... only the slide wouldn't move rearward. Keeping it pointed downrange, I told the range officer (RO) I had a problem. I pulled the slide back and sitting in the chamber was a live 9mm round, with no evidence of a firing pin strike on the primer.
RO said,"Your extractor's broken." I looked, nope not the problem. I closed the slide and tried again to eject the round. No luck. Extractor still there. Side of the casing not chewed up. Huh...
I removed the magazine and the RO called for a squib rod. A second RO shows up with a brass rod. We tried to bump the round out of the chamber. No luck. The second RO asks to take my gun over to an area where he can work on it and put more pressure on the squib rod. Here is where I made my mistake, and why I say this is my fault. Think about it: What happens when you hammer a squib rod into the front of a cartridge?
The round still wouldn't budge. I was experienced enough to know better but, when the first RO told me to shoot the round out of the pistol, I did it (but I should have said no).
I fired the round into the berm. The recoil was noticeably more than usual. I felt a stinging sensation on my left palm where some skin was exposed near the bottom of the magazine well. My left thumb had a black line where powder had escaped between the slide and frame. The slide was locked back and there in the chamber was the empty casing. The primer hole was empty and was oval in shape. You can see for yourself below.
The bullet had been set back into the case by the squib rod and the increased pressure pushed the casing backward. The unsupported portion blew out down the feed ramp and out the magazine well (i.e., the stinging palm sensation).
The gun is fine. But next time the RO tells me to do something like this I will speak up. Who was responsible for the gun? I was. I should not have followed instructions in this case. We could have disassembled the gun and removed the round. That's my take anyway.