1911 kabooom

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You had a KB and then continued to shoot your questionable reloads???
How long have you been reloading?
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That's what i was thinking. I would NEVER have gone on shooting reloads if that occurred, and probably would have quit for the day either way. I feel like when something that potentially deadly happens, you should stop and re-examine your procedures.
 
This is also a good reason not to load up big batches of bullets. If you have a problem there will be lots of hammer time. I only load enough for a couple trips to the range and even less hunting ammo. A box of 50 would last me an awful long time in the woods.
T
 
Master Blaster said:
use a more case filling powder
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He's using unique I'm not sure how much more filling he can get.
I just filled a case to double check a unsized case held 12.8 gr filled to the rim. I would think any double charge would be very noticable. I'm betting a squib on the prior round.
 
He was probably using a light unique load which did not overflow the case. If it was a squibb on the prior round and it pushed the pressure to that point, it would have bulged the barrel in a 1911 most likely. But we are speculating as he didn't tell us what the charge weight was. My guess it was about 4 to 4.5 grains, not enough to overflow the case on a double. You guess is that he was using a max load of unique which would have overflowed the case if he double charged it.
 
I'm not sure why continuing to shoot is bad! I had 1 magazine of the suspect ammo and I fired 6 of the 8 in the magazine. Do you honestly think I should stop shooting ANY of my ammo just because of one possible error? I've shot thousands of my loads and this is the first and only problem. I have 50 rounds of the ammo that is from the group I reloaded that blew. THAT group is set aside not to be used. It will be dismantled and thrown away or destroyed. Some of you veteran reloaders elude to the possibility of me to stop shooting just because of a situation that was isolated? I'm not a sloppy reloader! Give me a little credit here. I had a problem and am looking for advice..not a criticism of my abilities. Geez!

I know it only takes one to screw up a day..but guys..this can happen with factory ammo as well! I may be a few thousand dollars richer by having their ammo blow up, but it's still the same. I loaded these rounds with a Rock Cruncher and was very aware of my powder drop. I always go in order on loading the block and I have a very bright light over the measure so that I can see as I drop. Caa Caa happens though and no matter how careful I am. I really did not know what could cause this failure.

I was asked what load I was using. It was a Hornady 230g JHP with 5.6g of Unique and a CCI LP primer. OCL was 1.230. I got the load data from the first reloading manual I bought which was Hornady's 5th edition. It lists 5.4g at 750fps and 5.8g at 800 fps. I chose 5.6g. Max load was 6.1g The load was safe. I suppose there are several ways that this could have happened...not all are necessarily my fault. I'm not rejecting the possibility of error...just trying to hear and learn the variables...NOT to get ripped for stupidity. I label all my reloads on the front of the box with a stick on tag from P-label machines. I type the following..

Hndy 230g JHP 5.6g Unqe CCI LP 1.230 OCL

With this label..I have reference to all my loads and what is in the box. I'm pretty darned organized with this stuff..and I am careful..especially with the powder.

But to those who offered constructive advice...thank you! To the others..BIOOYA
 
tx_pistolero said:
That's what i was thinking. I would NEVER have gone on shooting reloads if that occurred, and probably would have quit for the day either way. I feel like when something that potentially deadly happens, you should stop and re-examine your procedures.
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I have been reloading for about 10 months. I have spent hours upon hours researching and trying to learn as much as I can about the hobby. Yes...I continued to shoot. Not with the bad ammo..and I sure as hell wasn't going to stop shooting different ammo just because of an accident! I had 10 guns with me. With one down, I had 9 to go. I would be totally impressed with the guy that NEVER had a failure of ANY kind while reloading.

I spoke with a business in the Tampa Bay area that reloads for many in my area. He felt that somehow..it fired out of total battery and stated that it is possible. Not probable...but possible. I guess it could also be the brass. It was Winchester brass..and it very well could have been white box brass. I am told this day that WB brass is VERY thin and could have ruptured very easily. There is another possibility that was suggested. Why does it ALWAYS have to be stupidity and error. Not sayin' it ain't..but!
 
This is what you posted in July...
I have an RCBS powder measure that is either defective..or I'm horribly dense.
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I'm thinking it's the latter...does that answer your question?
 
Otto said:
This is what you posted in July...

I'm thinking it's the latter...does that answer your question?
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You are such a sweet guy! Such a inspiration to all of us! Thanks for the constructive criticism. It would be nice to look at the entire post that day. I was getting variances..not enough to overcharge a round. I was looking for helpful hints on how to get consistency from the RCBS powder measure. Otto...save the personal attacks for someone else. I'm looking for helpful hints, help and advice. I learn from this forum. All your comments are doing are antagonizing.
 
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Master Blaster said:
It was, use a more case filling powder or a light over the seating station, Its easy to double charge a round on a 550 if you are not paying attention and forget to advance the shell plate.
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From the number of similar threads I've read in 5 gun forums over the years, I have to agree with Master Blaster. Many were from manual-advance 550 owners, and their experiences provided the swaying logic, for my choosing an auto-advance progressive RCBS Pro 2000 vs. the manual advance version of the same press. Nobody's perfect. Me for sure! I did not want a press I "could" forget to advance and double load. A powder check die would be a good thing. Sorry for your scare....you and your Baer are luckier than some. Glad you are ok!!:)
 
I do not beleve that you should stop reloading nor do I beleve that you should stop using all of your previously loaded ammo. I do think that all of the remaining defence ammo from that batch of 50 should be broken down and all components weighed and inspected.
You are not being judged or slandered by all of us and if any of my posts offended you sorry. It is not just about you as many new reloaders read and learn here. I for one respect the fact that you posted this as it is an opportunity for all of us to learn something.You should note that I almost made a stupid mistake and was only saved by something that I read about here in the past. Use large volumes of slow powders.
My recomendation is to review your loading procedures and put in place some additional precautions if you have any doubts.
I too am amazed that you kept shooting because after that I would have just gone home to hibernate for a while.
When you get a chance to break down the remaining cartridges from the bad batch. It might be a good idea to weigh the bullets as well as the powder. I read a recent thread here somewhere recently that several bullets in a box were 20 or 30 grains heavier than the box was labeled while the rest were of the correct weight. Im not saying that it happens often but if a couple were mixed in not only would they be to heavy for the charge of powder they would also increase pressures by decreasing the case volume. Since reading this I now weigh all bullets before loading. Before that I only weighed one from the box to verify.
Stay safe.
T
 
bds said:
This is a serious incident that warrants a more detailed root cause analysis.

Whenever I run into any problem while reloading or shooting, I STOP before I do anything else.

Without a full review, my guess would be a double charge. I would do a detailed review of every one of my reloading steps to prevent another incident.
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So to OP, my question would be, "Will this happen AGAIN in the future?"

What have you done to ensure that this doesn't happen again? Have you reviewed each and every one of your reloading steps and identified problem areas? Do you have QC steps factored into your reloading steps?

I have seen too many KBs at ranges with injuries. And these were PREVENTABLE incidents attributed to improper reloading practices.
 
Kudos to you for sharing your experience and I'm glad a single mistake didn't cause you more harm than it did. I for one, took some mental notes from your experience and the discussion following to apply to my own new found hobby.
 
I also use lots of Unique in my loads and a double charge of 5.6 grains would definitely be noticeable if it doesn't spill all over the place. Even if it were a bridged/overcharge of 7 grains, that would put the powder up to the level of a seated bullet (100% uncompressed charge). It would be very noticeable and if fired, would generate about 28,000 psi.

The 45 ACP is rated at 21,000 psi and if the case were fully in battery and supported would probably be able to handle it. Most modern pistols of other calibers can handle 35,000 psi, although you don't want to make a practice of shooting at those pressures.

As a precautionary measure, I would pull the rest of the defense rounds, try to measure out the powder from each pull (you would obviously be able to notice a dangerously overcharged case), measure the case lengths and take a bright light and inspect the inside of each case for wear even though they were claimed to be "once fired brass" unless you were the one who "once fired" them.

If they all appeared good, you might want to take a good look at that pistol because if you loaded all rounds exactly the same and the rest look fine, you may experience the same thing again.

Did you pick up the previously fired brass before the kaboom? Did you inspect those cases for stress? More things to consider.

Reread your OP, it sound like you have less than 42 rounds to pull if you decide to do so. That ought to be easy.
 
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chrt396,

Anybody that posts blowing up a gun is going to catch some crap, no way around it. I’ve loaded a couple of cartridges with no powder, so it’s safe to say I could have loaded one with a double charge just as easily. When I first started loading I was still trying to figure out my rhythm and learning the nuts and bolts of loading at the same time. Once I figured out the procedure that worked for me, I stuck with it and IMO, that repetitive procedure has made me safer. I like putting things on paper; it keeps me honest with myself. It may be a worthwhile effort to put your loading procedure on paper, try it out and revise as needed. bds posted a thread not long ago with some pretty good info in it; there’s probable similar threads floating around if you look. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=603357

There’s a lot of guys here with a ton more reloading experience than me, so I’m not going to suggest I know what happened in your case, but I’m pretty sure that at least 99% of the people that damage a gun with a double charge are 100% sure they did not double charge; otherwise they wouldn’t have shot it.

RC brought up that you had light loads and that you don’t know where the balance of those charges went. Did the Unique bridge in your measure? Did you dump a double in one case and maybe nothing in another? If it were me, I think I would start weighing every drop of Unique until I was sure there were no issues with it.

You’re catching some crap for continuing to shot, but your explanation of why you felt it was safe to do so makes since to me (not that it matters what I or anybody else thinks). I’ve seen a few people blow up guns and the typical response is they stand there shocked for a minute and when they do start to talk it’s like the blast deleted about 20 IQ points from their brain. ‘Man, I don’t know what just happened man.’ They shove most of their gear into their bag and do the walk of shame off the line. But You Sir, you stopped the bleeding and went back to shooting! You need to be on one of those Budlight commercials!
 
Since the gun functioned normally after the incident I do not believe it could not have been caused by a bullet from the previous round stuck in the barrel. A stuck bullet probably would have resulted in a bulged barrel and would have made it virtually impossible to operate the slide. I have had two friends who bulged barrels on their 1911's. In both cases they had a squibb with a lead bullet loaded at relatively low velocity. In both cases they could not open the slide and had to have the barrel replaced by the local smith.
 
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john16443 said:
"Bubbasmithing", gotta love it;) Like they say, there isn't a problem that can't be made worse by using a Dremel.
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Reminds me of watching a football game at a bar with a dozen barstool quarterbacks...

Reread the post. A Dremel with only a felt polishing wheel, isn't going to do squat to change a feed ramp's cut. Give the man a break.
 
GW Staar said:
Reminds me of watching a football game at a bar with a dozen barstool quarterbacks...

Reread the post. A Dremel with only a felt polishing wheel, isn't going to do squat to change a feed ramp's cut. Give the man a break.
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Thank you! Thank you..Thank you!
 
MtnCreek said:
chrt396,

Anybody that posts blowing up a gun is going to catch some crap, no way around it. I’ve loaded a couple of cartridges with no powder, so it’s safe to say I could have loaded one with a double charge just as easily. When I first started loading I was still trying to figure out my rhythm and learning the nuts and bolts of loading at the same time. Once I figured out the procedure that worked for me, I stuck with it and IMO, that repetitive procedure has made me safer. I like putting things on paper; it keeps me honest with myself. It may be a worthwhile effort to put your loading procedure on paper, try it out and revise as needed. bds posted a thread not long ago with some pretty good info in it; there’s probable similar threads floating around if you look. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=603357

There’s a lot of guys here with a ton more reloading experience than me, so I’m not going to suggest I know what happened in your case, but I’m pretty sure that at least 99% of the people that damage a gun with a double charge are 100% sure they did not double charge; otherwise they wouldn’t have shot it.

RC brought up that you had light loads and that you don’t know where the balance of those charges went. Did the Unique bridge in your measure? Did you dump a double in one case and maybe nothing in another? If it were me, I think I would start weighing every drop of Unique until I was sure there were no issues with it.

You’re catching some crap for continuing to shot, but your explanation of why you felt it was safe to do so makes since to me (not that it matters what I or anybody else thinks). I’ve seen a few people blow up guns and the typical response is they stand there shocked for a minute and when they do start to talk it’s like the blast deleted about 20 IQ points from their brain. ‘Man, I don’t know what just happened man.’ They shove most of their gear into their bag and do the walk of shame off the line. But You Sir, you stopped the bleeding and went back to shooting! You need to be on one of those Budlight commercials!
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Do ya think I could make some money doing one? Men of Bud Light!! Has a ring to it.
 
I was thinking...the 100 loads I made, of which 46 are left...not including the blow up, were the first..I mean the first loads I ever made on my own. I was very careful to the double charge because that was hammered home by my tutor. I'm not saying I did or I did not, but I was sensitive to the issue. I never shot these as the bullets were hollow points and were not really designed for target practice. I may shoot the rest of these rounds and have no problems...but I'm surely not going to based on what happened. :uhoh:

If I have ever been suspect of an error, I have always set aside the possible problem ammo and put it in a disassembly area to get to later. I had a premonition one time where I may have made the powder charge too light and asked on this forum if it would be a problem. Some said it would be OK..and some said they would take them apart. I erred on the side of caution and disassembled the rounds. :cuss:

Since those first 100 rounds..I have loaded thousands of rounds and had zero problems. I have gotten some very accurate loads and have gotten 90 % of my info from THIS forum. I'm not a yahoo running wild. :neener: I just must have made a mistake. Then again..it could have been a weak case...it could have been a crappy crimp where when feeding jammed the bullet in and created a higher pressure...there may have been a possibility, (although I don't know how) that the 1911 fired out of battery...I just don't know! I just wanted to share my disaster with everyone and through my sharing, I gain great knowledge and something to carry on in my reloading career. I respect the danger of the hobby and want to be 100% perfect because being less than 100% could kill or injure me or others. :what: Thats why I respect the opinion of many of you all with your HELPFUL suggestions. Thanks again guys! :)
 
The only time I ever had a round do that was on a .223. It was absolutely my fault. I felt a couple of some what light rounds and then noticed a round that was definitely louder. The next round blew the casing. I disassembled all of the rounds loaded that day.

When I loaded those rounds, a friend of mine was standing next to me BSing. I am sure that I had a bridged load and failed to notice the powder level in the case.

When I load, since then, I use a small flashlight and actually view the powder level on all rounds before seating the bullets....every single time.
 
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