Brass Failure?

[Glock Doctor]

Me thinks you need to learn how to check for 'incipient case head separation'. According to you, you've shot that brass a lot which is something that I taught myself many years ago not to do. A number of my guns are inordinately valuable and would be difficult to replace. With me it's always something up to, or less than, 2 dozen reloads; and, then, I'll donate the brass to 'the range gods'. More frugal than this I don't need to be.

I made my own 'inside-the-case examination pick'. When I was still actively handloading/reloading it used to hang on the wall behind my loading bench. All I did was to cut out a 6 — 8 inch piece of wire coat hanger. Then I bent a small circle in one end for my fingers to hang onto; and I made a right angle bend in the other end. Next I trimmed the smaller arm of the 'L' to fit inside a 9mm case; and I cut and filed a sharp 45º angle into that end.

I used this 'inside-the-case examination pick' to rub up and down an inside case wall in order to check for 'incipient case head separation'. Another reloader's trick I used was to always grab a handful of loose brass and shake the cases vigorously in my hand BEFORE I began working with them. If that handful of brass cases sounded 'off' then I knew there was something wrong with one, or more, pieces of the brass I'd picked up; and, then, I'd take a more careful look before using them.

On a brand new gun like your Kimber I'd suggest using only new ammunition like comparatively inexpensive Remington 'Green Box' (from Wall-Mart) for the first 5 hundred rounds, or so, BEFORE starting to use your own reloads. Personally, I think you've got a combination of: a brand new (and stiff) gun, a possible FTRTB, and some well used brass to sort your way through on this one. I don't think you'll ever know for sure; but I do agree that blown case head in the photos let go directly over the chamber's rebated area.

 

[macgrumpy]

...but I do agree that blown case head in the photos let go directly over the chamber's rebated area.

Which proves that the slide was in battery. If an out-of-battery issue happened then the case would be expanded and possibly ruptured further forward than the pictures show.

 

[.308 Norma]

If that handful of brass cases sounded 'off' then I knew there was something wrong with one, or more, pieces of the brass I'd picked up; and, then, I'd take a more careful look before using them.

Thanks for tip, Glock Doctor! My hearing might not be quite that acute anymore, but I'm going to try it anyway.
My own "inside the case examination picks" are made out of hay-baling wire that I cut at an angle with my side-cutters (dikes) leaving a needle sharp point. Then I used a pair of needle-nosed pliers to bend the point over, making the "L" shaped tools.
I usually don't use my "inside the case examination picks" for handgun cases though. But I've felt that needle sharp point snag inside a good many, suspicious looking bottle-necked rifle cases. That's when I take a regular pair of pliers and thoroughly mangle the suspicious case.

 

[hdwhit]

Glock doctor wrote:
I made my own 'inside-the-case examination pick'. ... All I did was to cut out a 6 — 8 inch piece of wire coat hanger. Then I bent a small circle in one end for my fingers to hang onto; and I made a right angle bend in the other end. Next I trimmed the smaller arm of the 'L' to fit inside a 9mm case; and I cut and filed a sharp 45º angle into that end.

If you use a paper clip or wire of simlar diameter, the resulting instrument will be more sensistive.

 

[hdwhit]

Jim Gun wrote:
I purchased the case new from Starline Brass several years ago and have no idea how many times I have loaded it.

At this point I'm going to chime in what I post with some regularity; any time you go to the reloading bench, I believe you should take a printed set of your reloading procedures with you to use as a checklist along with a piece of paper that tracks the reloads. Every box of 50 or 100 cartrdiges that I reload is numbered and that number traces back to a reloaing data sheet. I can identify cases I reloaded in November 1980 and tell you how many times they have been reloaded since then.

In reloading I always weigh the first eight bullets to make sure that my RCBS powder dispenser is throwing the right amount before putting the powder in the case - in this case 5.2 grains of Winchester 231. Then I throw the powder directly to the remaining 92 bullets. I check the last case to make sure that results remained the same. Sometimes, the last was is a little less, but I have never had one that was more.

The fact the last is sometimes less means the powder measure is not throwing a consistent charge. It may be varying heavy before it varies light. I check-weigh every fifth or seventh load to make sure it is remaining consistent.

The bullet in the cartridge immediately behind the one in the photo was set back so that the probably only an 1/8" was visible from the side.

If the bullets left in the magazine had set back, it is possible that the one that reputred had likewise set back.

I don't know that we can say anything conclusive here, but my guess would be that you had a case that was hardened from many firings where the bullet backed up due to insufficient neck tension resulting in excessive pressure that caused the work-hardened case to fail. The only change to your reloading procedures this would require would be to start tracking the hsitory of your cases and discard them at the point where they have reached the end of their life; maybe 10, 15 or 20 reloadings. I personally don't worry about this because I generally lose my semi-automatic cases to the weeds by the fifth firing.

 

[Glock Doctor]

Which proves that the slide was in battery. If an out-of-battery issue happened then the case would be expanded and possibly ruptured further forward than the pictures show.

No, not necessarily. I'm aware of Glock pistols that can hang-up OOB on the thickness of a business card. Not much of a gap, but sometimes — possibly as in this case — enough.

 

[macgrumpy]

I don't agree, an out-of-battery is going to produce a different look, specifically the case will usually have a bulge around some part of it because the case isn't supported anywhere. Again, though, the give away is the primer having a bulge in it, that shows that pressure was high, the primer wont bulge with an OOB because the case is under normal pressure.

 

[JimGun]

zchaparral: When I pulled the trigger, my hands were blackened from the powder coming from the gun, some flew back into my face, (yes, I was wearing safety glasses) and the slide flew back and was jammed by part of spent shell

 

[JimGun]

I want to thank all of you for your comments. I agree with you Glock Doctor that i will probably never know for sure what happened. But I have learned much from the experience and from many of your comments. I certainly am determined to keep a better records of my reloads. I have purchased a new 1000 rounds of Starline brass, and I am reviewing my entire reloading procedures. With the old brass I have that is still loaded, I plan to spend some time with my bullet puller. Is there anything about RCBS Bullet puller I need to know? Again, thanks for all your comments.