First 9mm BLOWOUT !!

[Walkalong]

I had a SAMMI minimum chamber EMP for a while and it would jam up on any brass over .3915 near the base. So I bought a Wilson case gauge, and started scrapping all sized cases that would not enter it and fall out from its own weight (.391 or less near the base). I would lose 10/15% of range brass on a new batch. After that, if I did not load them too hot, they would continue to pass the gauge after sizing.The 9MM case is tapered, so it is important the sizer is all the way down when actually sizing a case, to take into account press flex.

My old one I gave my son.


The new one I bought.


No issues with loaded rounds passing the gauge using brass that passed prior to loading.


An FC case that failed the gauge after sizing. Some would fail worse than that,
but some would go all the way in, but need a gentle poke to get them out, which is a failure.

 

[507Reloader]

Loaded probably 8K rounds of 9mm with HP38. Out of HP38, bought 5lbs of CFE Pistol. Hornady 10th edition load list is 4.7 - 5.8 max. Did work-ups starting at 5.35 and stopping at 5.6. 5.35 shot ok but a couple had tumbler holes. Have read CFE likes to run hot so wasn't concerned. On the 5.45. 4 shot nice and then the 5th. Blowout. My first one ever. Pics attached. I think it ruined my S&W M&P 2.0 full size so I was done at the range. Only gun I took today. Didn't get to test the other rounds up to 5.6 I overcheck everything, twice. I know it was not a double charge. When I test loads I check every round on a scale. Checked crimp, OAL, and chamber test each round before going in bag. Not sure what happened, but am happy as hell I still have a hand.

Loaded with 5.45 g's CFE Pistol
Berry's sup. plated RN Bullet
CCI #500 Primer
OAL 1.104
crimped at .378.5
reloaded brass

A lot more experience on here than me, anybody care to ease my mind so I can move past this one? Have to admit it rattled the old cage today.

 

[fxvr5]

extremely defective brass or a massive overcharge. the usual blowout in an unsupported area just blows a hole where it was not supported. your brass has blown that and destroyed the head too. it takes a huge amount of pressure to do that, or terrible defective brass. IMO.

pics of the gun?

 

[BreechFace]

That’s a serious kaboom! Glad you’re ok. Blowing out the rim like that at the thickest part of the brass.

I’m betting double charge or massive bullet setback in the case. I know you said there’s no way it’s a double charge but I’ve never seen defective brass that would blow the whole rim out like that, usually overcharges blow out just above the web at the bottom of the case, where slightly unsupported.

You double check every round when loading 8,000 rounds? I don’t do that, but I have a powder cop and spot check rounds every 20 or so.

 

[507Reloader]

Here's gun pics. Blew a small piece out of the side and looks like the right side is pushed out. Didn't want to take a chance and parked it. Slide and barrel seems fine. Dropped a few factory rounds in and all was well with barrel. Will ship it off to S&W on Tuesday and see what the damage is.

 

[507Reloader]

That’s a serious overcharge! Blowing out the rim like that at the thickest part of the brass.

I’m betting double charge or massive bullet setback in the case. I know you said there’s no way it’s a double charge but I’ve never seen defective brass that would blow the whole rim out like that, usually overcharges blow out just above the web at the bottom of the case, where slightly unsupported.

You double check every round when loading 8,000 rounds? I don’t do that, but I have a powder cop and spot check rounds every 20 or so.

I only load 100-150 rounds at a time. Whatever I am going to shoot that day. Load on a Dillon 550C and usually pull every 5th round. Just leave the pin out of my powder drop stop. But I do case check every round when finished and measure crimp and OAL. ( Did just order a mag powder cop and set/crimp die from Double Alpha )

How can I check for set back > Chamber a round from magazine, then pull from chamber ? I have no clue what happened but it has me rattled a bit. Could have been much worse.

 

[AJC1]

If you know for a fact that is was not an overcharge the only other choice is that it fired not completely at battery.

 

[Jeff62]

I agree with AJC1. It looks as if the case head was not supported when fired. I witnessed a Glock 17 fail in similar fashion. The ammo was issue Remington Golden Saber. I was able to study the weapon and failed case closely. The blowout sent partially burnt powder and debris out the ejection port and took the extractor with it. Some of it hit the shooter to the right with no injuries.
Your photos are good and pretty much tell the tale. I don’t think your loads were faulty.
Glock replaced the weapon no charge. I hope you have the same experience with Smith and Wesson.

 

[NedNederlander]

Whoa! Good to see no physical harm was done to yourself. Hope you can find the answers you’re looking for and get to the bottom of the case blowout.

 

[denton]

Case head is larger than the diameter of the chamber. = not fully in battery. Firearm malfunction.

 

[Walkalong]

extremely defective brass or a massive overcharge. the usual blowout in an unsupported area just blows a hole where it was not supported. your brass has blown that and destroyed the head too. it takes a huge amount of pressure to do that, or terrible defective brass. IMO

Agreed

 

[WeekendReloader]

Looks like that area of the case was not supported by the chamber. Like said above, out of battery.

You didn't say what grain bullet you used. I run Berry's 115gn plated RN @1.1" COAL with 5.0gn CFE Pistol (middle charged load based on Hodgdon's online data). Works well in my PPQ. I went higher on the ladder, but 5.0gn shot really well. When I got to 5.5gn it was really booming.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

Fired out of battery, meaning that the bolt was not locked when you fired the pistol.

 

[Thomasss]

You don't say what weight bullet you used. I can tell you Berry Bullets will only tumble or key hole if they exceed 1200 fps. They even have a warning on the bullet box to that effect. Your specifications of powder range and bullet seating suggests 115 grain RN. Given this information would suggest an overload.
I would recommend you check your powder weight scale against another.

 

[1KPerDay]

Looks to me like the piece of the frame is just the filler/spacer for where the optional safety lever goes in. Glad you're ok.

 

[Telum Pisces]

Plated lead like Berrys, I use lead load data. My data shows a max load of 5.4 for CFE on 115 grain bullets and 5.5 for 124 grain lead bullets.

So you are pushing them at close to the max. But nothing that should go boom. But those max limits can exacerbate issues that may decide to show themselves such as bad brass, out of battery, unsupported chamber issues and more.

Probably one of the above issues and being loaded near max load etc... Unless I need a max load and know the firearm for sure can handle it, I stay away from the max loads for many reasons such as this in the OP.

But it's hard to say exactly what happen! Glad you still have 10 fingers!

 

[Bat Rastard]

I loaded a lot of 9mm over the years without incident. I experienced a few case failures which caused me to reevaluate my process.
I had been doing chamber check as a sizing quality check. I now use a case guage on EVERY round. The case guage is tighter than the chambers and finds an occasional case with a tiny crack in the area that blew out on you.
These cases felt normal going through the press. The cracks are small enough that they went unotticed through the process. The case guage brings them to my attention and I disassemble them.

 

[Matt Dillon]

Do you use a case gauge to check your loaded rounds?

 

[Walkalong]

I had been doing chamber check as a sizing quality check. I now use a case guage on EVERY round. The case guage is tighter than the chambers

So do I

 

[ballman6711]

How can I check for set back > Chamber a round from magazine, then pull from chamber ?

Pull a round at random from your batch of 100, measure the COL and write it down, then load it into the magazine, load the magazine into the gun, then chamber it using the slide release. Measure the COL again and any difference is your amount of setback. I usually do this with a few dummy rounds when setting up my dies, although live rounds can be used with the usual cautions.

You can repeat this test a few times with the same round, measuring and recording your COL each time to show how repeated loading affects your COL. Then do the test again with a few more rounds and you should see if any problems (such as lack of neck tension) appear.

Can't offer anything more than the suggestions above for the "kaboom". Glad you are ok, your gun can be repaired or replaced easily enough, fingers and eyes not so much.

Stay safe and let us know what you find.

chris

 

[BreechFace]

I loaded a lot of 9mm over the years without incident. I experienced a few case failures which caused me to reevaluate my process.
I had been doing chamber check as a sizing quality check. I now use a case guage on EVERY round. The case guage is tighter than the chambers and finds an occasional case with a tiny crack in the area that blew out on you.
These cases felt normal going through the press. The cracks are small enough that they went unotticed through the process. The case guage brings them to my attention and I disassemble them.

So do I

I probably should reevaluate my spot checking based on the OP and others experiences.

 

[rfwobbly]

Wow. Glad you're OK.

 

[gifbohane]

So do I

Well that makes at least three of us. I really do not want to have a disaster happen to me at this stage. AND I got nothin but time....

 

[mstreddy]

When I test loads I check every round on a scale.

OP, if your brass is not all the same, and/or sorted for weight, as well as possibly weight sorting bullets, weighing rounds may not be a good check for those rounds. In mixed HS 9MM brass you just may have enough variation to cover the powder charge weight.

 

[Tempus Tom]

I loaded a lot of 9mm over the years without incident. I experienced a few case failures which caused me to reevaluate my process.
I had been doing chamber check as a sizing quality check. I now use a case guage on EVERY round. The case guage is tighter than the chambers and finds an occasional case with a tiny crack in the area that blew out on you.
These cases felt normal going through the press. The cracks are small enough that they went unotticed through the process. The case guage brings them to my attention and I disassemble them.

So do I

I was unaware that a case gauge can help reveal cracks and other potential safety issues. I have used my barrel from my Glock to test if the round would chamber and thought (incorrectly) that would replace the need for a case gauge.

Can you guys let me know what brand of gauge you use/recommend? Also, is it that a faulty case won't fit and that's what leads you to investigate the case more closely?

Again, I'm new to reloading so I want to learn how I can improve and keep my family safe when shooting.

Thanks.