So I know we have all heard of Glock Kabooms, due to their partially unsupported chamber. My question is, is this an issue with all modern pistols with a polymer frame, or just Glocks? For example what about a Ruger SR9, or a S&W M&P, or a Springfield XD? Are reloads safe in these if you load them to safe specs? Or is it best to just shoot factory ammo? In 9mm it seems like shooting Winchester bullets you can load them up for about $7.50-9 a box, and it's $11 with tax at Walmart to buy some in new brass. So it's not a huge savings and certainly not enough it's worth risking blowing up the gun and or yourself. On the other hand if it's no issue and nothing to worry about, I'd rather save the money.
Pistol Kabooms
- Thread starter slowr1der
- Start date
- Status
Well, how can you tell if it's a defective case? From what I've read, it's that the cases bulge where the case isn't supported. Then, once resized they are weaker in that spot and if this spot hits the unsupported part again, it can blow out and cause a kaboom. Or am I wrong?
rfwobbly
Member
What 918 said.
People wreck Porsches and Ferraris everyday. What a person can afford and what a person can properly operate can be 2 different things. Because someone got stupid drunk and piled up their Porsche, does that mean you should only look at Yugos for your next car?
That's $11 for average ammo, versus $7 for the world's most accurate ammo, custom tailored to your gun.
That's $11 for average ammo, versus $7 for bullet/powder combinations that are not available in ANY store at ANY price.
That's $11 for average ammo 9AM-9PM, versus $7 for ammo available any time day or night, on holidays, etc.
That's $11 for average ammo if there's not a run on 9mm, versus $7 for all the ammo you want.
People wreck Porsches and Ferraris everyday. What a person can afford and what a person can properly operate can be 2 different things. Because someone got stupid drunk and piled up their Porsche, does that mean you should only look at Yugos for your next car?
That's $11 for average ammo, versus $7 for the world's most accurate ammo, custom tailored to your gun.
That's $11 for average ammo, versus $7 for bullet/powder combinations that are not available in ANY store at ANY price.
That's $11 for average ammo 9AM-9PM, versus $7 for ammo available any time day or night, on holidays, etc.
That's $11 for average ammo if there's not a run on 9mm, versus $7 for all the ammo you want.
blarby
Member
I would also like to add that the 4th gen glocks take away the kabooming from even very faulty ammo to a high degree.
The Porsche analogy is a very good one.........
The Porsche analogy is a very good one.........
The term "Glock Bulge" is ambiguous. Some people consider all cases fired through a Glock to have the Glock Bulge. But this isn't so. While some Glock chambers are larger than the norm, others are not. For example, Glock 9mm chambers are the tightest in the industry. Cases fired from Berettas and Sigs come out expanded .001" to .002" more than cases fired from 9mm Glocks. Glock recently tightened up their .40 chambers as well.
A Glock Bulge is a condition where the case begins to flow down the feedramp. This is easily spotted as the case will have a "dent" where the feedramp enters the chamber and a distinctive beer belly running from the dent to the extractor groove. These cases are a result of either being too soft or being subjected to excessive pressure. These cases should not be reloaded.
Cases not showing the Glock Bulge can be reloaded indefinitely.
You cannot tell if a case is defective. Case failure due to a defect can happen and has happened with many other guns, including revolvers and rifles. Shooting is not a 100% safe activity. There is some risk involved. Always wear protection.
A Glock Bulge is a condition where the case begins to flow down the feedramp. This is easily spotted as the case will have a "dent" where the feedramp enters the chamber and a distinctive beer belly running from the dent to the extractor groove. These cases are a result of either being too soft or being subjected to excessive pressure. These cases should not be reloaded.
Cases not showing the Glock Bulge can be reloaded indefinitely.
You cannot tell if a case is defective. Case failure due to a defect can happen and has happened with many other guns, including revolvers and rifles. Shooting is not a 100% safe activity. There is some risk involved. Always wear protection.
LiveLife
Member
Pistol KaBoom (KB) IS NOT a new post-Glock issue. People have been blowing up their pistols long before Glocks were even designed/manufactured in 70's and 80's. When I started match shooting 16 years ago, many seasoned shooters laughed and talked about 1911s/revolvers blowing up often due to double charges prior to 1970's and thereafter - yes, guns blow up all the time and if the shooters/owners decide not to post the incidents on forums/Youtube, we won't hear about them.
I have personally witnessed several non-Glock pistols blow up at the range over the years due to double-charges admitted by the owners. These occurred with medium to large/bright flash/fireball that burned on top of the chamber/slide. Most of these KBs resulted with split chamber and in some of the cases, cracks ran down the barrel. Extent of the damage ranged from hairline crack on the barrel to large chunks blown away from the pistol with partial damage to the frame/slide. Injuries ranged from shattered pride/soiled pants to having to call 911/ambulance due to extensive cut/injuries to hand/body. Pistol repair ranged from barrel replacement to ditching the entire pistol. As far as I know, none of these pistols were repaired by the manufacturer.
I have also seen several Gen1 through Gen3 Glocks KB at the range over the years, but they are a little different. Most of the KBs were 40S&W models and 45ACP models. Each of the case I observed occurred with no large/bright flash/fireball. Most of the shooters didn't know what happened until they inspected the pistol and the magazine had been blown out. What they expressed and what I observed was that they either felt much stronger than usual recoil and louder "BOOM" than "Bang" or very different recoil that felt strange to the hand. Extent of the damage ranged from magazines having blown down, often breaking the mag release with minor damage to the mag lips/top of the magazines to more extensive damage to the polymer frame/cracks. Inspection of the chamber usually revealed a blown case that bulged at the base. All the cases I observed did not result in damage to the barrel/chamber. Injuries ranged from numb/stinging of the shooting hand to minor superficial damage to the skin. Usually band-aid/first aid kit took care of the injuries. 911/ambulance were never needed to be called. Pistol repairs ranged from replacement of the mag release/magazine to sending pistols back to Glock. In all cases where pistols were sent to Glock, Glock repaired the pistols and returned them.
There have been much debate on the cause for Glock KB from lack of case base support to firing out of battery.
Instead of continuing the debate as to what may cause these Glock KBs, this is what I have done the past 16 years shooting several hundreds of thousands of reloads out of my several Glocks without a KB:
1. All of my Glocks are stock without any modification
2. I used high range load data for shooting jacketed bullets
3. I used mid-high range jacketed load data when shooting plated bullets
4. I used W231/HP38 primarily for 9mm/40S&W/45ACP in various bullet weights and some Universal/WSF/HS6
5. I field strip and clean the inside of Glock barrels after every range session
6. I shoot my Glocks with 4 slide rail points on the frame lubed with one drop of BreakFree/Synthetic motor oil and one drop on top of the barrel
7. Once a year, I completely clean my Glocks down to individual component
8. When I do shoot lead reloads, I inspect the barrel every 200-300 rounds or so for fouling build up at the chamber end and clean as necessary with Hoppe's #9 and copper bore brush
9. I prefer to shoot lead reloads with Lone Wolf barrels due to tighter chamber and better support at the case base/ramp area (I have a Lone Wolf barrel for every one of my Glocks)
If you are interested, I posted my comments on this thread - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=566966&page=2
Here's a comparison picture of 40 caliber Lone Wolf barrel and Gen3 Glock barrel:
I have personally witnessed several non-Glock pistols blow up at the range over the years due to double-charges admitted by the owners. These occurred with medium to large/bright flash/fireball that burned on top of the chamber/slide. Most of these KBs resulted with split chamber and in some of the cases, cracks ran down the barrel. Extent of the damage ranged from hairline crack on the barrel to large chunks blown away from the pistol with partial damage to the frame/slide. Injuries ranged from shattered pride/soiled pants to having to call 911/ambulance due to extensive cut/injuries to hand/body. Pistol repair ranged from barrel replacement to ditching the entire pistol. As far as I know, none of these pistols were repaired by the manufacturer.
I have also seen several Gen1 through Gen3 Glocks KB at the range over the years, but they are a little different. Most of the KBs were 40S&W models and 45ACP models. Each of the case I observed occurred with no large/bright flash/fireball. Most of the shooters didn't know what happened until they inspected the pistol and the magazine had been blown out. What they expressed and what I observed was that they either felt much stronger than usual recoil and louder "BOOM" than "Bang" or very different recoil that felt strange to the hand. Extent of the damage ranged from magazines having blown down, often breaking the mag release with minor damage to the mag lips/top of the magazines to more extensive damage to the polymer frame/cracks. Inspection of the chamber usually revealed a blown case that bulged at the base. All the cases I observed did not result in damage to the barrel/chamber. Injuries ranged from numb/stinging of the shooting hand to minor superficial damage to the skin. Usually band-aid/first aid kit took care of the injuries. 911/ambulance were never needed to be called. Pistol repairs ranged from replacement of the mag release/magazine to sending pistols back to Glock. In all cases where pistols were sent to Glock, Glock repaired the pistols and returned them.
There have been much debate on the cause for Glock KB from lack of case base support to firing out of battery.
Instead of continuing the debate as to what may cause these Glock KBs, this is what I have done the past 16 years shooting several hundreds of thousands of reloads out of my several Glocks without a KB:
1. All of my Glocks are stock without any modification
2. I used high range load data for shooting jacketed bullets
3. I used mid-high range jacketed load data when shooting plated bullets
4. I used W231/HP38 primarily for 9mm/40S&W/45ACP in various bullet weights and some Universal/WSF/HS6
5. I field strip and clean the inside of Glock barrels after every range session
6. I shoot my Glocks with 4 slide rail points on the frame lubed with one drop of BreakFree/Synthetic motor oil and one drop on top of the barrel
7. Once a year, I completely clean my Glocks down to individual component
8. When I do shoot lead reloads, I inspect the barrel every 200-300 rounds or so for fouling build up at the chamber end and clean as necessary with Hoppe's #9 and copper bore brush
9. I prefer to shoot lead reloads with Lone Wolf barrels due to tighter chamber and better support at the case base/ramp area (I have a Lone Wolf barrel for every one of my Glocks)
If you are interested, I posted my comments on this thread - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=566966&page=2
Here's a comparison picture of 40 caliber Lone Wolf barrel and Gen3 Glock barrel:
1stmarine
Member
I have seen a couple of Kabooms. Last one the person was shooting lead with the stock glock barrel. Something that should not be done as it is a big warning in many European pistols due to the hexagonal rifling. They are designed to maximize performance with copper and can create problems with lead.
I also heard about many other Kabooms and when I could find more information about each event in question there was always involved a reload, subpar ammo or lack of preventive maintenance on the system. I do not doubt that some Kabooms could be due to a manufacturing mistake or quality control mistake, it happens to any firearm manufactured. Hopefully nobody gets hurt.
Same thing, once in a while we hear somebody got hit by lightning.
I shoot more than 7K rounds of defensive shooting every year for 20+ years and never had an issue. I do maintain my firearms in tip top performance even when people ask me why do you replace all this parts I follow religiously all manufacturer recommendations and maintenance plans.
I would add that some aftermarket parts are extremely good quality. Always ask an experienced gunsmith before you do any changes.
Cheers,
E.
I also heard about many other Kabooms and when I could find more information about each event in question there was always involved a reload, subpar ammo or lack of preventive maintenance on the system. I do not doubt that some Kabooms could be due to a manufacturing mistake or quality control mistake, it happens to any firearm manufactured. Hopefully nobody gets hurt.
Same thing, once in a while we hear somebody got hit by lightning.
I shoot more than 7K rounds of defensive shooting every year for 20+ years and never had an issue. I do maintain my firearms in tip top performance even when people ask me why do you replace all this parts I follow religiously all manufacturer recommendations and maintenance plans.
I would add that some aftermarket parts are extremely good quality. Always ask an experienced gunsmith before you do any changes.
Cheers,
E.
"Kaboom" is thrown around much too lightly, and irresponsibly, IMO. Scares new, or prospective, reloaders into thinking "kabooms" happen all the time to people who know what they are doing, and they don't.
That does not mean we can casually, and even carelessly, go about the business of handloading. It does not, and we can not. What it does mean is that with proper precautions, following proven load data, while paying attention to what we are doing, our risk of a "kaboom" is negligible.
If you can not walk and chew gum at the same time, or pay attention to what you are doing, you may not need to handload.
On the other hand, if you are remotely handy with machinery, with a modicum of mechanical skill, and are capable of following directions, while maintaining focus on what you are doing from start to finish, you should not worry about blowing yourself up.
Glocks don't blow up Glocks, people blow up Glocks.
That does not mean we can casually, and even carelessly, go about the business of handloading. It does not, and we can not. What it does mean is that with proper precautions, following proven load data, while paying attention to what we are doing, our risk of a "kaboom" is negligible.
If you can not walk and chew gum at the same time, or pay attention to what you are doing, you may not need to handload.
On the other hand, if you are remotely handy with machinery, with a modicum of mechanical skill, and are capable of following directions, while maintaining focus on what you are doing from start to finish, you should not worry about blowing yourself up.
Glocks don't blow up Glocks, people blow up Glocks.
CHEVELLE427
Member
i started reloading 30+ years ago because i got a k-boom from factory reloads in my
1911-A1 it survived and i still shoot it today, felt like my 44mag going off when it happen.
i figured i could do as good of job and so far no more k-booms and i have thousands of brass from the years and all my reloading items have been long paid for , so I'm saving on all i reload except 12 and 20 ga shotgun, 410 i save a bundle.
just last week i was shooting ammo that i loaded back in 1990, GOOD TO GO out with the old replaced with 2011 stuff now in 20+ years ill be to that batch.
1911-A1 it survived and i still shoot it today, felt like my 44mag going off when it happen.
i figured i could do as good of job and so far no more k-booms and i have thousands of brass from the years and all my reloading items have been long paid for , so I'm saving on all i reload except 12 and 20 ga shotgun, 410 i save a bundle.
just last week i was shooting ammo that i loaded back in 1990, GOOD TO GO out with the old replaced with 2011 stuff now in 20+ years ill be to that batch.
LiveLife
Member
+1 I agree. But there's more to the issue.Walkalong said:
It is of my opinion that many Glock KBs may not be due to the fault of the reloader/shooter. Here's an excerpt from the thread I linked above - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=566966&page=2
Also, many people may hear/read about "Glocks never need cleaning and still function" and get the wrong idea. Glock slide rails ride on 4 self-cleaning rail mounts and will continue to cycle even though the pistol action/trigger parts are dry or coated/lubed with black fouling/soot from powder combustion. I consider this to be a benefit and have shot up to several range sessions (4000 - 10,000 round count) to test to the point where I had thick caked on black fouling/soot build up on the pistol frame/action/trigger/breech face. But I will inspect and clean the inside bore of the barrel after each range session regardless of the bullet type I fired (jacketed/plated/moly coated/lead).
I think most Glock KBs where the base of the case is blown involves several factors. It may be due to weakened brass that's been bulged multiple times at the base, pressure increase from fouling build up at the start of rifling near the chamber, not as much support at the case base near the ramp area, higher than published max load data pressures due to Glock's hexagonal rifling, firing out of battery, and double charges.
What's interesting is that Glock KB's have been reported with new factory ammunition, which leads me to believe that they may be the case of "Glocks never need cleaning" and the shooter allowed the fouling build up to continue or there were other factors that lead to shooting out of battery.
Glocks have generous chambers and sloppy reloading practices with poor taper crimps will chamber. But if the fouling builds enough in the chamber, cases may not fully chamber and if allowed to fire, out of battery firing may occur and exposed case base will where the release of pressure will occur.
It is for this reason that I now recommend that people inspect and keep the inside of the barrel clean as the primary insurance against KBs. Yes, I believe the Glock barrels proofed to fire +P+ loads like Hirtenberger will withstand max load data all day long (and maybe that's why I have not seen any barrel/chamber damage in all of the KB's I have witnessed).
Another point. Due to Glock's generous chambers, max load data charges will bulge the 40S&W case to a degree depending on the powder used. Since I have used the Lone Wolf barrels with tight chambers, I have not noticed any bulging of cases out of them. This makes resizing an effortless task and adds to the insurance that my case brass are not being reworked as hard - which I believe leads to extended brass life. I have reloaded a test batch of 9mm/40S&W cases over 50-100+ times using high load range with W231/HP38 shot out of Lone Wolf barrels.
I don't post these information to alarm people unnecessarily, but to inform them so they can form their own opinions and act upon them.
Don't take my word, here's what Accurate Arms has to say about reloading for Glock:
gamestalker
member
I've been at this a long time and have never ever come close to blowing any of my firearms up. Mind you my hand loading style for nearly 30 yrs. has been to load for maximum potential for that given firearm. A KB in my perosnal opinion is pilot error and nothing more. On the other hand, all the problems I've ever encountered with a cartridge has been with factory, and some of those incidents have been pretty extreme. Myself anf others here have disassembled some factory ammunition and found powder charges with large variances, sometimes enough of a variance to produce excessive pressures.
So as to hand loading. I have always regarded economics as icing on the cake, with the primary reason for doing it being to produce the best performing ammunition obtainable for my firearms.
I'm sure there is some substance to chambers not of a full support design and have some credibility to claims of unexpected case failure, and occasionally worse. But Again, I load according to SAMMI recomendations even though I work with the upper end of listed data, I'm confident a standard quality firearm is made to safely operate at the industry maximum or the data would be considered totally unreliable, which is certainly not the the fact.
Another annoying refrence to partciular hand loading styles, is the labling certain firearms as incapable of acccomodating certain loads, or producing obvious problems when shooting certain stuff. Glocks have suffered unwarrented labling. I have a G17 that has nothing but full power hand loads through it since I bought it in the 1980s. Everything I was warned about from fellow shooters never materialized, maybe it take's more than 30 yrs. to happen?
Any how, just follow the directions and load according to recomended procedures, and you'll be good to go.
So as to hand loading. I have always regarded economics as icing on the cake, with the primary reason for doing it being to produce the best performing ammunition obtainable for my firearms.
I'm sure there is some substance to chambers not of a full support design and have some credibility to claims of unexpected case failure, and occasionally worse. But Again, I load according to SAMMI recomendations even though I work with the upper end of listed data, I'm confident a standard quality firearm is made to safely operate at the industry maximum or the data would be considered totally unreliable, which is certainly not the the fact.
Another annoying refrence to partciular hand loading styles, is the labling certain firearms as incapable of acccomodating certain loads, or producing obvious problems when shooting certain stuff. Glocks have suffered unwarrented labling. I have a G17 that has nothing but full power hand loads through it since I bought it in the 1980s. Everything I was warned about from fellow shooters never materialized, maybe it take's more than 30 yrs. to happen?
Any how, just follow the directions and load according to recomended procedures, and you'll be good to go.
amlevin
Member
Some of these "failures" can be traced back to the reloader's practices. If one merely takes a broom and dustpan, picks up all the brass he can at the range, tosses out those cases that don't match his caliber, and loads those saved with minimal processing, expect failures.
After many thousands of reloads through my pistols I have had only one case failure that could have had major consequences if not for luck. An overlooked case with a bulge.
I try to handle each case I reload at least once in a sorting process, looking for anything that looks out of the ordinary. After loading, not just one or two in a batch, but ALL finished cartridges are checked with a Wilson Case Gauge. One second per round is all it takes. Any caartridge that doesn't drop easily into the gauge and headspace properly is discarded. This just about eliminates any possibility of firing a round even slightly out of battery.
My "incident" occured with a CZ75 SP-01 and no damage was done to the firearm. The slide was out of battery just enough to allow the case to blow out in the feed ramp area but not enough to blow out the guts of the magazine. Just some powder particles back into the face. A bulged case that I overlooked because I was in a hurry.
After many thousands of reloads through my pistols I have had only one case failure that could have had major consequences if not for luck. An overlooked case with a bulge.
I try to handle each case I reload at least once in a sorting process, looking for anything that looks out of the ordinary. After loading, not just one or two in a batch, but ALL finished cartridges are checked with a Wilson Case Gauge. One second per round is all it takes. Any caartridge that doesn't drop easily into the gauge and headspace properly is discarded. This just about eliminates any possibility of firing a round even slightly out of battery.
My "incident" occured with a CZ75 SP-01 and no damage was done to the firearm. The slide was out of battery just enough to allow the case to blow out in the feed ramp area but not enough to blow out the guts of the magazine. Just some powder particles back into the face. A bulged case that I overlooked because I was in a hurry.
243winxb
Member
Pistol Kabooms-Human Error?
The polymer will not protect you like steel does. Both KABOOM & not just Glocks. Fault can be found with the reloaders powder charge, bullet set back, disconnector of the firearm not working correctly, flaws in the brass. The 40 S&W cartridge seems to have the most online KABOOMs and the bulge buster made by Redding & Lee are directed at the 40. Factory ammo has problems also, many ammo recalls posted. See photo link below. With the photos, some will have a link to the story.
Most,,, not all poly pistol k-booms ,, not all. Are around that worthless S&W .40 and screwed up barrels like the Glock junk barrel. I pick up .40 brass for folks I know that shoot that worthless caliber. And you can feel the worthless Glock .40 fired brass in your hand. Then you look at it and laugh. I through the Glock fired .40 brass into the recycling buckets. And yes I do find blown out .40 brass from time to time at my outdoor GMA range. If the primer is still in the brass it's always a Glock. They leave a signature on the primer that screams "Glock"!
I don't look at myself as a Glock hater. Well just there barrel's and the worthless pussyfaction of America .40 S&W load of junk.
I don't look at myself as a Glock hater. Well just there barrel's and the worthless pussyfaction of America .40 S&W load of junk.
Jim Watson
Member
Likewise I remain unconvinced of the existence of "out of battery firing."
The first widely reported instances of cases blowing out into the feed ramp occured pre-Glock in .38 Supers overloaded for Major power factor in IPSC. Steel backed grips were popular for a while there. Better barrels and better powders have pretty much eliminated "Super Face."
The first widely reported instances of cases blowing out into the feed ramp occured pre-Glock in .38 Supers overloaded for Major power factor in IPSC. Steel backed grips were popular for a while there. Better barrels and better powders have pretty much eliminated "Super Face."
Remo223
member
No it's not false. Maybe glock has recently made changes to newer pistols, but that does NOT make it false. Even if they have fixed the problem(which I doubt) there are still 30 years worth of glocks out there that don't have the problem fixed. The other problem is their unique firing pin. It's not sturdy enough to stand up to cheap foreign military submachine gun ammo but it will set off US civilian ammo even when out of battery.
Glocks have the biggest feed ramp cutout of any pistol. this is how they get so few jams. But it leads to weakened case walls. Especially for 10mm glocks. It is recommended that you NEVER reload 10mm that was fired in a glock.
There are not 30 years worth of Glocks with this problem. 9mm Glocks never had this issue and their chambers remain unchanged. They have plenty of support. .40 cal Glocks came around 15 years ago and the chambers were tightened-up 10 years ago, so there are only 5 years worth of Glocks with this problem.
Have you measured case expansion, ever? Do you know if a case fired in a Glock expands more than a case fired in a Sig? How about comparing a .40 case fired in a old and sloppy Glock to a 9mm case fired in a Sig? I'll bet you that a 9mm case fired in a Sig expands more in relation to its unfired diameter than a .40 case in a Glock.
And even if you have one of those old sloppy Glocks, common sense would dictate to avoid loads pushing the envelope, i.e. fast powders under heavy bullets, etc.
If you don't like Glock fired brass, sell it. There will be plenty of people lining-up to buy it. Nothing wrong with it.
Have you measured case expansion, ever? Do you know if a case fired in a Glock expands more than a case fired in a Sig? How about comparing a .40 case fired in a old and sloppy Glock to a 9mm case fired in a Sig? I'll bet you that a 9mm case fired in a Sig expands more in relation to its unfired diameter than a .40 case in a Glock.
And even if you have one of those old sloppy Glocks, common sense would dictate to avoid loads pushing the envelope, i.e. fast powders under heavy bullets, etc.
If you don't like Glock fired brass, sell it. There will be plenty of people lining-up to buy it. Nothing wrong with it.
Remo223
member
I own a glock 10mm. It's pretty obvious. no other pistol ejects brass with a big fat smiley face on it and an ugly blister. These are factory loads. I've never reloaded 10mm.
If you are getting the smiley face, the loads are too hot or there is something wrong with your gun. 99.9% of the Glock 40 cases I come across do not have the smiley face. They look like brass fired from any other gun.
Lemme ask you this: When you takake the barrel out of the gun and reinsert the case back into the chamber flush with the barrel hood, does the smiley face line up exactly with the top end of the feedramp or is it concealed by the rest of the chamber?
Lemme ask you this: When you takake the barrel out of the gun and reinsert the case back into the chamber flush with the barrel hood, does the smiley face line up exactly with the top end of the feedramp or is it concealed by the rest of the chamber?
LiveLife
Member
Yup good one. I don't get bulges out of 40 loads shot from Lone Wolf barrels and get very slight bulge "around the bottom 1/3" of the case and not a smiley/guppy bulge out of factory Glock barrels when pushing high-near max load data rounds. If you get noticeable bulges, you should decrease powder charge or switch to another powder.918v said:
let's not mince words here.918v said:
I said "generous" chamber not "sloppy" - My M&P40 chamber is comparable to the Gen3 G22/G27 chambers. However, the cut around the bottom base of the case at the ramp area is still wider than the M&P40 chamber at the ramp area.
Like I said, there are many variables that lead a pistol to KaBoom. As many posted, I am curious why KBs occur "IF" reloaders are following strict reloading safe guidelines and principles. I am with Walkalong that guns/factory ammunition do not cause KBs, but people cause KBs. If KBs occur with factory ammo, then it's probably the poor maintenance/fouling build up that did not allow a full chambering of the round/locking of barrel lug with the breech face of the slide. If KBs occur with reloaded ammo, then it's probably excessive/double powder charge, out of spec dimensions, weakened brass from bulging/repeated reloadings, and fouling build up in the barrel at the chamber end.
I tell people, be safe but have fun with Glocks.
I for one have done just that ... shot a lot of reloads out of my Glocks and did not experience a KB. I adhere to strict reloading safety guidelines/principles and don't test beyond the max limits of published load data. I have happily used W231/HP38 for the last 16 years with 40S&W loads and will probably continue to use it into my retirement - If it ain't broke (no KB), then I am inclined to leave it alone.
Are you convinced Glocks are able to fire out of battery?
Let's define what in battery means:
In battery is a condition where the barrel is locked in the slide AND the slide is all the way forward. If the barrel is locked-up in the slide, but the slide is not all the way forward, the gun may appear to be in battery, but it isn't.
The difference between these two conditions is the former has enough dwell time to allow the bullet to leave the barrel before the barrel cams down. When the case begins to eject, there is zero pressure in the system. In the latter condition, the barrel cams down immediately upon firing and the case begins to eject while under pressure. As the case moves to the rear, the thick part of the case web leaves the chamber and the thin part is now unsupported. This thin part of the case is unable to hold the pressure still present in the barrel and the case lets go.
That's the theory.
LiveLife
Member
OK, as the end result is the same - bulged cases.
- Status
