Had a KaBoom. Need some help with diagnosing...

[Troy35]

I only shoot my reloads and I've never had a problem (knock on wood). I don't reload to save money necessarily, it's more that I enjoy it. I take my time and I'm careful. I don't just yank on the handle like a slot machine. I consider it part of the sport that I enjoy after range time; much like cleaning guns or mounting accessories to firearms.

If I ever feel like I'm in a hurry or not in the mindset to concentrate I step away from the bench.

I feel like handloaders get a bad rap sometimes but if you do it correctly it is just as safe as factory ammo, with the added benefit of being able to tailor loads to what you are shooting.

[thospb]

It's a hot reload. I have several cases that look exactly like that. When it first happened I thought it was my gun, but then I fired some of the same batch of ammo through a friends new Glock and the same thing happened. In my case they were production reloads that I bought at a range. I learned my lesson.

[jyo]

Reloading ammo requires EXTREME care and paying attention for EVERY round---proud to say that in over thirty years of reloading, I've never had a problem---knock on wood…
I stopped reloading many years ago as I was in firearms business and was privileged to be able to buy ammo at distributor cost along with free shipping. I bought vast amounts and still shoot it to this day…
Lucky you were not seriously hurt!

[smle-man]

Never thought about that.


.

Or a moth cocoon

[CockedAndLocked]

You guys are deluded, there have been plenty of kabooms from both squib and double filled factory ammo. Just because many of us slowly craft our reloads one at a time, triple checking powder measures while factory ammo is cranked out by the thousands per hour at high speed by mostly unmanned operation doesn't mean our reloads are more dangerous. Double fills can happen from reloads or factory ammo. Those of you who only shoot factory ammo, don't be lulled into a false sense of security. I find plenty of defective factory ammo out of the few thousand rounds per year that I shoot.

agreed but shooting only factory ammo gives you the best chance of success

[roostersgt]

Not a reloader, but is there a chance that the brass may have been reloaded too many times and was defective, or thinned?

[SIGscout]

Possible to have "bad" brass, possibly been reloaded too many times, also along with the overcharge and a worn/loose primer pocket.
Did you check the ammo before you went to shoot it? I've found reloads with all kinds of issues and I was glad I checked them. Even at one of my past CCW test's a few guys were shooting reloads and had several failures, made me sad.

[Victor Cachat]

I've had that happen twice.
Not as dramatic, just a crack that allowed gas to escape and popped the trigger bar out.
Both were reloads someone else did.

[Happyhappycamper]

[xrMike]

Glad you are OK. I go with #2 also.

I'd never shoot somebody else's reloads, only my own. And although I've been asked numerous times by friends, I never let somebody else shoot mine either.

It's some kind of personal responsibility thing.

[AFTII]

agreed but shooting only factory ammo gives you the best chance of success

I completely disagree with this statement. It demonstrates an ignorance of the reloading process. I've shot literally tens of thousands of rounds of various PPC cartridges in benchrest competition. Each and every one was a reload. (Heck, I even made my own .22 and 6mm bullets for a number of years.) There is no such thing as a "factory" .22 .100 short PPC case and no one is winning benchrest matches shooting factory 6 ppc ammo. That said, it has to be done correctly.

When I reload, I inspect each and every case and discard the bad ones. (Even new brass cases can have imperfections, like split necks and shoulders). I seat all the primers by hand and assure that they are all seated below the case head. I visually inspect the powder column in each case. (When I shot BR competition, I measured each load to the .02 gn (about a gradual of powder) and kept charges in vials to change the loads as conditions changed. I can tell when I seat the bullet if someone at the factory slipped a 6.5mm bullet in a .257 box (yes, it has happened) or whether the neck tension of the case has become inconsistent or too loose.

I work up loads for each gun / caliber combo. I usually increase powder by .5gn per load for most rifle loads (except for BR rifle loads) and .2 gn per load for pistol loads, until I find a load that suits my requirements for that particular firearm/bullet combo.

As someone else said above, I don't reload when I'm tired, in a hurry, or just otherwise preoccupied. I heed all the warnings that the powder companies provide about a given powder, such as "do not load below X% of max load."

There is nothing inherently dangerous about reloading. The danger comes when people cut corners and don't take the time necessary to assure that each round is perfect. When done correctly, THERE IS NO MORE SAFE OR ACCURATE AMMUNITION IN THE WORLD THAN RELOADED AMMO.

As for the OP's original question, what caused the KaBoom, I'd need more info before I'd hazard a guess. Namely, I'd like to know what components were used. I've always liked the underloaded, shaped charge, theory for KaBooms rather than an overload. Its fairly easy to see when you have put too much powder in a case. It's more difficult to visually recognize when you dropped a light charge that falls beneath a manufacturer's warning.

[Carcassonne]

Not a reloader, but is there a chance that the brass may have been reloaded too many times and was defective, or thinned?

Yes.

Brass gets weaker every time it stretches past its yield point. If the brass has bulged and been resized a few times, it can blow out under normal pressure.



.

[Bill Steele]

45 Auto is a low pressure round (when you put the proper amount of powder in the case). I have cases that have been loaded so many times you can't read the headstamp. In many tens of thousands of 45 Auto rounds reloaded, I have never had any kind of case failure. The end of life for a 45 Auto case comes when you lose it.

[RR.44]

There is a possibility that the reloading factory could have accidently loaded a 200 gr bullet over a 230 gr load, this would drive the pressure spike through the roof, and causing that type of case rupture. Ask me how I know???

[Bill Steele]

There is a possibility that the reloading factory could have accidently loaded a 200 gr bullet over a 230 gr load, this would drive the pressure spike through the roof, and causing that type of case rupture. Ask me how I know???

It was a friend of the OP who loaded it and loading a 200gr bullet on a 230gr load will result in less pressure. You use less powder as the bullet weight (bearing surface) goes up.