Please help: Noobie Here, Glock Exploded?

[I Swan]

Correct. Speak to the manufacturer of the ammo. Keep us informed.

[thesnooch]

Will do. I will try speaking with the manufacturer of the ammunition to see if we can work something out amicably. Otherwise, some legal action may have to be pursued.

The firm I work at practices business and corporate law. Time to dust off the old textbooks and relearn some products liability..

[rkt88edmo]

reloads, semi supported chamber glock KB, happens with reloads particularly with brass that has previously been shot through a glock chamber.

Want to shoot reloads? Buy an aftermarket barrel.

[elSquid]

I appreciate the advice. It's hard for a noobie like me to discern the difference between new ammo and reloads when the forums go back and forth on the debate of whether a glock can shoot "anything"

Needless to say, I've definitely learned my lesson. No more reloads for this one.

Reloads are fine if done properly. The trick is: how do you know that the rounds were reloaded properly?

Personally, I only shoot reloads that were made by me. I have a vested interest in ensuring that my firearm does not blow up, so my incentive makes me lean on the side of caution and quality during the reloading process.

I won't even buy commercial reloads. Some may say that is overly cautious, and it may be. But I don't feel whatever savings there is over factory new is worth the added risk. Commercial reloads compete on price, and who knows what corners may be cut by the smaller companies involved?

It comes down to: how much do you trust the reloader? I trust myself, and that's basically it.

Also, 9mm is so cheap that there is little reason to not shoot factory new.

YMMV.

-- Michael

[elSquid]

It was 25 dollars before tax per box of 100.
.

You can buy factory new for less.

http://www.sgammo.com/catalog/pistol-ammo-sale/9mm-luger-ammo

-- Michael

[thesnooch]

You can buy factory new for less.

http://www.sgammo.com/catalog/pistol-ammo-sale/9mm-luger-ammo

-- Michael

Thanks for the advice and the website recommendation. I am still spooked so I probably won't be doing any shooting anytime soon.

[jeffrice6]

Is there a reason you won't answer my simple question? Again, where the reloads lead???

[thesnooch]

Is there a reason you won't answer my simple question? Again, where the reloads lead???

Hi Jeff,

Sorry, not avoiding the question. I believe they were lead, based on the box having a "Lead Warning".

[jeffrice6]

Pics of ammo if you can, it'll help us diagnose your problem.

[thesnooch]

Please see the attached of the casing and some of the bullets from the box. Let me know if that helps.

[zman]

Could be the reloads but then again,

Haha! There it is! I'm glad it didn't take long this time

OP - thank God you are ok.

[kenl]

Looks like a case failure, not an overload. That said, if you ever have a problem with ammo, it's a very good practice to stop using the rest of the box, period. Inspect the frame, looking for cracks; check out the mag and the mag release, also the barrel, slide, and extractor. Don't shoot it until your positive it wasn't damaged. Take it to a gunsmith/armorer, or send it to the factory if in doubt.

Contact the ammo manufacturer about the problem. If the gun is damaged, make them pay for it's repair or replacement. Don't expect the gun's manufacturer to fix it under warranty, because the kaboom wasn't caused by their product.

Sorry about being long winded, but just went through this (the pistol was destroyed). Take your time, make sure everything is safe, and don't shoot the rest of that ammo. Get rid of it by giving it back to the manufacturer, or have a reloader break it down into components.

Good luck

[meno377]

Is there a reason you won't answer my simple question? Again, where the reloads lead???

If the back of the case was bulged out, it wouldn't be a case of shooting reloaded LRN rounds through a Glock barrel. It appears that is why you are asking. If he was shooting lead rounds, the barrel would have had a stoppage which would have resulted in a squib. In this case it wasn't. Noted below from OP:

I immediately put the gun down, pointed it down range, and asked a RSO to help me out. It took him a few tries to rack the slide and eventually a case came out. I looked at the casing and it looks as if it exploded from the bottom half of the round, near the lip. The RSO instructed me to insert a new magazine in and to fire the weapon again. (You can imagine my hesitation and overall fear of firing it again!!)

Anyways, I fired the next round without failure. I proceeded to finish the rest of the 30 or so rounds without failure.

OP. I would recommend having a chat with the owner of that range. The RSO was completely irresponsible for suggesting to shoot again using the same ammo. Even if it was new ammo, the RSO should have taken the gun and performed a field strip to evaluate before shooting it any more.

If you WERE shooting LRN rounds, here is some info regarding this:

1. All OEM Glock barrels have polygonal rifling. Some hexagonal, some octagonal. The type of rifling does NOT "put more spin on the bullet" - that is strictly a function of the rifling twist rate, which varies by caliber. Putting more spin on the bullet does NOT result in "200+ more foot-pounds of force" (or even energy...), but the appropriate rifling twist rate will stabilize the bullet for better downrange accuracy. The advantage to polygonal rifling is that it provides a better gas seal for the bullet than conventional rifling, but I've never seen conclusive data that suggests this results in meaningful advantages downrange (or on a living target).

2. Some aftermarket barrels are made with conventional rifling which is less prone to leading with non-jacketed reloads than the OEM Glock barrels. Lone Wolf is one of the popular brands. It will still accumulate lead - but just not as quickly as the barrels with polygonal rifling. A little easier to clean, too.

3. The Glock polygonal rifling is more prone to leading, but it's not a death sentence for man or machine. The guy I shoot steel matches with put maybe 3000 rounds of lead reloads through his Glock 35 over the past year with zero problems. He just took care to clean the barrel a little more frequently and aggressively than his guns that were only fed jacketed bullets. Don't know if I agree about not being a death sentence for the barrel here, but I left it in. Having a stoppage in the barrel can cause a squib and as a result could blow the gun up if you were to fire beyond that point.

4. Copper solvent is no more effective on lead removal than good ol' Hoppe's No. 9 (or probably spit, for that matter). There are some commercial preparations for removing lead from rifling, but I use bronze brushes and fine steel wool and with a little patience that works just fine. Pieces of copper pot scrubbers are effective as well - they're harder than the lead and a LOT softer then the steel barrel. I haven't tried 'em because I don't have any on hand.

OP. It would take more rounds than you were shooting to lead up the barrel to the point of failure.

[Pablo5959]

That case failed at the edge of a Glock bulge, that is clear from the pic.
My speculation is that bulge was caused by one of the previous firing from another gen 3.

The pressure from the case failure blew out the mag, directly under the unsupported part of the chamber.
Your reload just entered your chamber at just the wrong angle, the weakest spot on case, due to that bulge.

I don't own a Glock for that reason of that chamber.
And I'm always on the lookout for any brass with the dreaded bulge. It goes in the recycle bucket.

[cannon]

OP, Looks like you are going to follow the best advice and take it to an armorer. Better safe than sorry.

Hope you also follow the don't buy reloads advice too.

Have fun with your glock.