A "WTF"? Malfunction

tlbyford · Aug 15, 2016

This happened in the middle of my first ever IDPA match yesterday @ about the 110-115th round of Remington "UMC" 124gr ammo.
Shooting XDM 5.25" 9mm.
Blew the magazine completely out of the gun.
The barrel is clear minus the remaining mangled up brass.
My biggest question is can the gun be fixed?
Any thoughts?

DD78 · Aug 15, 2016

I would do two things. First find your receipt for the ammo, along with the box for lot #'s and such, then get in contact with Remington to say wtf.

After contacting them, I'd contact Springfield to tell them what happened. They can test the barrel to make sure that it's still structurally sound. Stress fractures are sometimes impossible to see with the naked eye.

As far as the cause, my guess is a crazy stupid overcharged case, or one that somehow went way too far into the chamber causing a catastrophic failure because of headspace.

Matt1911 · Aug 15, 2016

Check for any signs of cracks, bulges flattened spots etc. on all parts of the barrel and any part that touches the barrel.
Taking it to a Smith, or sending to Springfield for a close inspection would be a good idea as well.
I've had good report with Springfield customer service in the past. They'll get you taken care of.

dennishoddy · Aug 15, 2016

Thats amazing. Never seen anything like that. Bet you had to scoop out your underwear after that one!

drmitchgibson · Aug 15, 2016

What do you mean "can the gun be fixed"? Is it broken? Or do you just need to remove the brass case? Looks like the case web failed and you had a blowout. It happens.

Wall · Aug 15, 2016

will the case come out?

benny hill · Aug 16, 2016

weak case web, it happens on semi unsupported barrels, scares the **** out of you but gun should be O.K. mag may be ****.

DD78 · Aug 16, 2016

This same issue happened with one of the YouTube personalities. The only difference is he was shooting a Glock. He sent it in, well technically he went to their facility and recorded the test they did on his barrel, which revealed stress fractures that you couldn't see. I would highly recommend sending it to Springfield so that they can examine the barrel to make sure that it's structurally sound. I personally wouldn't fire another round out of it until they look it over.

tlbyford · Aug 16, 2016

dennishoddy said:
Thats amazing. Never seen anything like that. Bet you had to scoop out your underwear after that one!

Lucky for me I wasn't wearing any underwear. Unlucky for the S.O. I wasn't wearing any underwear...

tlbyford · Aug 16, 2016

Thanks everyone for all the feedback. Here's a brief run down to (hopefully) clarify my concerns a little bit.

1. When the malfunction happened, it literally blew the magazine apart and out of the gun. We actually found all the parts that were scattered around the stage.
2. The slide was jammed shut. The S.O. finally "persuaded" it open enough to see the mangled brass.
3. When I got home, I finally got the slide to release (over an hour) to assess the damage.
4. The obvious stuck brass wouldn't budge with moderate effort so I left it alone.
5. The extractor was broken.
6. The disassembly bar was severely bent.
7. A few cuts in the polymer.
8. And bits of brass shrapnel lodged into parts of the frame including the magwell.

I emailed Remington waiting for a response, and I plan on calling Springfield today.

Again, thanks for all the feedback.

~t