Dangers of Reloading (Blown Case)

[Jon-Luc Ruben]

I just wanted to share this video I made. I shot this stage at the end of my match in Pryor today just to be able to record it. I had forgotten to record it earlier. Anyway, please no bashing. I understand that instances like this should not be taken lightly, but I already beat myself up for it and I wanted to share my experience because I believe that the members of the shooting sports are a different breed of athletes. We all have a certain understanding of each other and our unique struggles, whether at the range or at the political level. I'm a new, young shooter, but I am very meticulous about reloading and I ensure that each round I make is inspected and undergoes a step by step process to ensure that the brass is in sound condition to be fired in a supported barrel. I try to keep the video light hearted, but I hope you know that I understand the grave nature of this incident. Fortunately, everything lost today can be replaced, and I'm glad no one got hurt.

Lastly, this will NOT stop me from shooting or reloading (against my mother's pleas) because I understand that these things happen and.....it is too much fun. Stay safe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SII9SD5o1T4

 

[Wall]

I'd check to make sure you really NEED a new barrel. That one may be fine once you remove the case.

Glad you didn't get hurt, keep it up!!!!

 

[Robusto]

Glad to hear you are OK. Are you using a base sizing die?

 

[Jon-Luc Ruben]

this is what I have been using

http://www.egwguns.com/undersized-reloading-dies/undersized-reloading-dies/

 

[dennishoddy]

The link came up as an undersized die. I'm not sure why you used this die?
I agree with Tony to not buy a new barrel. Barrel specs are available online. Check it out before getting a new one.

 

[45recoil]

Lee makes those dies and egw takes a lil more metal off the inside so they size even further down. You ay have just simply gotten bad brass...either way glad youre ok and still reloading.

 

[Jon-Luc Ruben]

Lee makes those dies and egw takes a lil more metal off the inside so they size even further down. You ay have just simply gotten bad brass...either way glad youre ok and still reloading.

^^what he said
sorry i should have pointed it out. Towards the bottom it says "the bottom corner is radiused which sizes the case further down. This helps prevent feed failures from cases that bulged near the base during reloading- which is typical of brass fired in Glocks and other loose chambered guns."

 

[dennishoddy]

Ok, I see the problem now. The brass is undersized, and it allowed it to over expand without anealing the brass because they assume your shooting glock fired brass that has an unsupported chamber.

Take this advice for what its worth, dump the undersize die, and go with standard carbide dies. My .40's are the only Lee dies I own, and they work great.

I have a dozen or so other dies from RCBS in different calibers and have never had an experience that you had with straight walled or bottle neck cartridges.

I've loaded lots of brass that has been glocked , and don't have any problems.

 

[Robusto]

You might take a look at a Redding G-RX push thru resizing die.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/358543/redding-g-rx-base-sizing-die-kit-40-s-and-w-357-sig-10mm-auto

 

[OUshooter]

40
9

Whatever if you reload is gonna happen with range brass. "Glocked" brass or 1911 brass it happens, unless you are xraying cases it will happen if you load enough. I use a egw udie exclusively and wouldn't recommend anything else. Coke bottle shaped brass is just part of the game. If it's not a risk anyone wants then buy new starline, but good luck keeping cost reasonable.

 

[OUshooter]

I hear told that loading 40 is risky....... bullcrap. Any reloading is risky and 40 is no crazy wildcard round. Play by the rules and sometimes you still get burned.

Gun parts are replaceable so keep doing what you are with the gage and visual inspection. Pay due attention to the details and you will be fine. Real problems occur with a double or a non charge followed by a full power round. That is true for any caliber....

 

[Wall]

If you like the die you're using, keep using it.
This problem wasn't the dies fault, it was just bad brass.
I happen to prefer the deluxe carbide set from Lee, I use them for every caliber I load & have never had a round not chamber.
I don't case guage/chamber check at all anymore.

Like Greg said, If you use range brass the chance of failure it greater.
Fortunately, it wasn't catastrophic.

Back to the barrel,
Get that brass out & I'd bet it's fine, I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't be.
Did the bullet make it out of the barrel?
Regardless, You didn't shoot another round after the incident so no reason to think the barrel would be swelled.

 

[Jon-Luc Ruben]

yeah the bullet left the barrel. I left it over night, but the brass seems to be stuck still. Any suggestions on how to get that sucker out short of sending it to a gunsmith? No one is in till monday so I have a day to play around with it. I don't want to do anything too invasive because I might mess up the barrel. I already put in an order for the extractor so hopefully the barrel is okay and I can shoot this Saturday . It seems like there was really nothing I could have done to change the outcome besides not using range brass. Well, there is no way I'm going to buy starline. So like Greg said, maybe it is just a risk I have to take. About the wildcard thing, I was referring to 40 brass that has come out of a glock showed more signs of bulging than any other caliber. Not to say it doesn't show up in all of them, but it seems to happen more often with 40. Anyway, I just wanted to share because I haven't been shooting reloads for years, and even though this happened, I'm not going to stop.

 

[Wall]

It shows up on 40 because glocks have an unsupported chamber in the 40cal pistols.
No biggie, as long as you size the entire case.
This is why I like the Lee set. It sizes the entire case during prep/decapping & again at the end during crimping.

Sounds like you're probably going to have the get a Gunsmith to get the brass out but still should be cheaper than fitting a new barrel.
Whoever you take it too should be able to tell you if it's worth it or not.

Again, Glad you weren't hurt & that it didn't scare you away from shooting.

 

[Ben Rowland]

This happened to me when I first got my XDm. Just used some needle nosed plyers to pinch the casing and pulled it out. No issues with the barrel, and I use the gun for my 3gun Match gun. No barrel issues or problems, still shoots nice tight groups.

 

[TerryKendell]

RCBS used to make a stuck case remover for Steel Dies when you did not get the proper amount of lube on the case.

 

[Rustyzx9]

You could probably fill the stuck case with molten lead then just tap it out with a cleaning rod or something similar.

 

[Tech]

Don't they make some kind of freeze spray that will cool it down quickly. The thin brass will shrink quicker than the heavy barrel and it should come out easier?