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Thread: Scary range trip today.

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    Scary range trip today.

    I went to my local shooting range today since I just picked up brand new CZ97BD. Nothing better then shooting a virgin gun on a nice Sunday afternoon so I couldn't wait. When I got there I was alone at the 25y range. I ran few mags trying to get used to the new gun which shoots really soft for a 45 but anyway. Two guys show up one sets up on my left and one on my right. No problem we are still good 6 feet apart life is good.

    But then we start to shoot and I hear guy on my right yelling something. I look over and he's in a huge cloud of smoke holding his gun out as far as he can. His other hand is on his face and he's going "My gun just blew up". As soon as he says that blood starts coming down his hand which he was holding over his face and starts going all over the floor. I looked over to my left I told the other guy to stop and get help. I ran over and it just happens that I had clean white T-shirt in my bag.ci took the gun away from him and gave him that T-shirt. He was lucky and we managed to stop the bleeding and he ended up with a decent size cut on his nose. Looked really bad at first too considering amount of blood he lost but he's ok.
    So as soon as we got his condition under control we all started to wonder what happened right? I was the first to get that gun away from him. He had Sig p226 which looked almost new. Handle was all blown out, grips started coming off. No extractor and slide was out of battery locked up I couldn't clear the round so I put it down facing down range and I went back to trying to help him. Few mins later guys finally managed to get slide to open and empty case with almost a complete head separation was extracted.
    I was the first one to ask him what ammo was he using. Factory or reloads? I got no answer but looks like everyone was thinking it too because they all got quiet. So I ask again . He says factory so I just let it go. But I do notice his 9mm ammo is sitting it plastic flip up boxes not factory boxes. When he went to the bathroom I looked and the first couple had all mixed brass. FC, RP and one Win I think all loaded with the same plated or fmj 124gr TC bullet.

    So I can't help myself to think that double charge here might have been the cause. His gun is trashed but I'm glad that it's all he lost. We believe he got his cut from broken extractor flying off. Another inch to the left and he could have lost his eye. I had a feeling like he knew what caused it too. Maybe new powder throw or new progressive press who knows. We all mistakes but this one process you want to double and triple check everything. Another reason why I try to go there when it's not crowded. You never know what ammo is being used next to you.
    Can you imagine your gun blowing up because you messed up your reloads and someone next to you loses an eye because of that? That's horrible to even think about.

    Stay safe everyone!

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy sparkyv's Avatar
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    How did your CZ shoot?

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Wheelguns 1961's Avatar
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    Wow! Too much excitement for me
    Due to the price of primers, warning shots will no longer be given!

  4. #4
    Boolit Master

    lefty o's Avatar
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    yup, other peoples handloads scare me!

  5. #5
    Boolit Man
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    I'm glad you were there to offer the assist! I think you're right about the suspected cause. Reloading mistakes can happen, especially when one is interrupted, distracted, or just plain not paying attention. My family knows to leave me alone when I'm reloading. I also try to do my reloading when I'm not tired. I'm wondering what his reason was? We'll never know, but I bet his production rate goes way down for the foreseeable future.
    SAF Patron (Life) | GOA (Life) | NRA Benefactor (Life) | MSRPA (Life)

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

    TCLouis's Avatar
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    Primer feed issue on a new progressive is what destroyed the most accurate Super Blackhawk I have ever owned.
    Fellow I know at the range found the top strap about a year later.
    NEVER found the upper half of the cylinder.
    Good thing I was not injured, I was the only one on the range.
    I had about 30 some odd years reloading experience when that happened.
    Amendments
    The Second there to protect the First!

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    At least your CZ is working good. Did you get to wash out your T-shirt OK before the blood took a set?

  8. #8
    Boolit Master


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    It cost me a Good COLT SAA. To learn never to have a GUN on the bench you don't want someone else's reloads fired in.
    A young Cowboy Shooter had borrowed some .45COLT Cowboy loads from me. I asked that he return the brass, don't bother cleaning it or anything else.
    Well that didn't work out too well. He returned the ammo after the next match.
    Reloaded on a BRAND NEW ****ING PIECE OF **** dillon, with 230 RN's. He told me the load. It was a light Hodgdon Cowboy load. Rather then break down 100rds of pistol ammo with an impact hammer, I decided to burn them up in one of my old VAQUERO'S.
    While I went back to the truck for the revolver, my buddy stepped up and loaded some of this ****ing ammo in my 2nd Gen COLT.
    By the time I got back, the top strap and top of my COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY WAS GONE !!!!!!!!!!!!
    My buddy wasn't hurt. The young man gave me a $125 a month for a year.
    My buddy paid for gas to & from every Cowboy Shoot for 6 months.
    You DON'T touch some else's Gun without Asking first.
    I HATE auto-correct

    Happiness is a Warm GUN & more ammo to shoot in it.

    My Experience and My Opinion, are just that, Mine.

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  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy
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    That was the first and hopefully last time I see someone's gun blow up and someone get hurt. My CZ97 shot great though I just need some trigger work on it. It shot saeco #68 which my FNX45 won't feed and it seems to be accurate. I was only 5 or 6 mags in getting used to it.

    I wish I knew what caused it and i’ll probably see this guy again another time when everyone is calm. I would want to know just so I don't make the same mistake. We all make mistakes but that's just to show how quickly things can go south. Luckly we ended up with a bloody mess but only minor injuries. Few months back I heard someone shot through their hand somehow. It only takes a second.



    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Guess someone did not want to admit their reloads blew up. No they are factory..in a plastic box, with mixed brass.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master murf205's Avatar
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    Thanks for sharing that. I hope that it reminds everyone just
    How much attention it requires to load ammo. Carelessness can cost you some vital body parts!
    IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!

  12. #12
    Banned
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    Seen a couple of those myself one was a nice winney pre 60 series in 30/06 barrel split on the right side I was on his left, seen a couple of handguns too scary all right when they are next to you.

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
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    Good thing it ended the way it did with minimal damage. I think hes lucky that he was shooting Sig P226 with full steel frame and full rail. If that was some cheap polymer I'm afraid those short tabs might have not held that slide in place which could have gone flying too. That gun was pretty twisted and bulged all out of size. I wanted to take couple pics to share but I didnt think it was right time for that. Maybe I'll see him there again one day and find out more info then.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master
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    The 9mm is NOT a forgiving caliber. Text in the Speer Reloading Manuals has said that loads producing 32K PSI at a given overall loaded length pushed pressures to 62K PSI by seating the bullets .030" deeper than spec'ed. I am glad to read that the shooter's injuries are not serious.
    I don't paint bullets. I like Black Rifle Coffee. Sacred cows are always fair game. California is to the United States what Syria is to Russia and North Korea is to China/South Korea/Japan--a Hermit Kingdom detached from the real world and led by delusional maniacs, an economic and social basket case sustained by "foreign" aid so as to not lose military bases.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master Handloader109's Avatar
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    Safety Glasses? Please all you guys wear some. They might not help all the time, but they should stop most of the small pieces of shrapnel such as brass. Eyes can't easily be replaced, skin does usually grow back. And this is why I don't go to my close open range. Seen some stupid stuff and there is NO range officer at all.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master


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    I keep an IFAK in my shooting gear for those unexpected events, though I have been lucky and have only used it on a couple cuts here and there that were not shooting related. Though I totally agree about the reloads, factory can have the same thing happen, and it has, though it doesn't get as much press. I've had a factory load "feel" a bit more stout than the rest, but just one in the box so I just ignored it. Later when getting my brass, one was cracked down the side, new ammo, not new old stock. I didn't have any more rounds left, and the possibility that maybe I had picked up a piece of brass from someone else existed, so I did not pursue it. But the case was the same headstamp, and it was as clean as a used piece of brass could be. I try and wear shooting gloves and glasses when I am at the range, but admit that ear-pro is the only thing I am consistent with when hunting.
    Last edited by Omega; 11-05-2018 at 12:20 PM. Reason: grammer
    "Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it."
    ~Pericles~

  17. #17
    DOR RED BEAR's Avatar
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    i actually blew up 2 in my young and dumb days a long long time ago. i learned a valuable lesson about pushing the limits.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    My regular eye wear has safety lenses. I chose them that way because of my hobby.
    I wear double ear protection(plugs and muffs) because I want to keep the remaining hearing that I have.
    I am always careful about my reloads. I used to get the occasional light load but have never had an overcharge. I carry a brass rod and a plastic headed hammer for problems. I use it more for other peoples problems than my own.
    I am lucky that I have never witnessed a gun blow up. I did have a very poorly made revolver(RG) blow the forcing come out using Winchester factory loads many years ago, but it didn't explode.
    I couldn't possibly imagine how upset I would be if someone blew up their gun near me. That would bother me a great deal. I get upset by people with poor gun management skills at the range, let alone an explosion.
    I hope I have learned a bit from other people's stories about bad things that happen. I try to avoid that type of thing, either my own experience or others.
    If I want a more powerful cartridge, I get a bigger gun.
    I agree with the OP that the problem he witnessed was probably due to an overcharge.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master murf205's Avatar
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    I bought a new factory ported S&W 629 about 20 yrs ago and while shooting it at the range one day it spit a piece of jacket material into my nose. Yep, blood and ouch. Glad I had my glasses on. Not a scorching load either, just an outa time revolver but you never know so wear the glasses.
    IT AINT what ya shoot--its how ya shoot it. NONE of us are as smart as ALL of us!

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Walks View Post
    It cost me a Good COLT SAA. To learn never to have a GUN on the bench you don't want someone else's reloads fired in.
    A young Cowboy Shooter had borrowed some .45COLT Cowboy loads from me. I asked that he return the brass, don't bother cleaning it or anything else.
    Well that didn't work out too well. He returned the ammo after the next match.
    Reloaded on a BRAND NEW ****ING PIECE OF **** dillon, with 230 RN's. He told me the load. It was a light Hodgdon Cowboy load. Rather then break down 100rds of pistol ammo with an impact hammer, I decided to burn them up in one of my old VAQUERO'S.
    While I went back to the truck for the revolver, my buddy stepped up and loaded some of this ****ing ammo in my 2nd Gen COLT.
    By the time I got back, the top strap and top of my COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY WAS GONE !!!!!!!!!!!!
    My buddy wasn't hurt. The young man gave me a $125 a month for a year.
    My buddy paid for gas to & from every Cowboy Shoot for 6 months.
    You DON'T touch some else's Gun without Asking first.
    This is the saddest story I’ve heard in I don’t know how long.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check