Glad I am here typing this...story

[dragonrider]

Makes me shake just thinking about that happening. I am so glad you weren't hurt.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

Pastor, you are very fortunate indeed. You may not have your rifle, but you have your sight. Very close call. Thanks for the reminder. Have a great Easter Celebration!

[Armorer]

I am happy to see that you weren't seriously hurt. I think situations like this need to be shared with the forum from time to time. Sometimes people get complacent and just need a slight wakeup call. Those pictures made my guts tighten just a bit, and I won't soon forget them. The way I load is very much similar to Mr. Larry Gibson. Pick up a casing, charge it, and in the block it goes. If I get interrupted for any reason, I automatically dump the powder into the pan on my scale to double check. All my loading is done on a Rockchucker so pistol rounds get done the same as rifle. It's slow, but it works for me.

Armorer

[WKAYE]

I'm glad you were not seriously injured. What a sad ending to a beautiful rifle. A wake up call to all of us. Thanks for posting.

[ricksplace]

Glad you're alright. That's the reason I don't use loading blocks or progressive loaders.

[x101airborne]

Ok, so...... 20 grains of 2400 is too much? Just kidding. Thanks for posting. We all do dumb stuff once in a while. I have had squibbs, misfires, reversed primers, (never a double charge although it is just a matter of time) and such. It is going to happen at least once.

By the way...... That is the last time I loan you a rifle. LOL!!!

[selmerfan]

x101 - thanks for the smile this morning! I actually sat there for at least a minute thinking, "What the heck, 20 gr. is a safe load, why did it just about kill me?" It finally dawned on me after some of the shock wore off that I had to have double charged it. And feel free to send me any rifles, I'll take good care of them. Just make sure they're under an unlimited lifetime warranty. Do you suppose if I took the scope out of the rings and sent it back to Leupold they'd send me another under warranty?

[mroliver77]

Hang that thing above your loading bench! I think I will start collecting pics of blown guns to hang above mine.

I too commend you for owning up to your mistake and not blaming equipment or a SEE etc.

If I ever catch you firing your gun without eye protection, I will kick your butt! You'all have permission to treat me the same.


Even though this was done on a single stage press using the (mostly) accepted flashlight method, some still found a need to bash progressive presses. Sigh.
Jay

[selmerfan]

I'm already trying to figure out just where to put it so that I see it every time I even think about putting powder in a case...it's staying with me as a reminder, conversation piece, and when people wonder why I have all those different powders - "Aren't they all the same?" I've always responded, NO! If you screw up and put too much of some of these powders in a case you can blow the gun up, along with your face, while with the same cartridge and gun and different powder, you can pretty much fill the case, put a bullet on top and be completely safe (4350 or 4831 with a .30-06, for example), while half as much of a different powder will take the gun apart. Now I have a visual example of what happens when you mess up.

I load shotgun shells on a progressive press, and if you screw up one step in that process it is blatantly obvious (or should be to the operator) that something is wrong. I can't imagine a centerfire progressive is any different, but when running the PW progressive for shotgun I close the door on the man cave and put in earplugs, as well as have sticky notes about the motions and operations for each step. I can do it fast, but the reminders are essential, and if anyone knocks on that door or comes in, I stop immediately and make a note of where I'm at. This just goes to show I need to do the same with single-stage loading, even though I was certain I was safe and sound, no errors in over 20 years, right? Right.....it just takes one. There is forgiveness with God, there is no forgiveness with reloading errors except surviving the experience by the grace of God.

[Char-Gar]

The progressives require full attention to every little detail. I find the repetitious nature of using one an invitation for my mind to wander. That is why I shun them.

However, when I uses single sequential steps, I can keep my eye on the ball much better. Plus it is impossible to check the powder charge on each round loaded on a progressive without defeating the purpose of having a progressive.

I have no argument with folks who like and use progressives, they are just not for me.

[Longwood]

The progressives require full attention to every little detail. I find the repetitious nature of using one an invitation for my mind to wander. That is why I shun them.

However, when I uses single sequential steps, I can keep my eye on the ball much better. Plus it is impossible to check the powder charge on each round loaded on a progressive without defeating the purpose of having a progressive.

I have no argument with folks who like and use progressives, they are just not for me.

I had a 450 Dillon that I could trust. I made the mistake of loaning it and my RCBS scale to someone I thought was a friend and he stole them.
I recently bought a Lee Master Pro with all of the, so called, automatic attachments and one of their cheepo and difficult to use plastic powder scales.
HUGE MISTAKE.
I have since removed the unreliable auto prime, prime by hand now, the even more unreliable automatic powder measure with the micro adjust, replaced by a manual RCBS Uniflow that works beautifully, and the down right DANGEROUS, can't see the powder charge, bullet positioner. The case positioner works most of the time so it is still on the press but it may go also.
Sure can't call it automatic but it works fairly well now.
When I think of what I could have bought with the money I wasted,,,,,,
Absolutely no more cheaper Lee JUNK at my house.

[Larry Gibson]

I also load on a progressive Dillon 550B and have decided not to load any rifle cartridge with any powder where a double charge would be dangerous if it can be in the case. Mostly I use charges that a double charge will spill out of the case. Also since many of my reduced loads require a dacron filler I pull the case out at station 3 (if using the 550B) and put the dacron in there just prior to seating the bullet. That way I double check the powder charge also.

As the SDB just loads pistol cartridges and auto advances it is difficult to double charge. However you can slightly double short stroke and still get a double charge so I have learned never to do that. If something gets hung up and I can't make a smooth single stroke I stop, clear and double check everything. I've also slowed down my rate of production to 300 or so rounds per hour instead of trying full tilt production. A lot less mistakes that way.

Most all of my reduced loads are loaded on a single stage press with charged cases going into a loading block, not that I'm flinchy or anything.............

Larry Gibson

[Spector]

Glad you are alright. Those pictures make me cringe.

That's the way my face looked when I had a major case failure in my Glock 21 two weeks ago. It destroyed my Glock frame. I had modified it into a 21/30......or you might call it a long-slide 30. The penetrations under my left eye showed bruising the next day. The powder burn along my right index finger is almost entirely gone now along with one layer of skin. It penetrated through my sweats into my shoulder and stomach as well. Unsure what's in there, but everything seems to be healing.

I told my doctor about it last week when I went in for a routine appointment. Her husband is the firearms instructor and SWAT team leader for a county police department and they carry Glocks. I thought I would pass on the hand trauma info to him through her. I could move my hands, but it was painful and movements were forced. Bad thing for a LEO in the middle of a firefight. The adrenalin dump might negate a lot of that.

I was nice and relaxed when my Glock frame turned into pieces in my hands and even afterward I don't really remember getting all that excited. I did turn and drop to my knees. I recall the pain and thinking I could drive myself to the emergency and then changing my mind after the pain subsided some. I counted fingers and checked both eyes and looked in a mirror to see where the blood was dripping from my nose.

Then I began to look for Glock pieces. Part of the shattered trigger was still in the frame. The frame separated into two pieces at the back of the mag well. It separated at the slide takedown latch on the left side as well and a semicircular piece about the size of a half dollar was missing on the right side where I got the powder burn on my index finger and hand. It blew the magazine out and gutted it. Only the small plate that fits between the magazine bottom and the spring was broken on it.

I usually don't shoot off a bench, but this time I was load testing. The rest kept the magazine from easily blowing free of the frame and may have contributed to the pressure being forced even more outward.

After about 10 minutes I remembered to offer up a small prayer to God for looking out for dumb-asses like me.

Sure glad I was wearing my safety glasses or I definitely would have required surgery on my left eye. There is a small crater in the left lens.

I have owned this Glock for over 20 years and put over 13,000 cast boolit rounds through it....some very hot loads. I was always cavalier about reloading safety. With this event that attitude has changed. At first I figured I must have made a powder charge mistake. Now I don't think so. I think it was simply a flaw in a case that lined up with the unsupported area of the chamber and kaboom. The barrel and slide seem fine, though if I choose to use either again I will get them magnafluxed first.

I loved that pistol especially after I modified it, but if I get another 1st generation frame and modify it I will definitely have an aftermarket barrel fitted with a fully supported chamber. My shooting buddy, who also shoots Glocks, believes I must have made a powder charge error. I dropped the charges from a RCBS Chargemaster and all that I checked on a balance beam checked fine. I had loaded Lee 255 grain RF boolits. And if I had put two 6.5 grain charges of HERCO in that 45 ACP case it would filled that case to within 1/16'' of the top.

There are two extractor marks on the ruptured case showing it had been fired at least twice. There could have been more marks on the blown away area of the case that perfectly matched the unsupported area in the Glock chamber.

I had just fired 134 rounds using a 213 grain boolit from a modified Lee mold. I cleaned the barrel, which cleaned very easily with just 4 patches and some Outers Nitro Solvent. I checked the bore using magnification and it was spotless. I then fired one single different load into the backstop and checked the case. Everything looked fine. I sat down at the bench and loaded 9 rounds into the magazine. The next round I fired struck the target about 2 1/2'' low. I checked that case and it looked fine. The next round went kaboom, but still struck the target just 2 5/8'' from my first shot on the target.

I used to fire my WCC 45 ACP cases until they developed neck splits and then I retired them. I have discovered since my incident that many people recommend not to fire cases over twice in a semi-auto pistol period.

Safety glasses can save the day. If you know your mistake you can take corrective action. If you can't pinpoint what caused the problem then all you can do is quit or just bone up on the latest safe practices in reloading.

I used to believe that Glock kabooms using factory barrels only happened to those who reloaded the higher pressure cartridges for Glocks. I no longer believe that.

I went back to the range two days later with a revolver to get back on the horse so to speak. I intend to keep reloading and shooting, but this event has changed me. For the better I hope........Mike

[Wayne Smith]

God is good, Selmerfan! Protection from the conquences of our mistakes is way more grace than we deserve.

If a case is charged with powder it immediately gets a bullet or boolit. That way I have never had a double charge. Have gotten distracted and bulleted a case without powder, though. I'd rather make that mistake. This is my process with all rifle cartridges - whatever the powder.

[Fishman]

Glad you are ok.

I would hang that over my bench as a reminder to be careful.

[selmerfan]

It's already hung in the man cave.

[Von Gruff]

Just logged back on and saw your post in the test area. Glad to see you have escaped without injury. It takes something like this to bring home to us all just how much care is needed at the loading bench. I do the flashlight test but also do the marked dowel in the case test as well. There will be a sermon or two in this for you I guess.

Von Gruff.

[oscarflytyer]

WOW! You are a very lucky man. There are still things left for you to do!

I have seen pix of a lot of blown up guns, and yours rates about the worst I have ever seen/heard about. Again, you are VERY lucky! Glad you are ok.

I just started reloading again after a long hiatus. And I have been very nervous and overly careful (if that's even possible!?!) getting back into it. Think I may start moving cartridges to a new reloading block as I charge them. Been turning them upside down/right side up as I accomplish each prep task.

[Walt-MT]

Praises to Him who tends to us all....and thank you for reminding this shooter to mind all safty procedures every time.
WA

[pistolman44]

Here is a short story that could have turned ugly. A guy was shooting a long barrel 44mag revolver at the next bench from me. I heard a pop from the guys revolver. He was cocking the hammer to fire another round, I shouted to him not to shoot again. I told him to unload his revolver and look into the barrel. Sure enough there was a bullet stuck half way.