David2011
03-27-2016, 04:17 PM
Last Thursday a friend called me with lots of excitement in his voice. He said there had been an accident at the range he wanted to tell me about. He didn't tell me he was the subject of the accident. I had several people in my office so told him I would have to call him back.
Later he told me that someone else offered to let him shoot a new semi-auto handgun in 9mm. No need to name it because I don't think the firearms had anything to do with the accident. He and others were shooting at circles drawn around a quarter on paper at relatively close range. He is certain that the previous round impacted the paper. The next round went off with a horrendous boom and a flash of pain. The loaded chamber indicator was sticking straight up, the extractor was bent outward and his had was burned and bleeding a little. The owner of the firearm then informed him that they were shooting were reloads and that one must have split. My friend replied something to the effect of "bull-hockey!" and said no way a split case would do that. The case head was split with the upper half bent upward and the lower portion bent downward. I agree. I've had countless split cases come out of mu USPSA pistol and nothing extraordinary happened with any of them. They were found to be split after cleaning up the spent brass or after taking them out of the polisher.
It was most likely a double charge. We don't yet know what kind of powder was used. He had some small perforations of the skin with slight bleeding. I suggested that he might consider going to the doctor and get an x-ray to check for embedded metal. He poo-pooed the idea. Yesterday he told me that some of the injuries were starting to fester. He's a believer now that he has metal embedded in his hand.
164801
The injury looks a little better as of yesterday afternoon. He is remarkably fortunate considering what happened. Had he been a right handed shooter he probably would not have been injured. He's right handed but left eye dominate so shoots left. His right hand was high, near the ejection port; would have been much lower had he been holding the pistol with his right had as the strong hand.
I thought the site went down Sunday afternoon because both my laptop and iPad couldn't access it. Turns out there is a failure with my provider that I can't access the site.
David
Later he told me that someone else offered to let him shoot a new semi-auto handgun in 9mm. No need to name it because I don't think the firearms had anything to do with the accident. He and others were shooting at circles drawn around a quarter on paper at relatively close range. He is certain that the previous round impacted the paper. The next round went off with a horrendous boom and a flash of pain. The loaded chamber indicator was sticking straight up, the extractor was bent outward and his had was burned and bleeding a little. The owner of the firearm then informed him that they were shooting were reloads and that one must have split. My friend replied something to the effect of "bull-hockey!" and said no way a split case would do that. The case head was split with the upper half bent upward and the lower portion bent downward. I agree. I've had countless split cases come out of mu USPSA pistol and nothing extraordinary happened with any of them. They were found to be split after cleaning up the spent brass or after taking them out of the polisher.
It was most likely a double charge. We don't yet know what kind of powder was used. He had some small perforations of the skin with slight bleeding. I suggested that he might consider going to the doctor and get an x-ray to check for embedded metal. He poo-pooed the idea. Yesterday he told me that some of the injuries were starting to fester. He's a believer now that he has metal embedded in his hand.
164801
The injury looks a little better as of yesterday afternoon. He is remarkably fortunate considering what happened. Had he been a right handed shooter he probably would not have been injured. He's right handed but left eye dominate so shoots left. His right hand was high, near the ejection port; would have been much lower had he been holding the pistol with his right had as the strong hand.
I thought the site went down Sunday afternoon because both my laptop and iPad couldn't access it. Turns out there is a failure with my provider that I can't access the site.
David