Scary range trip today.

[marek313]

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!

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[sparkyv]

How did your CZ shoot?

[Wheelguns 1961]

Wow! Too much excitement for me

[lefty o]

yup, other peoples handloads scare me!

[PowPow]

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.

[TCLouis]

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.

[Earlwb]

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

[Walks]

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.

[marek313]

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.



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[Tackleberry41]

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

[murf205]

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!

[starnbar]

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.

[marek313]

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.

[9.3X62AL]

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.

[Handloader109]

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.

[Omega]

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.

[RED BEAR]

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.

[tazman]

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.

[murf205]

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.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

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.

[osteodoc08]

While I’ve never had a major mishap like that happen to me or someone else shooting near me, I certainly wouldn’t want to be a part of that. Glad everything turned out ok, for the most part. Guns can be replaced. Fingers, eyes, lives cannot.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I had a fellow shooter’s Italian Colt’s copy blow up on him in front of me with another fella’s handloads.
A friend of mine had a gun blow up on him with factory ammo, it was an American made polymer frame pocket .40.
Another friend of mine showed me his Dad’s Colt’s SAA with top half of the cylinder and the topstrap missing. He was shooting his Dad’s reloads. Said it hurt his hand when it blew.
Off the top of my head I can only think of one gun that blew up in 33 years of law enforcement. It was practice ammo frame a very respected manufacturer. The shooter denied having a squib before it blew up but that’s was post accident examination led us to conclude.
Me, I blew up a gun intentionally under safe and controlled conditions once. I was testing double charges on an Italian Colt’s copy. It held together for a couple double charges before coming apart.

[Italia1825]

Not fun, double check your stuff


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[RED BEAR]

now when i say i had two guns blow up on me it wasn't anybody's elses fault . i was just pushing my reloads way past where they should be. thats why the younger and dumber.

[JoeJames]

Not a blown up gun but mighty close: Years ago my hunting buddy and I were out at our range. Some reserves with the local police department showed up to do some shooting. They had an 870 12 gauge and a cardboard box full of assorted shells. One fired it a time or two and then had a jam. Anyway we walked over to help clear the jam. Turned out there were 16 gauge shells in the box too. They had managed to find one and drop it into the 870. The 16 gauge went into the forcing cone, but thankfully not as far as a 20 gauge. Therefore a 12 gauge shell would not quite go in far enough to close the bolt completely, and therefore it would not fire. We cleared the jam, explained what had happened, and then got behind my truck until they were finished.

[OldBearHair]

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.

This is a winner!!
Thank you 9.3x62AL... This needs to be printed out and nailed on the wall to be read and reread!!

[BHuij]

Man I am so glad nothing like this has ever happened to me. I'm new; only been reloading for about a year and a half, and I got into casting at the same time, so I've never purchased bullets, always just made my own. I'm on a single stage press and extremely fastidious about avoiding double charges and squibs. I usually charge 50 or 100 cases at a time, and then go over all of them with a flashlight from the top before I put all the powder away and start seating. Takes about 10 seconds extra time and gives me the peace of mind of knowing my ammo is safe.

I added that step to my process after a visit to the range where I had a failure to feed in my 9mm. Slide was jammed shut but not totally in battery and I had to tap it pretty sharply on the shooting bench to get it to open up. When I pulled out the barrel there was a bullet lodged into the chamber. Never did figure out if it was a squib or if I just debulleted from not enough neck tension or something. What I do know is that if it had gone into battery, it could potentially have been a kaboom. Now I'm extra careful during loading and also pay very close attention during shooting so I don't miss any potential squibs. I will also never try anyone else's reloads in any of my firearms.

[tazman]

Ed Harris wrote an article on loading for the 9mm. In that article he stated that if you took standard 9mm military ball and seated the bullet .062 deeper(1/16 inch) you would get a pressure increase of 12,000 to 15,000 psi making it roughly comparable to proof loads.
Not quite the same numbers the Speer text quotes but still very substantial.

http://www.grantcunningham.com/2014/05/ed-harris-loading-cast-bullets-in-the-9mm-lugerparabellum/

[Thin Man]

Breaking down other people's handloads is the only way to go. Just lately I have been disassembling handloaded rounds from a late friend's estate. Haven't found any obvious double charges yet but I have found several rounds, both rifle and handgun, where the "cartridge" of brass, primer and bullet contained NO POWDER. This is just another opportunity for a disaster to find it's way to your door.

[Green Frog]

I had my one blowup when I was doing things as well as I knew, BUUUUTTT, I used some brass that had been loaded many many times for our various 38 revolvers. Then I shot some through a Colt Government Model with a factory 38 WC Conversion (the one that was basically straight blowback.) The last round (fortunately) in the Mag must have been weak at the base, because it separated right at the base, which went down through the Mag well, damaging the magazine, cracking open the left grip, and making me drop the gun onto the bench. Got a couple of brass splinters in the lens of my shooting glasses as well as the skin of my cheek. This was bad enough to get my attention!

Froggie

[El Bibliotecario]

Reading the original post, as soon as I read 'cloud of smoke,' I thought, 'So what did some fool do?' His denial of using handloads could mean he is denying his mistake to himself, which raises the possibility of a repetition.

A few years ago I told the executor of an estate that I doubted if his auctioneer would want to deal with handloads, for liability reasons. But the auctioneer was delighted to sell the handloads, and my lifelong experience with human foolishness makes me suspect that not all purchasers were buying them for the components. I recently broke down a few hundred rounds of a caliber I no longer use rather than offering it for sale because I think anyone buying a stranger's handloads, including mine, is a fool, and I meet fools already without seeking out additional specimens.

Am I wrong in my perceptions? Is there a ready market for handloaded ammunition?

[JoeJames]

Reading the original post, as soon as I read 'cloud of smoke,' I thought, 'So what did some fool do?' His denial of using handloads could mean he is denying his mistake to himself, which raises the possibility of a repetition.

A few years ago I told the executor of an estate that I doubted if his auctioneer would want to deal with handloads, for liability reasons. But the auctioneer was delighted to sell the handloads, and my lifelong experience with human foolishness makes me suspect that not all purchasers were buying them for the components. I recently broke down a few hundred rounds of a caliber I no longer use rather than offering it for sale because I think anyone buying a stranger's handloads, including mine, is a fool, and I meet fools already without seeking out additional specimens.

Am I wrong in my perceptions? Is there a ready market for handloaded ammunition?Just food for thought on other folks handloaded ammo: Over the years I have noticed sort of a trend in reloading. In my opinion many reload because the factory ammo is not hot enough, and they want to push it more. Few I know of went for lighter loads and more accurate loads. I do, but I think I am in the minority. With that in mind, ie., hot loads, another factor to consider when buying someone else's handloads; it may not be double loaded or a squib load, it just may be loaded way too heavy. I would not buy someone else's handloads.

[tazman]

I have met way too many people who want to buy a standard cartridge and load it like a magnum. I know of one enterprising young man who bought a 243 and decided he wanted a 243 magnum and ended up blowing up the rifle twice. First one was free, the second one he had to pay for. Nobody believed his story the second time.

[country gent]

When accidents happen remember to protect yourself also Blood and body fluids are carriers. Wash very good with disinfecting soap as soon as possible. Any thing with these on them like clothing should be destroyed. Area and other items need washed down with bleech water or strong disinfecting soaps. Im not saying don't help them but do protect yourself from these fluids and get them removed as soon as possible.

[tazman]

When accidents happen remember to protect yourself also Blood and body fluids are carriers. Wash very good with disinfecting soap as soon as possible. Any thing with these on them like clothing should be destroyed. Area and other items need washed down with bleech water or strong disinfecting soaps. Im not saying don't help them but do protect yourself from these fluids and get them removed as soon as possible.

Good point.
I grew up in a time when you didn't have to worry about that kind of thing. I need to stop and think a bit before I react because if I go with my ingrained reaction, I won't consider the fluid thing.

[country gent]

Most don't, Later on in the shops I worked we were given a basic emergency kit for use. A pair of nitrate gloves, a wrapped sanitary napkin. and a small container of purells type waters soap. Usually the first guy there didn't grab it but the second and rest did. A head/face wound bleeds a lot and can be tricky to control the sanitary napkin can be used for a compress and absorbs a lot.

THe big thing is get it under control and then to medical attention.

[bgw45]

It is sad in several ways. IF, Mr. Bang was really shooting factory ammo then I'd be really interested to know which brand, type and caliber. IF, Mr. Bang was shooting his reloads and could not muster the courage to admit it, then please, remember just what he looks like and avoid him at all times when at the range. He may have missed an opportunity to learn from his error.

[RP]

I have only been to a few public ranges and all the pistol stations have dividers between the shooters which is a good protection from flying brass and gun parts. Draw back is you do not know if the guy or gal next to you has his or her pistol pointed towards another booth.
I enjoyed going to the range meeting new people and just sitting around talking good way to get away from the day to day grind. Sure you had THAT GUY show up from time to time but they raised the fees and the some of the guys working there were just plain power blinded experts on everything I just do not go its not worth the hassle anymore.