Catastrophic failure

[Dangermouse]

This has to be one of the most destructive failures I have seen so far:

http://www.slide.com/r/3LeqfT22yz_mnUdT ... 6527580281

Duplex Powder Loading Causes Catastrophic AR15 KaboomThinking of combining rifle and pistol powder in a blended duplex load? Well think again. If you want to keep all your fingers, stick with factory powders and established loads at safe pressures. Here’s what can happen with a duplex load composed of both rifle and pistol powders. This catastrophic kaboom of an AR rifle took place at the Phoenix (AZ) Rod & Gun Club (PRGC) range. The photos, first posted on the ArizonaShooting.com forum, show how the AR blew up, ruining the bolt carrier, splitting the upper receiver, blowing out the Cav Arms polymer lower, and actually detaching the barrel.

Another shooter, who was nearby when the Kaboom occurred, reported: “I was standing 10 feet behind [the shooter], loading mags. The shot was no different than any other shots. I only looked up because the RO was yelling for assistance.”

Obstructed Barrel? Probably Not: “The target showed four hits — the fourth round Kaboomed the rifle. [If there was an obstructed barrel only three holes should be on the target.] A piece of the exploded cartridge is still in the chamber of the barrel. The barrel extension split into three major pieces with smaller pieces cutting the left inside forearm.”

Suspected Cause? “It was a combination of rifle and pistol powder. The rest of the batch was pulled and there were apparently 3-4 other rounds with mixed loads.”

What Happened to the Operator? “The shooter is fine. He got whacked in the face with the charging handle, giving him a fat lip. Minor cuts on his face. His wrist got fragged with carbon fiber/free float tube remains, which were embedded in his skin for a few weeks.”

Parts Ruined: Upper receiver, Cav Arms MK2 polymer lower receiver, Bolt Carrier Group (total loss), forearm, barrel, gas tube, gas block, muzzle brake, mag release, bolt release, custom trigger and take-down pins. Also charging handle is bent and trigger group sustained some damage.

[ovenpaa]

That is not a good sight, the shooter is an extremely lucky person and it makes me wonder if he/she was wearing safety/shooting glasses.

A warning to us all I think, I know those of us pushing .308's out to 1000+ are running hot loads and high pressures, so best wear those safety glasses and double check loads.

[Steve]

That is scary!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

Wonder what the liklehood of a defective factory round doing significant damage to a gun?

[ovenpaa]

Not sure about significant damage but didn’t Hornady recall a load of .17HMR or similar recently?

[Robin128]

A couple of manufacturers recalled ammo...Remington also I think.

Edit...yep...http://www.remington.com/pages/news-and ... otice.aspx

[Alpha1]

Another good reason why you should learn how to load your own ammo.

[Dangermouse]

Wonder what the likelihood of a defective factory round doing significant damage to a gun?

I have not yet seen a defective round, but in the last lot of MEN brass I bought there was one case neck that was not formed correctly and had a hole in it - I wonder if it had been on an automated production line if it would have been picked up on.

I have seen 3 incidents where by a round has been found in a box of ammunition which should not have been there.
1st was a buck shot shell in a box of slug - you can imagine the legal implications if it had been a slug in a shot box!
2nd and 3rd were both 9mm rounds which were not the correct type for the box. One a FMJ and the other was noticeably longer so not a 9mmx19 I guess?
All these boxes were new and had not been polluted from the shooters.

I am sure that if you make and sell enough items sooner or later there are going to be mistakes, it just shows that as shooters we can never switch off and always have to be on our guard,

DM