I saw a Nighthawk Custom blow up in shooters hand

[Biginge]

First of all, Mods, if you feel this would be better served in reloading forum please move. I just thought the message might send the safety message to more readers in the Lounge.

Last Friday out group of "oldtimers" were having our regular breakfast and then to the range. We all reload and are not exactly "new to the sport".

I had finished shooting my three revolvers and was loading my stuff in the truck. I watched Barry hand Joe his Nighthawk Custom .45acp to shoot. Joe laid 6 in almost the same hole. I was impressed with this offhand group at 10yds. When he touched off the 7th round the pistol flew about 6 feet down range and pieces went in several directions. Joe hollered "it blew up." I grabbed towel and first aid kit and went to his side.

I fully expected to see tendons, etc. hanging everywhere. Hand was fine. Many small, almost razor nicks all over his cheeks and forehead. Trifocals chipped all to hell. Not safety glasses. He pulled his jeans down and had a bruise/cut just above his right knee. HE WAS VERY LUCKY. The magazine base plate hit his thigh hard enough to put a large abrasion just above the knee.

We feel that it was a double charge of unique in the round with the ruptured case that was stuck in bbl. Explosion blew off base plate and spring of magazine as well as both wood grips. I found the base plate and spring not far from bench. Along with another .45 acp case blown all to hell (terribly ruptured) With unfired primer intact.

As best we can tell.

1/ Double charged/ruptured case remained in bbl. (drove it out with brass rod. )

2/ Explosion blew slide back and ignited next, and final round from magazine thusly blowing off base plate, etc. Actually the grip frame became a combustion chamber for the last round. We never did find the bullet.

This threw a wet blanket on our Friday parade.

Boys, we can never be too careful. Reloading, wearing proper safety equipment, eyes, ears, etc.

Joe was lucky.

This event made a real impression on my old self.

Lets be careful out there cause Joe was lucky don't mean the next one will be so fortunate.

Only the best.

 

[Tradewind36]

Lucky man!

 

[6518John]

Glad the gentleman was ok. That is a $3000 to $5000 explosion--depending on model.

 

[Rule3]

The hell with the gun, no safety glasses. How much are your eyes worth? No safety glasses, no shooting at our range!

"not gonna happen to me"

You can get RX glasses that are also safety.

Glad he is otherwise OK.

 

[S&WIowegan]

I'm very curious...

...about a couple things. First, how is the Nighthawk pistol? Slide, barrel, etc.? Second, whose ammo blew up the gun? Seriously, there may well be some settling up due the owner of the Nighthawk unless it was his ammo. If the ammo and gun were the same owner, you can sue him for the laundry bill for underwear cleanup.

 

[Biginge]

...about a couple things. First, how is the Nighthawk pistol? Slide, barrel, etc.? Second, whose ammo blew up the gun? Seriously, there may well be some settling up due the owner of the Nighthawk unless it was his ammo. If the ammo and gun were the same owner, you can sue him for the laundry bill for underwear cleanup.

We had to get pliers to pull magazine from well. The Bbl. did not appear to have any damage, nor did the slide. I suggested he either send it back to Nighthawk or have competent gunsmith magnaflux the Bbl. Barrys ammo, gun owners, reloads blew up the gun (his gun). He just asked Joe if he wanted to shoot it? Ammo and gun were, indeed, same owner. Pistol assembled back and seemed to functionally flawlessly. Key word seemed. Only known damage was the completely blown magazine and fractured wooden grip panels. These were blown completely off of the pistol.

 

[arjay]

Spooky!
I think the blood pressure spike would have done me in

 

[Owly]

Sounds like Joe is a lucky man.
Barry... not so much

Stay diligent my friends

 

[otisrush]

Is it possible to get any details about the loader's setup and processes? I'd be interested to hear what the loader thinks the flaw was in his process. E.g. Single stage press? Progressive? Well established caliber/load for this reloader or is it new? Any unusual circumstances? (Such as "I'd been on a trip and I was especially tired.")

I don't do this to shame anyone, obviously. But I'd really like to learn from other's experiences. When someone has been loading a long time and has an event like this it concerns me and makes me want to be more diligent about never becoming complacent.

Years ago, when I was considering getting my pilot's license, I used to devour airplane accident reports. My wife thought it was morbid - but I just wanted to see how other's got into trouble in the hopes of me learning.

Thanks. And I'm glad people are OK.

OR

 

[Magload]

Scares me and I am fearless. Glad no one was really injured badly. Don

 

[rwsmith]

What is really wild......

It set off the next round in the magazine? Zounds!

 

[Chuck24]

Btw, if the trifocals were made in the last quarter century, they are safety glasses. Required by law.

 

[noylj]

If you can double charge Unique in a .45 Auto case, you either aren't inspecting the charged case before searing a bullet or you aren't running a Lock-Out type die. Either would have prevented it.
Usually, the case head blows out and the high pressure gasses blow the rounds, follower, and base plate out of the magazine, leaving the magazine body in the pistol. It will also usually blow the grips out.
It takes a real over-pressure to blow the GUN up, and not just the extractor, grips, and magazine.
PS: most glasses now are polycarbonate or better and, while not classed as safety, perform the job in most cases.

 

[Frank46]

Many years ago it was mandated by the company I used to work for that all people who wear glasses will get fitted with tempered glass safety glasses. Fast forward 30 years. Spec of dust, chip from the lathe, whatever those glasses have more than paid for themselves. best investment I ever made. So if your company offers tempered glass lenses for your saftey glasses be smart and get them. Best protection money can by and we only get one set of eyes. Frank

 

[Biginge]

Is it possible to get any details about the loader's setup and processes? I'd be interested to hear what the loader thinks the flaw was in his process. E.g. Single stage press? Progressive? Well established caliber/load for this reloader or is it new? Any unusual circumstances? (Such as "I'd been on a trip and I was especially tired.")

I don't do this to shame anyone, obviously. But I'd really like to learn from other's experiences. When someone


has been loading a long time and has an event like this it concerns me and makes me want to be more diligent about never becoming complacent.



Years ago, when I was considering getting my pilot's Blicense, I used to devour airplane accident reports. My wife thought it was morbid - but I just wanted to see how other's got into trouble in the hopes of me learning.

Thanks. And I'm glad people are OK.

OR

Barry, the owner of gun and reloader of ammo holds one world benchrest record and has loaded for over 40 years. He is a seasoned loader/shooter.

He has several presses, both single stage and progressive. I believe he told us he loaded .45acp on one of his Dillons.

I do not think it is an equipment problem in this incidence. Boys, our group is in mid 70s. We joke about the "kids taking the truck keys". Perhaps they should lock up the presses too.

Its hard to admit we have "lost a step" due to age but I am seeing it in two of my group currently. And, in no way am I getting any sharper with age either.

Denial is a precursor of accidental mistakes that can prove costly, if not deadly. Complacency is not a safety companion. I believe ( you said you researched aviation "accidents") you will find that most private pilots problems happen between 5-700 hours of flight time. Complacency sets in. I personally feel we experience the same complacent behaviour in reloading at some given point/age or years of experience.

Think about it! I bet my group is not the only one at this juncture?

Only the best.

 

[shocker]

Btw, if the trifocals were made in the last quarter century, they are safety glasses. Required by law.

Not exactly, safety glasses have a frame with a double bridge (if metal) and the frame must completely encircle the lens. There's also a stamp on the lens itself. Mine came from Walmart so the stamp reads "WM+".

 

[4barrel]

If the barrel & slide are ok could the web have blown out from to many reloading on the brass? It doesn't have to be an overload. The web on 45acp brass is not supported. I do not use certain brands. AMERC is one. what is the brand that blew up? Sometimes the magazine will blow out + the stocks when the web blows. Were the bullets .451 or .452 plated?

 

[rsrocket1]

Double charge 11g Unique. Amazed that someone would miss that.

I'm seeing more and more where metal framed guns will survive kabooms better than plastic guns. Rarely do the shooters get seriously injured in either case but plastic guns almost always break the frames while metal guns typically blow out mags and crack grips.

 

[mrrick]

I ALWAYS check the loads in the loading tray with a strong flashlight before seating bullets. A double charge is obvious using this method.

I don't have a turret press, just a simple single stage press.

 

[otisrush]

Barry, the owner of gun and reloader of ammo holds one world benchrest record and has loaded for over 40 years. He is a seasoned loader/shooter.

He has several presses, both single stage and progressive. I believe he told us he loaded .45acp on one of his Dillons.

I do not think it is an equipment problem in this incidence. Boys, our group is in mid 70s. We joke about the "kids taking the truck keys". Perhaps they should lock up the presses too.

Its hard to admit we have "lost a step" due to age but I am seeing it in two of my group currently. And, in no way am I getting any sharper with age either.

Denial is a precursor of accidental mistakes that can prove costly, if not deadly. Complacency is not a safety companion. I believe ( you said you researched aviation "accidents") you will find that most private pilots problems happen between 5-700 hours of flight time. Complacency sets in. I personally feel we experience the same complacent behaviour in reloading at some given point/age or years of experience.

Think about it! I bet my group is not the only one at this juncture?

Only the best.

Thanks for this perspective! I think you bring up an EXCELLENT point. What it says to me personally is "What indicators can and should I look for as indicators that it's time to hang up our time at the press?" We should do this for a number of things - as you point out: Driving? Living alone?

In aviation it is said that an "accident" is a series of small mistakes that, when chained together, cause a serious or catastrophic result. So the processes & checklists are designed to break that chain of small mistakes if they're occurring. There was an incidident a number of years ago where a passenger jet in Canada ran out of gas. No one was killed. The book, while not well written, detailed out the story and it was FASCINATING. A classic example of a-number-of-small-incidents that came together in a very bad way.

Complacency can be very dangerous. I've noticed that whenever I say to myself "You haven't had a car accident in a while. You're a good driver." I get reminded in just a few days that may not be true - by having some sort of close call.

I'm hopeful that our various rules we all establish for ourselves, for both safe gun handling as well as reloading, will help keep complacency at bay.

Thanks for the post!

OR