Blew up my Shield...(3rd Update: Resolved!)

[Triggernosis]

I'd send it to S&W now. I wouldn't be surprised if they send you a new gun back, even if they suspect bad ammo.
The ammo mfr. is likely going to want to have a certified gunsmith look at it anyway. Besides, you can't send them the gun anyway, unless they have their FFL license in addition to their Ammunition Manufacturer's License.

 

[Shield 9 WV]

How long should I give the ammo vendor to respond? He asked for detailed description of what happened and I gave that to him yesterday. It's been almost two days and no response.

I did get a response from SW. They asked me to ship the pistol back to them for inspection.

Should I wait for the ammo vendor to respond before sending the pistol back to SW?

I would send the gun back to SW immediately with a couple of the rounds.

I would not in any way think about using that gun again until SW has given it a clean bill of health.

Call the ammo people and see what they want to do. You are darn lucky that accident didn't blow your face off.

I would also take a lot more pictures of the gun and ammo before sending it off. You might even want to consult a lawyer before doing anything and get some advice. Guns are not supposed to blow up.

 

[MCorps0311]

Lucky lucky you,glad you wasn't hurt seriously.

 

[gwpercle]

Before you send anything anywhere take a lot of documenting photo's of gun and ammo. Good close up , several different angles, clear and in focus in good light. Once the gun/case is gone you will not have any "evidence" and up close in focus photo's can really help solve the "what happened" , they sometimes show little details the naked eye can't see.

Sorry about the mishap , glad no injuries...S&W will make it right.

Gary

 

[DBasye1]

Thank the good Lord that you still have your fingers

Another reason to wear safety glasses.

In my years of shooting, I have had one squib. It disnt sound right, so I didnt fire the next bullet that had chambered. It was a factory bullet

There are a few culprits that this could have been
1) double charged bullet

2) Weakened case wall

3) Wrong powder

4) Bullet set back

My gut tels me this was a double charged bullet. But it could have been any of these.

As a reloader, I do trust my QC a bit more than some of the cheap stuff that I see out there.

I load range pickups almost exclusively. I havent had any problems.
I shoot lead 180g in my Shield and M&P40C

The brass in most cases, if its been reloaded a few times will lose its ability to hold a primer. You can also catch cracks and bulges if you inspect.

Good luck..... this is a good remeinder to be careful

 

[JSR III]

I agree with those that say hold on to everything until you hear back from the ammo manufacturer. Once you mail anything to anyone it is out of your control.

If the ammo company agrees to reimburse you for the gun and the ammo then I would send the gun to S&W for them to give it a look see. Heck, if the ammo company agrees to buy you a new gun and then you send it to S&W and they agree to send you a replacement, you could end up with two guns.

This is small compensation for the possibility of losing an eye and glad that you are OK but it would be neat if you ended up with two guns.

 

[Mark IV]

Peak Performance Ammo.

Seems this company has a flair for irony.

 

[Jim Watson]

Got a picture of the case head? Is the primer still in the pocket?

 

[Rottentofu]

Got a picture of the case head? Is the primer still in the pocket?

 

[PHolster]

Thank the good Lord that you still have your fingers

Another reason to wear safety glasses.

In my years of shooting, I have had one squib. It disnt sound right, so I didnt fire the next bullet that had chambered. It was a factory bullet

There are a few culprits that this could have been
1) double charged bullet

2) Weakened case wall

3) Wrong powder

4) Bullet set back

My gut tels me this was a double charged bullet. But it could have been any of these.

As a reloader, I do trust my QC a bit more than some of the cheap stuff that I see out there.

I load range pickups almost exclusively. I havent had any problems.
I shoot lead 180g in my Shield and M&P40C

The brass in most cases, if its been reloaded a few times will lose its ability to hold a primer. You can also catch cracks and bulges if you inspect.

Good luck..... this is a good remeinder to be careful

Yeah, I have had only on squib in about 30 years of reloading. It happened about a year ago with my 38 special. It didn't sound right, so I stopped and looked. I could not move the cylinder, the bullet was half in the barrel, and half in the chamber. I quickly ordered a lockout die for my reloader.

 

[Jim Watson]

http://i68.tinypic.com/vzy0qh.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks.
As I expected, nearly center hit on the primer.
"Fired out of battery" is the gunboard equivalent of "the dog ate my homework." By the time a Browning tilt lock is far enough out of battery to lose case support, the firing pin is nowhere near in line with the primer.
I assume the Glock 46 will have a robust disconnector to protect its rotating barrel - straight line action.

 

[Rottentofu]

OP updated. Vendor called.

 

[Cheapskait]

Yeah, there's no possibility that primer was fired in a Shield out of battery.

 

[Out West]

I've had the same thing happen. My frame was damaged and S&W replaced the frame no questions asked.

I doubt the "out of battery" explanation from the ammo guy. More likely is that the brass was worn out.

BTW, I threw out all of that reloaded ammo!

 

[stavey]

Wise to throw those reloads out.

 

[oddshooter]

The OP has done what he can.

He contacted the community.

He contacted the vendors.

He survived. He now needs to get his head back together. I know. I've been there. Time to move on.

Forget the attorneys. You've done what you can. Even if the recovery on that $300 Shield happens, you will still be jumpy. Time to move on.


Prescut
Many thanks for posting. That takes guts.

 

[Rottentofu]

Wise to throw those reloads out.

I am hoping the vendor would buy them back. I still have 1500 rounds.

 

[richardw]

I agree with those who advise not to send the gun to S&W until after you resolve the issue with the ammo maker.

Once they got the description you sent them you can be certain that copies of what you wrote went to the engineers in the company and to the company's lawyers.

Generally, ans admittedly not always, companies response to an accident is to immediately try to find out how they can prove they were not responsible.

You need patience in this kind of thing. One thing you should do is perparema response in the event they make you an offer of compensation. What is your bottom line? Compensation for the loss of the gun at a minimum seems like a starting point to me. This burns on your hands are with something too.

 

[Rastoff]

Before you send anything anywhere take a lot of documenting photo's of gun and ammo.

This is quality advice. Once you send that gun to S&W, you will never see it again. This seems to be their standard operating procedure. It would be a legal nightmare for them if they sent it back to you.

Thanks.
As I expected, nearly center hit on the primer.
"Fired out of battery" is the gunboard equivalent of "the dog ate my homework." By the time a Browning tilt lock is far enough out of battery to lose case support, the firing pin is nowhere near in line with the primer.

I'm glad you said this. An OOB firing is very unlikely. It's not that it can't happen, it just takes several things to make it happen.

Since this happened on a press of the trigger, OOB is not the issue.

I would like to see a pic of the frame from both sides. It doesn't appear to be too damaged from the pic in the OP.

It sounds like the gun did its job. The chamber held together and the frame directed most of the energy down. This was definitely an over pressure event and the case failed at the bottom.

This is no reason to drop reman ammo altogether. We've seen issues like this even from factory ammo. It's likely that weakened brass didn't hold the crimp well enough and the bullet got set back as it was chambered. If that's the case, it could have happened to anyone at any time with any ammo.

 

[Rottentofu]

So what can I do now? I already told the ammo vendor I will have SW examine the pistol. What else can I say to the vendor at this point?

Also, I have installed night sights on this pistol. If what you guys said was true about SW will not return my pistol, should I remove the night sights before sending the pistol to SW (that is if I decide to send the pistol).