Didn't expect a KaBoom today...

[loonybin]

However, that is exactly what happened, after running about 6 mags through my 9mm Shield today:

more pictures can be seen here:
Shield KB Slideshow by roosclan | Photobucket

My boss gave me some 9mm ammo several months ago when he converted to .40 (he was impressed with my Shield, so he got one in .40) and I finally got around to shooting what he gave me. He doesn't reload, so I have no reason to suspect that it's a handload.

The gun was running great, other than the heavy trigger feeling like it has a very tough break point. The first couple of rounds from the magazine fired fine, then suddenly I felt a bunch of stuff hit my face and glasses when the gun went off again. The case failed to extract, and it wasn't until I pulled it out that I saw the ruptured case.

I'll be calling S&W tomorrow to see what to do about the pistol. I'm pretty sure they will want the case if they want me to send in the gun.

 

[Raisin]

What brand of ammo did you shoot? Your boss may not have reloaded the it but it still could have been reloads. Ask you boss where he got it. My guess is it's an ammo problem, not a gun problem.

 

[Bill Bates]

It looks like it fired out of battery.

 

[Jboutfishn]

It looks like it fired out of battery.

Certainly not an expert but I agree.

 

[martybee]

It looks like it fired out of battery.

I agree! Round appears to have not been fully seated in the chamber. Looks like it blew out at the 6.00 ramp position.

mb

 

[755]

Glad you were wearing glasses. I have seen a lot of people shooting without them.

 

[shocker]

Shouldn't modern pistol designs preclude firing out of battery? I tried it with my R51 dry firing and if the slide is back far enough to open a gap between the barrel and bolt the trigger is disconnected. Wrong test?

 

[Com 45acp]

Any damage to firearm? If so any pics of it?

 

[loonybin]

What brand of ammo did you shoot? Your boss may not have reloaded the it but it still could have been reloads. Ask you boss where he got it. My guess is it's an ammo problem, not a gun problem.

This one was Winchester. My boss is cheap, so he just buys what's on sale. He traded his G19 for the Shield because he hadn't shot it in forever, so it's possible that the ammo was old. The spots of tarnish on it mean it could have had corrosion wiped off which may have weakened the case. I will be relieved, actually, if it was an ammo issue, but the pictures I usually see of blown reloads have split necks. This has the classic "Glock .40 bulge" from not being fully supported at the chamber - which would mean firing out of battery since this isn't a 40cal Glock.

It looks like it fired out of battery.

Certainly not an expert but I agree.

I agree! Round appears to have not been fully seated in the chamber. Looks like it blew out at the 6.00 ramp position.

mb

That is exactly what I was thinking, but I didn't want to color anyone's perception by my own guess. The bulge was not visible when I looked down at the FTE until I took the case out.

Glad you were wearing glasses. I have seen a lot of people shooting without them.

Only time I don't wear shooting glasses is when I'm hunting. This just reinforced why.

Shouldn't modern pistol designs preclude firing out of battery? I tried it with my R51 dry firing and if the slide is back far enough to open a gap between the barrel and bolt the trigger is disconnected. Wrong test?

I thought the same thing, which is why I will be calling S&W.

 

[TAC]

The brass looks odd to me. It looks really scuffed up in numerous directions, nicked, pitted, tarnished, and the rim area looks rounded off, not sharp, and not well defined. The explosion may have caused some of that, but it just doesn't look right.

It also looks as if the powder didn't completely burn.

Glad you weren't seriously injured.

 

[TAC]

It looks like it fired out of battery.

I did a quick Google search, and it appears that's happened in the past.

M&P shield firing out of battery
shield firing out of battery - Google Search

 

[Jim Watson]

Somebody is going to have to explain to me how a Browning tilt-lock action is going to "fire out of battery" with a centered firing pin strike.

When the gun is out of battery, the barrel is down. By the time any excess case is exposed the firing pin is completely out of line with the primer.

 

[berudd]

Not a reloading expert but trying to learn as I get ready to start doing it. That looks similar to what you might see with excessive headspace. If other shells from the gun don't show in signs of stretching of the case in that area then my guess is similar to others that it seems to have fired while not in battery.

Did you notice any sort of hang fire? A click...BOOM situation. Just wondering if the click would have been enough to move the slide slightly and then when it fired it was not fully supported. Just a guess.

You mentioned the boss is cheap. Any chance he got a "deal" on the ammo at a gun show? There's always the chance someone sold him some crappy reloads with worn out brass and passed it off as new.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Somebody is going to have to explain to me how a Browning tilt-lock action is going to "fire out of battery" with a centered firing pin strike.

When the gun is out of battery, the barrel is down. By the time any excess case is exposed the firing pin is completely out of line with the primer.

Only way I know is if the firing pin is sticking out of the breech face, the extractor is loose enough for the primer to slide into place in front of the firing pin, and with that all aligned, the round hangs up as it is being chambered, thus forcing the firing pin into the primer. Lots of things had to have gone wrong here . . .

 

[2ndAmendmentNut]

It's hard to tell from one single picture, but it does not look like it fired out of battery to me. The firing pin dent is centered on the primer and the case blew out at the thickest part. Looks like the ammo was way over pressure and the case failed in the unsupported area of the chamber.

 

[Arik]

This one was Winchester. My boss is cheap, so he just buys what's on sale. He traded his G19 for the Shield because he hadn't shot it in forever, so it's possible that the ammo was old. The spots of tarnish on it mean it could have had corrosion wiped off which may have weakened the case. I will be relieved, actually, if it was an ammo issue, but the pictures I usually see of blown reloads have split necks. This has the classic "Glock .40 bulge" from not being fully supported at the chamber - which would mean firing out of battery since this isn't a 40cal Glock.





That is exactly what I was thinking, but I didn't want to color anyone's perception by my own guess. The bulge was not visible when I looked down at the FTE until I took the case out.

Only time I don't wear shooting glasses is when I'm hunting. This just reinforced why.

I thought the same thing, which is why I will be calling S&W.

Ammo typically doesn't go bad that fast. Many of us are still shooting 50 - 100 year old ammo. Small spots of tarnish also doesn't weaken the brass unless it's major corrosion.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Hunter8282]

Any damage to firearm? If so any pics of it?

This! ^^^

 

[quicksilver]

I'm glad you were not injured!

 

[Heyman]

Shouldn't modern pistol designs preclude firing out of battery? I tried it with my R51 dry firing and if the slide is back far enough to open a gap between the barrel and bolt the trigger is disconnected. Wrong test?

All M&P's will fire slightly out of battery. Test it yourself. With an unloaded M&P, pull the slide back slightly, and pull the trigger. The firing pin will drop and seems like it would hit the primer.

 

[loonybin]

Ever done a press check on a Shield? The slide can move a few millimeters without the locking block causing the barrel to tip. It's out of battery, but still lined up with the firing pin.