How NOT to reload...Kaboom!

[Paul5388]

Clark Custom Guns does the conversions and also has some loading data, but none with Unique! 460 Rowland Reloading Data Chart Information

The max pressure is 40,000 cup, but that isn't SAAMI pressure.

 

[vipermd]

cprher: I believe MV was 1590 in the 45ACP with 13 gr unique. 700NE energy figures are fun facts, though I will never own/shoot one. Be Safe,

 

[TheYoungblood]

Smyrna called. Gaston wants your friend to give him all the glocks back...

 

[Rick_A]

That is definitely not "working up."

 

[DR505]

Wow... is the shooter OK ? hand nerve damage ?
Those plastic guns hold up pretty good

Apparently his hand stung quite a bit, but no permanent damage. Very Lucky.

I believe he started at 8 grains and was working his way up, looking for "pressure signs", when it blew. I have no idea regarding his reloading experience, but he did say he never found reload data for Unique prior to his experimentation. I also believe he was using 1 grain increments!

 

[cbrobertson]

DARWINISM!!
But not eliminated from the gene pool. Still able to breed and pass along to the next generation the ability to do dumb *** things in the future.
Fortunately, Homo Sapiens learn from their mistakes and do not repeat them.....if they have a modicum of intelligence.

 

[gregintenn]

I believe he started at 8 grains and was working his way up, looking for "pressure signs", when it blew.

"HERE'S YOUR SIGN!"

Sorry, I couldn't help it.

 

[hdfinder47]

That should buff right out.
If not, I'd be interested in buying the remains to use in one of my lectures.

 

[DR505]

So this it actually 3rd hand information? Can it be verified because I'm thinking 111,000 PSI would do a lot more damage to any handgun than we see there.

Sometime it's good to just believe what someone says, instead of challenging everything...

Well, I'm not surprised...one individual claimed I was not LE simply because I said I liked to carry a wheel gun! He said I'm probably just some guys who likes to carry and is a poseur, not a LEO. That kind of stuff does not bother me. I'm well past that.

As far as this guy who blew up his Glock, I don't know him from Adam; but a very good friend of mine, who is quite an accomplished reloader and long range shooter, passed this info to me. He forwarded the e-mail and redacted all identifiers.

 

[skrazo]

Project Gun for Sale. Shot OK last time it was fired!

 

[DR505]

cprher: I believe MV was 1590 in the 45ACP with 13 gr unique. 700NE energy figures are fun facts, though I will never own/shoot one. Be Safe,

That's a pretty good muzzle velocity, though it is only a single shot pistol.

 

[Roadtrash]

I think the term "single shot pistol" has gained a new meaning.

 

[mikld]

I groan every time some well-meaning post-writer advises a revolver hand-loader to "start low and watch for signs of pressure". WHAT SIGNS????????

Sticky extraction and case head expansion. Covered in my reloading manuals...

 

[358156hp]

I think the term "single shot pistol" has gained a new meaning.

I think the term "hand grenade" has gained a new meaning.

 

[Warren Sear]

Sticky extraction and case head expansion. Covered in my reloading manuals...

You are making the very common error of applying rifle loading procedures to handguns. Read your manuals again.

I will add that if you get sticky extraction from a bolt action rifle, you are way over pressure (over 65,000 psi?). If you are getting it in a handgun, those loads are flat out hazardous. In this case, the shooter in the OP was shooting the loads in a semi-auto pistol, so he had no way to determine what the extraction was like.

Case head expansion only applies to new cases, and only comes into play, again, at rifle pressures. If you are getting those indications in a pistol or revolver, you are WAY over pressure.

"Reading primers"? Don't even get me started!

When I first started re-loading I wrecked a brand new Model 19. I followed the data on the old (and foolishly high) Speer manual, all while watching carefully for "signs of pressure", as advised in the manual. By the time I noticed them, the forcing cone on my gun was split and the cylinder bulged.

There is no reliable, objective method to determine pressure for the typical handgun re-loader, and it chaps my --- to see the constant admonitions to "watch for pressure signs" in regard to pistols and revolvers. There are no indications until you are way over the line.

Get your data from a reliable source and adhere to it closely, including overall cartridge length. Get a chronograph, and if you are getting higher speeds than factory ammo, you are over pressure.

 

[mstuhr]

Hmmmm?

Howdy,
I'm glad no one was hurt.
I've found that in a purpose built (PURPOSE BUILT) 1911 in .45 acp things start to get really hairy around the 9 grain of Unique mark w/230 grain cast bullets. I'd say somewhere around the 300-400 round mark it knocked the lugs out of soft, Argentine slide and I put the project to rest.
I can't imagine 13 grains. I can tell you that has to be a lot of power.
God bless the experimenters, it's how we learn things.
Thanks for the pictures.
Mike

 

[C17]

A friend passed this one along...his acquaintance was working up a .460 Rowland load using Unique. He did not have a single published load with this powder, so went on his own. The frame and slide are from a Glock 21 with a .460 Rowland conversion. Here is what 13 grains of Unique can do:

I ran the load through my Quickload software, but used .45 ACP as there is no Rowland data in this program. In a .45 ACP case with a 230 grain FMJ, 13 grains of Unique generate over 111,000 PSI! Now the Rowland case is 1/16th inch longer and dimensionally different, but not that different.

Word to the wise...use published loads.

I load 460 Rowland for my Sig 1911 Scorpion. I can tell you that Clark Customs will not make a 460 Rowland conversion for any auto other than a select few 1911's. They do this because the barrel of a 1911 comes out the front. They cannot attach a compensator to a barrel that comes out the back like in standard autos and warn that it is just plain dangerous. His first mistake was trying 460 Rowland in a glock. Looking at the pictures it seems as if he has a threaded barrel, not a compensated barrel. Here is what a good one looks like (mine)

I am not sure how he got an uncompensated barrel chambered in 460 Rowland, or if he had someone bore the chamber down 1/16th of an inch. Aside from all that, I only use published data, and never buy plastic guns.

 

[tlay]

I just don't understand the mentality of seeing how fast someone can make a bullet go in a certain caliber. I like to shoot my brass and reload them as many times as possible. If you are hotrodding your loads at the max or above you are not going to get many reloads from them. I guess its the same mentality of driving your car at top speed. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

 

[C17]

I just don't understand the mentality of seeing how fast someone can make a bullet go in a certain caliber. I like to shoot my brass and reload them as many times as possible. If you are hotrodding your loads at the max or above you are not going to get many reloads from them. I guess its the same mentality of driving your car at top speed. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

I did mine for hog hunting, because I didnt want to carry a 629 or a 460S&W. This way I can use a 10 round mag, so I get 10 +1 instead of 6.

 

[DR505]

I did mine for hog hunting, because I didnt want to carry a 629 or a 460S&W. This way I can use a 10 round mag, so I get 10 +1 instead of 6.

But were you hot-rodding it, or loading to within industry specs? The .460 Rowland, as designed, is perfect for hog hunting. No need to load it to dangerous pressure levels.