M-10 blows up using "older" reloads

[BruceHMX]

I agree with another poster. This is the very reason why I and my son do not go to public, indoor or any range where other people are. I know this is sad as there is much knowledge to be gained at them. In my 40 years of firearm experience I have seen some horrible stuff. 3 Glocks, 1 Star, 1 Broomhandle Mauser and a Ruger Security Six come apart. Not to mention the guy who shot himself in the leg with a 32 Bersa. With the exception of the Broomhandle all blowups were from reloads. One of the Glocks were intentional and the guy just pushed it till it popped. As the ambulance took him out the door the range owner told him never to come back.

I am fortunate at this time to have a residence that I can shoot off the deck. I have made up my mind if I ever leave here I will have property and a place to shoot.

Somebody send this guy the link to Georgia Arms so he can shoot some decent ammo through his Colt's & Highway Patrolman..lol...

Be safe guys & gals.

 

[firearmsunlimited]

I DOUBT THAT WILL BUFF OUT!

 

[28Shooter]

This is why we must do a better job teaching our kids to read. If they learn to read their reloading manuals they can avoid these disasters.

 

[stantheman86]

Yeah, this is what we need.......bad enough we had this idiot "scientist" a few years back, blowing up Mauser Broomhandles and Lugers to show their "limits", now we have idiots blowing up S&W revolvers, possibly on purpose and then spreading the BS around the internet.

S&W has enough to worry about with every anti-gun politico trying to ban handguns, without some nut blowing them up and trying to slander S&W.

 

[The Big Ox]

He should definitely make at LEAST eleven more videos about the same incident, and say pretty much the same thing in every one of them.

 

[Art Doc]

Anyone else notice how much the remaining bullets have been pulled from the cases? Unless seated this way it suggests intense recoil from first couple of rounds generating inertia to pull the bullets. Way overloaded reloads IMO. No way these are factory loads.

 

[Doug.38PR]

^
Heeey, new insight. I was wondering when you'd chime in SaxonPig.
Stuff like Dragon88s magnification of the Zero stamp and SaxonPig's noticing the bullets possibly having creeped out of the shells is the kind of dissection I was interested in.

BTW,
like I mentioned earlier, I just got a reloading kit for Christmas. I still have not set it up. I am still reading the manuel, digging on the net looking at good and bad stuff, getting all the needed accessories, getting tips from a friend who is already into it. I'm going to start with Unique which I'm told is a good one to start with. Seeing disasters like this make me cringe.
A neighbor of mine was telling me of when he was qualifying for a CHL he could tell who on the firing line was using reloads. (this was an outdoor range in the woods) You would have somebody with a revolver shooting*chamber1-bang, chamber2-bang, chamber3-bang, chamber4-BOOOOOOM, chamber5-bang, chamber6-WABOOOOOOOOM* The noise level and recoil would be different on some of the chambers.....I'd hate to be standing next to that person.....(wonder if it was the guy in the video)

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

Doug-

I've been handloading now for 30 years. For the .17 Remington all the way to the .458 Lott. In all that time, and in all the hundreds of thousands of rounds sent downrange, the only time I could ever tell when someone else was shooting reloads was when I looked at their ammo boxes.

More likely your friend heard someone shooting some light and heavy loads intermittently, like .38's and .357's in a .357 chambered cylinder, or .44 Special and .44 Magnum from the same gun at the same time. I do that at times to help my concentration on trigger control. Maybe they were just shooting up some old ammo of different types.

I have never known anyone who could legitimately tell handloads by sound alone.

Your chosing Unique is a great powder to start with for almost any cartridge BTW.

 

[sw282]

Only overload failure l ever witnessed came from Unique powder. My f-i-l had loaded some 240gr bullets for his 44 Mag Ruger. First round seemed LOUD to me. Second round saw the ejector rod housing and spring launch itself from the barrel. He handed me the SBH and l noticed the cyl was somewhat stuck. lt was decided then not to shoot any more of those rds. He almost immidiately started blaming the gun for the malfunction. l suggested we may want to ck the ammo to see if it was ok. He brushed me off at first. He said the ammo was fine. He NEVER loaded his ammo hot. He said the the Speer manual called for a max of 13.4 gr of Unique. He showed me on the box and in his load journal that his charge was 11.8gr . Upon pulling the bullet l commenced to weigh 18.1gr of Unique. More than 50% over MAX in powder alone. l have absolutely no idea what the max pressure was. l do believe it was much more than 50%. To make this short he sent the gun back to Ruger for repair with no explaination. They returned it to him good as new. He never shot it again. Trading it for a 7 1/2'' SBH. Sadly he passed away only a few months after the trade. several years later l went in the gun shop he had traded that long barrel Ruger and spied it. l asked if that was John's old 44. David checked his records and confirmed it was. l purchased it and shot IHMSA with it along with my 8 3/8 M29. Never had any trouble with the gun. l got rid of it in a trade later. l am just glad l did not shoot any of those HOT 44 loads in my M29. The results may possibly have been a bit worse for me.

 

[Skunkhome]

^
Heeey, new insight. I was wondering when you'd chime in SaxonPig.
Stuff like Dragon88s magnification of the Zero stamp and SaxonPig's noticing the bullets possibly having creeped out of the shells is the kind of dissection I was interested in.

BTW,
like I mentioned earlier, I just got a reloading kit for Christmas. I still have not set it up. I am still reading the manuel, digging on the net looking at good and bad stuff, getting all the needed accessories, getting tips from a friend who is already into it. I'm going to start with Unique which I'm told is a good one to start with. Seeing disasters like this make me cringe.
A neighbor of mine was telling me of when he was qualifying for a CHL he could tell who on the firing line was using reloads. (this was an outdoor range in the woods) You would have somebody with a revolver shooting*chamber1-bang, chamber2-bang, chamber3-bang, chamber4-BOOOOOOM, chamber5-bang, chamber6-WABOOOOOOOOM* The noise level and recoil would be different on some of the chambers.....I'd hate to be standing next to that person.....(wonder if it was the guy in the video)

Could it be that the shooter is intentionally shooting different loads? Reloading and reloading it well are not difficult but you need to know the basic principles. Saying I am going to start off with "X" powder is kinda like saying I am going to start off cooking with the spice "cumin". Cumin is a great spice but I would question its use in banana pudding. In reloading one powder doesn't fit all applications even in the same cartridge. If you are looking at reloading to save money you must not be valuing your time very highly. My reason for reloading is the quest to produce ammo that brings out the very best accuracy and/or performance in my particular gun. That means using different primers, powders and bullets as well as sizing and crimping techniques. If I weren't interested in the quality and custom fit to the gun I would just buy ammo and spend the time at the range rather that behind the bench.

The main thing is, when you are reloading your mind can't be off chasing girls on Malibu beach.

 

[blut und eisen]

My .02 here. YEARS ago, at my first assignment, I knew an ole boy that was handy with a lathe. He reamed the chambers of a beautiful M10-5 to .357 Mag dimensions. About a week later, before my eyes, with my IFAC at the ready, standing back some distance, he proceeded to put a couple of boxes of factory (Federal 125g) .357 through it. Grinning like an idiot at every reload, offering me the opportunity to touch off a few rounds, I declined. He was immensely pleased with himself, but to this day I think he is/was crazy as hell. Not for lack of trying, I don't know if he ever blew the thing up or himself. Long story, short, if the M10 can stand up to that, even for a few rounds, then this must have been quite a re-load. Waste of a fine weapon. Shameful.

 

[Doug.38PR]

A few years ago (I think it may have been on this forum) there was a guy who told me that his police department rechambered their issue M-15s to take .357 Magnums....(he made clear that he didn't personally think it a good idea, but they didn't ask him)

EDIT: http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1961-1980/65666-model-15-durability.html
Here is the thread! As I said on this forum. BUFF is the member who related the story. It wasn't the police department but a deputy who rechambered his M-15 to .357 Magnum as well as other deputies the armorer noted "messed" with their guns. Strange as it may seem BUFF said it was in pretty good shape from at the time he saw the gun.

 

[SLT223]

-1 older S&W because of some braindead idiot.......what a waste of a nice gun......another lesson of why people with IQ's less than their shoe size shouldn't play with reloading equipment.

Or guns for that matter.

 

[swampersand]

Anyone else notice how much the remaining bullets have been pulled from the cases? Unless seated this way it suggests intense recoil from first couple of rounds generating inertia to pull the bullets. Way overloaded reloads IMO. No way these are factory loads.

Hey SP, how would one fire the "first couple of rounds" without discharging the adjacent round? Would this idiot have manually indexed the cylinder to not fire two rounds in sequence???

 

[DCWilson]

Only one round was fired. It detonated, blowing away the top strap and part of the cylinder, leaving two dented live rounds trapped in the adjacent charge holes. I don't know how full the adjacent rounds are/were, but I suppose internal pressure from the collapsing cases could have pushed the bullets forward in the cases (though inertia could have played a part in that, too).

 

[Tango 106]

A few years ago (I think it may have been on this forum) there was a guy who told me that his police department rechambered their issue M-15s to take .357 Magnums....(he made clear that he didn't personally think it a good idea, but they didn't ask him)

O.K. Time out. S&Wchad I did not make an incorrect assumption and do not owe this person any apology. Now he is claiming "a guy" told him police departments rechambered model 15's for 357 Magnums. From the first post he has made statement and presented images making claims of one sort, then LATER changing his story. S&Wchad you removed the reference to remington 130 ammunition? Why? It is obvious why. Controversial people who publicize dangerous events and completely misrepresent the facts of a serious thing such as blowing apart a cylinder provide the poster image for excessive gun control. I am first to say that a lot of people who have guns should never be able to touch one. No apoligy, no doubt and put your hands behind your back.

 

[Dennis The B]

An anecdotal incident...

...seems appropriate here.

Just about 30 years ago, after I'd purchased a couple of handguns; a Colt Python, and a very nice Ruger Super Blackhawk Bicentennial Model (wish I still had that one), I started reloading for both of them. I previously had reloaded only for shotgun and rifle.

I had a copy of the Speer reloading manual, and judiciously loaded both revolvers strictly based on Speer's recommendations. My favorite powder became WW296. While dirtier than some others, it provided the best accuracy in both revolvers.

At the range one afternoon, I had accurately shot several targets at 100 yards, enjoying the performance of both revolvers. The fellow on the next lane was shooting a Model 19 S&W. The discussion turned to "pet" loads, and I cited my preference for Speers' data, and also discussed data from Winchester.

This fellow piped up, and told me that he never measured any powder loads. He preferred to "load 'em up until they sounded right" (his exact words). Claimed he could tell when the rounds had the same sound as W-W factory loads.

You guessed it. I saw him a month later, and he managed to "kaboom" his Model 19. He still had stitches in his forehead from the incident, which happened two weeks after our conversation.

Glad I didn't take up his offer to try his reloads.

 

[Doug.38PR]

O.K. Time out. S&Wchad I did not make an incorrect assumption and do not owe this person any apology. Now he is claiming "a guy" told him police departments rechambered model 15's for 357 Magnums. From the first post he has made statement and presented images making claims of one sort, then LATER changing his story. S&Wchad you removed the reference to remington 130 ammunition? Why? It is obvious why. Controversial people who publicize dangerous events and completely misrepresent the facts of a serious thing such as blowing apart a cylinder provide the poster image for excessive gun control. I am first to say that a lot of people who have guns should never be able to touch one. No apoligy, no doubt and put your hands behind your back.

......what are you griping about now? I was just relating something I remembered somebody on this or another forum said a while back off the top of my head. I was stunned and even this person admitted he thought it a stupid idea. It was just something that seemed to relate to what we are discussing and in particular to what blut und eisen had just said. Lighten up, Sir.
I honestly don't care whether you apologize or not. You're comments are not offensive, they are just silly and petty.

 

[Doug.38PR]

...seems appropriate here.

Just about 30 years ago, after I'd purchased a couple of handguns; a Colt Python, and a very nice Ruger Super Blackhawk Bicentennial Model (wish I still had that one), I started reloading for both of them. I previously had reloaded only for shotgun and rifle.

I had a copy of the Speer reloading manual, and judiciously loaded both revolvers strictly based on Speer's recommendations. My favorite powder became WW296. While dirtier than some others, it provided the best accuracy in both revolvers.

At the range one afternoon, I had accurately shot several targets at 100 yards, enjoying the performance of both revolvers. The fellow on the next lane was shooting a Model 19 S&W. The discussion turned to "pet" loads, and I cited my preference for Speers' data, and also discussed data from Winchester.

This fellow piped up, and told me that he never measured any powder loads. He preferred to "load 'em up until they sounded right" (his exact words). Claimed he could tell when the rounds had the same sound as W-W factory loads.

You guessed it. I saw him a month later, and he managed to "kaboom" his Model 19. He still had stitches in his forehead from the incident, which happened two weeks after our conversation.

Glad I didn't take up his offer to try his reloads.

"load'em up until they sounded right"?.....I guess it sounds wrong when you have a loud explosion of the cylinder and topstrap blowing up.......
What a lunatic.

I'm honestly getting into reloading chiefly save money and be able to shoot more. While I only have a single stage at this point, it can, when I am ready, be converted to progressive. I like the idea of working to be able to shoot rather than spending a fortune on store bought ammo. That's something I can't afford. I like to shoot and shoot a lot. As prices go up in store bought ammo, the more conservative I am about shooting. Each BANG from my muzzel causes less satisfaction and more guilt at having $0.## cents zipping down range.
But it has, as the Speer manuel has explained, caught my attention that you can produce more accurate loads by doing it yourself. It has, as one friend has told me, become a hobby in and of itself.

Not interested in trying to make my .38 or .44 magnum into a Howitzer.....or worse a handgrenade such as the careless guy in the video has done.

BTW, how long was the barrel on that Super Blackhawk? Those are hand cannons. I have a 10 inch New Model Super Blackhawk .44 Mag.
That extra barrel lenght makes a big difference. I bought a steel target that is supposed to be able to withstand anything up to 44 Magnum. I put a lead semi jacketed wadcutter into mine. It actually made a good dent in the plate. That longer barrel gave it that extra energy to exceed the steel plate's stated durability.
I feel like Charles Bronson shooting the purse snatcher in Deathwish III everytime I shoot that cannon. It's like hitting a ball out of the ballpark 8)

 

[Doug.38PR]

btw,
I know this has been brought up in this forum before. Didn't S&W used to test and even rate (for a short time in the 1940s) their M&P (now M-10) revolvers to take the old .38-44 hi-speed loads?
Something that Remington only recommended in the N frame .34-44 Heavy Duty or Outdoorsman.
That should also say something about these "reloads" that this...gentleman... had loaded in his "blowed" up gun