I took an old first-generation Universal M1 Carbine to the range yesterday to burn up the last 50 rounds of .30 Carbine I had before trying to sell it. The gun had been cleaned and serviced regularly in the last few years and was running pretty well. The first couple of mags cycled flawlessly. However, about halfway through mag number three - POW! I was stunned for a few seconds and not real sure what just happened. As the fog began to clear I saw that a grenaded round was stuck between the chamber and the partially opened bolt. Remnants of the mag, which also pretty much exploded, along with the remaining unfired rounds, were scattered about. I eventually noticed chunks of the stock blown around as well. And drips of blood were beginning to plop down off the end of my snout.
After churning through tens of thousands of rounds over the years, this was a new experience for me. At first I thought maybe I got a hot charge from the factory but after thinking about it, which I did a lot of in the last day, I’m wondering if the rifle fired with the bolt being out of battery. The blowout of the cartridge is near the base, possibly indicating the round may not have been fully chambered. I suppose I’ll never know.
I haven’t inspected the bolt or chamber for damage yet but I’m pretty sure the rifle is heading for the scrap heap; doubt I’d ever be able to trust it again. As far as damage to the user, I caught a few small pieces of shrapnel to the mug but the bleeding stopped quickly with pressure applied. The only other issue was the bit of rash I got after soiling myself just a smidge. In retrospect it could have been a lot worse, and I’m really glad it didn’t happen with one of my .308’s.
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