UPDATED-Bad day at the range...

Shark Bait

Shark Bait

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Yes, there is such thing as a bad day at the range. My beautiful 629-4 was blown up by a hand load today. I figure I must have got a double charge somehow. I use a Hornady progressive press and can't understand how I could get a double charge.

I caught a piece of shell casing in my left cheek and it bled A LOT! Docs are just going to leave it in there. A souvenir I guess.



Update 2-3-2020:

I went back to the range today to clean up my mess. I figured blood on the firing line might cause others some stress. I found where my top strap had struck the steel supports for the roof. It also sent wood particles all over, which I found in all my gear when I got home yesterday.



I also found a hole in the roof that went clear through the wood and the metal roofing above it. A screw from my rear sight is embedded in the wood below and to the left of the hole.



The stress shown in the metal in the following pictures illustrates the extreme pressure causing the failure. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. My two companions and I were extremely lucky. This easily could have killed someone. Be safe my friends!













 
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Wow. Terrible day! Damage to that revolver is catastrophic!

Seems like something as easy as putting each loaded cartridge on a scale after you've completed loading would suffice to ensure you didn't double charge it.

It takes guts to admit you made a mistake and post it here for all to see. I commend you. People can hopefully learn from your mistake.
 
Shark Bait said:
Yes, there is such thing as a bad day at the range. My beautiful 629-4 was blown up by a hand load today. I figure I must have got a double charge someho. I use a Hornady progressive press and can't understand how I could get a double charge.

I caught a piece of shell casing in my left cheek and it bled A LOT! Docs are just going to leave it in there. A souvenir I guess.

Click to expand...

That is the reason why I dislike fast powders in high power calibers. You cannot get a double load with the appropriate powder because it fills the cartridge.

I'm glad you are OK. Too bad for the revolver though.
 
That's why on my Dillon 550 I do not use it as intended.
I interrupt the process by removing them from the shell plate as they move toward the powder station, Put them in a 50 round block, throw the charges by hand using a separate measure, looking at the powder levels in all the cases for uniformity, then feeding the charged cases back into the loader for the remaining seating and crimping stations.
Some of my ammo is used in 1866 and 1873 Uberti replica's, and I don't want to take a chance on having the awkward situation of a firing pin rod being driven back into my eye socket.
 
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Kurusu said:
That is the reason why I dislike fast powders in high power calibers. You cannot get a double load with the appropriate powder because it fills the cartridge.

I'm glad you are OK. Too bad for the revolver though.
Click to expand...

I'll double down on precisely this comment. If it were Alliant 2400, AA#9 or H-110, no possible way to double charge. As a matter of fact, you could go way over book and make an unsafe load with the right powder but there isn't enough space in the case to do this damage when using any of the three I listed.
 
Sevens said:
I'll double down on precisely this comment. If it were Alliant 2400, AA#9 or H-110, no possible way to double charge. As a matter of fact, you could go way over book and make an unsafe load with the right powder but there isn't enough space in the case to do this damage when using any of the three I listed.
Click to expand...

Yup, I'm convinced to switch to one of those from now on. And I'll weigh my remaining cartridges. Things that don't kill you are great learning opportunities, aren't they?! :)
 
Two things I need to add: I'm also sorry that this happened & applaud your guts for sharing the experience, glad you were not harmed (badly.)

However... nope, sorry folks, you cannot reliably weigh a loaded round in hopes of catching a double charge of Titegroup. You would be looking to weigh a small amount and the variance in the weight of components will usually make for a pretty wide variance across a whole bunch of rounds.

Is there -ANY- chance that it was more than just a double charge? In a progressive, it is possible that if one got a double that another got a light charge or no charge, leading to the possibility of an obstructed bore. At that point you not only have a double charge of Titegroup but you have effectively doubled the bullet weight. That wouldn't just add to the catastrophe, it would multiply it.
 
Weigh the remaining cartridges just for the exercise but you are plumb crazy if you don't disassemble each and every cartridge. Whatever failed once could very well have failed more than once.
 
Geez, that must have been scary as heck!
yikes.gif
Glad you are mostly ok. Thanks for sharing this, ugly as it is.
 
scars

Thanks for sharing and the warning. A lesson to us all. Remember, scars are tattoos with stories.
 
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And it doesn't have to be a double charge of a fast powder. This was 27 gr of AA7 instead of 17. Scale 1 notch off. Estimated pressure (calculated for me by the powder company), 170,000 psi.

Notice that frame of the 69 deformed but did not catastrophically fail. Parts and pieces of the cylinder and yoke went sideways so nothing hit me.

Edit - Send the gun back to Smith for evaluation - they'll determine it was your fault so no warranty (LOL)- but offer to sell you a replacement at a very nice discount. That's how I got my 66 snubby.
 

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True, if you load slow powders to magnum levels you won't have a problem, but what if you want a mid-range load? Trail Boss is a solution but outside of that even medium burning powders suitable for lower-power loads are going to leave room for a double charge.

What do you do? Load .44 Russian brass? Give up on the caliber? What about the .45 Colt? Is Trail Boss the only real solution outside of "process improvement"? I just don't think that "load something that fills the case" is always a practical solution.
 
When using the same bullets, same cases, same powder. It's easy to weigh the bullets to catch a double when in doubt.
So, its 9g of titegroup at a 200 gr bullet. On a digital scale, it's easy to find a 9g discrepancy.
I've sat at my livingroom table and just weighed the completed bullets. If I've doubted a stroke.
On a progressive, you can double it. And easy if your mind is preoccupied.
I've done the opposite. And made about 5 squibs(?). Enough for me to carry a squib rod and a small hammer in my range bag.

I was just at the range yesterday and finished off my last box of loaded 44 mags with titegroup. Having been a reloader for many years, one knows the dangers.

OP. Sorry for your loss. I'm glad your ok. The gun can be replaced with the same one. You cannot be so easily replaced.
 
Sevens said:
Weigh the remaining cartridges just for the exercise but you are plumb crazy if you don't disassemble each and every cartridge. Whatever failed once could very well have failed more than once.
Click to expand...

You're right, of course. I'll pull them all and switch powder. Can you believe that a tiny hole in the face did this? It wouldn't stop bleeding for nearly a half hour, and it was coming fast too.

 
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Shark Bait said:
Yes, there is such thing as a bad day at the range. My beautiful 629-4 was blown up by a hand load today. I figure I must have got a double charge somehow. I use a Hornady progressive press and can't understand how I could get a double charge.

I caught a piece of shell casing in my left cheek and it bled A LOT! Docs are just going to leave it in there. A souvenir I guess.

Click to expand...

Yep. Bad day. I can't make it any better. Once upon a time I had a double charge on a .45 ACP. Empty casing ejected right back into my forehead. Learned. Haven't had it happen again. Lucky. Gun was not damaged. Do so very much wish it had been different with you and your revolver. Surprised the bit of shrapnel was left in your face. I got spattered back about 2000 when a Yugoslavian 8mm round did an "M split" in my K-98. Gun was not hurt. Several bits of brass had to be picked out of my eyebrow/forehead. Sincerely. bruce.
 
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