Was at the range yesterday and experienced my first ever case failure (Im fine).  Round was fired from a springfield armory GI model 1911.  At this point Im trying to figure out exactly what happened.  This round was out of a batch of 100 rounds that I loaded with 230gn plated bullets over 5.0 gr of HP38 using winchester LPP primers on a 1.26 OAL.  I had gone through roughly 75 rounds of this group before this happened.  A guy at the range said it must have been a double charge, but I load on a pro 1000 progressive and while it is possible, I cant see any time while I loaded these that a double charge could have occured. Looking at where the rupture is compared to the barrel, Im thinking it possibly fired without fully returning to battery? 

 

Other than blowing the follower and mag spring out of the bottom of the magazine, the gun appears to escaped any obvious damage, after a complete detail strip and inspection.  

Any ideas as to what might have happened?  any specific areas of the gun I should check for damage?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  

 

Mike.

how many loadings on that brass?

Most of my brass is range pickup, so I don't have an exact count, but personal loading's by me of that brass couldn't have been 2 or 3 times, I have a couple different buckets to try to keep track of such things.  

Could be just worn brass, or you had to much boom boom powder in the case.

Actually, that really does look a bit hot, now that I looked at the first picture more. Look at all the primer flow. How are the primers on your other cases looking?

The primers on the other cases from this group don't show any signs of over pressure.  This is also a load I have shot many times before without issue.  

Then you shoved too much powder in that case, somehow. 

I have seen a case head failure like that in the past. It too happened with range pick-up brass. What happened was that when the sit on the range, if they are mouth upward, water will collect in the case. The failure here would indicate it was partially on its side and water pooled at the bottom. Corrosion occurs and weakens the brass in that area. In this instance the case just failed at the weakest point - where the water pooled and the corrosion occurred.

 

That's my story & I'm sticking to it.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

Hmm didn't think about the possibility of corrosion, but it makes sense.  I pulled the bullets from the rounds that were left in this lot and all were pretty much spot on charge wise.  The gun is reassembled and will most likely be test fired Tuesday.  I just count myself as lucky that this only cost me one magazine and a piece of brass.  

I had an event that produced brass that looked exactly like yours. Everyone kept assuring me that I double charged the case but I still load single stage and I don't think that's the case.

 

I will never know what really happened but I think it was something with my bullet. Do you seat and crimp in one step? If you're shaving the copper plating and it builds up in the forcing cone that could cause a pressure spike, flatten your primer, and that unsupported part of the case will blow out first.

I like guessing games.

 

I don't think excessive powder. I would expect the firing pin indent on the primer to have been removed.

 

I would guess that for some reason the round did not fully seat in the barrel. The unsupported portion of the brass ( by the barrel ) blew out. Improperly sized / wrong bullet?

 

Like ws6 Mike said "Looking at where the rupture is compared to the barrel, Im thinking it possibly fired without fully returning to battery"

 

 

 

Most likely, out of battery. Check extractor for damage.

"Usually" a double charge will smear/stretch the case head and the primer will fall out.

On the range pickup practice...

  I will never load anything that I didnt shoot myself.  I will retire batches of brass as soon as I see something weird going on.  That usually happens at the range.  I try my best to pick up all my brass and put it in the recycling barrel or take it home to scrap it myself.  However, If I dont get them all there could be some dangerously worn out brass lying around.  That could be why your primer is so flattened out.  That piece could be from someone who loads hot and and the case was just wore out to begin with.  An excessively loose primer pocket will flatten a primer on a normal load.  Loose primer pockets are the main cause for me to start chucking brass.

Ken