g26 blew up on my hand today

[alchrisr]

Took a trip to the range with the wife today and had a bit of a mishap. I fired about 7 or 8 rounds of 9mm reloads (berrys 147gr plated over 3.2gr titegroup with cci500 primers) and BOOM! Blew the mag out, cracked the frame, and my trigger finger hurt like hell! When I regained my composure, I attempted to figure out wtf.... Slide was locked up and would not budge. Decided to call it a day (had other pistols but the wife was nervous). Got home and ran the borescope down the barrel and it was clear and I could see brass in the chamber. Clamped the slide in the vise and hot the handle with a compothane hammer and was able to disassemble the pistol. The attached pics are what I found. Just wondering what any of you thought may have caused this. I have a theory but not sure if I am right.
Thanks
CR

 

[22-Dasher]

Double charge?

 

[BikePilot]

Wow, glad you are ok!

 

[candyx]

Too much powder I had a friend reload 44 mags once shot 6 at the range went to reload and the casings were stuck if the cylinder big time. Took a hammer and punch to get them out.

 

[whatsupdoc]

I ran a double charge of titegroup with a hornady 147FMJ in Gordons Reloading tool app and it came up with over 100,000 psi
where 3.2 titegroup is fine.

You need to review your reloading practices.
Were these loaded on a progressive machine?


Edit: You are real lucky, you almost had to learn to spank the monkey with your left hand.

 

[DubfromGA]

My vote is also an overcharge of TG.

Very narrow charge weight with this powder.....especially in 9mm....especially with a deeper seated 147gr.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Blew out right where a Glock unsupported chamber stopped.
Time to inspect your remaining rounds.
Try weighing them first then pull down the heavy/light.

" I have a theory but not sure if I am right.
Thanks
CR"

Your Theory?

 

[Powder_Burns]

Loading 9mm with fast powders gave me the willies. If the min-max charge weight is less than 1gr, I wouldn’t use that powder. Especially with a powder measure or digital dispenser that could accidentally overthrow a charge.
Also, factory glock barrel doesn’t fully support the case. Not ideally suited for handloaders.

 

[427Cobra]

do you reload on a 550?

 

[seanh]

I've seen where the glock can fire when not 100% in battery an blow exactly like that. All on reloads. Those were the earlier Glocks, haven't paid attention to any of the later versions.

I don't remember, is that a fully supported chamber?

Powder Burns appears to answer the previous question

 

[alchrisr]

Thanks for the replies. Double charge was my thoughts as well. I have loaded thousands of 9mm on the Hornady progressive with no problems, till now. That load is my pet load as it just makes power factor and shoot pretty easy. I must have gotten careless on this one. I use the Hornady powder cop die when loading just as a backup and visually look in the case too. Somehow I got careless.....My problem is I have a couple thousand loaded already and I am not sure if I can trust them or not. I weighed a couple hundred loaded rounds tonight and they all seem close to the same weight. I put the slide back together and reassembled the gun and it appears to function. I think I can replace the frame and trigger and have a gtg pistol again. My trigger finger feels like I hit it with a hammer but it's is still there!

 

[Waorani]

It could have been worse.

Lee County man injured after gun explodes in freak accident at range

LEE COUNTY, Ala. (WRBL) – A Lee County family asks for your prayers after a family owned gun exploded in their loved ones’ face at a local firing range on Friday. Megan…

www.wrbl.com

 

[missed]

Subscribed..... Good to hear your ok!

Another reason I ALWAYS have eye protection on.

 

[Rocketvapor]

I fingered the gap on a 357 with handloads once.
THUMP

 

[CraigG1]

glad you can still point with that finger .... my signature applies to you this time

 

[kriller134]

Could it be a case head separation? Looks like failed around there.

 

[Rocketvapor]

@kriller134 ,
Look really close at the first picture.
Failed at the chamber bottom edge plus extractor damage to the rim.

Glock

I think it would have taken the whole base off if the brass head separated.
Glock

 

[seanh]

If it's a load that you're go to round that you've never had any real issues with before it's seriously doubtful that's the problem. Firing out of battery is a known issue, especially with reloads.

As you can see with the factory Glock Barrel it doesn't take much at all

 

[918v]

I vote double charge as well. I like Power Pistol / Bullseye 86 in 9mm. You can’t blow anything up that way.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Or Autocomp.

 

[Kadams1563]

Buy a high point and shoot the rest of them. You can’t blow them up.

 

[AManWearingAHat]

Guessing its a double charge, Titegroup is a very efficient powder but is very easy to miss a double charge with because of the small powder volume required in most cases.

 

[Milo 2.5]

I think it is an out of battery type, or an unsupported case.
I think a double charge would have done more damage to the pistol.

 

[alchrisr]

Again, thanks for the replies. That's why I posted here, to get a spectrum of opinions. My first thoughts when it happened, besides are my fingers still attached, were wtf went wrong? Did I have an overcharge or out of battery fire? I called my local guru/mentor and his first impression was overcharge. He has seen it a number of times, twice in one match on Glocks and reloads. BTW, he uses this load as well as it is a minimum load on Hodgdon's site. I have taken it down to 3gr but the reliability/function gets pretty sketchy on a G17 with modified springs, virtually no recoil. I took another look at the case under a magnifier and it is definatley bulged were the barrel has an unsupported chamber. To me that eliminates out of battery fire, so the only other possibility would be overcharge imho. I am usually very careful when loading, but apparently I missed one. I load on a Hornady LNL AP and have literally loaded tens of thousands of rounds with no serious issue until now. The only other issue I have ever had was a case head separation on Lapua brass in my .308 gas gun and that was brass fatigue rather than a load error. Now that was an experience! The Hornady is pretty particular as to how it runs. A small bit of spilled powder in the primer inserter slide area and you are screwed. The slide mechanism will not fully stop over the primer inserter and insertion is almost impossible. Or other times the primer does not seat fully and you can feel it in the handle. When running most types of machines, be it reloading or machine shop type stuff, the operator develops a sense of feel and you know when something is off. When either of the above happens my standard practice is to STOP, find the issue and repair it, pull all the cases off the press and start over, dumping any powder dropped back in the hopper. I can't figure out how the hell I missed this one. I went on a pre-election reloading binge so I literally have 3k+ loaded 9mm rounds to check. As luck should have it I was looking at the new Dillon 1100 a couple of days ago but the Democrat chicom virus has severely hit my wallet. Looks like a long day of checking loaded cartridges...


CR

 

[6Shooter]

That's exactly what a double charge looks like. Titegroup's probably the #1 powder for getting double-charged.

Go post this on a more pistol-oriented forum like Enos and they'll all say the same. The 'unsupported' thing many like to jump to isn't what's at fault here.

 

[Cascade Hemi]

That's exactly what a double charge looks like. Titegroup's probably the #1 powder for getting double-charged.

Go post this on a more pistol-oriented forum like Enos and they'll all say the same. The 'unsupported' thing many like to jump to isn't what's at fault here.

Not to mention the 9mm Glock barrels aren't unsupported like the old G20's in the picture above. I have a KKM G20 barrel and it has the same support as the Gen 4 G20 barrel it replaced. I run 10gr of Longshot under 180gr Gold Dots and the factory barrel is identical to the KKM barrel.

OP's picture looks like 9mm with 6.4gr of Titegroup.

 

[seanh]

Well it looks like the choice is either to a, weight each cartridge or B, just go pull all the bullets, dump the charge and start over. In either case, you may want to use a case gauge, I use my actual Barrel, to see if you have any cases that don't fully drop in the chamber.

 

[918v]

TG has more nitroglycerin in it to help with position sensitivity in large cases and small charges that take up little of the internal case volume. I think this is what causes kabooms. The pressure curve is way too steep in small cases and heavy bullets.

I load everything on a single stage and this has kept me safe.

 

[Kadams1563]

Pro tip: load VVN320 and you can’t double charge.

 

[Steel head]

I love faster powders in 45acp and 40S&W but I run fairly slow powders in 9mm
Too many stories like this with fast powders in 9mm

I like powders with density’s that make double changes impossible in pistol ammo

 

[culater]

Took a trip to the range with the wife today and had a bit of a mishap. I fired about 7 or 8 rounds of 9mm reloads (berrys 147gr plated over 3.2gr titegroup with cci500 primers) and BOOM! Blew the mag out, cracked the frame, and my trigger finger hurt like hell! When I regained my composure, I attempted to figure out wtf.... Slide was locked up and would not budge. Decided to call it a day (had other pistols but the wife was nervous). Got home and ran the borescope down the barrel and it was clear and I could see brass in the chamber. Clamped the slide in the vise and hot the handle with a compothane hammer and was able to disassemble the pistol. The attached pics are what I found. Just wondering what any of you thought may have caused this. I have a theory but not sure if I am right.
Thanks
CR

Welcome to the glock smile club. Yes a unsupported chamber is part of the issues. I would check for the glock bulge and run your brass through the bulge buster from hornaday. I had my g23 blow up on me. Not fun at all.

 

[918v]

Glock 9mm chambers aren’t unsupported.

 

[Campguy308]

First red flag is titegroup. Pour it out in the yard and use something slower and less dense.

First time i used it, i looked into the charged case, and i knew right then it was a no-go for me. I use Power Pistol and like it much better.

I prefer a medium burn rate low density powder that fills up about half the case, combined with a Lee Undersize die to reduce chances of bullet setback. I have loaded thousands of 40SW and 9MM for use in Glock factory barrels with no KBs to date. YMMV

 

[Cascade Hemi]

First red flag is titegroup. Pour it out in the yard and use something slower and less dense.

First time i used it, i looked into the charged case, and i knew right then it was a no-go for me. I use Power Pistol and like it much better.

I prefer a medium burn rate low density powder that fills up about half the case, combined with a Lee Undersize die to reduce chances of bullet setback. I have loaded thousands of 40SW and 9MM for use in Glock factory barrels with no KBs to date. YMMV

I use E3 with 180gr 40SW, how does that make you feel?

 

[Campguy308]

I use E3 with 180gr 40SW, how does that make you feel?

I dont know what E3 is.

 

[AManWearingAHat]

First red flag is titegroup. Pour it out in the yard and use something slower and less dense.

First time i used it, i looked into the charged case, and i knew right then it was a no-go for me. I use Power Pistol and like it much better.

I prefer a medium burn rate low density powder that fills up about half the case, combined with a Lee Undersize die to reduce chances of bullet setback. I have loaded thousands of 40SW and 9MM for use in Glock factory barrels with no KBs to date. YMMV

I wouldn't go quite that far, but yes you do have to be extra careful loading titegroup because of the low powder volume.

That said, OP, if you're not inspecting each case individually when progressive loading, or using a powder check die, you may want to consider using a more voluminous powder that will over flow the case in the event of a double charge. Power Pistol, or unique for lighter loads, comes to mind.

 

[AManWearingAHat]

I dont know what E3 is.

Its titegroup but more... another very fast and efficient powder

 

[101stinfantry]

Power Pistol for the win!

 

[Campguy308]

Its titegroup but more... another very fast and efficient powder

Nope nope nope.

 

[Cascade Hemi]

I dont know what E3 is.

Imagine 3.9gr of E3 to make 170PF with 180gr coated lead. E3 is one of the fastest pistol/shotgun powders on the market. I make 130PF with 3.4gr of TG in comparison.

You should be visually inspecting every single case regardless of the type of power you use. A double charge of TG is blatantly obvious.

 

[6.5SH]

Welcome to the glock smile club. Yes a unsupported chamber is part of the issues. I would check for the glock bulge and run your brass through the bulge buster from hornaday. I had my g23 blow up on me. Not fun at all.

bulge buster is a Lee product and doesn't work with 9mm. A rollsizer can.

EDIT:
Lee does offer a .003 undersize 9mm sizing die that some say does work.

 

[Campguy308]

Imagine 3.9gr of E3 to make 170PF with 180gr coated lead. E3 is one of the fastest pistol/shotgun powders on the market. I make 130PF with 3.4gr of TG in comparison.

You should be visually inspecting every single case regardless of the type of power you use. A double charge of TG is blatantly obvious.

Agree on the visual inspection. But a double charge of tg is not near as obvious as a double charge of power pistol, which fills the case almost to the top.

 

[Jackpine_Savage]

I've got a little over 50,000 rounds of 9MM under my belt, loaded on a LNL AP. Knock on wood, no kabooms. A couple of suggestions.

I use an RBCS lockout die rather than the powder cop. The lockout die, as the name implies, locks up the press if it encounters an overcharge or undercharge.

I put every loaded round through a Wilson case gauge. I've found split necks and identified head stamps that consistently fail (CBC for one). When the round is in the case gauge I swipe my thumb over it to check for high primers. S&B generated high primers to the extent that it gets culled with the CBC and a few others. If it fails the case gauge I'll check it in the barrel but it gets relegated to practice ammo.

On the powder. Most of my friends use titegroup, it's cheap. I was a little scared of it when I started reloading so I went with W231/HP-38. It's served me well. I tend to find something that works and not do a lot of experimenting. I do have a jug of True Blue to try based on it's following on another reloading forum. It's supposed to burn really clean. I have used Silhouette for some self defense rounds, it's good for max loads and has a low flash signature. Power Pistol is Loud. A shooting buddy started using it and we insisted that he chrono his rounds, ha. Afraid he was going to harm his gun.

 

[6brshooter]

I use a 650 Dillon, all my tool heads have Dillon powder alarm die or the rcbs lockout die. I also use cfe pistol in 9mm,38s,40, and 45acp. It fills the case nicely and double charges will be up to the brim. Lastly 9mm glocks are supported, at least as much as any other 9mm auto. Their 40 and 10mm have the least support, but still as much if not more than 1911s in 40/10mm with non ramped barrels. I will never own a colt in 38s/9mm or 10mm, they make smiley cases that show up glocks, lol. Glad your safe op and didn't lose any fingers.

 

[sprad05]

Glad it all ended well though, hopefully you get it figured out. I've only done rifle, havent stepped off into pistola yet

 

[squishee]

Lastly 9mm glocks are supported, at least as much as any other 9mm auto. Their 40 and 10mm have the least support, but still as much if not more than 1911s in 40/10mm with non ramped barrels. I will never own a colt in 38s/9mm or 10mm, they make smiley cases that show up glocks, lol. Glad your safe op and didn't lose any fingers.

Hmm i have several thousand ( lots of thousands) round run through my 1911s in 9mm and 38 super never an issue with reloads.
I had a glock rupture a case in 45 acp . Luckily i had the mag out so the pressure had an escape route. I dont blame the glock as i know those cases had probably 50 or more reloadings on them.
Im also glad the op is ok

 

[6brshooter]

Hmm i have several thousand ( lots of thousands) round run through my 1911s in 9mm and 38 super never an issue with reloads.
I had a glock rupture a case in 45 acp . Luckily i had the mag out so the pressure had an escape route. I dont blame the glock as i know those cases had probably 50 or more reloadings on them.
Im also glad the op is ok

Colt 1911, or another manufacturer? A ramped barrel like wilson/kimber/dw/sti uses makes a difference. I can run 38s 125gr gold dots at 1450 in my dw, looks perfect, same load in a buddys colt 38s looks bulged badly. 10mm in ramped vs colt non ramped is the same. Might not be as drastic with factory 10mm that is loaded to warm 40sw level, but with Buffalo bore or equivalent handbags, those colt non ramped barrels show a nasty bulge.

 

[squishee]

They are colts

 

[918v]

Depends on the pressure you’re running. Ramped barrels support the case better but they are not necessary until you exceed 35,000 PSI.

Some of the competition loads approach 50,000 PSI.

 

[scott5456]

I haven't seen a reply suggesting a setback bullet. How tight do you crimp? My theory besides overcharge which has been discussed a lot here, is that a bullet that got pushed back in the case and that could cause an over pressure issue. On glocks the over pressure always comes out right at the unsupported chamber area.

Did that round sound different? Typically an overcharge sounds like an overcharge.