500KV
03-07-2011, 04:50 PM
Picked this up on another forum and thought it worth posting here as a gentle reminder to all of us.
This is one reason I still use an old single stage RCBS Rock Chucker.
Not the speediest setup going but lets me look into every case before I seat the bullet.
After close to a year reloading, I managed a double charge, or at least something close enough to blow up my Premier II this weekend.
I was shooting MBC 200 grain LSWC over 5.0 grains of HP38. At least, that’s what I thought I was shooting.
Round 127 of the day, the first of a fresh mag, flattened the primer, blew out the bottom of the case split both Hogue cocobolo grips vertically, bulged the magazine and peppered my face with debris. The blast broke the nose of the next round in the magazine and caused setback in the top three rounds. The back top right edge of the magazine was driven into the frame of the gun with enough force to raise a burr large enough to prevent removal of the slide.
Except for the inability to remove the slide, the gun appears fully functional and is just as tight as the day I bought it. Obviously it will be checked out by my smith before going back into rotation.
I’m fine, although given the amount of blood and the look on the range officer’s face; initially I was certain I had lost my nose. I have 10 punctures in my nose and right cheek and one in my left hand. X-rays show no metal, so it is likely burnt powder. Everyone at the hospital commented on how lucky I was to be wearing glasses.
Interestingly, as it was a fresh mag and I fire one mag per target, I was later able to see that the round hit point of aim.
Lessons learned.
Always wear safety gear. It was not luck that I was wearing eye and ear protection.
Bad things can happen even when you think you are being careful. Despite my best efforts, I clearly I got distracted during the reloading process. I’ve ordered an RCBS lock out die and am not reloading a round until it is installed and functioning.
If you always practice safe gun handling, you won’t have to think about it when it matters. When the gun blew up, it felt as though someone threw boiling water in my face and drove pins into my hands. I retreated 6 or 8 feet away from the firing line. The RO later told me that I had my finger off the trigger and kept the muzzle down range the entire time. Apparently I tried to drop the mag and rack the slide when returning the gun to the bench, but could do neither. When another RO went to clear the gun while I was getting cleaned up, he found the safety on.
The ruptured casing, broken grips and hospital bracelet are mounted on my bench as a permanent reminder of just what can happen.
This is one reason I still use an old single stage RCBS Rock Chucker.
Not the speediest setup going but lets me look into every case before I seat the bullet.
After close to a year reloading, I managed a double charge, or at least something close enough to blow up my Premier II this weekend.
I was shooting MBC 200 grain LSWC over 5.0 grains of HP38. At least, that’s what I thought I was shooting.
Round 127 of the day, the first of a fresh mag, flattened the primer, blew out the bottom of the case split both Hogue cocobolo grips vertically, bulged the magazine and peppered my face with debris. The blast broke the nose of the next round in the magazine and caused setback in the top three rounds. The back top right edge of the magazine was driven into the frame of the gun with enough force to raise a burr large enough to prevent removal of the slide.
Except for the inability to remove the slide, the gun appears fully functional and is just as tight as the day I bought it. Obviously it will be checked out by my smith before going back into rotation.
I’m fine, although given the amount of blood and the look on the range officer’s face; initially I was certain I had lost my nose. I have 10 punctures in my nose and right cheek and one in my left hand. X-rays show no metal, so it is likely burnt powder. Everyone at the hospital commented on how lucky I was to be wearing glasses.
Interestingly, as it was a fresh mag and I fire one mag per target, I was later able to see that the round hit point of aim.
Lessons learned.
Always wear safety gear. It was not luck that I was wearing eye and ear protection.
Bad things can happen even when you think you are being careful. Despite my best efforts, I clearly I got distracted during the reloading process. I’ve ordered an RCBS lock out die and am not reloading a round until it is installed and functioning.
If you always practice safe gun handling, you won’t have to think about it when it matters. When the gun blew up, it felt as though someone threw boiling water in my face and drove pins into my hands. I retreated 6 or 8 feet away from the firing line. The RO later told me that I had my finger off the trigger and kept the muzzle down range the entire time. Apparently I tried to drop the mag and rack the slide when returning the gun to the bench, but could do neither. When another RO went to clear the gun while I was getting cleaned up, he found the safety on.
The ruptured casing, broken grips and hospital bracelet are mounted on my bench as a permanent reminder of just what can happen.