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Gil Martin Super Member
Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 1837 Location: Schnecksville, PA
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 1:51 pm Post subject: Darwin award at the range today |
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I was working as a RSO this morning and checked on a few members who were using the ranges. One fellow was chatting with me about reloading and said his friend reloads handgun rounds on a progressive press for him, but there have been problems. Seems the friend reloaded some .38 Special rounds for him that ruined his S&W Model 60 revolver. The revolver blowup occurred a few months ago, he was not injured and some parts of the S&W have never been found.
The fellow said he was recently given a few hundred .45 ACP reloads by the same friend and was fearful of shooting them. I agreed that he should be cautious and that I probably would not shoot the reloads. The member then shot about 150 rounds on the pistol range using a Glock Model 21. The next round severely damaged the Glock, blew out the magazine, the magazine release, bulged the frame and jammed the slide. The shooter was not injured and no one else was on the pistol range at the time. The Glock was now a paperweight. He called his friend and reported the incident with the reloads and left the range.
I completed an incident report and would give the shooter the Darwin award. All the best...
Gil
_________________ Gil |
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Vince Site Admin
Joined: May 25, 2005 Posts: 15704 Location: Brisbane AUSTRALIA
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dhc4ever Super Member
Joined: May 26, 2011 Posts: 2944 Location: Ipswich, Queensland Australia
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:54 pm Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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He keeps that up he'll only be able to order 3 beers at a time...
_________________ Pete
Dont do anything you wont like explaining to the paramedics.............. |
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SingleShotLover Super Member
Joined: Dec 26, 2007 Posts: 1005 Location: Illinois
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 8:55 am Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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Exactly why I never shoot anyone else's loads. I don't trust anyone else's quality control or attention to detail.
_________________ If you can't hit it with one, you probably can't with two either!
The biggest problem with a closed mind is that it never seems to come with a closed mouth.
SSL |
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DallanC Site Admin
Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3571 Location: Utah
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 10:25 am Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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You think they were underfilled? Or a squib followed by a live round? Its hard to really overfill a 45ACP case... I can easily imagine an under filled case though.
And I never shoot anyone else's reloads... ever.
-DallanC
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Pumpkinslinger Super Member
Joined: Sep 22, 2007 Posts: 5001 Location: NC foothills
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slimjim Super Member
Joined: May 16, 2009 Posts: 8314 Location: Fort Worth TX
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 5:12 pm Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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I saw the topic title and didn't have to even look at the originator.
Gil to do have a bullet-proof vest?
_________________ "To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth." - Theodore Roosevelt
"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein |
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Gil Martin Super Member
Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 1837 Location: Schnecksville, PA
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Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:05 am Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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DallanC,
The shooter did not know how his friend loaded the rounds. He said they may have been loaded with Bullseye or Unique and that normally calls for small amounts of powder so a double charge or overload is quite possible. An under load or just a primer may not cycle the action. At this point we just do not know.
slimjim,
Somebody has to herd the cats and keep an eye on them. I have a vest, but prefer to keep a safe distance. Seems that no matter how we hope for the best, some folks manage to come along and mess things up.
All the best...
Gil
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DallanC Site Admin
Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3571 Location: Utah
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Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 8:49 am Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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Wow scary stuff. I'm lucky we have enough public land to shoot on I never go to public ranges... and now I never want to.
Reloading is pretty simple, and pretty safe if a person isn't a knucklehead.
The worst brass issues I've ever run across is cracked case mouths on work hardened 22-250 brass. That steep shoulder is merciless on brass and splits after only a few firings. That is the only caliber I've ever even split brass on... luckily in my youth I collected all of the 22-250 brass I ever ran across from family target shooting or pdog shoots... so I have many thousands of once fired brass. I reload'em a few times and toss'em in the trash.
-DallanC
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Gil Martin Super Member
Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 1837 Location: Schnecksville, PA
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Posted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 9:52 am Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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We are a member-only gun club and have Range Safety Officers on duty when we are open. All new members must go through an orientation and safety infractions are treated very severely. The local public shooting ranges have no RSOs on duty and rarely screen shooters. No sure what other public ranges do, but total safety like perfection can only be approached and rarely achieved. However, we keep trying. All the best...
Gil
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PaulS Super Member
Joined: Feb 18, 2006 Posts: 4330 Location: South-Eastern Washington - the State
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Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 5:26 pm Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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Well some folks really believe that the reloading books are written by lawyers but the aren't. They are written by ballisticians who use the latest and greatest instrumentation to make sure they are safe, effective and take full advantage of the cartridge and bullet combination.
If you think you know enough to exceed the limits then please shoot them when no one else is there to get hurt.
_________________ Paul
__________________
Speer, Lyman, Hodgdon, Sierra, and Hornady = reliable loading data
So and So's pages on the internet = NOT reliable loading data
Always check data against manuals
NEVER exceed maximum listed loads |
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Deer Sniper Super Member
Joined: Apr 26, 2007 Posts: 539
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Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 11:46 am Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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That is exactly why I use test barrels with the proper test equipment, when developing steel shot loads for duck and goose hunting.
I shot one company's load data, and they assured me it was completely safe! I loaded a round and fired it in my best Remington 870 and the SHOCK of it busted the forend and cracked the stock, plus the literal jolt to my face and body took over a week to get over! Thank God though, the barrel held fast and received no damage.
I called the company and told them what happened, and they said I had the recipe wrong. They faxed me a copy, which was EXACT with what I had loaded. So I load up 10 rounds to test and run them through my pressure trace test barrel and chronograph them at the same time. These 3 inch 12 ga. loads had a velocity or 2,200 to 2,500 fps. for a 7/8 oz. load and pressure readings from 18,000 to 21,000 psi.!
I called the company back and told them of my findings, and they said - "we just don't have the time to test every load that we publish".
That particular load was pulled from their website and no longer appears in any of their reloading manuals. I just wonder how many others have shot this load and experienced the same thing as I did?!?!
I also have to say that I DID use powder from 3 different lot numbers, just in case, and I also did the same with primers. Plus, I went as shallow as possible on the crimps, since the company said I was crimping too deep. Nothing made any difference!
So, needless to say, never again will I use anyone else's steel shot loads, regardless of the company that they come from.
Load safe and load smart!
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PaulS Super Member
Joined: Feb 18, 2006 Posts: 4330 Location: South-Eastern Washington - the State
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Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 1:37 pm Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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Dear Sniper,
Will you provide us the name of the company that didn't have time to check their published loads?
_________________ Paul
__________________
Speer, Lyman, Hodgdon, Sierra, and Hornady = reliable loading data
So and So's pages on the internet = NOT reliable loading data
Always check data against manuals
NEVER exceed maximum listed loads |
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Deer Sniper Super Member
Joined: Apr 26, 2007 Posts: 539
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Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 5:02 pm Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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Ballistic Products Inc. - BPI
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PaulS Super Member
Joined: Feb 18, 2006 Posts: 4330 Location: South-Eastern Washington - the State
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Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 5:48 pm Post subject: Re: Darwin award at the range today |
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Thank you.
It might keep someone from getting hurt.
_________________ Paul
__________________
Speer, Lyman, Hodgdon, Sierra, and Hornady = reliable loading data
So and So's pages on the internet = NOT reliable loading data
Always check data against manuals
NEVER exceed maximum listed loads |
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