BIL manages to screw up Glock 34 with "bad" reloads. UPDATE

[WCF3030]

When my BIL bought his Glock 34 to use in IDPA with his son he went from a single stage press to a Dillon 650 and started producing several hundred rounds in one setting. I tried to convey to him some of the “safe guards” I use when reloading on my Lee classic turret, to prevent either no charge or a double charge when loading. I also explained to him why it could go badly with his choice of a load to “save” on powder and still be able to knock over the steel plates. I’ll not repeat the load but it involved Clays and 147gr thin plated bullets.
So a long story short he blew the back of the case off as well as the chamber indicator off the side of the slide.
The case is still stuck in the chamber.
Nobody is talking but I think he threw a double charge in the case and that combined with the thin plating on the bullet caused some excess pressure.
A call to Glock confirmed my suspension that they will not cover it under warranty because the incident involved reloaded ammo. Now they are Glock “haters”, where I think they should be thanking Glock for building an “idiot Proof pistol”.

This all happens a day after I just purchased a Glock 17 for my wife and daughter. I already have become very impressed with the ergonomics and accuracy and have planes of buying another for myself.

[COSteve]

If you try hard enough, you can blow up any firearm. Sounds like the BIL succeeded in being dumb enough to pull it off for himself.

[stretch]

This very old-fashioned concept called "practice" will do more
for your IDPA scores than any trick load will.

It's fortunate that he didn't hurt anybody else.

Personaly, I'm not a big Glock fan, although I do acknowledge that
they build very sturdy, reliable pistols indeed. They are not, however, quite
indestructible!

-Stretch

[Hobie]

You can't fix stupid. Enjoy YOUR Glock. They are good guns albeit not MY cup of tea.

[damienph]

Brother-in-laws... don't ya just luv 'em!

[Charles]

The number of destroyed firearms has risen since the progressive reloading mania has hit the shooting community.

[Blaine]

My pinhead X BIL only stuck two out of three barbs on a fishing lure in my scalp

[WCF3030]

This very old-fashioned concept called "practice" will do more
for your IDPA scores than any trick load will.

-Stretch

That pretty much sums it up. I had asked since none of his shots are that far, why not use a regular load and hit near the top.

[WCF3030]

The number of destroyed firearms has risen since the progressive reloading mania has hit the shooting community.

I would not be surprised.

Even though I have a Lee classic turret loader with a auto charger, I check every case before setting a bullet and I use a powder (Unique) that will over fill the case if a double charge is loaded.

In his attempts to "save" money by cutting corners he lost $700 plus dolllars.

[WCF3030]

You can't fix stupid. Enjoy YOUR Glock. They are good guns albeit not MY cup of tea.

I get the "ugly as sin" comments alot with both the Glock and XD, they seem to like my Colt Commander better.
But the wife and daughter like the weight and the ergo's better and I have started to lean that way as well.

[sore shoulder]

WCF, good choice for your wife and daughter, my wife and daughter enjoyed the 17 so much, I bought my daughter a 19 with NY trigger and night sights and will be getting my wife a baby 9mm to replace her sp101. I prefer the 17 myself and plan to get another just because.

If he blew up a 9mm Glock, using handloads, we all know what he did. And we all know HE CAUSED IT! So does Glock.

[Mescalero]

Charles,
An interesting theory, I always thought the correlation was the appearence of Glocks, as the ones I heard about were always Glocks.

[soon 2 retire]

My pinhead X BIL only stuck two out of three barbs on a fishing lure in my scalp

Is he still counted among the living? One funny thing about BIL stories is that the teller (if male) is also a BIL.


Bob in Friday Harbor

[olyinaz]

You can't fix stupid. Enjoy YOUR Glock. They are good guns albeit not MY cup of tea.

+1

Oly

[Mescalero]

I only have one but my SIL ( great woman ) keeps him at bay.

[1894c]

You can't fix stupid. Enjoy YOUR Glock. They are good guns albeit not MY cup of tea.

+1

Oly

+2 as Forest Gump said, stupid is what stupid does... :)

[madman4570]

Thats why I prefer powder that takes up the most "room" for a (charge)
Thus preventing a double charge.
If I get a little less reloads per container(that's fine)

[El Chivo]

The number of destroyed firearms has risen since the progressive reloading mania has hit the shooting community.

That's true; at one silhouette match one very experienced and respected reloader fired off a double charge in his Contender. I think it was a .223 round. The gun didn't blow up, but the gunsmith who looked at it said the pressure would have been around 120k. The bore was coated with metal, and the shot hit the animal in the next row even though it was aimed at the closer row.

He uses a progressive press. Maybe experience lulls some people into complacency. This guy twice used his 30-30 Marlin to shoot pistol cartridge because he mistook one gun for the other. He used the .357 cartridge all right, just loaded it into his 30-30. They made a funny sound and split the case but the bullet did exit the barrel, and even hit the target.

He sort of thought these occurrences were funny and cute, however I was standing next to him all 3 times, and since these accidents sometimes kill bystanders, I don't share the humor.

[damienph]

My pinhead X BIL only stuck two out of three barbs on a fishing lure in my scalp

Is he still counted among the living? One funny thing about BIL stories is that the teller (if male) is also a BIL.


Bob in Friday Harbor

Yes, but... that's different, in my stories HE's the BIL.

[msmith1228]

I think everyone has an idiot brother in law. Mine borrowed a shotgun to shoot a possum under his house. I laid out an old Ithaca pump for him to use but he convinced my wife that he really needed to use a new SKB over under. He drug it over concrete through rocks and dirt and managed to fill the barrels with dirt.You can guess the rest. Oh, he has no money.

[RustyJr]

I assure you that the Glock you purchased will not let you down. I would definitely say that it was operator error (negligence) that caused the issue. As someone else said, he should be thankful that the Glock was solid enough that the only damage done was to the pistol and not the shooter.


RustyJr

[Charles]

Charles,
An interesting theory, I always thought the correlation was the appearence of Glocks, as the ones I heard about were always Glocks.

We ran a long thread over on Cast Boolits about the advent of progressive presses and the increase in kabooms. Seems like the theory has lots of support.

I have a Glock 17 but don't shoot reloads in it. It is a serious social tool and not one of my play things. For what it is, it does a great job.

[Mescalero]

That is why I said an interesting theory, it could be that my causation hypothisis is in error.

[1894cfan]

Depending on how much damage was done to the Glock, you could just change the barrel and keep on shooting it. Just saying. Me, I'm still happy with the same single-stage press that I started with over 30 years ago (RCBS reloader special).

[kimwcook]

I've always said a Glock to me has no soul, but that said, they go bang when many others won't or don't. I have two a 17 and a 34 and they're shooting machines. Going cheap on the reloading or going forward without safeguards in place is risky business at best.

[WCF3030]

Depending on how much damage was done to the Glock, you could just change the barrel and keep on shooting it. Just saying. Me, I'm still happy with the same single-stage press that I started with over 30 years ago (RCBS reloader special).

It is on its way to Glock for repairs that will not be covered under warranty.
I looked at it last night; the extractor\chamber indicator and mag release both broke off during detonation. The internals of the frame has several cracks in it and the slide just behind the chamber has a crack in it. I’m certainly not a gunsmith but I can’t see any fix except to replace the whole thing.
Worst yet I explained again my reloading procedure and reasons for my choice of powder and it is still falling on deaf ears. They prefer instead to take the advice of the president of the IDPA club. The same one who suggested the load in the first place and also the one who pulled 10 bullets from the 500 remaining rounds finding no double charge and told them that the rest will be safe to shoot.

This will happen again….

[MrMurphy]

As Hobie said, you can't cure stupid.


I've seen a few blown up guns, and refuse to shoot anyone's handloads.

I don't load, but if i did, i know i could (being a paranoid OCD type) trust my own stuff, or accept the consequences.

Sounds like he's going to have the entire gun replaced. Never seen a Glock kaboom bad enough for a complete slide replacement, usually if someone's been dumb enough to reload for a Glock (which does not have a fully supported chamber) more than one time per life of the brass, it'll blow the mag out, and sometimes some minor internal damage.



Factory ammo isn't completely perfect either, there's a known case of a brand new Colt 6920 (AR-15) in a training class with factory ammo blowing the left side of the receiver off (the shooter had eyepro on, or he'd have been in trouble). Nothing wrong with the rifle, which was replaced by Colt, but the load was apparently something like triple-charged, with bullet setback, and generated way more pressure than the usual 52,000 psi an AR is made to handle. Also seen a factory load where the 5.56 round would never fire. Ever....unless maybe tossed in a fire. It had a firing pin indentation on the brass, and there was neither a primer, or a primer pocket. Just solid brass rear end.

[sore shoulder]

pulled 10 bullets from the 500 remaining rounds finding no double charge and told them that the rest will be safe to shoot.

This will happen again….

Just wow. There should be a pull down party. I would refuse to shoot with this guy ever again because he's stupid and dangerous.

[stretch]

Just wow. There should be a pull down party. I would refuse to shoot with this guy ever again because he's stupid and dangerous.

No kiddin'! And he's the PRESIDENT of the local IDPA chapter....

The safest loads for IDPA (and reloaders in general!) are the published ones with
powders that fill the cases pretty full. Doing it this way, double charges
are more of a mess at the loading bench than a safety issue on the range.
Some cases, like the 38 Special, don't lend themselves to higher powder
densities with some powders and loads, so you've either got to be careful
or shoot them in a 357 Magnum.........


I've read that very LIGHT charges can also cause problems with some
powders, because the charge doesn't react the same way if the case
isn't filled up enough. Of course, there's always the danger of a squib
with very light loads. Combine THAT issue with an inexperienced/inattentive
shooter, a rapid fire stage, and you've got real trouble. (Is that what
might have happened here, or was it definitely a double charge? Or both?! )

Either way, I'd prefer not to go shootin' with either of those folks.

-Stretch