View Full Version : Had a Light-Duty Kaboom today *UPDATE*
M&P40 - Tula steel cased.
Contacting both manufactures tomorrow - S&W about inspection.
Is this usually due to bad case or over powered ammo?
Ruptured case, stuck in barrel - any suggestions on removal?
The gun looks fine so far, but cant see bbl, should I still get it checked out by S&W even if all looks well?
This is why we wear eyes - had gas and debris blow all over my face - I think I got flash burned on my hand (pic). black on my hand by slide locks and mag release(both sides).
Bottom pic shows the bottom of the case laying on the feedramp.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/weakhand_zpsbac9cc07.png (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/weakhand_zpsbac9cc07.png.html)
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/rupturedcase_zps09fef67f.png (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/rupturedcase_zps09fef67f.png.html)
Well... You were not hurt hospital bad. I am thankful for that, that could have been nasty. Send it back with a past history, you know what to do. Like now. That is unacceptable from, I am guessing, the ammo manufacturer. I am glad you are alive and can use this to educate others like myself.
Coal Dragger
05-11-14, 01:25
That sucks man. Although I'm not qualified to tell you the exact cause, I would venture a guess that you had an overcharged cartridge or a weak case head, or both. Another potential cause could be a squib stuck in the barrel that you fired another round behind. Did you inspect the muzzle end to see if a bullet is still in the barrel?
Sadly this seems a more common problem with some of the Russian ammo.
decodeddiesel
05-11-14, 02:08
Damn man, glad you're OK.
Keep us in the loop on how this unfolds.
I'd get the pistol thoroughly checked out by S&W... There could be some damage that you can't see. Years ago I had a case head rupture with a brand new CZ 85 combat...I was using Wolf ammo, The pistol was damaged to the point it wasn't worth repairing...I wasn't hurt, but I learned a lesson, quit shooting that cheap Russian shit ammo... To their credit Wolf replaced my pistol.. For some reason, I know it wasn't the same pistol, But, I never felt comfortable shooting it, I guess I lost confidence in it, and sold it shortly after that.. I also started loading my own 9mm, I figure MY QC/QA was probably better than any Russian ammo manfacturer's was....
I've been saving up for a good, progressive reloader-just not quick enough. The round before the last one was definitely a full power load-no squib, and the front of the barrel looks fine. You can see the inside of the casing from the muzzle. Thanks for the input-I figured there could be stress damage unseen, just wanted to make sure I was on the right track.
I really didn't get hurt at all. The, what I'm guessing is a flash burn, is pretty shallow, and I have 3 splinter sized pieces of stuff embedded in my palm. I'm going to try to get the case out today and Ill post some pics later-if I get it out.
Hopefully the gun is fine, if not, hopefully tula's cs is good as wolfs.
I am glad that you are ok. I think I would leave the casing in the gun and send it to S&W and let them document the condition for the ammo manufacture. Their findings will carry more weight.
I'd get the pistol thoroughly checked out by S&W... There could be some damage that you can't see. Years ago I had a case head rupture with a brand new CZ 85 combat...I was using Wolf ammo, The pistol damaged to the point it wasn't worth repairing...I wasn't hurt, but I learned a lesson, quit shooting that cheap Russian shit ammo... To their credit Wolf replaced my pistol.. For some reason, I know it wasn't the same pistol, But, I never felt comfortable shooting it, I guess I lost confidence in it, and sold it shortly after that.. I also started loading my own 9mm, I figure MY QC/QA was probably better than any Russian ammo manfacturer's was....
Ulyanovsk Cartridge Works would never send bad round to comrade!
Ulyanovsk Cartridge Works would never send bad round to comrade!
I can almost hear Boris from the old Rocky/ Bullwinkle cartoons saying that.....:lol:
Glad youre okay! Had this happen a few times a while back in my AK with Wolf steel cased ammo.. However no injuries at all and the cases took a good bit of effort to remove. It seemed to be an issue with one particular box but after that I never had issues.
I am glad that you are ok. I think I would leave the casing in the gun and send it to S&W and let them document the condition for the ammo manufacture. Their findings will carry more weight.
I called them today - case is a no-go. Cant even ship it separate. I popped it out (hammered the shit out of it). Pics below- worse than I thought.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/photo1_zpse3199fb9.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/photo1_zpse3199fb9.jpg.html)
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/photo2_zps6ec307bb.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/photo2_zps6ec307bb.jpg.html)
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/photo3_zpsebc7423e.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/photo3_zpsebc7423e.jpg.html)
The gun feels a little different - but it may be in my head. Guess we'll see. Shipping label will show up this week.
I called them today - case is a no-go. Cant even ship it separate.
Ummm, why?
Ummm, why?
Apparently - according to the CS rep, its a company thing. She said if I ship it, when they open it they will throw it away and the people checking it out wont even see it - guess pics will have to do.
... but as to 'why'... are you looking for a logical answer? I gave up on those, when it comes to stuff out of my control, long ago... it just leads to disappointment.
Guinnessman
05-13-14, 13:09
M&P40 - Tula steel cased.
Contacting both manufactures tomorrow - S&W about inspection.
Is this usually due to bad case or over powered ammo?
Ruptured case, stuck in barrel - any suggestions on removal?
The gun looks fine so far, but cant see bbl, should I still get it checked out by S&W even if all looks well?
This is why we wear eyes - had gas and debris blow all over my face - I think I got flash burned on my hand (pic). black on my hand by slide locks and mag release(both sides).
Bottom pic shows the bottom of the case laying on the feedramp.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/weakhand_zpsbac9cc07.png (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/weakhand_zpsbac9cc07.png.html)
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/rupturedcase_zps09fef67f.png (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/rupturedcase_zps09fef67f.png.html)
I hope the empty beer bottle in the trash can helped ease the pain! I am glad you are ok and thanks for posting.
... but as to 'why'... are you looking for a logical answer? I gave up on those, when it comes to stuff out of my control, long ago... it just leads to disappointment.
This is a great quote.
I called them today - case is a no-go. Cant even ship it separate. I popped it out (hammered the shit out of it). Pics below- worse than I thought.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/photo1_zpse3199fb9.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/photo1_zpse3199fb9.jpg.html)
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/photo2_zps6ec307bb.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/photo2_zps6ec307bb.jpg.html)
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/photo3_zpsebc7423e.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/photo3_zpsebc7423e.jpg.html)
The gun feels a little different - but it may be in my head. Guess we'll see. Shipping label will show up this week.
Those pics look like some sort of impressionist art. Damn!
Damn, that sucks. I don't really have any suggestions more than what you've already done. Keep us up to date... seems like it's Tula's fault. What have they had to say about this?
I agree with the others in sending the gun back to Smith. Obviously you're already in route to do this. If there is even a shadow of a doubt regarding the integrity of the gun, Smith will let you know. They won't want to be liable in the future. Maybe Tula will just offer to pay for a new one and it won't even matter...
Good you are O.K. Keep us informed.
Socom Elite
05-15-14, 22:58
Reading about kabooms always scares me. Especially this one since I mostly shoot Tula out of all my firearms.
Still waiting on S&Ws label to get here - looks like they are covering shipping. I'm sure I have to pay for inspection afterwards, but covering shipping up front was cool.
Still waiting on response from Tula, sent contact yesterday so it may be another couple days.
Here and read about kabooms from time to time and it seems that the majority of the pistol caliber ones seem to be 40 caliber.
Dont seem to here too much about 9mm or 45.
Slvr Surfr
05-18-14, 04:45
Still waiting on S&Ws label to get here - looks like they are covering shipping. I'm sure I have to pay for inspection afterwards, but covering shipping up front was cool.
Still waiting on response from Tula, sent contact yesterday so it may be another couple days.
S&W has some of the best customer service I have ever dealt with. I would be surprised if you get charged for anything. They have a lifetime warranty on their guns and they don't care if you are the first or twentieth owner of the firearm. They have bent over backwards to make things right if they can.
I'm glad you are OK. Please keep us updated on how things unfold.
I avoid steel cases, aluminum cases and reloads when firing .40 and highly recommend that to everyone.
9mm and .45 seem to be far more forgiving in my experience. (though I have witnessed a 9mm reload case failure in a G26)
Basically S&W is awesome. Got the gun back today, with a list of everything they checked out, and everything was fine. They test fired it as well. This wasn't even their problem and they took the time to check it out - so that says a lot to me. Nice to see some companies still standing behind their products, and helping customers. Going to clean, lube and get back into it now!
I will say, this experience has me filling up my re-loader fund a little quicker.
Anything yet from the Tula folks? I know you don't seem out of pocket but it would be nice if they would acknowledge the situation and at least follow up. Glad it is all working out for you.
Anyone had problems with Monarch steel cased 9mm made in Russia?
Until I started shooting this stuff, I've never had a cartridge not fire out of my Glock 19.
With this crap, I had 7 failures to fire in the first 60 cartridges. I believe it to be hard primers and not the pistol. I'm concerned it may potentially have other quality issues.
I have 5 boxes of this sorry ammo left and I'm considering burying it...I would give it away, but I'm concerned it may cause someone else a potential problem, like the OP's.
Anyone had problems with Monarch steel cased 9mm made in Russia?
Until I started shooting this stuff, I've never had a cartridge not fire out of my Glock 19.
With this crap, I had 7 failures to fire in the first 60 cartridges. I believe it to be hard primers and not the pistol. I'm concerned it may potentially have other quality issues.
I have 5 boxes of this sorry ammo left and I'm considering burying it...I would give it away, but I'm concerned it may cause someone else a potential problem, like the OP's.
Was it made with SMG primers?
My Glocks actually do really well with NATO spec stuff.
Either that, or it's time to replace the striker spring.
Tragan,
I don't know what kind of primers they are. (BTW, I ran then for a second try and they worked then.)
I'll look at them.
Can you tell what to look for to confirm? Is SMG engraved on them somewhere or on the box they came in or ...?
At this point, I've heard from 3 others that have shot this stuff and they had the same problem. And too, they never had a problem with weak striker springs with any other ammo.
Thanks!
wildcard600
07-12-14, 15:13
I believe Monarch is re-branded Barnaul ammo, at least the .223 stuff is. Most Russian ammo has hard primers from my experience.
I am also curious to see what Tula had to say.
Basically S&W is awesome. Got the gun back today, with a list of everything they checked out, and everything was fine. They test fired it as well. This wasn't even their problem and they took the time to check it out - so that says a lot to me. Nice to see some companies still standing behind their products, and helping customers. Going to clean, lube and get back into it now!
I will say, this experience has me filling up my re-loader fund a little quicker.
Glad everything is okay.. Very nice to hear positive reviews about customer service from such a large company especially when the problem wasn't their fault.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I did not receive any reply from Tula. If there was damage, I would have forced the issue. However, since everything worked out, I'll just acknowledge their lack of interest and not buy their products. I did notice the some very inconsistent case shapes, and a few actually tapered below the bullet (thinner where the powder is). I don't know if this could have mattered or not, but it does not look right.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/IMG_39681_zps3f472c5e.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/IMG_39681_zps3f472c5e.jpg.html)
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh63/vinnyraf870/IMG_39661_zps0c9de3bb.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/vinnyraf870/media/IMG_39661_zps0c9de3bb.jpg.html)
Ill try reposting from a different location.
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