Glock Kaboom

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sargents1

sargents1

Single-Sixer
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Apr 1, 2009
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I used to think that Glock Kabooms were an Internet myth.

This was two weekends ago at the local plate shoot. The shooter was OK except for some powder burns on his hand and some numb fingers. As I recall it was reloaded ammo, I am not sure about the particulars of the reload data.

As you can see in the (cell phone) pictures, the frame is cracked and the top half of the firing chamber is blown clean off. This fellow was lucky he wasn't seriously injured.

remember you safety glasses....

03050195115101.jpg


03050195115100.jpg
 
Was it a .40?

The older ones are notorious for KABOOMING ON HOT RELOADS 'cause there's not enough case support at the rear of the chamber.

...or a SQUIB after an underpowered round left a bullet stuck in the barrel?
 
A friend of mine had a glock 20 with reloads that kaboomed in my hand. only damage to the gun was the magazine, everything else was fine...i on the other hand gave up on glocks.....
 
I would consider getting a Glock if they made a reload-friendly barrel as an option. Theres not much point in getting one and then having to spend $150.00 more on an aftermarket barrel.
 
That is the result of a detonation, either a very light powder charge, or way over-loaded.

If it were a case of un-supported brass it would vent the gas down, not remove the top of the chamber.

I'd advise the reloader to dis-assemble every round and try again.
 
This issue is WAY overblown. Without knowing the load, type of bullets, and maintenance habits of the owner, the only thing you can tell about a Glock from this thread is that they can't stand overpressure .... just like all other guns.

To decide on a gun or not from a thread or picture like this is silliness. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. The same thing could have happened with an XD, or M&P, or a Ruger etc etc. It's easy to start yelling 'Glock KB....Glock KB', when the truth is ... we have no idea what parameters were in play here.

If the owner had the standard barrel, was shooting soft lead, with a hot load, and neglected to clean it regularly, sure a KB can happen. This does not make Glocks bad, good, or indifferent. If you shoot factory non-lead ammo, you'll never have a problem with a Glock. If you shoot soft lead with a hot charge, and don't clean it properly ... things can happen .... With ANY gun.

I've shot tens of thousands of lead rounds through regular old Glock standard barrels and never had an issue of any kind. Some people are just stupid, or like pushing the limits ... I don't.

REV
 
9x19 said:
If it were a case of un-supported brass it would vent the gas down, not remove the top of the chamber.
Click to expand...

Exactly ... every unsupported chamber issue I've seen has blown the mag out the bottom, and left the slide and upper assemby completely intact. If there was a squib, and a bullet stuck in the chamber, and another round was fired, you'd see the results above. Either a plugged barrel or a double charge likely caused the above damage. Even progressive leading due to the polygonal rifling would tend to be progressive in nature, not instantly catastrophic. You'd get increasingly severe case bulging with your fired cases as well, which any experienced reloader would recognize, because he's picking up his brass and examining it to reload it again.

Everybody just LOVES to jump to conclusions when the G word is involved.

I also noticed that it was a compensated gun, with a few other 'race' modifications .... those type of shooters typically push the limits a little more than the standard target shooter, especially steel shooters.

REV
 
Glock KABOOMS are certainly not a myth.

I have a friend who blew up his .45 "pin gun" shooting pretty snappy loads thru an aftermarket barrel. Pretty much destroyed the gun.

He contacted Glock and told them the complete truth of the situation. They asked for the gun, and he sent it in.

He received another gun (with the same serial number) soon thereafter, but they suggested he not try that again.
 
Hey Rev,
Great points.

I dont shoot lead out of mine..just in case.

But I thought 2"x4"s splintered? Either way I'm glad the shooter is alright.

Mark
 
Everyone should be on the alert for a squib load. That is a load without powder, just the primer.

The Primer does not have enough power to rack the slide, and the bullet will usually remain in the chamber. The bad thing happens when you rack the slide, an empty ejects, and you chamber a live round with a bullet lodged in the barrel.

KABOOM!

Any semi auto will do this. If your slide does not eject the spent cartridge, stop firing immediately! Unload and check the barrel for a jammed round. Even if you don't blow up the firearm, you will seriously weaken the barrel and be just waiting for an injury or death....
 
Ale-8(1) said:
Glock KABOOMS are certainly not a myth.
Click to expand...

I agree Ale, they are well and legitimately documented, but the reasons behind them are what I question. I don't think I've ever heard of or seen one that blew up with legitimate factory loads. It's always reloads, usually in .40, and also usually with lead bullets. I don't think anyone could make the case that Glocks are unsafe at any level with factory loads.

REV
 
jeffegg2 said:
Everyone should be on the alert for a squib load. That is a load without powder, just the primer.

The Primer does not have enough power to rack the slide, and the bullet will usually remain in the chamber. The bad thing happens when you rack the slide, an empty ejects, and you chamber a live round with a bullet lodged in the barrel.

KABOOM!

Any semi auto will do this. If your slide does not eject the spent cartridge, stop firing immediately! Unload and check the barrel for a jammed round. Even if you don't blow up the firearm, you will seriously weaken the barrel and be just waiting for an injury or death....
Click to expand...

Sometimes just a light load WILL rack the slide, yet a bullet is still lodged in the barrel. when the bullet failed to release the pressure out the front, even a small charge can sometimes successfully rack the slide due to 'backpressure'. In the case of a steel shoot or some other 'speed' shooting contest, the shooter has no clue until the mag blows out and he gets a facefull of plastic shrapnel.

Never seen it happen, but it seems that 'most' people know someone who's cousin's buddy had a Glock KB. LOL :D

REV
 
I'll by no means claim to know why any Glock (or other gun) KABOOMS, but I find it particularly difficult to believe that such a disaster will occur with PROPER ammo . . . barring the statistically possible but extremely unlikely defective gun.

When I say PROPER ammo, I mean ammo manufactured and performing to the specification of the gun manufacturer. I'd assume this to mean SAAMI-spec stuff unless otherwise noted by the gun manufacturer, and any limits on bullet weight/material for any given gun.

All we can do is be aware of the gun manufacturer's recommendations, play by those rules, and always be on the lookout for "funny-sounding" ignition. If it then goes sideways, at least we are on the side of the angels . . . and the attorneys, hopefully.

JMHO
 
For those who think it can't happen with "Propper" ammo, check out the Portland, Oregon Police Department dumping their Glock 21's after 2 kb's in a week with training ammo, Federal I believe.

DM
 
I checked it out.

The data I found indicated that the problem was not resolved to anyone's satisfaction, but the Portland police did receive 9mm Glock replacements for the .45's . . . supposedly at no charge.

Not sure whether it was an ammo problem or a gun problem.

Stuff does happen.
 
revhigh said:
.... If there was a squib, and a bullet stuck in the chamber, and another round was fired, you'd see the results above. Either a plugged barrel or a double charge likely caused the above damage. ...
Click to expand...

It's been my limited experience that barrel obstructions do not result in chamber fractures...but in barrel fractures (forward of the chamber.) I've only witnessed three confirmed barrel-obstruction failures...but all three of them split the barrel well forward of the chamber, typically near the obstruction.
 
Depends on where the obstruction is .... doesn't it ? If it's in the beginning of the lands, I'd think it could easily have the backpressure to blow out the ejection shield/cover.

REV
 
A huge thread on Glocktalk about this:

Glock kaboom

This reply is probably the closest answer to the cause of this KB:

"Hello all,i have followed this thread with interest as i am friends of both the OP and the shooter who had the KB.I would like to say here that the OPs post IS factual as to how it occured.He is not a troll and the posters in #'s 26,27 & 39 are typical of alot of posters on Glock Talk:nothing useful to add to the thread.Daryl in Arizona,Ede and Kegs are more than likely correct in their assessments of what happened.I believe but am not positive the reloads were made on a progressive press and maybe that is where i'd look for the answer to this KB. I do know the gun was a 3rd gen. G35 with a stock barrel shooting 180gr. FMJs.My friend(the shooter) is a careful man and i believe this was just human error."

Sorry Glock haters. :?
 
Ale-8(1) said:
I checked it out.

The data I found indicated that the problem was not resolved to anyone's satisfaction, but the Portland police did receive 9mm Glock replacements for the .45's . . . supposedly at no charge.

Not sure whether it was an ammo problem or a gun problem.

Stuff does happen.
Click to expand...

I spoke to some of the LEO's that had to give up their G21's, they were not happy.

Yep, stuff happens.

DM
 
I think revolver shooters should be especially wary of squibs because there is even less of a warning. With an auto, most squibs won't cycle the slide. With the revolver, only a lack of recoil and noise indicate a squib. I had a squib last year in some .38 Special reloads. Fortuantely I noticed the lack of noise and recoil and found a bullet lodged in the bore. Turns out there was no powder in the case. Now I visually check every case for powder before I seat a bullet.
 
THis is the main reason that I WILL NOT USE ANY POWDER THAT DOESN'T FILL THE CASE MORE THAN HALF WAY !!!! I don't care about economy, or a little more accuracy. This immediately makes ANY double charge immediately obvious.

Reloaders who are on a quest for the lowest possible cost by using tiny charge weights that 'stretch' a pound of powder are fools .... and I know several of them. Or reloaders who try to use inapproriate powder for a given caliber or load because 'they had it on the shelf' .... 'wanted to use it up' .... or 'only like to have one universal powder' are also fools.

Reloading is not an experiment to find unknown combinations ... you have to be careful and use common sense.

Always use a powder that fills the case more than half way for any mass production rounds, and especially on a progressive. I've reloaded well over 200,000 rounds and have never had an incident ... knock on wood .... :D

REV
 
Following is a thread @ GlockTalk about kabooms. (.45 is alluded to.)

http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1316333
 
Factory ammo is not immune to quality control issues...

In the past eight months or so, I know of at least 3 recalls.

Remington UMC 9mm

Federal/AE .45 Auto (seems like a ton of it!)
http://pistol-training.com/archives/4409

Remington .223
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2011/03/16/remington-223-62-gr-hp-recall/
 
revhigh said:
...Reloaders ...using tiny charge weights that 'stretch' a pound of powder are fools .... and I know several of them. Or reloaders who ...use inapproriate powder...because 'they had it on the shelf' .... 'wanted to use it up' .... or 'only like ...one universal powder' are also fools....REV
Click to expand...

Strong words ...take care to recall that "birds of a feather..."

It's awfully easy to criticize others, especially over a pistol blown-up by what you don't know...

:wink:
 
resident said:
revhigh said:
...Reloaders ...using tiny charge weights that 'stretch' a pound of powder are fools .... and I know several of them. Or reloaders who ...use inapproriate powder...because 'they had it on the shelf' .... 'wanted to use it up' .... or 'only like ...one universal powder' are also fools....REV
Click to expand...

Strong words ...take care to recall that "birds of a feather..."

It's awfully easy to criticize others, especially over a pistol blown-up by what you don't know...

:wink:
Click to expand...

Do you disagree with my points above, resident ? I've never done ANY of the above ... never would .... never will, but I DO know people who try to get the cost of a box of reloads as low as possible to save 5 cents per box, or a tenth of a penny per shot .... just silliness.

REV
 
I love my Glocks and have never had any KB's personally. People seem to get touchy when you say that their favorite brand of gun [whatever it may be, brand xyx, etc] is prone to such failures.

But....since we are on a Ruger forum where are all of the Ruger KB photos? I have seen one PC9 or 40 that had the barrel split open from a a squib that was fired upon several times until it failed but nothing from SA pistols. Maybe I just havent been looking.

I sure have seen a lot of KB Glock photos. Proportionately more than other brand guns. Again not bashing Glocks as I currently own 3 [17L, 17, 19] and plan to get another 26 in the near future. I did however sell all of my 40, 10mm, 45 ACP, Glock pistols. Something about not tossing the grenade that makes me nervous.

So...someone find me a KB in a Ruger P series photo. Before we go much further blaming shooters and not the guns design. If it has happened [Glock KB] with factory loads more than once there seems to be an increased tendency for these pistols to KB. Or is that a bad way to rationalize the issue?
 
Al, it could be as simple as how many Glocks are sold annually in the USA compared to how many P (or SR, a closer comparison) series Rugers are sold.

You do make a good point, not many Ruger KBs reported here.
 
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