I got the link to this post in an email from the 1911forum. The article states he got the ammo from an estate sale but doesn't specifically say if they were handloads or factory loads. Either way, it was a bad day at the range! Another note of interest is the post that says this isn't the first time this has happened with this particular Mfg/Model.

Pistol Failure

Yuck

Not a way to start your day,

Not a good day at the range.

The case looks like a case head failure most likely from a severe overcharge/weak brass in a pistol.chamber design that does not fully support the case. Still would not like it and glad the shooter is ok. Pistol is trash though.

Sure is a good link for knowing the source of your ammo though.

No thanks! I'm surprised he still had a working hand.

Looks to me like a severe overcharge issue. The polygonal rifling in that barrel could have also lead to an overpressure issue if the bullets were not jacketed. Scary as H&K pistol chambers have very good chamber support.

Good timing on posting this here. People are buying ammo from wherever they can get it during the current shortage. You never know what you are getting unless you check, the very same thing could happen again with worse results.

Dayum. Glad the shooter is okay. I would've needed an underwear change.

Many years ago a co-worker and I had a local load some 45 ACP for his 1911A1 and my S&W 1917....he did a great job on most of it.....then KABOOM my Smith recoiled like a cannon and it smoked everywhere even under the grips. My hand went numb and was bleeding....turns out the old boy liked to take a swallow and must have been well into some Mad Dog when he "custom" loaded our ammo....we pulled a few rounds at work and they were greatly over charged....when we went to see him it turned out his parole had been revoked. He had been recommended by a close friend of my co-worker....have never trusted anyone's reloads since....

rick

When looking down the barrel I'm not too sure what I'm looking at, is that a jacket in the barrel?

Bet his pants needed a good cleaning as well.... yikes.

Wow...

I always cringe whenever I see tables full of someone's reloads for sale at gunshows. Does anyone buy that stuff? I've always been to scared to, for the above reasons.

pucker factor 8.5

I can't tell. I had an OS Blackhawk once and was shooting 140gr JHP. I fired 3 rounds and stopped to talk to my Wife. I figured as long as I had stopped, I'd go ahead and load the empty chambers. For some unknown reason, my eye caught a color in the feed cone. I pulled the cylinder and there was a copper jacket seized in the feed cone from the last round fired. I don't know what would have happened if I'd fired another round but it was one of those things that make you sit down and think about just how close you came.

Scary! Makes you wonder if/when the 3d printer will ever get good enough to trust the results.

I sure don't. I simply don't trust someone else to do a proper reloading job.

One reason I don't own any polymer pistols! All mine are steel, although that won't always save you either. I try to stick to commercial rounds so that won't happen...

Had just the opposite happen to me with a box of .38 reloads I got along with a trade. Running through them at the range I my little snubby kinda sounded funny.....so I stopped my routine firing sequence and inspected the gun. Round had not cleared the barrel. Just thankful I had enough 'snap' to stop snapping when I did. I like my fingers right where they are, thank you very much.
After that little episode I don't buy or trade in reloads, period.
Would I reload my own ammo? No probleemo.

I never shoot anyone else's reloads, only my own. Not worth the gamble. I've seen some good hunter, shooters that were just plain sloppy when it comes to reloading. You could trust them to the end, but not with their reloading habits.

I blew up a S&W Model 36 with one of my reloads about twenty or so years ago. I didn't know any better and loaded them way under the recipe in order to make some real light reloads for my wife to shoot. I'm glad it was me instead of her. Anyway, there were no injuries.

A friend of mine that is a real experienced reloader told me I had what is called a detonation. It is kind of hard to explain, but info on that can be found online.

I have loaded strictly by the book ever since and have never had another problem. And I shoot mostly plastic guns, including an H&K like that beauty that exploded.

The detonation is well known but not something that can be reproduced at will. The 454 Casull load has some problems when using powders like H110 in the reduced load thing. Some think that the load ends up with too much airspace inside the shell, and when the gun is leveled to fire, more surface area is ignited by the primer at one time instead of the "controlled rate" the powder normally has. Probably not a good explanation using my own words, but that is the theory I've seen out there.

Could have been protruding primer. Glad his hand is merely dirty. I was at a gun show today and there was an unusual amount of handloaded ammo and handloading equipment on sale.

In the 70's when I was doing some serious hide hunting I had loads for the 223 and the 222 that used reduced loads and a filler to keep the powder in place for proper detonation, failure to do so ended up in ruptured cases and stuck bolts.

Wow, that could have been bad

I had a local customer who had a commercial reloading business and did all the local Countys Law Enf. training rounds..until a Bexar County Deputy had a Glock come apart in his hand..then he sold out..and his machines w/automatic..set them and they did it
all..we have some local folks who do that now..DD

Was it estate sale ammo or estate sale USP? Just kidding. My son had a bad batch of Remington 22 that detonated and blew the side off of his Henry AR7. Remington was totally usesless. They admitted that it was their ammo that was made with inferior brass alloy. The only thing they would do was replace the ammo. Henry was great. I got a call from the owner of the company. THey replaced the rifle immediately and sent some gifts along with it. Then they followed up in a few days to make sure my son was ok. After 30 years of loving Remington, I haven't bought a box since the incident.