Oh NO!! A Kahr Ka-Boom (not mine)

[OldLincoln]

This thread on THR discusses a reloader that double charged a few rounds and blew the case head off one of them in his new K40. It did some other minor damage to the gun and he is sending it back to Kahr for a checkup and an extractor as his was never found. The case head was found a half inch under his eyeball.

Blew up a Kahr

Lessons to be learned here.

[jlottmc]

Wow, he double charged a case on a CW40, and that's all the damage he did. On another note, that just goes to show that you must be super careful reloading. At least he didn't blame the gun, and declare it a POS.

[MW surveyor]

OldLincoln

Read about this previously. Seems like this guys QC is totally lacking.

[94zcar]

I hate to hear a story like that....

I make sure I use a powder that will overflow the case if I was to doublecharge.

[OldLincoln]

The biggie I took away from the story is how easy it is to get distracted with a progressive. If I remember right he didn't do a full press so did it again (like you would on a single) but that dropped a second charge further down the line. He didn't stop to check other stations and continued on, thus a double charge.

I probably won't ever get a progressive, but if I did I would want a powder check like the RCBS dye that locks the machine if there's an over or under charge. For now I charge 50 in a tray and compare them to one another with a light.

[Bawanna]

I use my little mirror. I can tell easily what it's suppose to look like. A double charge won't spill over which I too prefer but it's obviously an overcharge. I can easily look at each case. I may get a powder thru die so I have a slot for a powder cop die which would be even more obvious but I think I'm ok with what I got now.

Like you say with the progressive theres are 4 or 5 things happening each time you pull the handle. What mess's you up is trying to adjust one station. I usually remove all the cases in the press and just work with one. Then put the cases back where they were to finish the process. That can mess you up too if you get mixed up.

I've got mine dialed in now to where it's working really good. Still have to be on your toes and pay close attention.

[CJB]

Back in my gunrange days... we had a certain self styled gunsmith... who was a Royal pain in the butt. His arrogance was only surpassed by his mistakes and goofs.

One day he was shooting some of his own "special combat match" ammo, and blew up his 1911. Sorry, no pictures. Both grips blown off. Slide stop bent, barrel had its exposed section in the ejection port bulged, plus a bulge in the middle of the barrel. The barrel was also split. Frame... ok, other than the grips being blown off and the magazine release sheared.

He insisted it wasn't his reloads. Ok then, who to blame, the gunsmith who put the gun together? That was him too. He refused to see, that he UNDERcharged a round, and somehow it either barely cycled or (more likely) he was having fits with his gun anyway and was having to hand cycle it alot. Either way, he shot another behind a squib. The pressure bulged out the hood area, but the moving bullet goose-egg'd the barrel and split it when it hit the stuck bullet in the barrel. Thats when all hell broke loose and things got hairy. His unsupported case blew out on its side, and the pressure blew the magazine out, shearing the catch, and also blew the grips off.

He was fairly bruised on his hands. As I recall, a dremel was used to cut off the slide stop, the pin was punched out with some difficulty, and the top end was pretty much trash except for the sights.

Crap happens. I didn't like the guy, but I neither would I wish upon him a blown up pistol... please stay sharp when reloading!

[OldLincoln]

Gulp!!!!!!

[jeep45238]

It sounds like the whole problem stems from an "experienced" reloader lacking experience.

He did not set his sizing/depriming die properly, and did not watch every station as he moved the press.

[TonyT]

In almost 50 years of relaoding I expereinced my first squib when I purchased my first progressive loader and made up a few rounds with different powder weights without totally clearing the press before changing powder drops. I learned my lesson and now inspect every case for powder drop before bullet seating.

[OldLincoln]

Gosh I never though I'd post anything like this, but... My name is OldLincoln ("Hi OldLincoln"). I am a sinner..... I was sure I charged every round exactly and got cocky and started doing 100 round batches, without periodic weighing. I shined my light in each one I swear, well I'm pretty sure, okay I thought I did but didn't check it off the list, okay, I got smarty pants and didn't use the list.

These were target rounds for Dad's Colt. I shot a few that were dandy but one just went pop without a bang and the slide locked up partly open with the case halfway out the chamber.

With that I just packed everything up and went home hoping nobody saw me fall. At home I used a piece of wood and forced the slide back. The round still didn't come out until I maneuvered it out the mag hole. The bullet was over half way out of the casing and chewed up from the slide or chamber. I spent a few hours after that taking apart all the rounds I loaded that day.

I still can't believe I did that and am ashamed of myself. I thought I was better than that but got careless. The worst part is this was with Bawanna's single stage Rockchucker. How on earth could I get so sloppy with a single stage press. Sigh. I haven't touched my reloading setup for a few weeks now and will wait still longer. At least until I really have the time to slow down and taste the powder.

Please forgive me.

[Bawanna]

Your forgiven Old Lincoln. It happens sometimes. Your living proof that all you gotta do is drop your guard for a second and you got a goof.

I missed a row of 5 many many years ago useing that same press. I went to shoot, had a dud. Went right to my favorite shop since I knew it couldn't be me. He said squib, you missed that case with powder. Not a chance.
I thought and thought and finally figured I couldn't possible miss one case and if I did I most likely missed a whole row.
Sho nuff, pulled em all and found 4 more with no powder. I inspect in the tray before seating the bullets, missed a row of 5.

Only time since that was just like TonyT said, when I went to progressive. In all the confusion an goings on I had a double charge and a couple squibs that I figured out before firing except the double charge. That was exciting but thankfully didn't do any damage to most important the gun, and secondly me.

[MW surveyor]

HiOldLincoln,

From one who's had a recent experience like yours. Better no powder than way too much!
You are forgiven. Now go ahead and sin no more!

MW surveyor

Dang Bawanna, you got your's in ahead of me:001_tt2:

[rwblue01]

I believe that was a Kahrboom, not a kaboom.

It looks like the Kahr took it pretty well. That is a sign of a good gun when the engineers assume that someone will screw up and make sure they don't lose a hand.


As a reloader myself, I have had a squib or two when I started out. I was just setting up the 9mm to work with Red dot. I tested the drop. Weight the charge, then loaded 3 rounds. The first one went pop. The slide didn't move. The bullet just entered the rifling. I took that gun and my reloads home. As it turns out, my powder drop didn't like red dot. Round1 was probably just a primer. Round1 was just a primer. Round3 had all the powder.

Beyond that I have guess I have been good and lucky. So far no double loads.

I would suggest choosing powders that don't allow for the double load.

[rwblue01]

Now that I think about it, I did have some light 45-70 loads that didn't go bang. (Once you go so light with some powders they don't flash over.)