FAILED: I Tried Rapid Firing my .308 Rifle

I tried rapid firing my Bushmaster MOE .308 rifle, this summer.  I had never rapid fired a rifle before, let alone a .308.  It was fun.....

Don't laugh(too hard).  I was told later that I gotta lean into it little bit.  I don't weigh a whole lot, so that's my excuse.  lol

Part 4 of 4 When the Gun Explodes In Your Hands: The Conclusion

So in the end, I was receiving a brand new Heckler & Koch USP for the one that blew up in my hands.  To compensate for the FFL fees + the couple boxes of ammo I sent back for testing, ammo company sent me many boxes of .45ACP my way.  Street value for the ammo provided to me I think doubled, or tripled of what I had spent in fees & ammo returned to them, so I was pleasantly surprised by that & thanked the gentleman from the manufacturer who had handled my case & helped me through the whole process.  

Way the ammo manufacturer handled the whole process, I didn't see a single flaw in it.  Not even once, anything they did or ask got me frustrated.  They were total pro.  I have gained much respect for this company & it is frustrating that I can't give them props in fear that by naming the company, it would actually reflect negatively on them.

Kind of funny, kind of ironic.  Just few weeks before the accident, I had watched this youtube video of ZQI ammo(note: this is not the brand of ammo that blew up).  

I've been buying bunch of these, as they are just under $10 a box at Walmart for the 7.62x51mm I shoot.  It's a cool video & I recommend you check it out yourself.  When I watched it, I thought to myself, "All that ammo..... How could they possible run a effective quality control?  Impossible!".  Just about a month later, my gun went kaboom.

All I can do is look on the bright side.  All my fingers are intact, and no notable injuries.  Received replacement handgun & compensated for all expenses, even got a additional mag for free when I got the new gun(USP mags are expensive!!).  Ammo company, while they did not admit fault, they did step up to make it right & without a single hesitation.  

As for Heckler & Koch, while they showed very little interest in what happened, at least they were communicating & after doing much research online, the rumor about how the USPs are designed to blow up in the way they keep the injuries minimum seems to be true.  Most suffer injuries to their hands, but all the cases I saw, none of them lost fingers, or suffer major injury.  Some burnt their hands, or got cut up little bit, but I think the main thing in such accident is that hands & fingers stay intact & they did.

Finally, I hope this post helps those who may go through similar unfortunate incidents.  Please feel free to contact me for any advice, or questions you may have.  Thank you for reading & happy shooting!  :)

Part 3 of 4 When the Gun Explodes In Your Hands: Contact with HK & the Ammunition Manufacturer

In Part Two, I established how I had come to believe that it was overcharged ammo that blew up the gun.  It was now time to contact the ammunition maker.  I also ended up contacting Heckler & Koch, but I was convinced it was the ammo, so the point was really just to get the second opinion from them.

Since this happened on a weekend, I went to the ammo makers website & wrote them a message explaining what I believed happened, I was okay & that I requested they replace my pistol.  Since becoming an adult, one of the things I learned early on was to try to be calm & polite dealing with any customer relation issue.  Sometimes you have to be stern, but never get excited.  Very fortunately, I never had the need.  Representative was very experienced, professional & polite.  Funnily, we never spoke on the phone.  All communication was done by email.

It started with the numerous photo I took of the gun.  Then it was requested that I shipped the remaining ammo + the slide to them for testing & inspection.  I received an call-tag + simple hazmat label via email.  I did not need the FFL for shipping the slide.

During this time, I had contacted HK & while they were very prompt with the response, they maintained that the catastrophic failure was caused by the ammunition & I should contact the manufacturer, and that most of the time, they will pay for repairs.  That was pretty much the extent of my communication with the Heckler & Koch.

After couple of weeks, I was informed by the ammo maker that they succeeded in removing the shell casing stuck inside the battery, and confirmed their head stamp.  They had also said that the test results of the remaining ammo returned by me did not show any anomalies, but that they were authorizing to have my pistol replaced, as soon as I sent back the rest of the gun(the frame).

The exchange would require an FFL this time, as they are sending me a complete handgun for my frame, which is also considered an firearm.  I had guessed that this will take maybe couple of weeks.  I believe it actually took about a month.  However, entire time, the rep had kept in touch to keep me updated.

The whole process went completely smooth, thanks not just to the ammunition maker, but also the FFL I had picked out online due to the excellent review & affordable rates.  This was my first time dealing with Tigard Pawn 4 More, but I couldn't say enough nice thing about their operation.  Fast, friendly, professional & very low FFL fee.  I highly recommend them to anyone who lives or work near Tigard(OR) area.

I say they were affordable, but I was reimbursed, not just for the gun, but also for the ammo & the FFL fees.

Conclusion in Part Four.

Part 2 of 4 When the Gun Explodes In Your Hands: Examination - Investigation

Part Two:

As I mentioned in Part I, my friend picked up all the pieces of the gun off the ground for me, and man, he did a great job.  I think it was next day I put this jigsaw puzzle together & it was pretty complete.

I look at this photo & I can't help but be so grateful how my 5.11 gloves protected me.  It was the older Tac A gloves of the one I linked, and I was so impressed, I replaced that pair with another 5.11:  Station Grip Glove.  I've read stories online from the people who went similar accidents without gloves.  Burns & serious cuts from the shrapnel.  Scary.

Anyway, the above shots are kinda neat & impressive, but two pieces of evidence that got my initial attention were these:

I figured right away that the shell with bullet pushed in didn't really suggest what caused the accident, but it was the next shell to be chambered when the gun failed.  I first begun my research online, read couple of posts on forums about similar accidents, and I also ran into this video.

This gentleman had a USP that exploded in similar way to mine.  He was very generous with his time offering me inputs & advice.  I also chatted with  my pals on online community GTPlanet.  By this time, I suspected excessive charge in the ammo.  The case is visibly blown out at the back.  Chamber has expanded to the point that chamber/barrel is jammed stuck inside the slide.

I work for large company, and while we are in automotive, I know many people who have vast experiences with firearms there.  One of the coworkers there referred me to a gunsmith at a local shop called Buster Beaver(Wilsonville, Oregon).  Shop also happened to be owned by the former V.P. of the company I worked for, and they offered to look at the gun for me, so I headed out there.

I get there, and the shop was very impressive(they also cerakote), but people were really friendly, which made me less nervous.  lol   I think we first examined the barrel?  No bulging, no evidence of a squib load.

 One thing they really looked at was the unsupported chamber.   They asked if the gun had any work done.  I had purchased the pistol used, but everything looked stock, so I told them I had no reason to suspect that it had any work done.  In fact, I have the brand new USP now, and one that blew up was in identical condition as this new, unfired USP.  

They could not find one, but they were really hoping to find another USP for side-by-side comparison to see had anyone tampered with the chamber & ramp.  The concern was the gap left by chamber, which visibly exposed the brass case stuck inside the chamber.   After receiving the new USP, I took some photos, so we do have the luxury of inspecting this gap side-by-side:

As you can see, there was nothing wrong with the gun.  Amount of gap that existed in my old & new USP are same size. At this point, I was convinced that the excessive charge blew up this gun.  Perhaps the case just cracked, failed & that blew up the lower half of the gun?  I did consider that possibility, but since the explosion either expanded, or welded the chamber jammed stuck inside the slide in firing position, I was certain that charge must have been excessive.  Of course, I'm not a engineer, gunsmith, so in the end, it is just my unqualified opinion.  ;) 

Part 1 of 4 When the Gun Explodes In Your Hands: Catastrophic Failure - Kaboom

Part One:

This summer, I was out in the woods with buddy of mine shooting some guns.  It started out horribly, as we originally started out with four of us, then the biggest butthead in our group(all four were buttheads) got us separated & we ended up shooting just in pair.  At least both group had plenty of guns & ammo to shoot.

When we go shooting, we generally try out other guys firearms, too.  The friend I ended up pairing with, he's never even owned a gun.  Anyway, while we were both pretty annoyed when the other friend got us separated in two groups, that actually turned out to be a blessing in the disguise......

Last known pic of the gun still in one piece.

It happened when I was shooting my go-to gun.  It was a Heckler & Koch USP .45.  I was having a pretty good time, then this happened:

For the record, debris in the photo may have been moved before the photo was taken.  I recall us picking up handful of pieces in amazement, before realizing that I needed to take pics for evidence & examination.  

Anyways, I said earlier that the group getting separated may have been a blessing in the disguise.  All four of us would have shot this pistol.  By ending up with just two of us, it lessened the odds of this accident happening to someone else.  It happened to me; the owner of the gun, and the guy who brought in the ammo.  That is the way it should have been, and also this way, I know for sure where the ammunition came from, and that the magazine was loaded properly, and the handgun was operated correctly.  In hindsight, it helped me tremendously investigating into the cause of the accident.  

I have not shot anything since.  After the incident, I didn't know that if I ever even wanted to shoot again.  I felt that, everything I had control over, I had handled 100% properly..... and still, something like this can happen to me?  When the gun exploded, I was initially just dumbfounded.  Then I was terrified that when I looked down & I'd be missing fingers, or find gun parts stuck in my body.  Actual injuries were really minor.  Tiny cut on my nose, blood blister & another tiny cut on my right hand.  I sometime wear gloves while shooting, sometime not.  SO glad I actually had gloves on, but still, few minutes later, I was seriously considering giving up on recreational shooting. 

After picking up all the pieces of the gun off the ground for me, my friend finished up shooting I think couple more guns, and I think I just sat down going "WTF WTF WTF" until we were headed home.  lol  

This is a long story, but with a happy ending.  Considering.  I thought I was going to do one post on this, but me being really long-winded, I'm going to try to break it down like this.

• Part One: Catastrophic Failure - Kaboom
• Part Two:  Examination - Investigation
• Part Three:  Contact with Heckler & Koch & Ammunition Manufacturer
• Part Four:  Conclusion

Having a gun blow up on you, I think the odds must be similar to winning the lottery.  You hear about it, you may know someone who know a guy this happened to, but it's that rare.  When it actually happened to me(lucky guy.....), I had no idea what to do.  But I asked around, I did my research online.  I received so much helpful information & feedback from people not just in real life, but also online.  I hope my series of post on this become part of that support for other unlucky shooters who may go through similar accidents.  Thank you for reading & I will take you through the examination process I went through trying to figure out the cause.

HK Entourage Drop-Point by Benchmade

HK Entourage

For years I've carried a pocket knife by Benchmade called Griptilian.  It just oozed of quality from the material used to the way it was assembled.  Razor sharp blade, super slick smooth open/close & solid locking system called Axis lock.  I just loved that thing to death.

Benchmade Griptilian

 

One problem.  Literally 2, 3 times, it had come open inside my pant pocket.  It's the same pocket that I carry my keys in, and it's a scary feeling to feel the open knife blade on your fingers when you are trying to fish the car keys out of your pocket.  I didn't know if it was caused by the kind of pants/shorts I wore, maybe my driving position, as it only happened after the morning commute......

Anyway, just few weeks ago, it happened again, and it cut me this time.  I finally decided that I couldn't carry a knife that can just come open by itself like that, no matter how much I loved it.  I've always been interested in spring-assisted & automatic knives, so that's the direction I decided to go with the search.

I was very close to getting a Kershaw Launch 2.  All my friends carry Kershaw, it had good reviews on Amazon, and was a great looking pocket knife.

Kershaw Launch 2

However, doing my search, I ran into HK branded knives, and while I had seen them before, it had totally escaped me that they existed....... but my go-to firearm happens to be Heckler & Koch USP!

HK Entourage, made also by Benchmade doesn't feel as nice as the Griptilian, especially the grip.  Really chalky texture to it I'm not too fond of.  I also wasn't all that impressed with it's opening/closing.  With practice, you are just so much faster opening the blade with the manual/conventional opening Griptilian than this automatic Entourage.  I was also able to flick the knife closed with just one hand, where I need two hands to close the Entourage.

I will say though, it is quite beautiful next to the HK USP.

My very first firearm purchase:  Remington 597

Remington 597

597 is a .22 rifle.  Officially, the caliber is called .22 Long Rifle, or just .22LR for short.  It's a rimfire.  I don't now if it's right, but I consider it the more approachable & casual of firearms for beginners.  Don't get me wrong; .I'm not at all trying to suggest that .22 should be for beginners, or take anything away from the firearms safety.  I just think .22 is easier in the way that it is less powerful.  Yes, still deadly, but not as deadly as say a hunting round, has less recoil & guns tend to be lighter for easier handling, stuff like that.

Unfortunately for moi, this thing was a jam machine.  Faulty magazine that Remington shipped this rifle with, it scarred me for life.  I was lucky to have been able to fire three shots in a row with it, before it jammed.  After this rifle, if a gun had question mark on its reliability, I would not touch it.  

597 with magazine removed.

Few years later, I finally bought few replacement magazines, like the banana style magazine in the first photo.  With these new mags, rifle was as reliable as any Ruger 10/22(most popular rimfire rifle).  Still, I wish the same friend who introduced me into shooting pushed me towards the 10/22.  He & another friend went with me when I bought the Remington, but I just liked how slick the rifle looked, and I trusted the Remington name.  This mistake ruined lot of fun I could've had going out to shoot with my friends.  For those of you looking to purchase your first firearm, go with reputable model, not the brand name.  :(

Introductory Post

There are lot of hobbies & interests.  Everybody likes films & music.  They are in there pretty much by default.  For guys, I think things like cars, sports, video games are automatic 'interests' as well.  I like all those things, but like with most people, these interests never reach the level to become an actual "hobby".  I watch lot of movies, but face it, that's watching TV, not a hobby.  lol

I do have couple of things I consider proper hobbies, and they are both sort of unusual.  One is Hot Wheels.  Surprisingly, I got hooked when I started buying these little cars for my nephew.  Hot Wheels is actually the reason why I started blogging.  My other hobby is guns.  I LOVE guns.  For the record, I'm not an American, and definitely not religious, but really, god bless America!  :D