Weapons and Gear => General Firearms Discussion => Topic started by: StevenTing on December 30, 2016, 01:49:08 pm
Title: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: StevenTing on December 30, 2016, 01:49:08 pm
Happened yesterday to a guy's sister yesterday on the 39th round. The 38th round hit the target and was a little low so it was not a squib load. lots of speculation that it's bad ammo or weak barrel.
The ammo used is shown in the picture below. Luckily she only had some bruising and a few cuts on her hand. Could have been much worse. Many are speculating double charge or possibly wrong bullet.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: MTK20 on December 30, 2016, 01:54:28 pm
:o
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Kaso on December 30, 2016, 02:26:58 pm
Oh wow. I wonder, was she shooting right or left handed? Based on the fractures in the plastic, I would want to be shooting southpaw when it came apart.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: mqondo on December 30, 2016, 02:48:17 pm
Ouch. Glad she's okay.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: StevenTing on December 30, 2016, 02:51:24 pm
Pics of her hand.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: katmandoo on December 30, 2016, 04:37:02 pm
DEEEEEEEAAAAAAAMMMMMNN! that thing really unraveled, glad she is ok, very lucky from the looks of it.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Kaso on December 30, 2016, 04:52:39 pm
Very lucky.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Roper1911 on December 30, 2016, 07:51:26 pm
out of battery?
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: cpaspr on December 31, 2016, 01:40:01 am
Just speculation, but if the previous round hit low on the target, might it have only been part of the bullet, and the rest stayed in the barrel? That could result in a kaboom like that. If the 38th round had hit higher, then maybe not, but the two things one after the other makes me think they're related.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Gundoc on December 31, 2016, 10:11:06 am
Just speculation, but if the previous round hit low on the target, might it have only been part of the bullet, and the rest stayed in the barrel? That could result in a kaboom like that. If the 38th round had hit higher, then maybe not, but the two things one after the other makes me think they're related.
I've seen that before. The lead core leaves the barrel leaving a copper sleeve inside the barrel. Next round....BOOM.
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Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: MTK20 on December 31, 2016, 10:13:58 am
That's either horrible quality control or a very unique fluke.
That's crap ammo.
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Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: GeorgeHill on December 31, 2016, 10:49:59 am
99% of the time it's Ammo. Especially if there was no barrel obstruction, it's most likely ammo. If this was a High Point or something cheap, then maybe barrel. But I find it highly unlikely that this was a bad barrel considering how S&W makes them. Possible... sure... anything is possible. But very unlikely that's the case. Now, looking at that ammo. I've never even heard of that stuff before. Where is that stuff made? How was it stored? Pulling out Occam's Razor, I think it's going to cut the deepest on the ammo.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Kaso on December 31, 2016, 11:26:24 am
Quick google searching yesterday (because I had never heard of it either) indicated manufacture in the Slovak Republic.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Gundoc on December 31, 2016, 12:27:51 pm
By that you mean...? Do the Slovaks have a reputation for poor ammo? Or do you mistrust all Eastern European munitions?
I'm careful with "unknown ammo" in general.
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Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Kaso on December 31, 2016, 05:08:09 pm
That's understandable. Being careful, and being 'not surprised' at failure, just strike me as two different things.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Chief45 on December 31, 2016, 07:47:57 pm
Lots of stories around about ammo made in former Soviet bloc countries, on equipment built during WWII or the cold war. The Soviet regimes not being noted for quality control.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Gundoc on December 31, 2016, 08:05:48 pm
That's understandable. Being careful, and being 'not surprised' at failure, just strike me as two different things.
It simply doesn't surprise me that there was issues with unvetted ammo. I've seen this very thing from a local father/son ammo startup. They used crap bullets and the dirtiest powder I've ever seen and a local gun club refuse to drop them after multiple issues including 2 guns blowing up. One was brand new from the box. First time shooting it the girl gets a cracked/jammed barrel from a bullet leaving the jacket behind and the next round...boom. yeah, be careful of the former com-block ammo you get for really cheap. When it blows your gun up....not trying to rustle any feathers but...won't surprise me.
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Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Kaso on January 01, 2017, 02:11:56 am
be careful of the former com-block ammo you get for really cheap. When it blows your gun up....not trying to rustle any feathers but...won't surprise me.
This does make sense, and it is unfortunate. I prefer to buy ammo made in either Europe or the US. Outside of MEN in Germany, Fiocchi in Italy, and whatever comes out of Switzerland, pretty much all European ammunition is going to come out of the former Communist Bloc. Seller & Bellot, Privi Partizan, and GGG in Lithuania, not to mention various factories in Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Romania, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and now Slovakia. (Not to mention Russia or Turkey, but I consider those to be Asian countries with a small part that happens to be in Europe.)
Eastern European ammunition is simply everywhere, where that from traditionally 'Western' nations is not.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: Gundoc on January 01, 2017, 07:19:44 am
This does make sense, and it is unfortunate. I prefer to buy ammo made in either Europe or the US. Outside of MEN in Germany, Fiocchi in Italy, and whatever comes out of Switzerland, pretty much all European ammunition is going to come out of the former Communist Bloc. Seller & Bellot, Privi Partizan, and GGG in Lithuania, not to mention various factories in Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Romania, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and now Slovakia. (Not to mention Russia or Turkey, but I consider those to be Asian countries with a small part that happens to be in Europe.)
Eastern European ammunition is simply everywhere, where that from traditionally 'Western' nations is not.
Brands like Seller & Babott have a know reputation though. It's the unheard of names to watch out for.
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Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: coelacanth on January 01, 2017, 12:59:24 pm
Agreed. I have been using Sellier & Bellot, Fiochi and Prvi Partisan ammo for many years without a single incident like the one in the OP. I have occasionally run across a bad primer or one that requires a second strike but those brands have been remarkably consistent with regard to their quality control in my experience.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: mattitude on January 01, 2017, 01:29:43 pm
It seems that the more one shoots the chance of a kaboom happening to them is greater and more often than not it will be an ammo issue. Even reputable ammo manufacturers can have an "oops" because of the high volume they operate under...especially recently with catching up to demand. I've had a kaboom myself and was with factory ammunition. I typically like to use my own reloaded rounds as I know what I put into it and bear that responsibility, but in my case I shot factory ammo to comply with the warranty but in the end I was told that because it was the ammo and not a manufacturing defect that I'm on the hook for the repairs and MY responsibility to recoup the loss from the ammo manufacturer...which is no longer in business so I was screwed either way. It sucks but if you shoot a lot then the risk runs higher. I can almost relate it to motorcycle riding...it's not a matter of if you will lay it down but when you will lay it down.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: sohmdaddy on February 12, 2017, 06:42:55 am
American Eagle, CCI, Speer, PMC, Fiochi, Winchester, all cheaper than a new gun and an ER visit.
Glad that everyone is ok.
Title: Re: S&W Shield Kaboom
Post by: socalboy on April 07, 2017, 12:20:59 am