safety

KaBoom across the board

What happens when you have a digital camera, a quick media distribution system and an ego and you mix them with scarce knowledge, a reloading press and a gun? Instant KaBoom Newswire.
You all read the horror stories: Gun X barrels do not support the case fully and they will explode crating a miniature atomic detonation that will wipe out any living creature in a  mile radius.  Gun Y is a POS import made with recycled tuna cans that will break apart if you use plus P ammo. The machining of Gun Z is so poor, the gun will fire out of battery taking out your fingers and your 401K.

Guns are product made by humans so there will be a number of factory created failures, but most gun catastrophic demises are operator error. It is hard for the ego to blame ourselves for a mistake that leaves us counting only till nine, but the fastest we acknowledge we screwed up and share that information, the fastest shooters that did not know will avoid making the same mistake.

By far, the number one cause of KaBooms seem to be careless handloading of the ammunition used with the gun. Handloading is easy and gives you an inexpensive ammo alternative for your shooting pleasure. Unfortunately people confuse easy with not giving a two turds about safety and that is when double charges, wrong powder loads or squibs are created with the consequences paid at the range.

"I only shoot steel guns. I will never trust any plastic gun"
"I shoot .22s. I don't have any problems."

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"That only happens when you buy cheap guns."

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"I have the gun that the SEALS/Green Berets/Menudo uses. They are bulletproof!"

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New guns like the XD have corrected the Glock KaBooms.
"New guns like the XD have corrected the Glock KaBooms."

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"That stuff does not happen with revolvers. They are too strong."
"That does not happen with revolvers. They are too strong."

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It should go without saying that Eye Protection is a must to avoid permanent visual reduction if anything like above should happen.

Painful KaBoom!

If you reload, PLEASE stay within the published loads of any decent reloading manual. The following pics are from a Smith & Wesson 629 which was subjected to creative reloading by its owner. According to the email that I got with the pics, the owner got a good whack on the forehead but nothing more.

That is a painful thing to look at. Please be careful.