XD kB! Not as funny when it happens to you :(

[TylerSpilker]

Two weeks ago I bought a new Springfield Armory XD .45 ACP compact. I love this gun, it has been the most accurate, cleanly firing gun that I own. I hadn't had a jamming, or fail to fire problem with it yet. That was until tonight:

Well, my stepdad and I got into reloading recently, and until we got our Dillon Square Deal we had been using a RCBS single stage press. I think the issue is that we had some of the old single-stage ammo left. I brought a box of it to the range today. I fired three rounds nicely into the target, and on the fourth, BOOM!!!

My hand was bloodied, the mag fell to the ground. However, the mag is perfectly fine.




I set the gun down, made sure I still had all of my parts (I did), then swore loudly since my frame had a large crack on it.



And the other side bulged out:


Here are some overall images:



As you can see, the case was so pressurized, it actually flattened the case marking off of the back of the .45 round:


Here is where I tell you, I still love this gun to pieces (no pun intended) After I got the barrel out, I noticed something:

The barrel and slide are perfectly fine.



After removing the damaged casing, there is no visible damage to the barrel at all, the most surprising of all was the state of the case:





All of the pressure was directed out of the ONLY weak point in this barrel.

My hand (and pride) is a little hurt because of this, however, this could have been much worse. I am very thankful that I bought this gun over a Glock 30 due to the shape the barrel was in, and the fact that I still have my hand.

I will be calling Springfield on Monday and will see how I can be taken care of regarding this. I am assuming since it was a reload, and obviously our fault, that I will be stuck paying the bill, however, the extent of the damage is actually fairly minimal, and I would not be surprised if they just had to charge me with molding a new frame on my serial.

Anyone else have some suggestions? (I might also send them the rest of that batch of ammo... just in case)

-Tyler

[The Knight Of Light]

Hmmmm...

What components were you using?

[TylerSpilker]

Originally Posted by The Knight Of Light

Hmmmm...

What components were you using?

230 grain copper plated bullets with base standard (not hot) loads of red dot

[Krackels]

One of the reasons why I'm extremely cautious with reloads.

As always with reloads: when in doubt pull the bullet, dump the powder and start over.

I'm glad you're alright though.

[The Knight Of Light]

Originally Posted by TylerSpilker

230 grain copper plated bullets with base standard (not hot) loads of red dot

Base Standard? 5 grains or less?

[Jcobb]

I blew up an Xd 45 TACT this past June on a squib load before I got into reloading.

Springfield replaced the barrell, the disassembly lever, the recoil spring, and the recoil spring guide rod. Parts, installation and shipping back came to $208. I cant find my invoice (previous information was from packing list) but if memory serves me right, the frame was $60, and the barrell was $99. Turn around was 2 weeks.

I thought it was great deal.

[TylerSpilker]

Originally Posted by The Knight Of Light

Base Standard? 5 grains or less?

5 grains, wasn't sure what the policy was on posting load data :P

[TylerSpilker]

Originally Posted by Jcobb

I blew up an Xd 45 TACT this past June on a squib load before I got into reloading.

Springfield replaced the barrell, the disassembly lever, the recoil spring, and the recoil spring guide rod. Parts, installation and shipping back came to $208. I cant find my invoice (previous information was from packing list) but if memory serves me right, the frame was $60, and the barrell was $99. Turn around was 2 weeks.

I thought it was great deal.

Well, that sounds good.

I had a squib on my gun last week, but i didn't fire another round through it. I don't think my gun has damage to that extent, but it makes me feel good that it only cost you 208. How was the customer service otherwise?

[Jcobb]

Customer service was excellent! When I told them I had blown one up the first thing they asked was if I was injured, which I wasnt. I explained the situation to them, ( I was shooting factory reloads) and explained that I didnt know who was at fault, them, me, or the ammo company but that the main thing I wanted was to know what happened. ( I didnt realize at the time I had had a squib and cleared the failure subconsciously). The service tech called me back several times throughout the process keeping me informed as to what he had found and what they were doing, and what my options were. ( I was trying to determine if the ammo manufacturer was to blame). To be honest, I was really ready to use it as a fish weight before I found out how reasonable it was to replace the needed parts. Other than my slide, I got a new gun for a little over $200.

[beakersloco]

Glad to hear that you are okay and that it was only a little kaboom as opposed to a big KABOOM!