Glock Kaboom Or Why 550 Owners Should

[scooterj]

George took the words right out of my mouth, but he put them in the right order.

[EricW]

I'm a very careful driver. I still buy insurance. A 650 or a 1050 is in my future for that very reason. Think less of me if you want. I'll be the one worrying less.

[TDean]

Tom,

what did the gun look like?  Unless it was damaged extensively --- I'd consider it a case rupture due to either non-support/slightly out of battery or bullet setback.......

The double charge above --- split the barrel, peeled up the top of the slide, cracked the frame on the left around one of the pinholes and probably did in some of the internals...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mag blew out, base pad blown off, cracked frame around the mag catch, trigger blown away (just metal tang hanging out). The frame still works despite the crack and tha slide and barrel are fine.

[Nik Habicht]

When I started this thread I wasn't trying to insinute that the 550 is anything other than a fine reloading press. Of course if there's a double charge on any press it's the operator's fault --- not the press'. There are however, a ton of people reading this board. I'd guess that a fair number of them are 550 owners --- and that they likely run the gamut from total newbie to very experienced. All I really wanted to point out --- to anyone, loading on any press, though perhaps a tiny bit more for anyone loading on a non-auto indexing press ---- is to be careful and to avoid --- as Tightloop so eloquently put it --- speed loading.

It's possible to lose a gun --- and it's possible to get someone hurt. My apologies if I've offended any 550 owners....

[Vlad]

My apologies if I've offended any 550 owners....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm an offended and I will never forgive you!!!

On a serious note, Nik's most excelent pictures dont even show the whole destruction. The frame was cracked on the underside around the triger hole, and the parts of chamber not visible are further split into 2 or 3 other petals. I am amazed that no one was seriously hurt, though the stage design might have helped there. The gun blew up at his last shot on the stage. Well of course it was his last shot on stage as he wasnt gonna shoot that again, but what I mean is that it was also he last planned shot for the stage. That stage ended with 3 steel poppers shot through a platic barrel. It may be that the gun blew up while in the barrel and the plastic contained or deflected bits which might have injured others.

On the issue of the 550, I think you have to be particularly distracted to get a double charge. I don't watch TV, eat, pet the cat, or ponder the meaning of life while reloading. If you established a correct procedure it is hard to screw up. The only time you can foul up is when you stop to refill the primer tube and even then a bit of care goes along way.

That being said, I'm glad a shot a CZ75. I dont want to ever have a double charge but If I do, I want huge hunks of steel around my chamber and a slide running under the frame.

[D.Hayden]

Nik... excellent thread.. Thanks for posting those pictures

I have 2 550's - it's an excellent reminder to slow down. I know there's times where I want to go fast... this isn't one of them.

[George]

I think Brian pointed it out in another thread (too lazy to search it up right now) and it deserves repeating. The 550, when approached with a systematic methodology is an extremely idiot proof setup, it just requires consistency and attention on the part of the operator.

You can double charge on any press if you choose a powder and charge volume that is under 2/3 of a case. The best insurance besides eyeballing all the charges before capping them is not using a combo that will allow this to happen unobserved. I figured this out in my first six months of using a progressive press.

There is no reason a powder choice that prevents double charging by overflowing a case can't be found for any desired caliber/velocity/bullet weight. I won't accept a powder choice that has me putting under 1/2 to 2/3 of a case in anything I load. Even the poof niner loads I used to use in my Glock used over a half case of powder and doubling a charge could not be missed.

Agreed that safety is created in the biological input module, not in the gear and nothing mechanical replaces paying attention to critical processes. This speaks closely to EricW's thread about putting pride and quality into whatever you do.

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Regards,