08-24-2013, 01:45 PM
Guys:
I have had two slam fires with 5.56 AR-15's and one with an M-14. Slam fires occur with the bolt locked so it won't damage the rifle. Slam fires can be caused by not seating primers deeply enough, using primers that are too soft, and or mechanical issues with the firing pins for an M-14 and firing pins and bolt face wear with AR's. They will not destroy a rifle but can be very dangerous because the thing goes off when the bolt locks and not when you want it to go off.
Out of battery firings will damage the rifle but it won't do what is seen in those pictures. I have had one out of battery firing and it was with a Grendel. Luckily for me, I was doing off hand practice so was single loading it and I control the muzzle when loading so it went off and the bullet went down range, the floor plate of the magazine blew out, the bolt got destroyed and the bolt and carrier jammed in the receiver. I experienced no physical injury. I had people I trust look at the rifle and question me about my loading techniques, primers, etc and we do not know why it had an out of battery firing.
What you guys see in those pictures is due to a handloader thinking he can get away with an extra couple of grains over a max load with a bullet that is too heavy. You won't shear off and fragment stocks with a out of battery firing or a slam fire. You will destroy the rifle when your loading techniques create a situation where the bullet becomes a bore obstruction as in the picture of the camouflaged M-14 in the gun case. Note in that picture the split barrel? The bullet became a bore obstruction.
It is not uncommon for competitive shooters to hot load, overload, and otherwise do things that are risky in order to make an extra point or score an extra X. Overload enough and just like any other mechanical piece of equipment, the frame will fail. My bet is that the guys who blew up their rifles in those pictures were grossly overcharging or even mistakenly used the wrong powder. Unfortunately, the most likely situation was they deliberately overcharged, thinking it would give them a winning edge.
LR1955
I have had two slam fires with 5.56 AR-15's and one with an M-14. Slam fires occur with the bolt locked so it won't damage the rifle. Slam fires can be caused by not seating primers deeply enough, using primers that are too soft, and or mechanical issues with the firing pins for an M-14 and firing pins and bolt face wear with AR's. They will not destroy a rifle but can be very dangerous because the thing goes off when the bolt locks and not when you want it to go off.
Out of battery firings will damage the rifle but it won't do what is seen in those pictures. I have had one out of battery firing and it was with a Grendel. Luckily for me, I was doing off hand practice so was single loading it and I control the muzzle when loading so it went off and the bullet went down range, the floor plate of the magazine blew out, the bolt got destroyed and the bolt and carrier jammed in the receiver. I experienced no physical injury. I had people I trust look at the rifle and question me about my loading techniques, primers, etc and we do not know why it had an out of battery firing.
What you guys see in those pictures is due to a handloader thinking he can get away with an extra couple of grains over a max load with a bullet that is too heavy. You won't shear off and fragment stocks with a out of battery firing or a slam fire. You will destroy the rifle when your loading techniques create a situation where the bullet becomes a bore obstruction as in the picture of the camouflaged M-14 in the gun case. Note in that picture the split barrel? The bullet became a bore obstruction.
It is not uncommon for competitive shooters to hot load, overload, and otherwise do things that are risky in order to make an extra point or score an extra X. Overload enough and just like any other mechanical piece of equipment, the frame will fail. My bet is that the guys who blew up their rifles in those pictures were grossly overcharging or even mistakenly used the wrong powder. Unfortunately, the most likely situation was they deliberately overcharged, thinking it would give them a winning edge.
LR1955