Blew up new Ruger 45Colt/45ACP

Is there a chance he might have had his set on grams?
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I have a 10-10 Ohaus scale, it came with two beams, one for grains the other for grams. That feature protects the reloader from the reloader.

F. Guffey

When it comes to reloading there is no substitute for discipline, there is nothing more dangerous than arrogance. And I am not the fan of reloaders getting into reloading at a dead run. And I am the fan of 'finished', a reloader that can finish the reloading session by verifying.

F. Guffey
 
Yes, I use an RCBS 5-0-5 scale. I have to assume I set the scale wrong. I used my check weights to verify the scale accuracy. It's good. To help prevent this from happening again I plan on setting the RCBS scale as needed, throw a charge then use the Hornady pocket scale to double check the right amount was thrown.
 
There are in fact other things that can cause a gun to blow up other than a double charge.
I would bet that most are caused by a double charge.

Double charge is also the easy scape goat.

But it is also likely to blow up a gun with a under charge in a big case.
Instead of burning in a controlled fashion. The whole charge can go off at once causing a sever pressure spike.

Just some thing else to keep an eye on.
 
There are in fact other things that can cause a gun to blow up other than a double charge.
I would bet that most are caused by a double charge.

Double charge is also the easy scape goat.

But it is also likely to blow up a gun with a under charge in a big case.
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I agree with the above, as for the under charge it's called detonation.
Elmer Keith wrote about it from his and a barber friends experience loading light (almost squib loads) in a 45 Colt.

I know a shooter that experienced it in a S&W 686, this shooter happened to be loading Unique too.
It shattered the top half of the cylinder like the OPs plus it folded the top strap of the frame forward

He's a serious competition shooter with many years and many rounds of loading experience.
He was loading full load 357s, the case would not hold a double charge plus he was loading on a Dillion 650 progressive press, so a double charge was highly unlikely if not impossible.

He figured the powder bridged in the powder measure, dropped a small partial charge making it a light charge and that's what caused the detonation problem.
 
Glad you weren't hurt.

I'm not claiming any expertise and have no training, but that pic of the recovered case looks like it was very much overpressure. I've never seen a popped case where the base looks as if the sides were almost torn away. If you ever get the third round out of the cylinder it would be handy to know if it was Unique.
 
I'm not claiming any expertise and have no training, but that pic of the recovered case looks like it was very much overpressure. I've never seen a popped case where the base looks as if the sides were almost torn away. If you ever get the third round out of the cylinder it would be handy to know if it was Unique.
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That is what was left of a 44 mag case that had a double charge of blu-dot in it. And what it did to my cherished super blackhawk.

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300 grain lee boolit 11.3 G blu-dot became 22.3 grains. No, I was not hurt, minor powder burn on cheek, minor scratch on my plastic lens glasses.
 
But that damage was not caused by 10.9 gr. of Unique.
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Sorry for the OPs guns but this about the only thing that has been said that I can concretely agree with. Every other theory as to what did happen is wild guess from strangers who don't know the OP, and are unfamiliar with his setup, storage and methods.
 
I read most of the posts. I always do when something bad happens. I don't want to repeat the action. Years back i used to leave a couple cans of powder on my bench at a time. One night I poured a dish of powder back in the wrong can. I realized it when I was putting the lid on the can. It was almost a full can but I trashed it. I never had more than one can on the bench again when loading. Stuff happens when you get too comfortable working with dangerous things. I bet I am not the only guy on this thread that has sawed the cord off a power tool.
 
I don't understand why one round of a 250 grain bullet going 973 fps would blow the cylinder. The pressures should not be that high. Unless, this is a example of metal fatigue.
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Think of it this way. If all that pressure escapes in all directions when the chamber comes apart, but there is a still enough of it directed through the barrel to move it at 973 fps, imagine how fast that bullet would be traveling if the chamber had stayed together and directed 100% of it through the barrel like its supposed to.
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If the OP had not put in the bullet velocity, I would be in the camp that this was a propellant overcharge. I would say 90 + % percent of blowups is due to an overcharge of powder, but here, the velocity is low.

If the pressure was sufficient to blow the cylinder, that same pressure is available to move the bullet. We know pressures were high enough to blow the cylinder, but were they overpressure? I don't know. Assumptions that a burst cylinder will reduce bullet velocity is just as untested as my assumption that it won't. Pressure drop in revolvers is quick as pressure vents out in the cylinder gap, I have seen Speer data on this. I doubt there are many blowup tests where the velocity of the bullet was measured at the time of blowup.

What we don't know is how many over pressure rounds were fired through this gun before the cylinder ruptured. Since the OP has not replied, I don't know how many rounds have been fired through this revolver and whether they were overpressure or not. But, given enough overpressure rounds, cylinders will fail through metal fatigue and they will rupture right through that cylinder notch. The cylinder notch is the weak point in cylinders.
 
Detonation of a "Small volume charge in a Large volume case" has been tested by the powder manufacturers and its BS. The small charge may cause a squibb. Then the gun blows then a subsequent round is fired into the stuck bullet caused by the squibb.

The OP had a double charge to blow the gun up like that.

Call Ruger they may give you a deal on a replacement gun.
 
Assumptions that a burst cylinder will reduce bullet velocity is just as untested as my assumption that it won't.
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Hardly an untested theory. Many tests have been done concerning the dangers (or lack thereof) of live ammo in a fire. You don't understand the concept that the force must be directed an contained behind the bullet in order to propel it? All of the pressure that is vented out before your bullet leaves the barrel is lost energy that is not propelling your bullet. Had the pressure stayed behind the bullet vented with the bullet exiting the barrel, the cylinder would not have given way.
 
Blew up my new Ruger

Overcharges are one thing I fear.
I've made a few but so consequencies.
I have used a single stage RCBS Rock Chucker, about 50 years old.
I have small maple dowel for most cases to check if the tray of 100 charged cases has any overcharges.
The new Dillon comes with a powder checker. It still isn't set up yet.
Consistency is the thing.
Do every charge the same way including a little bump of the handle of the powder measure.
I start to get diverted or a little tired I knock off for a while.
I've encountered mixed bullets, loading .44 magnum.
A 300 grain bullet for an intended 180 grain or 240 grain bullet makes a real impression when you fire it.
I've got a box of 240 grain loads I know are way over charged, sitting there, for over twenty years I need to pull down or throw a way.
Crimp is so heavy on the lead bullets I'll probably just toss them. A waste of a lot of money.
 
MarkJD said:
I assumed before I shot this time the barrel was clear. Last it was used the number of shots and holes in the target matched.
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Was it fired just before the blowup? Or was that the last time you were at the range?

I wouldn't rule out an obstructed barrel just yet. Depending on what you are loading it's possible to have a jacket stuck in the bore and the holes in the target will still match the number of shots. If you cleaned the gun a patch may have been left in.
 
The scale counter weight in the notches has me thinking too. It's possible the 10s counter weight wasn't fully in the notch but hanging on the edge giving a couple more grains?
That is one reason when I set up a new load I always dump 10 charges into the pan then measure the weight and divide by 10.
 
This is why i select powders that give 85% or greater case fill. No way to double charge without powder spilling out all over the place. Glad you are all right but in the future I suggest you use powders that provide much greater case fill.
 
I only have 3 words: This is Terrible!!! But once again by posting this it would make us all much more cautious with our reloading.
 
I will never know what really happened to cause the damage. I just know I will try to do everything I can to prevent this from happening again.

From reading this forum and others I'm inclined to to think I threw enough overcharge of powder that resulted in not a double charge but just enough for a compressed charge. Which I neglected to notice the too full case. Reading the various forums there is some mention of Unique powder escalating in pressure in a high volume case and being even slightly compressed. Evidently works in 9mm ok but not so much in 45 colt. I'm considering finding a slower burning powder if I try any more Ruger Only loads. Maybe one that will also be good for 357mag and possibly for 45ACP. But no rush to try again.

To answer some questions posted here... The number of these Ruger Only loads I shot through the gun was 13 rounds over a 3 week period. Number 13 was not so good. The first 6 were 10.3gr of Unique, second 6 were 10.6gr Unique and last 3 were suppose to be 10.9gr Unique. The loads I shot just prior to number 13 that fateful day were standard lower pressure 45 colt loads with lead bullets so no chance of plating tearing off and lodging in barrel.

It really was Unique powder I used. The 2nd bullet that was ejected with the blown cylinder I was able to get a powder sample.

The gun is only a few months old and had only about 250 rounds fired though it. I don't generally clean the guns after every time I'm out shooting unless I've had some reloads that were exceptionally smoky and dirty. Once I get 50 rounds or so through them is when they generally cleaned. I also shoot and reload 9mm and 38/357.

Now my reloading bench is a bit cramped. I have a 24" x 16" spot on my workbench devoted to reloading. There will be a new bigger one some day soon devoted just for reloading.

I use a loading block and was charging all the cases with powder then checking levels before seating the bullets. A couple months ago I read were a reloader charges a case with powder then immediately seats the bullet before charging the next case as a way to prevent double charges. I started doing this then. I'm so afraid of a double charge as I've caught myself almost doing just that more than a couple times now in the past 2 years.

Whenever I reload I write down all the recipe information for that particular bullet. I then double check I have all the right stuff in front to me and only the stuff I need at the time. Then I double check with the load manuals that what I wrote down is really what I want to do.

One step I am going to change now is when I set the counter weights on my RCBS 5-0-5 scale I am going to throw a charge and immediately use my Hornady pocket electronic scale to double check the weight. I used to just double check the settings but this last time I must have seriously overlook something like the weights not fully seated in the notch or totally wrong setting.

Thanks for everyone's comments. I really appreciate them all!
 
I use a loading block and was charging all the cases with powder then checking levels before seating the bullets. A couple months ago I read were a reloader charges a case with powder then immediately seats the bullet before charging the next case as a way to prevent double charges.
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I'd use the first method and don't seat any bullets until all cases are charged then it's easy holding the tray at a slight angle to see any possible double charges.

Powders slow enough to fill 45 Colt for heavy loads will mostly be too slow for 45 ACP, they'll work fine in 357 though, old favorites are H110/WW296,IMR4227 and Alliant 2400.
 
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