quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by Genorogers:

quote:

Originally posted by dgshooter:
If you retrieved your brass, you can tell if one of them was a squib.

How would you tell ?

Take a look at the primers

What wears out first...your eyeballs or patience ?
I thought a squib was due to an improper powder charge. If a bullet left the brass then the primer did its intended job. Just trying to understand.

When a cartridge ignites in its chamber, the pressure which forces the bullet down the barrel also pushes in all directions inside the case and flows into the flash hole and pushes back against the primer seated in the primer pocket, which then pushes against the breechface. This will leave subtle marks on the face of the expended primer, which will differ from the primer of a squib load, because of the much lower pressure of the squib.

I had a bad thing happen, years ago, with one of the original LCPs, sent it in and they sent it back like new.

Was probably an issue with a factory squib load like mine .... I'd send it to Ruger ... bet they'll make it like new and send it back no questions asked.

That sure looks like mine did, maybe a little worse honestly. I don't remember my rails being pooched-out and splayed quite that far apart but, it's been awhile and I'm getting older in the nugget.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
When a cartridge ignites in its chamber, the pressure which forces the bullet down the barrel also pushes in all directions inside the case and flows into the flash hole and pushes back against the primer seated in the primer pocket, which then pushes against the breechface. This will leave subtle marks on the face of the expended primer, which will differ from the primer of a squib load, because of the much lower pressure of the squib.

Makes sense and haven't heard it explained this way. Thanks Para.

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Originally posted by benny6:

You figured this was going to be a 'Keltec is garbage!' thread didn't you?

That last line is pretty funny and especially ironic considering how Ruger essentially copied the Kel-Tec P3AT part by part to create the LCP which a lot of people perceive to be the “superior” pistol even though it’s literally the same gun with different polymer and maybe a little bit better fit & finish.

Dayumn!! Glad he's OK.

Looks like Bugs Bunny stuck his finger in Elmer Fudd's barrel is right!

I'm not sure if I've ever seen such a dramatically perfect KB.

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Originally posted by PASig:

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Originally posted by benny6:

You figured this was going to be a 'Keltec is garbage!' thread didn't you?

That last line is pretty funny and especially ironic considering how Ruger essentially copied the Kel-Tec P3AT part by part to create the LCP which a lot of people perceive to be the “superior” pistol even though it’s literally the same gun with different polymer and maybe a little bit better fit & finish.

I've had both, no doubt the P-3AT isn't a polished firearm, works great, the Ruger has a better fit and finish no doubt, giving the impression that it's a higher end firearm than the Kel-Tec, wouldn't hesitate to carry either.

Have the LCP Max 380, more rounds in a super compact size.

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So this is bad ammo compounded by a bad strategy - not the LCP's fault.

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Ruger LCP .380 KABOOM

Perhaps a more accurate thread title might be "Crappy Ammo Kaboom"

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Originally posted by joel9507:

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So this is bad ammo compounded by a bad strategy - not the LCP's fault.

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Ruger LCP .380 KABOOM

Perhaps a more accurate thread title might be "Crappy Ammo Kaboom"

Isn’t that the root cause of all KA-BOOM’s?

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Originally posted by benny6:
Isn’t that the root cause of all KA-BOOM’s?

An out-of-battery discharge that may be the fault of the gun can also have spectacular results.

Hard to see how to have an out of battery discharge with a centered firing pin strike in a Browning-ish tilt lock gun.

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Originally posted by pedropcola:
That looks horrendous. I love his comment about expecting it to be about a Keltec blowing up. Lol I am kind of amazed that these tales rarely do much damage to the shooter. Rifle kabooms take fingers, pistol kabooms see to scare the crap out of you. Either way I’m not a fan.

The pressures are so much lower in pistols.

I have this question: Can a squib cycle the action? I'm not sure it can, but I don't really know. I'd be more suspicious of an overcharge of powder.

He's contacted Academy (The US distributor for Monarch ammo) and they handed him over to a 3rd party company that deals with incidents like this. He also contacted Ruger and he'll see what happens with them.

Tony.

I do NOT think this was a Squib. Fact is the 380 is a pretty low power ammunition and gun barrels are made using the strongest steels available. In the case of a 380 I expect that shooting into a squib will produce one of two results. One is two bullets stuck in the barrel. Two is one bullet pushed clear of the barrel and the second bullet lodged in the barrel. BTW, remember that when the M9 was in trial one of the requirements was that shooting a full power 9mm into the barrel that was squibed didn't do any damage to the barrel that would not permit it to be restored to service condition by pressing the bullet(s) free of the barrel. Yeah, the Sig passed this test and the Beretta failed because the barrel bulged and the pistol that failed was still adopted, money talks.

IMO this load was double charged with a high density fast burning powder which can produce enough energy to blow a barrel up like this. So the shooter didn't do anything incorrect when he was shooting, what he got wrong was choosing his ammo by price.

I'll also agree with any previous recommendations for reloading. The cost for a somewhat basic single stage press and associated gear will probably be in the price range for a replacement pistol. One the appeals to me for single staging is the degree of control it offers, every single case I charge with powder goes into a 50 count tray so that I can see the powder level in every single case and compare it to all the others.

A couple of things to consider.

The LCP barrels are astonishingly thin. Much more so than any 9mm barrel.

The last cartridge fired resulted in the empty case being captured by the extracted and left attached to the slide. There is no evidence of case deformation, damage or primer flow. There is no evidence of double charge.

If you review the pics of the barrel it is clear that there is a bend in the barrel splinters and guide rod 1-1.5" forward of the chamber.

Seems to me that the most likely cause is a barrel obstruction, not an overcharge.

I'm waiting to see if Ruger has any comment. PPU has stated they have no responsibility as this is an Academy house brand.

I would submit maybe PPU / Monarch is not a great choice in ammo, especially if produced in 2020.

I don’t recall a squib ever cycling the action.

Haven’t had a squib on a micro gun. Suppose it could happen because of ho light the slide is.

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Originally posted by Sgt 127:
I don’t recall a squib ever cycling the action.

I can't imagine it happening.

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Originally posted by 1KPerDay:
That's impressive. Bugs Bunny would be proud of that banana peeled barrel.

ACME makes pistol barrels?

Glad no one was hurt.

quote:

Originally posted by ScottinTexas:
A couple of things to consider.

The LCP barrels are astonishingly thin. Much more so than any 9mm barrel.

The last cartridge fired resulted in the empty case being captured by the extracted and left attached to the slide. There is no evidence of case deformation, damage or primer flow. There is no evidence of double charge.

If you review the pics of the barrel it is clear that there is a bend in the barrel splinters and guide rod 1-1.5" forward of the chamber.

Seems to me that the most likely cause is a barrel obstruction, not an overcharge.

I'm waiting to see if Ruger has any comment. PPU has stated they have no responsibility as this is an Academy house brand.

I would submit maybe PPU / Monarch is not a great choice in ammo, especially if produced in 2020.

I'd say this is an accurate description of what happened.