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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Colt explosion in my hands?? Pic Heavy (Page 1 of 3)

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:19:03 PM EDT

Well, I bought a few cases of Wolf Poly 62g and since today was my first day off in awhile, I took it out to my lease to shoot. I loaded a few clips up, starting with 15 poly/15 Remington and then all poly. I have shot both rifles forever with brass only, my first outing with Wolf.

My RRA ran flawlessly as always, hitting clay pigeons out to 150ish yards. I went to the colt (sporter) and fired 15 poly wolf shells without a hiccup. I was surprised to be hitting the clay pigeons that far out with iron sights and cheap ammo. The next shot surprised me. A loud boom,flash, and me in a daze occurred...I then made sure I still had a hand and then noticed parts all over the ground. See pics ahead. Anyway, my upper and lower would not separate, gun was a little scratched, bolt catch broken, and a chunk of something unknown to me fell out. The charging handle wouldn't work and I tried to mortar it with no effect. After taking my buffer tube off, I was able to beat the bolt back into battery to get the lower off, then with a cleaning rod I beat the bolt out of battery.

I was unhappy to see that the "good stuff", Remington, was the problem. Completely separated, ejector ripped the rim apart, and now i have the casing stuck in the barrel. What are my options? Is the ammo the absolute problem or possibly the gun? I have shot over 1,500 rounds of this same batch of ammo out of my RRA with no problems. Odd deal, scary as well. Pics ahead. Im no black rifle aficionado, so no hate please.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:21:59 PM EDT

[#1]

Wow. I'm afraid I have nothing to add to the thread, other than to say "Glad you're OK."

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:24:25 PM EDT

[#2]

OUCH!

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:25:00 PM EDT

[#3]

Looks like part of the bolt catch to me.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:28:34 PM EDT

[#4]

In my experience, Remington isn't the "good stuff".

Pulled bullets reveal an inconsistent charge that varies 2-3 grains.

That being said, I would take all this information and email Remington. Although they will probably say it is the manufacturer. Then when you go to Colt, they will tell you it's the ammo.

Vicious circle.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:31:36 PM EDT

[#5]

Great photos!

If you shot Wolf first, and then the brass case, you probably had buildup in your chamber that contributed to this. It is odd to me that the bolt catch broke. Where did you find it?

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:35:11 PM EDT

[#6]

What is the lot number on the Remington ammo, where and when did you purchase it?

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:37:16 PM EDT

[#7]

Do you think there would be enough buildup in literally 15 wolf shells to make a case stick? seems doubtful

And the problem is, I bought the Remington from my neighbor. He took all of it from its boxes and put it in 50cal cans in a dehumidified safe. I have no idea when the stuff was made and cant tell lot numbers, etc. Think they would still deal w me? And btw, I consider Remington the "good stuff" when comparing to wolf and tula, etc. Its MY good stuff haha.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:42:34 PM EDT

[#8]

Not too bad of a KB. Obviosly you need to replace your bolt catch, extractor & magazine. Check the tip of the firing pin to see if its cratered. Check the mag catch for cracks, they often fail in such minor KBs. Inspect the bolt lugs and get that casing out with a broken shell extractor.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:43:05 PM EDT

[#9]

your gun looks dry and rusty...?

the case head definitely failed and separated.

kind of difficult to determine the exact cause is/was there any obstruction in the bore?

glad your ok

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:45:36 PM EDT

[#10]

15 rounds of Wolf won't make a bit of difference. Glad you're all right. Nice pics, too.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:47:25 PM EDT

[#11]

Problem is you were using clips instead of mags. Happens all the time when you do that. BTW was the REM 223 or 556??

Inquiring mind with a couple 1000 Rem 223's on board want to know.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:49:10 PM EDT

[#12]

I'll just add that REM UMC is shit .223 ammo. I bought 1,750 rounds of in and had several instances of the projectile getting set back in the case due to a weak crimp.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:49:52 PM EDT

[#13]

Remington, Lake City, Tula, and sadly Hornady are some of the brands I will never trust again.

Yeah, I may spend more on ammo, but I have less chance of some fuck stick company not giving a shit if they're sending out soft primers or excessive powder loads. I'd rather spend an extra $100 a year than $1600 to replace my rifle.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:51:02 PM EDT

[#14]

glad you are ok.

I knew the U.S. made brass stuff was dangerous, I'll stick to combloc 5.56

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:52:42 PM EDT

[#15]

Friend of mine had a simular KB with IMI bulk ammo he got from CAI. Looked like rejects swept up off the floor.

Got his rifle up and running with a new extractor, new magazine catch and a new magaine.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:54:48 PM EDT

[#16]

There is a case extractor on the market. I bought one from CDNN years ago, but do not have it any more. It is meant for this sort of problem. You will have to use a new bolt.extractor to get it out,if it will. Might have to go to a gunsmith if it doesn't work.

Posted: 5/24/2012 1:58:09 PM EDT

[#17]

Was your left hand on the magazine or on the handguard?

Posted: 5/24/2012 2:25:19 PM EDT

[#18]

I'm glad your ok, just my 2 cents. I'd say either a hot load or the gun fired out of battery. someone else mentioned that the gun looks dry and it really does!
as far as wolf ammo go 15 rds is nothing to worry about. hell I've run over 3k+ wolf 223 with no problems what so ever. but to be sure look at the spent wolf cases. if there blacken or carboned on the case body then you could scream foul!
as for trying to get money outta of anyone for the gun fix. don't even waste your time trying if the guns are not out of the box new. thats the only way it will happen if it was to happen.
get a broken shell extractor, squirt a good amount of break free into the chamber and let it sit for a day then try to extract the case.

Posted: 5/24/2012 2:30:39 PM EDT

[#19]

I actually had just sprayed a crap ton of G96 (my favorite gun "treatment") in both rifles, I think the blowback caused it to look like that. Not a hint of rust on the gun, practically immaculate other than all my new scratches. Also no obstruction (would probably have caused other problems anyway)

I figured Remington was fairly good stuff. I know its not the best, but middle of the road. Im now kinda scared to fire any more of the 2000ish rounds I have left?

I honestly dont know where my hand was. I usually use the handguard (I use the AFG on my RRA) but I was firing off a dirt mound at the time trying to hit a few clays I had at 200yrds, so I might have had my hand on the magazine (would make sense seeing the picture)

Ill probably bring it to a gunsmith. Im sure it would be cheaper than me buying a case extractor and then effing up my barrel.

Posted: 5/24/2012 2:37:59 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
Remington, Lake City, Tula, and sadly Hornady are some of the brands I will never trust again.

Yeah, I may spend more on ammo, but I have less chance of some fuck stick company not giving a shit if they're sending out soft primers or excessive powder loads. I'd rather spend an extra $100 a year than $1600 to replace my rifle.

What do you use now?

Posted: 5/24/2012 2:48:45 PM EDT

[#21]

Remington .223 has known issues. Will not shoot it. Sorry about your rifle.

Posted: 5/24/2012 2:52:25 PM EDT

[#22]

Dang man. Glad you are alright though.

Posted: 5/24/2012 2:56:17 PM EDT

[#23]

dude get on the Horn with colt! I would cry if that happened to my colt.

Posted: 5/24/2012 3:02:51 PM EDT

[#24]

i was shooting remington 30-06 about two month ago in a bolt

i bought 3 boxees at walmart after about 30 rounds i got poof and puff of smoke from bolt but no hole in target

when i finally got round out i found no flash hole

i sentround and pics to remington they sent me a check for 20 bucks to cover ammo

i thought that was indicative of some sloppy quality control

Posted: 5/24/2012 3:03:23 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
Remington, Lake City, Tula, and sadly Hornady are some of the brands I will never trust again.

Yeah, I may spend more on ammo, but I have less chance of some fuck stick company not giving a shit if they're sending out soft primers or excessive powder loads. I'd rather spend an extra $100 a year than $1600 to replace my rifle.

You won't use US military spec LC ammo?

Posted: 5/24/2012 3:05:24 PM EDT

[#26]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41178876@N05/7264478294/

First and last box of Remington .223 I bought had this in it, luckily i didnt shoot it.

Posted: 5/24/2012 3:09:14 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Remington, Lake City, Tula, and sadly Hornady are some of the brands I will never trust again.

Yeah, I may spend more on ammo, but I have less chance of some fuck stick company not giving a shit if they're sending out soft primers or excessive powder loads. I'd rather spend an extra $100 a year than $1600 to replace my rifle.

What do you use now?

What ever is priced good and not well known for blowing up in people's faces.

I'll trust most anything from Federal. I know everyone has issues and makes mistakes, but they seem to be the most consistent in my experience. I might give PMC a try too as they get good reviews.

Posted: 5/24/2012 3:13:10 PM EDT

[#28]

Not too surprising. I had a case head separation using some Rem UMC about 6 months back. Was shooting and happened to notice about 1/3 of a cartridge case eject. Rest of case stayed in the chamber. Used a bore brush to pop it out.

Looks like you might have got lucky with your KB OP. One of the less severe I've seen. Hope you get it (your rifle) going again.

Posted: 5/24/2012 3:50:21 PM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
Great photos!

If you shot Wolf first, and then the brass case, you probably had buildup in your chamber that contributed to this. It is odd to me that the bolt catch broke. Where did you find it?

15 shots of wolf does not create enough buildup to get a brass case stuck......as me or one of the other thousands of people who shoot shit tons of wolf ammo on this forum how we know.

now ask me or one of the thousands of people on here what we know about the quality of Remington UMC brass

you got some shit ammo op, sorry that happened to your baby, i would have a bad day if that was me, best of luck to you and glad your ok

Posted: 5/24/2012 4:14:22 PM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
Remington, Lake City, Tula, and sadly Hornady are some of the brands I will never trust again.

Yeah, I may spend more on ammo, but I have less chance of some fuck stick company not giving a shit if they're sending out soft primers or excessive powder loads. I'd rather spend an extra $100 a year than $1600 to replace my rifle.

Why wont you use Lake City?

Posted: 5/24/2012 4:19:11 PM EDT

[#31]

Make sure to go over that upper and its parts carefully. You may have a cracked barrel extension, bolt carrier, bolt, etc, which can be difficult to see and can be very unsafe to use further.

I've had two kabooms in my lifetime, both with Remington ammo, both cracked the barrel extensions requiring new barrels.

Posted: 5/24/2012 4:33:03 PM EDT

[#32]

whats that yellow shit in your extension? I only have used remington once when it was on sale at sportsmans warehouse no problem I really like PMC and its cheaper than remington. I have a question to the public has anyone tried the remanufactured stuff from freedoms muntions?

Posted: 5/24/2012 4:37:20 PM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:
whats that yellow shit in your extension?

Brass

Posted: 5/24/2012 4:38:31 PM EDT

[#34]

DAMN your lucky that upper is still in one piece

Posted: 5/24/2012 4:39:39 PM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
Make sure to go over that upper and its parts carefully.

I wouldn't monkey with it any more than he already has.
Colt will want to see as much untampered-with evidence as they can.

Posted: 5/24/2012 4:45:14 PM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Remington, Lake City, Tula, and sadly Hornady are some of the brands I will never trust again.

Yeah, I may spend more on ammo, but I have less chance of some fuck stick company not giving a shit if they're sending out soft primers or excessive powder loads. I'd rather spend an extra $100 a year than $1600 to replace my rifle.

What do you use now?

What ever is priced good and not well known for blowing up in people's faces.

I'll trust most anything from Federal. I know everyone has issues and makes mistakes, but they seem to be the most consistent in my experience. I might give PMC a try too as they get good reviews.

Hrrm...

You do know that ATK manages Lake City and sells ammo under the brand name of Federal...

Posted: 5/24/2012 5:15:42 PM EDT

[#37]

Quoted:

Hrrm...

You do know that ATK manages Lake City and sells ammo under the brand name of Federal...

I have used more Federal XM193 ammo than any other. Wolf ammo I got rid of after it started sticking in a warm barrel. No problems so far with Remington green and white box 223 ammo. But I can get PMC .223 for the same price as the Federal so doubt I'll be buying the more expensive Remington in the future.

Posted: 5/24/2012 5:59:15 PM EDT

[#38]

I've known for years that Remington UMC is shit. I've been fortunate enough to only experience short strokes and fail to fires.

I've had better luck with Tulammo - which is some of the worst when it comes to Russian .223 .

Posted: 5/24/2012 6:05:13 PM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Remington, Lake City, Tula, and sadly Hornady are some of the brands I will never trust again.

Yeah, I may spend more on ammo, but I have less chance of some fuck stick company not giving a shit if they're sending out soft primers or excessive powder loads. I'd rather spend an extra $100 a year than $1600 to replace my rifle.

What do you use now?

What ever is priced good and not well known for blowing up in people's faces.

I'll trust most anything from Federal. I know everyone has issues and makes mistakes, but they seem to be the most consistent in my experience. I might give PMC a try too as they get good reviews.

Hrrm...

You do know that ATK manages Lake City and sells ammo under the brand name of Federal...

I didn't know that. I just know when ever I've bought LC I've had tons of unacceptably dented cases, poor crimping jobs, and different seat depths.

Posted: 5/24/2012 6:09:04 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Remington, Lake City, Tula, and sadly Hornady are some of the brands I will never trust again.

Yeah, I may spend more on ammo, but I have less chance of some fuck stick company not giving a shit if they're sending out soft primers or excessive powder loads. I'd rather spend an extra $100 a year than $1600 to replace my rifle.

What do you use now?

What ever is priced good and not well known for blowing up in people's faces.

I'll trust most anything from Federal. I know everyone has issues and makes mistakes, but they seem to be the most consistent in my experience. I might give PMC a try too as they get good reviews.

Hrrm...

You do know that ATK manages Lake City and sells ammo under the brand name of Federal...

I didn't know that. I just know when ever I've bought LC I've had tons of unacceptably dented cases, poor crimping jobs, and different seat depths.

Unfortunately that is a characteristic of mil surplus/spec type ammunition. The dents don't bother me however. I knew it was the same people. When I want a reliable ammunition I choose Federal as well.

Posted: 5/24/2012 6:23:09 PM EDT

[#41]

did you use 5.56 in a 223 caliber rifle? i know you can use 223 in a 5.56, but not the other way around. just curious.

as for the stuck shell, looks like you may have to remove the barrel and see if you can lube it out.

damn, man, scary shit.

well, maybe Magpul will replace the mag!!!!

Posted: 5/24/2012 6:26:27 PM EDT

[#42]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Remington, Lake City, Tula, and sadly Hornady are some of the brands I will never trust again.

Yeah, I may spend more on ammo, but I have less chance of some fuck stick company not giving a shit if they're sending out soft primers or excessive powder loads. I'd rather spend an extra $100 a year than $1600 to replace my rifle.

What do you use now?

What ever is priced good and not well known for blowing up in people's faces.

I'll trust most anything from Federal. I know everyone has issues and makes mistakes, but they seem to be the most consistent in my experience. I might give PMC a try too as they get good reviews.

Hrrm...

You do know that ATK manages Lake City and sells ammo under the brand name of Federal...

I didn't know that. I just know when ever I've bought LC I've had tons of unacceptably dented cases, poor crimping jobs, and different seat depths.

Unfortunately that is a characteristic of mil surplus/spec type ammunition. The dents don't bother me however. I knew it was the same people. When I want a reliable ammunition I choose Federal as well.

I wonder if they have different standards then. The LC I've had has been garbage in comparison.

Posted: 5/24/2012 6:34:04 PM EDT

[#43]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Make sure to go over that upper and its parts carefully.

I wouldn't monkey with it any more than he already has.
Colt will want to see as much untampered-with evidence as they can.

Don't send it to Colt, it's not their issue. And it's very important that you assess the damage to the rifle. Remington will cover the damages and they'll want the ruptured case and any of the brass and unused ammo from the same box as the event round.

Posted: 5/24/2012 7:06:04 PM EDT

[#44]

Quoted:
I actually had just sprayed a crap ton of G96 (my favorite gun "treatment") in both rifles, I think the blowback caused it to look like that. Not a hint of rust on the gun, practically immaculate other than all my new scratches. Also no obstruction (would probably have caused other problems anyway)

I figured Remington was fairly good stuff. I know its not the best, but middle of the road. Im now kinda scared to fire any more of the 2000ish rounds I have left?

I honestly dont know where my hand was. I usually use the handguard (I use the AFG on my RRA) but I was firing off a dirt mound at the time trying to hit a few clays I had at 200yrds, so I might have had my hand on the magazine (would make sense seeing the picture)

Ill probably bring it to a gunsmith. Im sure it would be cheaper than me buying a case extractor and then effing up my barrel.

An extractor is like $8-$10, and you should have one in your gear bag! they are super easy to use..

Posted: 5/24/2012 7:12:25 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:
Do you think there would be enough buildup in literally 15 wolf shells to make a case stick? seems doubtful

And the problem is, I bought the Remington from my neighbor. He took all of it from its boxes and put it in 50cal cans in a dehumidified safe. I have no idea when the stuff was made and cant tell lot numbers, etc. Think they would still deal w me? And btw, I consider Remington the "good stuff" when comparing to wolf and tula, etc. Its MY good stuff haha.

How well do you know this neighbor? Is it possible this is reloaded Remington brass?

Posted: 5/24/2012 8:22:13 PM EDT

[#46]

Quoted:

I didn't know that. I just know when ever I've bought LC I've had tons of unacceptably dented cases, poor crimping jobs, and different seat depths.

Are you buying bulk boxed ammo? Federal XM193 5.56mm ammo is the same ammo as LC and is marked L C and the year. Most of mine is LC 07. Comes in plain brown boxes of 20 with a plastic divider. Might be that Federal inspects the ammo again before putting it in the 20 round packages as none has been dented or bad so far.

Posted: 5/24/2012 8:24:27 PM EDT

[#47]

You are damn lucky that you still have a hand... Good thing that is an A2 upper as an A3 style would likely have separated in such instance. You can see where the upper flexed outward enough to snap off the top of the bolt catch, and if you look at the pic you can see that the upper is still slightly bowed outward there (observe the spacing/distance changes between the carrier & the inside surface of the upper along that area).

This is not a manufacturing or operating failure of the rifle. It was an ammunition failure. No matter how much of this ammo you have left - at this point, it should all be considered suspect & subsequently destroyed, or disassembled and then trashed. These weapons can be fairly expensive to replace, & the risk posed to your health by continued use of such a questionable supply is simply just not worth it.

Also - can't tell from the pics, but you should make certain if the bore is obstructed by a partially-fired bullet..

If it were my rifle, I would remove the upper for use on a dedicated .22lr build. Replace the entire bolt assembly, cam pin, bolt catch, firing pin, & upper receiver with new ones, & have the barrel & receiver extension inspected before re-use.

Good luck. Glad you came away from this without injury...

Posted: 5/24/2012 9:08:34 PM EDT

[#48]

Quoted:
I'll just add that REM UMC is shit .223 ammo. I bought 1,750 rounds of in and had several instances of the projectile getting set back in the case due to a weak crimp.

That shit is definitely garbage. I think I'd rather shoot Wolf than UMC.