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Blown Case Head, Pistol — Why/How?

My buddy sent me this pic. He was shooting his springfield xd this was the second round he shot. The first round hit the target eliminating the thoughts on a squib load. He was using winchester ammo. It did mess up the mag release in the gun not sure what else just yet.
 

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You can’t see the full case head in this picture. It might give an indication of how high the pressure got before the case failed on the side.
 
Factory ammo?
I would speculate there was a Crack in the base of the case. I have seen that in reloads, but not factory ammo.
I raised the scrutiny level of my preload inspection after I found that. I wouldn't think that would happen with new factory ammo.
 
Early XD models were subject to voluntary recall due an issue that could result in two shots being fired on one trigger pull. If an older model XD, suggest checking on the Springfield web site for any applicable recalls using the serial number.
 
My buddy sent me this pic. He was shooting his springfield xd this was the second round he shot. The first round hit the target eliminating the thoughts on a squib load. He was using winchester ammo. It did mess up the mag release in the gun not sure what else just yet.
Possible the firing of .40 cal round in a .45ACP pistol. I’ve seen this done and although the cracks were smaller than what you are showing, they do look similar.
Dave
 
Looks like an out of battery detonation. It can happen from a dirty gun, stuck firing pin or one with an obstruction in the chamber. Also, might be caused by a round that was not properly sized.
I agree. The XD, like many pistols of today, is striker fired and capable of firing out of battery.
I had a similar issue with a different brand sticker fired pistol. The first I thought a bad case, the second a bit later left me suspecting a bigger issue so I replaced a tired recoil spring to remedy the problem. My issues were 9mm and the gun had several thousand rounds on it when the trouble started.
 
If it is factory rounds you should keep the case and contact the manufacturer. That thing had to be like a double charge. Call that company because it may spawn a recall.
 
My buddy sent me this pic. He was shooting his springfield xd this was the second round he shot. The first round hit the target eliminating the thoughts on a squib load. He was using winchester ammo. It did mess up the mag release in the gun not sure what else just yet.
double charge? a little surprised it was Win factory ammo. I am weighing all my rounds now on a cheap fast digital scale. maybe ejector is damaged.
 
Double charge (unlikely), bullet setback or gun out of battery.
By the size of the smile, I'd say out of battery.
Have your friend check his gun (a good set of feeler gauges helps with this test) :
  1. Rack the slide to cock
  2. Pull back on the slide ~1/16th inch. See if he can fire.
  3. If it does, increase the gap
  4. If not, reduce the gap until the gun fires.
  5. Record the max gap
I think you'll be surprised how it will fire with a gap and how much of one.

Your friend is lucky.
 
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Possible the firing of .40 cal round in a .45ACP pistol. I’ve seen this done and although the cracks were smaller than what you are showing, they do look similar.
Dave
Probably not. The case mouth usually opens up to 45 diameter when that happens (and it happens a lot at the range I shoot at - it's a public range.)
 
Not uncommon with range brass or brass that's be reloaded a few times. I'd be more concerened if it's new brass.
The problem is the area of the feed ramp at the bottom of the chamber leaves a fair amount of the case unsupported. Look at fired brass and see if you can see or feel a slight bulge on the case where yours blew out. Not usually a problem on nice new brass but firing and sizing that bulge works and weakens the brass. After a few firings and one goes in the pipe where the weak spot lines up with the area of the feed ramp that leaves the case unsupported...kaboom.
 
Has your friend had any work done on the feed ramp, like shaping or polishing for a better feed? This used to be popular with DIY'ers to improve feeding of certain bullets. Often they would get too aggressive with metal removal. If not I would suspect it was out of battery due to many reasons.
 

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