[Charlie Petty]

There's a surefire way to check this out for your guns.

Gather up fired cases from whatever factory ammo you like and examine them for bulging in the area of the feed ramp. You can determine the orientation of the cartridge in the chamber by the firing pin marks and then look for a mark made by the ejector which will be roughly at the 8-9:00 position on the rim. The extractor mark will be at roughly 3:00. With that known it's easy to measure with a simple caliper and see how much the fired cases have expanded compared to an unfired round. Some expansion is absolutely normal but if you can see a bulge at the 6:00 position or measure anything over 0.010" expansion.

As far as I'm concerned if there is consistent expansion over that measurement it's time for an aftermarket barrel.

 

[Jim Bellino]

Charlie,
Again, thanks for the above info. I will do just that Very helpfull info.
Thanks,
Jim

 

[LIProgun]

I'm glad Charlie has confirmed the reasoning I've used to justify continuing to reload .40 for Glocks. I see no significant bulging of the brass either in factory loads or my reloads. Some of my brass has been reloaded 6 or 7 times (I keep careful track), and I usually scrutinize my brass very carefully, inside and out. I assumed I would reach a point where the brass looked like it should be tossed, but I've yet to see any difference between this brass and once-fired brass from factory loads in my .40 Glocks.

I assume it helps that I do not load to maximum, use bullets less than 180 grains, use a firm taper crimp, use jacketed or plated bullets only, and keep my chambers very clean.

I suspect I also may have chambers that have less metal removed than others, as Charlie noted he has observed

 

[Nemo]

SCLID

"SPONTANEOUS CATASTRPHIC LOAD INDUCED DISASSEMBLY"

I like it! Will have to start using it!

Dean, I'll make you famous again!

Cheers,

Nemo

 

[MikeO]

Way back in 1987 in Las Vegas I was standing next to a guy who blew the mag out of his G17 w some of his own reloaded ammo. Is that a kB?

In the summer of 02 several Glocks and a Walther P99 kBd at the local indoor rental range when cases failed. All w the range ammo, new PMC 165 FMJ/FP, which is not a "hot" load at all (165 @ 985). Saw the P99; frame had hairline cracks on both sides from locking block to mag release area. Case had a crescent shaped piece of brass blown from web area.

Back in May, when Warren County PD had several kBs w 155 Fed ammo, was that the old Fed ammo/cases, or the new ammo? There was a good opportunity to try it in some other guns and compare the damage? :wink:

 

[schaghtner]

Any kB!-less Glocks???

See what you've done, Dean? You've got all the Dale Jr. fans pooping their pants (more than they usually do) worrying that their fine GLOCK pistols are going to blow up in their hand.

Shame on you...

 

[Fernando Coelho]

shaghtner - if you are going to resurrect a thread from over a year ago, at least try to stay on topic. In your brief time here you have done a good job of bringing attention to yourself. Now that you've done that, maybe you should read more and post less. Here is a thread you should read again.

 

[schaghtner]

[ad hominem, often homophobic and gratuitously offensive language redacted by Staff.]​

and my post was very much ON topic, eh wot. :|

 

[TurkeyTrooper]

I'm interested in the Glock (excuse me, GLOCK) kB thing because I carry one at work daily. A model 31 (9mm magnum, heh heh). So far, no problems with the tactical tupperware. If mine detonates anytime soon, I'll post it here first (left-handed).

 

[MikeO]

Have not heard of any reports of kBs w the .380 and 45 GAP Glocks. Yet.

And I buzz just about every pile on the mis/disinformation cowpath...

 

[SpecialEd]

I'm interested in the Glock (excuse me, GLOCK) kB thing because I carry one at work daily. A model 31 (9mm magnum, heh heh). So far, no problems with the tactical tupperware. If mine detonates anytime soon, I'll post it here first (left-handed).

TurkeyTrooper, is that a reference to the State Police Barracks in Avondale near the Turkey Hill store?

Ed

 

[TurkeyTrooper]

Negative, Ed. I'm a Conservation Officer (aka turkeytrooper, groupertrooper, possum patrol, etc.)

 

[OneidaEd]

KB, eh? in rocketry we calls thems "Katos."

 

[skslover]

"Katos."

Could you please elaborate, I recognize the name, but can't place it and it's driving me nuts! :banghead: :hypercolor: :banghead:

 

[OneidaEd]

it means the same thing as KB, i.e. Catastrophic failure.

only in rocketry it's even bigger and often much more fun to watch.

when a rocket exploded on the pad, that's a Kato. when a rocket explodes at it's apogee, that's a spectacular Kato.

 

[MikeO]

A Titan missile had a really big kB over Vandenberg AFB in California. One of our troopers got a medal for rescuing a civilian news crew that got trapped in a brush fire from the fallout.

 

[Bravo762]

Ah, well, as to the kB-less Glock, mine has been quite reliable and completely functional, and it gets USED. My carry-Glock (the one I posted a pic of a while back), started life as a 3-letter prefix Glock, of the old grip profile (no finger grooves, no rail).

It could be that it's also a 17, I don't know.

I do know that my time with the 40 (among them a Glock 22) wasn't long, as I decided I didn't much prefer the cartridge. I didn't see any failure with mine, but as I said, my time was short so don't take that as anything noteworthy.

Still, one of the IDPA clubs I shoot with has about 50 folks or so (plus or minus) show up every shoot. About 80% of them run Glocks in some shade or flavor. Everything from the compact 10mm to the full size 45 to my 9. Since the "typical" COF is about 100 rounds, that means that roughly 4 cases of ammo are fired through Glocks every shoot. If I did my math right. Over the years, the only kB! I've seen was the one I previously related, that of a 40.

I can tell you this, if my brass came out bulged at the web, I surely would A. not reload it and B. be overly concerned about WHY that was happening.

The time before last when I purchased brass, I purchased a years worth, and have been reloading it every year since then. It's Federal (FC headstamp). That was back in about '97 IIRC. The last shipment (this year) was 8K, and I expect it to last the same 7 or 8 years (assume 1 loading per year) with no problems.

As for the Glock digesting about any kind of ammo, yes, that's largely true. When I was competing with the Beretta, Irv Stone talked me out of chambering the barrel he was fitting for the 9X21, and just seating the bullets long (typically 1.155" OAL) in a 9X19 casing, to get all the benefits of the 9X21, with all the benefits of 9X19 as well. Your cake and eat it too.

That's how I load mine, and it works.

FWIW

-Bravo