Consider this a safety share. Call it a near miss:
On a bad day at the range, one of my pistols turned into a hand-held claymore. Smith & Wesson make fine pistols. This 1911 was an alloy frame pistol.
Check it out after the song.
Here's some pix of one of my weapons that blew apart because of a round I reloaded with, gasp, a double charge. I usually load my 45 ACP with 5.7gr of Win 231 and a 230gr fmj bullet.
I have worked with C4, det cord, DETA sheet, all sorts of energetic materials. Built 'em, set 'em off, disarmed 'em. I have reloaded, altogether, over 60,000 rounds of 45, 38, 357mag, 44mag, 9mm, even some 380 (pain in the arse) BUT ALL IT TAKES IS ONE SCREWUP.
No excuses. I made a mistake and ruined a thousand dollar pistol. You'll see what a S&W 1911PD alloy-frame pistol does when it sets off a double charge. The thing really came unglued. I suffered minor shrapnel to face and hand.
I asked S&W what kind of cheap shit gun they sell that would come apart under "a little pressure" but they would not budge, would not replace the gun for free; however they did let me have one for cost. I immediately traded it for a stainless steel Colt Commander. I only use steel frames now, don't need no steenkin' titanium, uh uh. Thank God for the Hogue grips or I'd be tying my boots one handed.
And, yes, I pay extreme attention to my Dillon 550 now, never load more than 500 rds at a time. Fatigue, carelessness, when it becomes automatic, don't even have to look at what you're doing - WHAT?? then it's time to stop. Walk the dog, chase the Brocker around the house (she sometimes lets me catch her). And go to the range; er, in that order, thank you.
Slide cracked:
Frame cracked
Slide
Frame
More frame
Jeder macht eine kleine Dummheit as they say. Well this was not so effing "kleine".
Here's a song for no reason:
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