Ammunition Issue? Any Ideas?

[Rubiks06]

I was at the range today and i wanted to try out the bullets that i am using for home defense and as concealed carry ammunition. The first round down range the bullet fired but the bottom of the casing blew off and left the side walls of the casing jammed in the barrel. I wanted to know if anyone else has had this issue or heard of this happeneing before. They were not reloads and they were the right ammunition for the pistol. This could have been really bad and frankly im not sure i trust this ammunition anymore. Any thoughts?

For those who are curious. 180 gr JHP Federal Hydrashock

Im sorry i forgot type of gun and caliber. The pistol is Sptingfields XD-40 Subcompact model (.40)l. It has 2000 rounds through it none failing like this. Granted this was the first time i put the Hydrashock through it. I checked the barrel and slide after the incident no damage to the gun and i put 150 rounds of monarch .40 s&W through it afterwards without a single jam. I think the entire life of the gun ive had one jam.

Bad brass or overcharged. Thats a wild case rupture. The 40cal is one round where you have to be careful on bullet depth. Pressures can shoot up. Maybe somehow the bullet got knocked in the case further.

Also, if your gun has a rough feed ramp, or jams easily, it could have pushed the bullet in the case further. I have a 357sig and had this problem. I had to have the feed ramp smoothed out.

[thndrchiken]

First of all you should tell us what cartridge and what gun your shooting. 180 gr Federal hydroshock could be quite a number of different loads. As I recall one of the big knocks on the 40 S&W was that case life is questionable. Give more info and you'll get more informed responses.

[North Texan]

Before I even read your thread, my first thought was "I wonder if this is going to be about Federal?" I've had a lot of trouble with Federal loaded ammunition, and even CCI rimfire ammo in my .22lr.

[Retaks]

I have a .40 S&W for home defense and when i feel like im goin somewhere i wmight need it and ive never had a major problem like that. It wont shoot Fiocchi ammo well. I get 3 out of 50 that wont go off. But all the other brands i shoot for practise work well. I use Remington Golden Sabers for defense rounds. They were reccomended by a few cops and others i know that need good defensive rounds. I have them in three of my pistols now and im waiting to get some more for another one.

[Ruddyduck]

not knowing what gun etc etc, sounds like a unsupported round if you were shooting a 1911 style gun.

[eldeguello]

ORIGINAL: Rubiks06

I was at the range today and i wanted to try out the bullets that i am using for home defense and as concealed carry ammunition. The first round down range the bullet fired but the bottom of the casing blew off and left the side walls of the casing jammed in the barrel. I wanted to know if anyone else has had this issue or heard of this happeneing before. They were not reloads and they were the right ammunition for the pistol. This could have been really bad and frankly im not sure i trust this ammunition anymore. Any thoughts?

For those who are curious. 180 gr JHP Federal Hydrashock

Im sorry i forgot type of gun and caliber. The pistol is Sptingfields XD-40 Subcompact model (.40)l. It has 2000 rounds through it none failing like this. Granted this was the first time i put the Hydrashock through it. I checked the barrel and slide after the incident no damage to the gun and i put 150 rounds of monarch .40 s&W through it afterwards without a single jam. I think the entire life of the gun ive had one jam.

I have seen this happen, but ONLY with overloaded ammo, and never with a FACTORY load!

[Rubiks06]

like i said they were straight out of the box. A couple of guys asked me at the range if they were reloads too. Maybe in the manufacturing process they accidently double charged it?

[metau]

Have you taken any of the other rounds apart to see if they were over charged? Might want to notify federal if it was thier screw up.

[James B]

Did you check and make sure the barrel was clear of obstructions before you fired it? That would be a likely cause if it was not an overload.