M1A SOCOM EXPLODES at the Range

My brand new Springfield M1A SOCOM exploded the first time shooting it. The gun didn't make it past 17 rounds until we experienced a catastrophic failure. No one was hurt, thank goodness.
/ galacticforcemedia

[@treywingo7817]

Also unbiased and we'll made!

[@GalacticForceMedia]

I had to just base facts of what happened in this case. Thanks for watching.

[@treywingo7817]

If I had to guess I'd say the ammo though I'd deconstruct some and weigh powder and see if there's discrepancies.

[@RoughCountry1980]

The gun is chambered for .308 and probably has a short chamber. 7.62x51 is usually considered interchangeable with .308 however what most people don’t realize is that 7.62x51 is ever so slightly longer than .308 and can cause pressure problems now when you consider that every time the gun was fired the tolerances got worse because of the fouling. The pressure built up to an unsafe level and exploded and the round might have been a little on the hot side.

[@GalacticForceMedia]

It says in the rifle manual that 7.62x51 is acceptable to put into this gun for firing. It’s also listed directly on the product page of Springfield.

[@treywingo7817]

@@GalacticForceMedia correct 762 shouldn't cause problems

[@combatvet1307]

As a gunsmith, observing the damage you showed to the bolt and the video of the event: In my professional opinion, this was a massive overpressure of the chamber, resulting in the fracturing of the bolt allowing gas expansion to occurred out the back of a blown casing. This expanding gas pressed on the stock, cracking it and pushing the rounds in the magazine to the point that the magazine base plate failed, rupturing ammunition resulting in secondary powder cookoff. I believe it was a faulty, overcharged round of ammunition that destroyed your rifle. A contributing factor could have been a metallurgic fault in the rifles bolt but I would need to observe the bolt further to confirm. Thanks for the vid.

[@neckofthewoods24]

Does it happen often? I assume all auto manufactured rounds and this may have been a double charge or something when it was made? I make my own 1 at a time. Always check the powder every few rounds to make sure the powder loaders still on point and visually check the case before seating etc. still worries me. But maybe if it is a guns fault, the round hit the breach or something, pushing the bullet further into the case causing the over pressure?? That I don’t think anyones gonna catch in a semi auto gun. Pistol or rifle.

[@preacher009]

I was gonna say that..

[@stepjohn100]

Combat Vet, I like your appraisal but please see my comment above. I'm slightly perplexed that the bolt did not seem to cycle and it's unclear to me if the round left the barrel under its obturation seal. Perhaps the system was wrecked before the round pass over the gas port. These guys were very lucky the expansion gases of the propellant heading "south" instead of "north".

[@normanmccollum6082]

Nah, he definitely just pulled the trigger wrong; user error. Might not have had his sights aligned correctly, too. And what was he carrying that day? If it was a Hi Point, there's your problem.

[@englishrupe01]

@@normanmccollum6082 No wonder they want to ban all guns....they assault people,... see? ;-)

[@TheRealGunGuyTV]

You're a class act, brother. My opinion, for whatever it's worth... ammo. The rifle appears to have been functioning properly. I think the ammo company owes you a gun.

[@Weston_Meets_Mako]

Sounds like some bootleg ammo.

[@FlamingRobzilla]

I think one of the rounds was empty of powder. The primer drove the bullet into the barrel where it lodged itself. Likely the shooter manually cycled the action and a fresh round went into battery. Then when the trigger was pulled the bullet fired into a plugged barrel, causing the over pressure that destroyed the gun. I have heard of this happening before, but reports are rare. I think it's entirely possible that someone wasn't paying close enough attention in the ammo factory, who knows. What I do know is that if you are shooting a gun and you fire a squib, you had better take notice and check the action including the barrel before you continue. Sorry about your rifle, bro. I hope nobody was seriously harmed.

[@Hickamfield]

Yup, it looked like a factory double charge power load to me.

[@atomic_wait]

@@FlamingRobzilla The previous round before the failure seemed to cycle properly and had a normal, loud report. Wouldn't a squib load have trouble cycling the gun and/or sound noticably different?

[@FlamingRobzilla]

@@atomic_wait Yes, to both points. That's why I'm a little confused. The rifle functioned properly at first, so what changed?

[@jayval30cal87]

Without a doubt that is ammo related! I’m a reloader and unfortunately when I first started out I accidentally overcharged a 308 and almost had the same results you did. Mine was in an ar10 though. Again, definitely ammo related. Good luck! Glad no one was hurt!

[@OutsideTheTargetDemographic]

Admittedly ignorant here: if it were ammo related, and you say overcharged, wouldn't the chamber/barrel have to have been blown open/apart, to allow the fire out the right and mag to be blown out? Would it not be more likely to be an out-of-battery detonation?

[@JD-tn5lz]

Nope. Sort of, but not really. IF the weapon was properly manufactured using the correct processes and materials it should have easily handled an 2x overpressure round; that's why European manufacrurera use proofhouses. So yes, it's quite possible, maybe even probable, that the ammo was "hot" or ever so slightly out-of-spec, but that's no reason why the rifle should have gone...except for the fact that it was another Springfield Army and quite likely the headspace was slightly off. Not saying the ammo didn't contribute, but this is the risk you take when you buy Springfield Armory. Yes, I've seen this happen with other SAs and it also happened to me. My experience was 100% attributable to the waiting bombs that are Springfield Armory. Want an M1A or M14 clone? Don't go budget junk.

[@8Five7One2]

No it is not out-of-battery detonation. The round has to be in the chamber, bolt locked in place and the firing ping igniting the primer. Obviously round will not detonate if it is out of battery for obvious reasons. Notice the bolt is still locked in place. The excess energy or hot gas then had to exit around the bolt down the magazine. I think it is due to overcharged round. Never use someone else's reload.

[@OutsideTheTargetDemographic]

@@JD-tn5lz I'm in line with you: IF the breach locked, AND the barrels/chambers were within spec (as you say, GENEROUS safety margin), then it should have contained any compromised or overpressured cartridge. Seems to me it was an OoB detonation, or mechanical failure of the firearm. Odd to see a sustained fireball, vs just a grenade exploding, although I suppose the constant flame was from the 2 remaining unfired cartridges in the magazine burning....

[@JD-tn5lz]

@@8Five7One2 one, it was commercial ammunition. two, an firearm from a responsible manufacturer should be proofed against a 2x charge...as in 2x the pressure without damaging the rifle. Frankly, you shouldn't have been able to load enough into the case in order to do this that dramatically IF it weren't an SA.

[@The06mystic]

Have had a Socom since they came out, thousands of rounds thru mine, never a problem (of course it is a first generation Socom 16) But, I had a similar failure with a mini-14 and some ammo I used with a South American manufacture. Turns out the cases were overcharged and also had weak brass. So glad you are all ok, and hope they find the problem and you get a new rifle.

[@westernoutpost4154]

Ammo issue. I had the exact same thing happen to my AR. Buddy was shooting my rifle at the time with ammo he fished out of the bottom of his range bag. He later told me that he found those rounds on the ground at his range. We looked through some of the ammo he had left and some of them had splits on the neck of the case. He was ok, but the same thing happened, blew the mag apart and the bolt seized up. Had to pull the barrel to clear the live round out of the chamber. We determined it was an overpressured load. Glad you guys are ok!!

[@baronvonsnazzy3355]

Came here to write this.

[@paulmorissette5863]

Don't shoot trash ammunition.

[@oif3vetk9]

@@paulmorissette5863 exactly. It's on the ground for a reason. Hope his buddy learned from it.

[@JD-tn5lz]

Seen this happen to two other SAs. Both turned out to be the rifle. With an SA, You Have to Repeatedly check headspace or you may get into the newspaper. Poor QA at SA.

[@ireilly2000]

could be. could be oob detonation, could be bad headspacing- its difficult to say where the fault lies. but id definitely be thinking twice about both companies now.

[@jackreed1062]

Being a reloader for over 4 and a half decades I think it was a over preasure problem that last round seemed a bit hot just observing the recoil verses the other rounds.

[@kylef1777]

Guy from the internet here, seeing how I've never heard of the ammo company, my bet is on the ammo company. Thank you for sharing this video though and looking forward to updates!

[@nachoakajrod]

Really a testament to the quality of the rifle. No rifle material turned to shrapnel. That’s something!

[@IowaNVGuy]

Glad no one was injured!!! Hope someone steps up, and does the right thing, and replaces your rifle!!!

[@M14armorer]

The weapon didn’t fail, the ammo did…. Case head failure, I’ve had this happen 2x to me & I’ve test fired M14s weekly for over 10 years. It’s very scary & something you will never forget.

[@Alen725]

Any case failure wont ever blow your gun.

[@BungSpoot]

RIP M1A SOCOM. You will be missed but not forgotten.

[@edjett2631]

Not a socom problem. Bad amm, IMO

[@BungSpoot]

@@edjett2631 I am just here to pay my respects and honor the fallen M1A

[@dhgoody]

Agreed, but I am more happy there were no injuries.

[@gunsandsteak2874]

Bad ammo my m1a socom been shooting over 800 rds not a single problem

[@bc8265]

So glad no one injured. This is troubling in so many ways, I have the exact same rifle, same Cerocoat everything. I have ran 30-40 rounds through it, all rounds were 3 diff brands 3 diff grain bullet. So far no issues but will surely have this on my mind next time I have it out at the range. I would very much like to stay in contact with Galactic Force and follow along with where this takes you.

[@thetr00per30]

Glad no one was hurt. I have seen online that multiple people have reported issues with that ammo. What a shame to lose that Beauty of an M1A

[@robertkovalak1368]

This is a good reason to do research on ammo manufacturers before purchasing. It's worth a few cents more for good reliable ammo.

[@ProbInsane]

Ive seen a few people having this exact thing happen with ZSR ammo, the .308 specifically. Someone's Zastava M77 in .308 had the same thing happen to it and they found it had exploded from the ammo being over filled with powder. Be wary of this brand especially until they have confirmed these issues have been fixed.

[@sonnyburnett2417]

Never use ammo from off-brand manufacturers. It's very rare for this kind of thing to happen when using Winchester, Federal, Remington, Hornady, etc. I'm glad you're ok and hopefully you've learned a lesson here. It might cost you a bit more for the good stuff, but it will save your gun and maybe your hands and face.

[@johnfriend862]

Due to our government's onerous regulation on ammunition most of what we're seeing for sale these days comes from people I've never heard of.

[@user-5885]

@@johnfriend862 spend the extra on name brand stuff, I promise it is worth the extra few bucks for peace of mind when you pull the trigger or charge that handle what your shooting will let you live to fire the next without fail

[@user-5885]

If something like this were to happen with one of those companies the rifle would be personally delivered and replaced

[@jimtom4878]

And if it happens with them, then they'll definitely reimburse

[@TerryFoster-yh7dn]

I had it happen with Hornady Frontier 5.56 ammo on an AR of mine.............did the same thing to my gun

[@radforduniversity6424]

Man, just glad you didn't get hurt. I'm biased, because PSA is one of my favorite gun manufacturers (they make good entry level firearms) but I swear I've heard in other videos this ammo being bad

[@GalacticForceMedia]

PSA doesn’t make this rifle. Springfield does.

[@radforduniversity6424]

ahhh gotcha, you're wife just bought it from PSA, my bad. Anyway, glad you're ok, man, and I hope they get if worked out for you

[@abelincoln2562]

I bought the same rifle from PSA Nov. Of 22 black friday special 1399.00. No issues nor any issues with my older Scout model. Springfield M1A reputation is legendary and solid, definitely that wonky ammunition. Fortunately no one was injured. Im guessing you will get nowhere with the ammo maker, Springfield has a great rep for customer service they might just replace the rifle while not taking blame for the failure. Good luck.

[@brandonsmith2299]

I think the manufacture warranty says something like make sure your using safe and correct ammo. Will void warranty if not followed.

[@JD-tn5lz]

@@brandonsmith2299 they all say that.

[@JD-tn5lz]

Check your headspace periodically. No, constantly. This is an SA. There are reasons why they bring m14 copies to market cheaper than anyone else...

[@dhgoody]

@@JD-tn5lz Thank you! Great advice for any rifle shooter! Headspace gauges are expensive to be sure, but that expense pales to hospital bills or worse. I'm glad there were no injuries.

[@4110mahindra]

​@J D it's an M1A and they've made them for decades. If you think they sell them cheap you are smoking something

[@chuckcunningham5074]

If you look at the blown up brass at 4:29, it appears that the case on the right side of the frame has suffered a case head separation. This will definitely blow your gun apart. Take note that the case is not bulged except for the end near the primer pocket which is not, by design, supported by the chamber indicating that this round was in the chamber when it blew apart. I suspect this is the casing removed from the chamber at 7:50. A squib load which causes a bullet to obstruct the bore, when followed by a normal pressure round, typically causes the barrel to swell or burst behind the obstruction. If your barrel is not bulged or otherwise deformed, likely it was bad brass or over pressure ammo that is the culprit. If it’s possible to rule out a headspacing issue, then I’d put my money on an ammo related failure. Also, there is definitely gas coming out of the muzzle brake when the round prior to the detonation is fired at 7:03 indicating this round exited the barrel and was not a squib.

[@jackjameson857]

I agree 100%. I can't make out any deformation at the shoulder, nor directly in front of the case head. This points to the rifle being completely in battery. Half the case head is missing, having likely been pulled clear by the extractor after separation ( m1a's have very tenacious extractors). I would be interested to know if the brass is reloaded, though it appears to be new.

[@BringerOfD]

Yup thats it right there. Although what caused the case head separation could be up for debate. I don't think I've ever seen a separation so close to the base. Typically what you see is the separation happens like 1/8 to 1/4" above the extractor groove as the brass gets thicker below that.

[@JeffMcMenamin1027]

Very fortunate there were no serious injuries. Damn.

[@randomamerican471]

Oh yeah, I spotted that right away too, hehe. I wonder if he kept the fragments and the rest of the brass. Someone is probably going to want to put them under a microscope.

[@charlesspringer4709]

Nailed it. I have seen this before. Bad brass, powder overload (really hard to happen with machine-loaded ammo), head space problem - check the other FIRED cases for stretching, or rough chamber wall preventing brass from seating hard against the bolt face But checking fired brass is the place to start. The other rounds were just bullets peeled out by gas pressure in the mag/bending. Unburned powder all over and primers I bet are OK. I will bet the barrel is just fine but the bolt and pin/spring took a beating, and the stock split from the gas flow. After looking some more, maybe the head was seperated when the bolt was forced back. The primer pocket in that head looks very large. I have seen this as well. A failed primer/primer pocket and the gasses go through the firing pin hole and around the head and wherever they can escape. I have seem bolt action rifles that have top be opened with a lead hammer after a primer pocket failure and look just like that.

[@patmcbride9853]

I had a squib round from PMC in my AR. I heard a bang, but didn't see an impact, but what really made me not pull the trigger again was that the next round would not fully seat and allow the bolt to close. I found the bullet in the barrel. Every box of PMC I had left was carefully weighed in small groups of rounds until I was sure there were not light loads. And I am careful to not grip the rifle near the mag well.

[@Andrewsky347]

I had a PMC .380 get stuck in the barrel of my Bersa.

[@AK74Man87]

I believe the ammo, I think that is the brand that had issues before. This is why I’m glad I reload most my ammo. I had way more problems with factory ammo than my reloads since I check every one. Plus I think because of increased demand goes the quality control.

[@The_Osprey]

It fired out of battery as you can see in the video. The last round wasn't chambered fully as the bolt didn't go all the way forward.

[@toddk1377]

You handled that in a very professional manner, bravo! We can speculate, but I'm curious if Springfield and ZSR actually works together to find the issue and a solution. Glad no one was injured and that the rifle handled that failure rather well and not turned itself into a pipe bomb.

[@ytrefugee113]

This ie the 3rd instance ive heard of now of ZSR ammo being involved with/causing weapons to have a catasrophic failure. The other 2 were pistols, both 9mm if i remember correctly, and both were very recent.

[@toddk1377]

@@ytrefugee113 I've shot Turkish ammo with no issues, mostly pistol and shotgun, but it appears either ZSR has someone not paying attention or dropped the ball, especially on QC.

[@ytrefugee113]

I have shot some imported from there as well, (venom). I think part of the problem might be related to the current "conflict" going on and with the massive amounts of ammunition being produced to fuel that conflict, QC is just not happening the way it should. I looked up the other videos i had seen and mentioned and it turns out it was another company Zinc Point, (which is also of turkish origin). But if i remember correctly, it was only a couple years ago that winchester had some lots they shipped out that were over pressured and caused some catastrophic failures, so by no means is the problem isolated to one country of origin, sometimes QC isnt adhered to and that can happen with even the "biggest" manufacturers.

[@brandonschwietzer8757]

Just seen this SAME LOT # or ammo blow up a Zastava M77 on KZbin and Reddit. It did literally THE SAME THING as it did to this M1A.

[@WNActivist88]

The problem is ZSR. Avoid that business like the plague.

[@joeybossolo7]

WOW. That was scary. Glad no one was hurt, and also glad you caught it on video and are now sharing it. Hope they sort you out, bud.

[@Aurelius00]

It was an overpressured round. The primer was blown at the back with no case bulging or cracking.

[@AcM.5233]

That's what it also looks like to me as well

[@GeneMstoner]

Not enough powder…..Flash over

[@TimberwolfCY]

"Holy ****, let's go to the bar." Man I have to say, well-put. Glad you guys are safe.

[@Ironhand187]

Damn that sucks, but this is what I love about the 2A community is we share and try to help each other. Thanks for the heads up, and glad it wasn't worse.

[@michaelgautreaux3168]

👍👍

[@purpleguy5226]

yeah were good when were nor ripping each other apart about what company is good or bad

[@Ironhand187]

@@purpleguy5226 right

[@painmt651]

This is one of those times when you are just glad nobody was injured.

[@haroldhollidayjr.2231]

ZSR has had several reported issues with ammunition causing issues with different rifle cartridges.

[@Myrcene]

Not my personal experience, but I have seen some issues with people who have used ZSR and experienced catastrophic failures. It’s one of the brands I steer clear of. I hope they make it right for you, and be careful using ZSR in any other weapon. God Speed.

[@kibbeystovall7546]

Did you identify the specific case which was in the chamber when it was last fired? That's the one you want to look at. I don't think it was a double feed or slam fire, since it doesn't appear in the video that the bolt cycles twice and you didn't get a second recoil. The hot gas from the bad cartridge vented down into the magazine with enough force to cause some/all of the remaining unfired cartridges to bend their bullets out of the case mouths, which exposed and ignited their gunpowder and gave you the low pressure yellow flame seen. And a point of clarity, what cartridge is "safe" for a particular rifle design is not always true just because the ammo "meets the spec" for the rifle's chambering. The specifications deal with case size, bullet weights, and especially peak pressure. As others have noted below, gas operated guns like the M1 Garand and the M1A can wreck their operating rods if the gas pressure where it is tapped off the barrel is too high, so there is a matter of BURN RATE and not just peak pressure to understand. But over pressuring the cycling system generally will not cause a round to rupture or the bolt to fail. The video was not fast enough to actually see if the bolt cycled and the case was ejected on the final shot, but a high pressure charge would cycle the bolt faster and eject the case faster too and might just have been too quick for the camera. I think I see a case come out when you beat the op-rod handle open; which would indicate the last fired case was under enough pressure to keep the bolt from even opening and the action DIDN'T cycle. In any case, the rifle's safety design functioned as intended and the bolt did not "break" and the excess pressure was vented relatively safely away from the shooters face/hands into the magazine. Peak pressure is a based on what the cartridge should generate in a chamber of the proper dimensions, but slight changes/variations of chamber or case size can put you outside the expected limits. One possible cause of an overpressure is having a case be too tight in the chamber, especially around the neck. The neck is not supposed to be snug against the chamber walls, so that when the pressure rise starts in the case the neck can expand, release the bullet, and then the gasses can easily start pushing the bullet into the throat. You can get substantially higher chamber pressures if the neck is snug and the gasses have to achieve greater pressure to push the bullet out of the neck. This can be made worse if the bullet is touching the lands and even more static friction must be overcome to get it moving. Both these scenarios can be caused by the rifle's chamber being cut too "small" or the ammo being too "big". It may even be bad tolerance stack ups, where the chamber is at the extreme small side of spec and the ammo at the extreme large size of its spec (but I have not looked at the 7.62x51 specs to see if such spec overlap is possible). If the case or bullet was touching the chamber/lands you probably would not have noticed in a semi-auto where you cannot feel the force needed to close the bolt. It only has to touch ever so lightly for the pressure rise to be significant. If the bullets were not held with adequate neck tension by their cases, they might have slid forward into the lands upon chambering, too. Your failure looks larger than what would happen with just a pierced primer. That looked like you had a case-head failure where the rear of the case did not make a gas-tight seal and allowed lots of gas to blow backwards at high pressure. An oversize chamber can produce this result; did all the recovered previous fired cases show any indication of expanded brass above the webbing? It is rare, but sometimes defects end up in the brass which weaken the web and make head-separation easy. Just some thoughts....

[@kennethwalton5465]

I think its ammo related... another person with a ak style 308... had the exact same thing happen with same ammo down to the lot number..

[@kibbeystovall7546]

@@kennethwalton5465 I concur that defective ammo is the most likely explanation, especially since two guns have been wrecked from the same lot of ammo. But was the defect in bad brass? Oversized neck? Incorrect powder charge? Degraded powder? It will take some real forensic testing of unfired ammo from that lot to find the root cause.

[@alanmeyers3957]

You wrote all that and aren’t smart enough to know that the case is in pieces?

[@joelpeterson8424]

@@alanmeyers3957 Why do people have to call out those who are offering suggestions? Does this have to be some sort of "cerebral pissing match" for you? Get your own gunsmith cert. or your own channel and we can watch you be foolish.

[@kibbeystovall7546]

@@alanmeyers3957 I thought the images he showed had the case head still attached, but you are right the best images are of the other guy's failed case! Our video author does say in the subsequent video that he did have a complete head separation for his M1A. A question back at you, if the case head split partially or completely what substantial difference do you think that might make to the likelihoods of possible failure mechanisms?

[@gerard0l6569]

GLAD you guys are all OK. Avoid that ammo for sure!!

[@vicdiaz5180]

Yup sounds like a bad primer. Never heard of that namebrand ammo.

[@teksatan4699]

Yeah, this is a primer failure(overpressure, or mechanical). The rifle cycled perfectly fine with no apparent damage to the lugs etc. on the bolt as it still seems to function and lock, which wouldn't have happened with an out of battery. Damage to the carrier appears to be directly behind the shell(ejection clip & spring). The gas from the round vented backwards out of the primer then was directed downward by the bolt face and blew the bullets from the shells in the magazine. That, in turn ignited the powder inside those shells. Rapidly burning, open air powder caused the fireball. Glad everyone is safe!

[@AcM.5233]

Looking at what he's shown, I also agree with this

[@ripcurlreadiness8777]

Don’t forget there is also a hole in the lug area of the barrel that is designed to let gasses blow off downward away from the shooters face just incase of an over pressure event. Bolt guns have them as well. Most face down and will blow the stock as a way to absorb the explosion. Some are visible and out the side of the action away from the shooter.

[@teksatan4699]

@@ripcurlreadiness8777 True that completely skipped my mind.

[@sonnyhayes7331]

well, I've worked on and with these rifles since the 70s gunsmith, doubled distinguished and I got my presidents tab with a math M14, we had a customer bring us an M1A and ammo for us to sight it in, BOOM, and had the same damage as you. Bad hand loads after checking out his other ammo. I can see this happening with a round with no powder or to much, I've never seen it happen with a stuck firing pin. I shot on teams with these for over 20 years. Glad no one was hurt! Semper fi. .

[@davidguillory4294]

I know of a riffle that had similar catastrophic failure and it was the ammo that was cause of the incident. The receiver was bowed and magazine exploded out the bottom. In this instance, the round did not fully load into the chamber but was in just enough that the riffle would allow the trigger to be pulled. In your case, I would say an over changed powder in the casing is the cause. I am glad to hear no one was hurt. I have heard stories where people are seriously injured. It is good you videoed the incident that way the manufacturers (rifle or ammo) can't make up some excuse to not take responsibility.

[@danwilliams5867]

On M1 and M14 the safety bridge will not allow the hammer to hit the firing pin if it's not fully into battery. Both M1 and M14 are hammer forged receivers with a huge amount of machining. Both are incredibly cost prohibitive to do today. It's why no one makes a M1 repo and the ones who did failed. It's why even with slamfires on M1 or full auto on M14 there wasn't an issue. If the chamber was below NATO 7.62 specs. Sammi 308 Win is what they chambered it for, it may have gotten stuck but not fired if safety bridge was machined correctly. SAMMI go is 1.630 NATO is 1.635. What this means is NATO spec can be .005 longer, most are not but some are.

[@michaelhutcheson9005]

I thought I wanted a SoCom , yet now I am not so sure with seeing this and hearing of yours. Friend had same rifle blow up on him. (Ammo was different) Scary

[@stephenscott-mg9ji]

I saw the same thing years ago on the range with Marine shooting team shooting a M14. The same type thing happened. Same flash, same bulged magazine. Stock broke at wrist, wooden stock. We ran over as the shooter was standing. His rifle was in two parts, hanging from his two arms. He was not hurt but stunned. Later found out it was a broken firing pin that had caused a round to fire out of battery. However in this case another posting indicates a second gun of another type has had an explosion. Making me think it could be an ammo issue, primers. If you look at the cases on his table it appears several exploded in the magazine. Just another observation. Good luck . I expect Springfield Armory will do the right thing.

[@tomodonnell9480]

Two possibilities I can think of one, being the weapon was slightly out of battery when the round was touched off. The lack of containment of the case would allow the pressure blast to blow the Mag apart and destroy the rifle stock as well as surrounding metal parts. The obvious culprit would be the ammo. However , most rifle powder by my experience when filling the case doesn't leave a whole lot of room to overfill it by much. Ive never done it, but a couple of grain overfill to cause a catastrophic failure is unlikely . Excessive recoil, blown primer, bolt becoming stuck or hard to cycle is defiantly possible. Using a rifle powder designed for this 308 case would nearly or completely fill the case so a " double charge" is impossible, but a slightly over charge is possible. Now we have to look at the possibility of a sabotaged round, or the wrong type of powder being used. A hot pistol powder that could be doubled or tripled may cause a massive over pressure. This is a mystery that needs to be unraveled.Let us know.

[@oscarballard7911]

That sucks bad, I've got the CQB model. I've fired over 500 rounds through it without a problem. However, I've only shot Ammo from long established companies. If I were a betting man I'd lean hard on the ammo, as this is the first and only video I've seen showing this happening.

[@JD-tn5lz]

Since you own an SA I advise you buy a go/no-go gauge and check your headspace occasionally...

[@mikedelta1441]

Great spotter! No matter what happens keep eyes on target!

[@jeffcolwell8459]

Happy to see everyone is okay hope all of this gets taken care of

[@joeolivieri7620]

My first thought is this is an AMMO Issue! I have been shooting this round for 50 years, and have never seen this happen. I don't know anything about the ammo manufacturer, but ammo requirements outside the U.S. are not as stringent as they are here. I have reloaded for 40 years, and again have never had this happen. The M14/M1A is a very robust action. I have shot over 20,000 rounds through my Springfield Armory SOCOM 16 without failure, or jams of any kind. I have always used US, or personally reloaded ammo in mine. I am glad that everyone is okay. I hope the ammo manufacturer is able to determine what went wrong (double charge?), and hope that you get a new SOCOM16 soon. It really is a great rifle and my favorite overall go-to rifle for everything.

[@fredboat]

Thanks for showing the rifle failure. Glad no injuries. Sorry about your new rifle.Good luck with Springfield warranty. later from Texas.

[@stepjohn100]

Did the round exit the barrel? I qualified with the standard M14 at Marine Corps Base Quantico and carried a "14" as an Army ROTC cadet for four years. During the range LTI by USMC armorers, I learned my issued "14" -- with it's oddly colored mauve fiberglass jungle stock -- had a bent barrel and the armorers tagged it out and issued me another. The new one was quirky as well. Though it was highly accurized (I was a competition shooter before entering the officer program) the rifle shot amazingly tight groups but the op rod kept jumping off the stainless steel cam roller bearing on the bolt. I banged it back on with my hand. The ammo was Lake City match ammo and apparently no overpressure was involved. Like most folks commenting here, I've shot every type of rifle military and civilian and once shot 200 rounds of rusted, late-WWII German 7.92mm ammo with steel casings so corroded with pinholes I could see the propellant inside, using my 98K. (I don't advise doing the same. A ton of dangerous hangfires and I had to pour rust out of the barrel.) I've seen almost every kind of weird thing including guys who stupidly attempted to shoot "proofing" rounds (double-pressure loads) that were only used in factories for pressure testing chambers. (It's my understanding these are not supposed to leave the factories, but I've seen folks selling these rounds that are often painted with garish colors and heavily marked!!) All that said, a proof round is simply loaded with enough propellant to stress test chambers and an overloaded round can be a "bomb" of the same type. I agree with Combat Vet below, though I'm perplexed the bolt/op rod, etc, did not cycle, unless the overpressure was so great and immediate that the propellant detonation exited through the face of the bolt into the magazine and deformed the op rod/chamber/bolt/receiver before the round could pass the gas port to allow the cycling of the piston.

[@GarandGuy2553]

Holy shit! Anticipating the action blowing up, I’m like his hand is pretty darn close.

[@slick99rooster]

Either it was round that did not leave the barrel which clogged the barrel then the following shot caused the catastrophic failure or the round May have had too much powder causing it to over pressure. What makes me think it was a clogged barrel was when your spotter says he doesn’t see an impact. In 50 years of shooting the only weapons I’ve seen do something similar were all due to something clogging the barrel or wrong caliber bullet was loaded , which is basically the same thing.

[@thedefinitive6296]

I don't think I've ever heard of this happening with the Springfield M1A's so I'm more inclined to think it's the ammo. Glad no one was injured and I hope you can get a new rifle.

[@JD-tn5lz]

It's happened to me and I've seen it happen to another. Not uncommon at all. Headspacing issues.

[@smyers820gm]

@@JD-tn5lz sorry your account is 2 years old. I don’t think you’re old enough to own a rifle much less giving bs opinions about one 🫵🤡😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@LeadSlinger_]

​@user-ko7ry1dp4d it's not a headspacing issue at all

[@smyers820gm]

@@JD-tn5lz latest update. Confirmed ammo issue

[@mattysee24]

As an internet gunsmith expert, with no actual real world gunsmithing knowledge, I conclude it was the ammo. Because of reasons.

[@kennethhummel4409]

Squib, the report of the rifle changed at round 16 and so did the muzzle flash! Quickest way to verify is to look at and down the barrel for bulging or a ringed barrel.

[@roberthamilton98]

Really hard for a M1A to cycle the next round on a squib that didn't exit the barrel. If there is enough pressure to cycle, the bullets usually have enough velocity to exit.

[@forsakenace9577]

I don’t think that was a squib. If it was a squib it would’ve busted the barrel

[@kennethhummel4409]

@@forsakenace9577 there also appears to be pressure issues. The spent cases for the most part appear to eject to the 2 O clock position with at least 3 landing in the 3 O clock position. It also looks like the 16th spent case lands on the bench, like it didn’t have enough force behind it. A squib doesn't always burst the barrel. An old gunsmith I used to know named Hieber Ward had a collection of bulged or burst barrels. If the barrel is strong enough it will discharge both projectiles and survive with a noticeable bulge.

[@kennethhummel4409]

@@roberthamilton98 usually but it can happen, it depends on where the projectile stops in the barrel.

[@MazzBCD]

Sorry to hear. I have a m1a and a m1a EBR, shot thousands of rounds of different types of ammo. No problems. Never heard of ZSR. Will steer away from them. I do usually only shoot Federal, Winchester, Tula, ISI, or PMC.

[@sacrificialscience4405]

I have some ZSR ammo as well. 7.62x51, lot 7. I haven’t shot any, but it’s sold by Buffalo Cartridge Company and called Adrenaline. I pulled a round down and it had 41.3 grains of some sort of ball powder. Looks very similar to CFE223, but I doubt being a Turkish manufacturer that it’s the same stuff. I hope you get your gun replaced and am glad you weren’t hurt.

[@angelcabrera6141]

I can't remember what I was reading but another firearm exploded on zsr ammo

[@belt1974123]

That’s why I always recommend ammo from a trusted manufacturer

[@mrkdwld]

Great video! Super informative, no BS. Glad nobody was injured, that was scary! I hope you get this issue resolved.

[@firestorm8471]

That was an out of battery detonation. And a nice one at that. The rifle handled it exactly how it should have by focusing the blast down . Glad no one caught shrapnel. I think Ian over at Forgotten Weapons still has a frag in his chest from one.

[@thompsonjerry3412]

No it was not, the gun was in battery and had to be forcibly opened. More likely a failed case do to overpressure.

[@Zu_Einfach]

I just saw a video about this ammo! According to the guy who made the video specifically about lot 015 of the zsr 7.62 ammo, the ammo is pretty inconsistent, some rounds are in the brass super tight and other rounds are in the brass super loose, some of the rounds have much more powder than others, so in my opinion, it’s likely the zsr ammo!

[@eddyde115]

Your friend is very lucky. I was at a range back in the early 90's when a M1 blew up in a shooters face, it was bad, the poor guy's face was shredded and he was still unconscious when the ambulance took him away.

[@m118lr]

..a ‘Garand’? An “M1” is technically a Garand..30-06 cartridges.

[@smasher.338]

​@@m118lr its the same action, just made in a different caliber.

[@alanparadis5061]

Thank God you guys are ok, you are handling this like a champ, holy shit man thats crazy, good luck! And thank you for sharing!

[@GlockDom45]

Ammo. If the last bullet cleared the barrel and only the magazine and area around the chamber was affected I’m going with a bad cartridge. ZSR should replace your gun.

[@RichardCranium321]

pretty sure someone else had gun explode when using ZSR ammo they bought in 2020/2021. it was a 9mm glock, catastrophic detonation from overpressure & messed him up pretty bad.

[@highoctanehotrod]

Hot load..Check the muzzle rise on the effected round versus previous rounds. 100% over pressure round IMO. Glad it wasn’t worse

[@normanmallory2055]

That should never have happened! Glad everyone is okay !

[@lencac7952]

WOW! Glad ya'all are ok. You know years ago I had an Egyptian Hakim semi-auto in 7.92x57. I had shot it quite a bit and it had been shot a whole lot by the Egyptian military before I got it. I sold it to a friend. So to complete the deal we go to the range. He brings ammo. Not known at the time, it was the Turkish surplus ammo. that was being warned about. But back then the internet was not a thing. Anyway, the very first shot it exploded EXACTLY as yours did. But in keeping safe. Any rifle you shoot for the first time, you inspect the ejected case for anything bad. Like reading a spark plug in an engine.

[@maxford7451]

With that sort of catastrophic frame damage, as well as bolt damage and flash down through the magazine, those are all signs of extreme overpressure of the chamber. It is most likely that you experienced either a squib, or an overcharged round.

[@dhgoody]

Possibly both! Squib followed by an over pressured round.

[@samwhittemore5614]

This ^

[@agskytter8977]

How can it be a squib when the rifle cycles? The bullet has to pass the gas port the get the rifle to cycle and reload. It does not need to be overpressure either. It can be as simple as a case failure.

[@samwhittemore5614]

@@agskytter8977 bullet makes it past the gas port and lodges in the last few inches of the barrel. Possible.

[@agskytter8977]

@@samwhittemore5614 If the bullet get as far as past the gasport the pressure is too low to kill the action. The pressure is way higher in the first couple of inches of bullet travel. In addition, if the shot before the explotion was a squib there would be no "bang" and recoil in the rifle.

[@bakerstephen777]

From what I see the gun fired while out of battery. Ejected the previous spent casing, peeled off the next round from the magazine but never went fully into battery. .30hate has quite a powder charge and will cause the polymer to split if rounds go off while even minutely out of battery

[@Boreascorax]

May want to have a look at the primers from the rounds you fired both before this happened and from the round that exploded looking for signs of overpressure such as flattening. I'm very suspicious of the ammunition in this case.

[@noapologizes2018]

Armchair Quarterback here. My opinion is that it was a hot round, (too much powder) or the projectile somehow was seated in a manner that prevented it from releasing and the ignition gases took the path of least resistance.

[@tf2529]

Glad no one was injured. Springfield has a very good reputation, have no experience with the ammo being used . I'm betting it was the ammo. Secondly, thumbs up for your wife getting you a nice Christmas present. Hopefully it will work out for you and you get your rifle replaced. Good video and thank you for getting it out. You could be saving people from having the same experience or perhaps worse.

[@redfoxtactical8425]

Springfield has an awful reputation... The M1As have a pretty bad reputation for their price as well. It could be ammo, but this is also very in character for a headspacing issue.

[@JD-tn5lz]

Their reputation is strictly a result of promotion. They are essentially a dolled up CAI. They are first an importer, second an assembler, third they manufacture. Very much like CAI, except they do far better at promotion and hit it big when they got old tooling and old m14 parts and put out a photo of a Camp Perry Marine shooting a rifle. And no, they literally have Nothing to do with the original (now long since defunct) US government facility named Springfield Armory. Nothing at all.

[@leanit5756]

My experience with 5 M1As is pretty lackluster.

[@famedgaming1865]

​@@redfoxtactical8425 Kinda hard to be a headspace issue with a rifle that gets fired before being shipped.

[@roundone7954]

Thank God you guys weren't seriously hurt!

[@milkman1026]

That’s crazy! This might be worth going to Springfield over to see if they can get ahold of some of that batch from ZSR and test it in a controlled environment. Definitely looks ammunition related, as much as I hate to call someone out on that.

[@herrprepper2070]

About 15 years ago, I bought a “loaded” SA M1A. Took it to the range the first time and using Winchester “white box” 7.62 ammunition, it blew the oprod right out of the track. Sent it back to SA for repair. When it came back, all the SA parts had been replaced with USGI. Never had another issue.

[@tinaann3323]

Firearms instructor and armorer for many years. Yes, definitely Ammunition.

[@Icarryone]

Some years ago I purchased a brand new Springfield M1A. Right out of the box, It turned out to have a serious headspace problem. I had my FFL dealer send it back to Springfield Armory for warranty repairs. When they returned it (2 months later), it had a completely new receiver - which was cool. Along with it came an invoice for parts & labor. After numerous phone calls, they could not (or would not) give me a specific reason why this issue wasn't covered under their warranty. Long story short, I paid the rather hefty invoice & swore to never again purchase a Springfield Armory product of any sort. That's why you'll never see one of their firearms being reviewed on my channel.

[@madmaxd1]

First and foremost, glad to see no serious injuries happened. Secondly, sad to see you going through this issues, although I've learned Springfield Armory is making things right even though no liability has been established yet. I appreciate you posting the video, it certainly brings awareness. Although never experienced a catastrophic failure in my 38 years in shooting, I've always stayed away from small and/or unknown manufacturing firms. People are constantly trying to save a buck on ammunition and they forget the importance on where these shortcuts should be taken, ammunition and firearms definitely isn't one without risking injuries. High quality ammunition isn't immune to failures, it's just less likely due to higher QC. My $.02

[@raymondwilliamblack]

same thing happened to my 17 hmr due to faulty ammo after speaking to other members learned this was a more common occurrence due to faulty brass cases, didnt make me feel any better as now I have to purchase a new bolt for my CZ and replacement magazine, luckily I swear by CZ and my pistols and rifles all come from there,

[@BigNast]

Definitely ammo related. Look at the recoil difference between rounds 16 and 17. The gun pops up off the range bag on 17, compared to round 16. To me, this indicates much higher recoil generated by the overcharged round. Also, you can hear the difference between those rounds as well.

[@brandonschwietzer8757]

I bought 200 rounds of ZSR M193. The first mag I was impressed because I was sighting in a rifle and it felt like it was actually loaded to M193 specs. Next box I was shooting and noticed a shot felt different and was almost about 4 inches low at 100 yards. Kept shooting and eventually thought I felt one that was definitely loaded heavier. I decided to not blow up my new gun that day and put the ZSR back in the bag. Gonna go in my closet and throw that shit away before I forget about it.

[@1retiredknight]

That does not look like recoil from a round fired normally, even an overcharged round. The action does not appear to move at all on the last round, nor does there appear to be a plume of gasses from the muzzle. It looks like somehow the primer of the top round in the magazine was set off, the case ruptured, and the gas pressure directed done through the magazine pushed the rifle straight up.

[@JD-tn5lz]

IF this were a properly manufactured firearm it should easily handle 2x overpressure. Easily. If you look up what a proofhouse is, or own any European rifles you'll understand. SA is a budget manufacturer. There are reasons why their M14 copies (M1As) are thirty to forty percent less expensive to buy than other manufacturer's M14 copies.

[@NeroLordofChaos]

@@JD-tn5lz It's a known issue with ZSR quality control, not SA. Springfield may make the shittiest copies of the M14/M1a, but ZSR ammo destroying guns has been verified several times over in numerous rifles and actions. Double or even triple charged cartridges have been found in normal boxes straight from store shelves.

[@AlphaFox38]

I wanted to LOVE the SOCOM 16. It shot "ok". It was very light and weildy and was able to hit 200 yard targets with iron sights standing/snap shooting. When I tried to print on paper to get an idea of its accuracy I was very very disappointed. From the bench, with very experienced shooters, we could not get anything better than 8 to 10 inch groups at 100 yards. While we didnt try EVERY ammo brand out there we fed the SOCOM 16 a healthy variety of name brand quality ammunition. I no longer have the SOCOM 16.

[@non-binaryjesus]

That was definitely overpressure!! You can see the bolt only came back a little and I'm guessing all that gas blew out the bottom of the bolt or throw the pressure release ports. My friend had his CZ scorpion 2 blow out the side of the barrel and i swear he was shooting that zsr ammo. I can't remember but I'm gonna call him and ask!

[@JustinKingOffroad]

we had four 22lr explode like that in a matter of seconds on a scout troop shooting sports even about 15 years ago. it was recalled ammo we were not aware of. hopefully the ammo supplier makes it right with you.

[@riccochet704]

That was an ammo issue 100%.

[@JD-tn5lz]

Wow. You're amazing. You didn't even examine the firearm. Wow. I've experienced this same thing and witnessed another, both SA. They were both attributed to bad headspace by a neutral gunsmith and also from my own observations. You're just amazing to do that from a short video. Here's a clue...maybe you'll pick up on it. ...a properly manufactured firearm (obviously not an SA) should be able to handle SAAMI x 2 without detriment, that is a properly "proofed" rifle. I've never seen a proofhouse mark on ANY Springfield product.

[@riccochet704]

@@JD-tn5lz M1A's have been around for a long time. Rarely hear about issues with them. A spicy round is going to grenade anything. Either it was a poorly measured charge or poor neck tension that allowed bullet setback, which lead to over pressure. If there were issued with SA's M1A's we'd be hearing about it more often. We don't, because those issues don't exist.

[@skwerl2003]

​@@JD-tn5lz The SA M1A has been used in competitions, and won them, for decades. It has been proven over many years, the ammo hasn't. Its common sense buddy

[@Michael-uc2pn]

​@@skwerl2003manufacturing defects happen with any product. You can't categorically rule out an issue with an individual rifle without thoroughly inspecting it to determine why the failure happened. Is the round the most likely cause of the failure? Sure. But you can't be 100% sure without an expert examining both rifle and casing to figure out what went wrong. Toyotas are famously reliable cars, but my buddy had the transmission on his die at 60,000 miles. Sometimes you just get the 1 in 10,000 lemon.

[@BlancaBusaless]

Bolt never moved. At 7:50 minute mark your buddy ejects the shell that was in the chamber. That was your key piece of evidence. What did it look like? Spilt down the side or the base?

[@fatrat69]

Looks like a very hot load round!!

[@Dan-gj1hz]

Your coworker is hilarious. “Holy sh*t, lets go to the bar”

[@GeneLucas2941]

Sorry about your unpleasant experience. I've seen that happen in a mass production environment. In my case, the powder doser wasn't cleared before loading rifle ammo. So, the doser still had pistol powder in it and left that way just before the next shift. Pistol powder burns faster than rifle powder. And if you put a full load of pistol powder in a rifle case, the case and chamber will most likely rupture. That's what caused the overpressure and catastrophic failure in my case. A process audit and resolution fixed that problem by adding a step to make sure the doser is cleared before every shift change and every change in caliber. Never happened again since. I hope that info helps in establishing liability and getting your rifle fixed!

[@GeneLucas2941]

Of course it could also be a metallurgical problem. But in my experience, unlikely. I have yet to encounter that.

[@1AbominAble1]

I read of a similar issue due to an out of battery detonation in an M1A at least 20 years ago. According to the blog, Springfield fought him tooth and nail, I hope that your situation is resolved more professionally.

[@1AbominAble1]

After watching that more closely that wasn’t a squib. Case didn’t eject but the rounds detonated in the magazine. Straight up ammo issue.

[@gplanetaiv]

At the 7:32 mark, that case means it's most likely an out of battery discharge. These rifles usually come from the factory packed with some grease; did you clean and then regrease the proper surfaces? If the round wasn't in battery, the round wasn't fully seated in the chamber and results in catastrophic failure like what you see in the video.

[@danwilliams5867]

If it was out of battery, a correctly machined receiver bridge would have prevented the hammer from hitting firing pin.

[@gplanetaiv]

​@@danwilliams5867 not necessarily. Some other contributing factors that could possibly lead to an out of battery discharge would be a tight chamber, short chamber, or an excessive case OAL leading to the cartridge to index off the case mouth and the bolt not fully seated. M1 style rifles, depending of quality of manufacture and wear can potentially have an out of battery discharge. If the barrel had a short chamber and the round was not fully seated, it could also have been a partial out of battery discharge.

[@danwilliams5867]

@@gplanetaiv this was brand new and if chamber was short all rounds would have jammed. This is a machining error and willing to bet money on it. At my Gun club we had S come in and show off there wears. Including M1A. None of them would last the weekend. All had some sort of failure I had the CMP part and had a 1943 Springfield M1 and it worked flawlessly all weekend long with no cleaning adjusting etc. M1 and M14 will not fire if the bolt isn't fully locked and the receiver bridge is machined correctly. Overpressure doubt that too. Hatcher tried to blow one up in US Army trials and failed. Nope this is shoddy casting

[@danedearmond4905]

Failures make me nervous. It's one of the reasons I generally avoid the larger cartridges like the 30-06, .308Win, .338lapua etc... A .223/5.56 failure is bad enough. Let alone when you double the powder and move up to the .308 size rounds... I reload .308win, and every new reciepe makes me nervous until I bench test it. Just a guess on my part as a loader, just briefly looking at the fallout on the table, and how it ejected the mag, it looks like a brass failure. Like the brass couldn't withstand the pressure and failed before it let loose of the projectile. That could be weak/defective brass, too much powder (which I kinda doubt as those large cartidges don't leave much room to overfill), or maybe a headspace issue between the rifle and the ammo causing the bullet to not fire from the casing into the barrel and something had to give as the pressure built, and the brass caved first. My two best guesses? Either the rifle had an issue with headspace and the way that round fit into the chamber (and it pinched down so tight the bullet didn't fire), or defective brass failed under pressure. Since it worked for 15 shots before hand, I'm guessing defective / failed brass, but it's JUST A GUESS, and I could very well be way off...

[@halfcirclehranch]

It seemed to me that, on the last shot before the gun blew, it seemed the casing ejected rather weakly compared to earlier shots you had on video.

[@SBSRIVERA]

Thank god no one was seriously injured. By the way I dig your collection of Star Wars light sabers, sign and droid on the counter. Stay safe

[@MichaelSzumowski]

I am glad they you are all right. I am no expert but I think the ammo is the culprit by the way it blowup happened. I am happy you all walked away.

[@GeorgiaNFA]

Clearly an ammo issue. Glad he wasn't hurt. My SOCOM 16 is one of my favorite shooters.

[@PhilB7598]

1: did you clean the barrel before use? 2: never heard of that ammo. 3: Back a while,Springfield was having "issues" with their extractors and bolts. Looking at the video however and without further inspection (the bolt), it looks like the ammo. Thank God nobody was hurt! Good luck, I hope somebody makes good on this.

[@1ltcap]

"if i pass out in a few minutes and there;s red stuff on the ground, just get me to the hospital. i friggin love that guys laid back attitude!

[@dx11101]

I'd say faulty ammo. Could have been overcharged.... or undercharged causing a rare double detonation pressure spike. Was thinking maybe out of battery case head seperation at first but the prior round extracted fine. I'd actually give the rifle a 10/10 here for holding together with no injuries

[@dhgoody]

Question: Can an undercharged case cause a pressure spike? Asking because I typically start reloading at the low end of the reloading tables then work up. Haven't tried reloading below the lowest listed powder level.

[@dx11101]

@@dhgoody yeap that is why there is a low. If you think about something with lots of capacity, like 30-06 or even 308, you can have lots of deadspace with too little powder. With the right diceroll you can get a double detonation

[@dhgoody]

@@dx11101 thank you!

[@cameronmccreary4758]

I was looking up this problem on the internet and I came across the recall notice for the ammunition. The ammunition is made in Turkey and frankly I don't think I would trust anything of a safety nature to be made in Turkey. When I was a younger and shooting my firearms, I only had one cartridge that blew up and it was a 7.63 mm Mauser cartridge. It turned out that the case was a DWM cartridge manufactured in 1935. The rear of the case gave way due to mercuric embrittlement of the case by the mercuric promers. I also had a 40X stereo microscope then and under set magnification factor I could actually see the mercury in the brass of the case. I wasn't hurt by the explosion of the case but it did shake me up a bit. The firearm a 7.63 mm Mauser model C96 large ring hammer pistol was damaged but it was repairable and repairs were made on it. I also reloaded ammunition at the time and never had that problem. I'm glad nobody got hurt.

[@MealTeam6_]

I am guessing an over pressured round. Two things that can cause OP rounds are wrong/too much powder OR bullet pushing back during autoloading function. Many times when over pressure is known, the primer will blow out or the case head will separate. I am guessing the case head separated due to the powder in the other cartridges burning after destruction. Not an expert but that is my 2 cents worth. Since it is a new rifle, maybe the headspace was off and you had an out of battery discharge as well. I'm just glad everyone is ok. Send the damaged brass and your rifle to Springfield Armory so they can evaluate. It is hard to find the reason without having all the information they need. Hopefully, if it was the firearm, they will be honest and not point fingers both ways.

[@nickpetrowski6873]

Guns don't usually blow up, ammo usually blows up. M1a won't fire out of battery because of the way the hammer strikes, if the bolt isn't closed the hammer can't strike the firing pin. Probably a double charge of powder.

[@elizhaflores7435]

I hope you do a follow up when the investigations is concluded.

[@bubbathekid7014]

Ammo at fault apparently. Need to see ALL THE BRASS. Glad everyone is OK.

[@samuelduell965]

My M1A came with a flyer full of warnings including an article titled "The Mysterious Slam-Fire". It describes a situation that looks a lot like what happened to you. It details six different causes related to rifle and ammo. One of the causes mentioned was an improperly seated primer. Take a look at your remaining ammo and see if any have protruding primers.

[@paulmorissette5863]

Not a slam from what I can see.

[@goddard0011]

looked like casehead separation so seems massive overpressure of the round is the cause.. Hopefully you get it sorted out man!

[@crankyyankee2475]

Definitely not slam fire. Looks more like junk ammo.

[@loquat44-40]

@@paulmorissette5863 probably not just slam fire since there was enough pressure to damage the extractor spring. Action was likely closed long enough to build up significant pressure. There was obviously a failure of the cartridge case to contain the gases. My guess is that there was excess headspace due to the gun not being fully locked combined with a defective cartridge.

[@purpleguy5226]

yeah, the article in question doesn't pertain to the m1a it's about the m1 Garand

[@christophernear2279]

Case head separation. Could be bad brass, over pressure round or excessive head space on rifle.

[@russbilzing5348]

That you managed to handle the matter with such equanimity at a time when others would be quick to cast aspersions in one direction or another, speaks well of you were raised. Good luck in the future, towards getting your rifle replaced, without regard as to placing of the blame in this instance.

[@Saintlawrence100]

Omg!!!…glad you weren’t hurt…I’m sorry this happened, man…damn. …excellent vid…subbed

[@HarborSite-7]

There are reports all over the place about ZSR ammo being bad and not just this batch of 7.62x51 (lot 015). People trying to reload with ZSR brass say it stretches like crazy. That's one of the reasons why I only buy ammo made in the USA.

[@eagleace67]

Definitely a faulty ammo. Glad nobody's hurt. Felt bad about the rifle...