What went wrong here...

[1Z3OS]

From the muzzle - what's it look like? Can you see (or feel) an obstruction (duh) but how far down?
You say you missed (your target?) with shot 59... And this was shot 60... are you sure 59 left the barrel?

I'm thinking squib round

 

[DirectDrive]

Looking through my brass piles, my own reloads and range pickups, I would say the amount of soot on the case head is weird too. As if gas was leaking. I don't have a shield so maybe that's normal, but these cases look amazingly filthy. In the picture I quoted above, only the upper left and the one I quoted with the red box look like the right amount of soot to me.

That was my first thought.
A sooty case indicates a low pressure charge that does not push the case hard enough against the chamber wall to make a good gas seal.
On the other hand, double that charge and now you could really have a problem.

 

[patbob]

That looks like a pretty scary kaboom. Glad the OP is OK.

Stamp from the cases said "WIN". Is it normal for no-name manufacturers to use major name brand cases?

Its a little off topic, but I didn't see an answer to this and I'm wondering the same question. Would it be normal for an ammo manufacturer to use purchased brass from another manufacturer?
The brass sounds like the highest cost part of a cartridge, so would be where the most profit is to be made.

Then again, for more than $1/round, maybe there's still plenty of money to be made using purchased new brass.

 

[grimmy999]

In addition, I'd be posting pictures and a review of the ammo on the CTD website, good way to warn others to beware.

I did that, but it's taking a while to show up there.

 

[orygun]

I did that, but it's taking a while to show up there.

It probably has to be "approved". Great way to save face....

 

[P7M13]

its good to know not to buy ammo from unknown manufacturers.

Especially from sites like "Dirtier than cheap".

When you think about it, our interest/hobby involves running many thousands of miniature explosions thru fairly cheaply produced consumer products. It's amazing incidents like this don't happen more often.

Thank lawyers, regulation and safety standards. A free market would sort it out, but not without the cost of a few fingers, eyes and hands.
[Edit to Add] Just went to CTDs website for the first time in years. Holy Crap!!!
I was at Sportsman's Warehouse BF sale, and didn't buy Winnie 9mm at $18/box or Sig 45ACP at $22/box because I thought they were too expensive. Then I see this @ CTD:

Um, yeah. These mo'fos will NEVER get another *LOOK* from me. I mentioned attorneys in the sentences above, and this reminds me of a few attorneys I have known - most specifically a divorce attorney in Salem.

 

[Koda]

Its a little off topic, but I didn't see an answer to this and I'm wondering the same question. Would it be normal for an ammo manufacturer to use purchased brass from another manufacturer?

its normal especially for startup companies that cant afford their own headstamp. This can be anything from a garage operation to a quality boutique manufacturer like Doubletapp.

 

[thorborg]

Pending lack of response where sought, I'd be tempted to pull a goodly amount of slugs and weigh powders to see if I could find inconsistencies in the ammo manufacture. Time consuming for sure.

As an aside; I received a critical comment not to long ago regarding my lack of confidence in plastic guns.
The OP's pictures have embolden me to risk public censure again.
My ownership and continued CC use of plastic guns notwithstanding, I stand by my original opine.
Without delving into the cause of the OP's disaster, there is no denying that getting in a collision while in a 5000 pound all steel Cadillac will be safer than being in a 2000 pound Vega.

 

[Helocat]

Squib, Live round and boom...
A lot of commercial re-loaders use the Dillons and remove the powder check buzzer because it's annoying as fock....
And this is what happens.

At least you don't have to go for a car ride and do the old eye for and eye thing with finger's.
But it could be fun to show up at the MFG of the ammo and beat azz with the left over gun ??

Most do not use the powder check buzzer since they use that station for the Mr. Bullet feeder. The only way to run a powder check AND a bullet feeder are to move everything over one station and use a combo seat/crip die. I am not a commercial loader but I run a fully automated D1050 and only way I can get a 100% hard check on the powder is this way. My powder check is wired directly to the AmmoBot system running the press and will stop the press as soon as it IDs either too much or too little powder. Works dead on and the ONLY way I load the pistol caliers.

Anyone just removing the optional Dillon powder check because it's annoying is putting themselves and anyone using their ammo at unnecessary risk.

 

[DirectDrive]

Pending lack of response where sought, I'd be tempted to pull a goodly amount of slugs and weigh powders to see if I could find inconsistencies in the ammo manufacture. Time consuming for sure.

How about a digital scale and start weighing the entire cartridge.
An outlier should be spotted that way without breaking down the cartridges.

 

[thorborg]

How about a digital scale and start weighing the entire cartridge.
An outlier should be spotted that way without breaking down the cartridges.

That is a great solution to an otherwise laborious suggestion!!!

 

[edzz]

How about a digital scale and start weighing the entire cartridge.
An outlier should be spotted that way without breaking down the cartridges.

With pistol loads depending on the cartridge / load especially with mixed brass you can't always tell especially if running something like Bullseye.

 

[DirectDrive]

With pistol loads depending on the cartridge / load especially with mixed brass you can't always tell especially if running something like Bullseye.

Yes, small powder charge.
However, here we have some relative constants in regards to the other components.
The brass appears to be virgin, not random range pickups. That's a plus.
Therefore it's possible that a trend may be seen by weighing the entire cartridge using a good scale.

 

[grimmy999]

So I haven't heard from S&W but the ammo manufacturer did reach out to me. We had a good conversation and one theory is that the round wasn't fully in the battery when it went off, which is why it blew down the feed ramp. So if it wasn't all the way in, why was the firing pin able to strike the primer? More like why was the hammer able to hit the pin?

I'll say it was a good conversation and we'll see where things go from here.

 

[edzz]

So I haven't heard from S&W but the ammo manufacturer did reach out to me. We had a good conversation and one theory is that the round wasn't fully in the battery when it went off, which is why it blew down the feed ramp. So if it wasn't all the way in, why was the firing pin able to strike the primer? More like why was the hammer able to hit the pin?

I'll say it was a good conversation and we'll see where things go from here.

As this was a M&P Shield the hammer did not strike the firing pin as there is no hammer, it's striker fired.
If it were out of battery (hard for me to imagine with a Shield) an examination of the case head would most likely show a firing pin strike significantly off center as compared to other spent cartridge's from this gun, my bet is its centered just like the others.
In my opinion the ammo manufacture is throwing a Hail Mary blaming the gun.

 

[nehalemguy]

In my opinion the ammo manufacture is throwing a Hail Mary blaming the gun.

That is always the go-to move in these cases. Point fingers at the other guy.

I have a 2.0 Shield in my truck. I'll have to check to see if I can get it to (dry) fire out of battery.

P.S. after trying.........Nope.

-E-

 

[edzz]

That is always the go-to move in these cases. Point fingers at the other guy.

I have a 2.0 Shield in my truck. I'll have to check to see if I can get it to (dry) fire out of battery.

P.S. after trying.........Nope.

-E-

Same with both of mine. Both gen 1. 1 standard and 1 ported.
I don't buy out of battery.

 

[Cardinal]

Interesting consensus opinion on the main failure, but what are plausible explanations for the golden flecks and golden dust in the original post?

 

[Certaindeaf]

Interesting consensus opinion on the main failure, but what are plausible explanations for the golden flecks and golden dust in the original post?

Sounds like some crazy powder?
I'd for sure pull one to see if it hadn't degraded into something nutso.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Sounds like some crazy powder?
I'd for sure pull one to see if it hadn't degraded into something nutso.

OP said rounds were dirty. I wonder if part of this dirt is brass dust? U reloaders would know about that probably but to me it seems like it may be one and the same thing. Poor manufacturing/dirty rounds with part of the dirt/debris being brass dust. If there any common source of brass dust when reloading that might explain it?