Magazine Explodes!

[buster2209]

Whilst I've never shot an AR-15, I've got many years of experience shooting the SA-80 which I imagine is very similar.

I remember the magazines on the SA-80 were awful, you would have an FTF if;

1 - they were dirty.

2 - you dropped them and somehow you slightly bent the top of them.

3 - you filled them up to capacity.

4 - you 'banged' them into the rifle.

This next video is funny, but only because he didn't get his hand blown off.

Has anyone who has ever fired an M-16/SR-15 ever had this happen or seen this happen?

[Willie D]

This clip is older than the moon and makes the rounds half a dozen times a year.


Moral of the story: if you have to use the forward assist, don't (unless your life depends on it).

[brassguy]

Its an out of battery detonation. You can see he doesn't pull back the charging handle far enough. despite him hitting the forward assist twice it wasn't enough. Overpressure caused magazine failure.

At least that's my 3 cents (adjusted for inflation)

[Tomcat088]

I believe that it was a squib round. You can hear the guy in the background saying that they were reloads and he didn't reload them. You first hear a click, then the rifle does not eject the round. He goes to chamber the next round and the bolt will not go into battery. He keeps hitting the forward assist to get the bolt into battery. He ejects some rounds and keeps hitting the forward assist. He finally pushes the squib round far enough down the barrel to get the bolt to go into battery.

The rifle is then able to discharge. Because there is a bullet already lodged in the barrel, the gases have nowhere to go. The bolt cycles allowing the gases to leak and they go anywhere they can; blowing out the magazine. Since the magazine is plastic, it can't handle the pressure and it just explodes. That's what I think happened.

[max384]

I believe that it was a squib round. You can hear the guy in the background saying that they were reloads and he didn't reload them. You first hear a click, then the rifle does not eject the round. He goes to chamber the next round and the bolt will not go into battery. He keeps hitting the forward assist to get the bolt into battery. He ejects some rounds and keeps hitting the forward assist. He finally pushes the squib round far enough down the barrel to get the bolt to go into battery.

The rifle is then able to discharge. Because there is a bullet already lodged in the barrel, the gases have nowhere to go. The bolt cycles allowing the gases to leak and they go anywhere they can; blowing out the magazine. Since the magazine is plastic, it can't handle the pressure and it just explodes. That's what I think happened.

Exactly. I've seen this video before and came to that conclusion.

[Stooperzero]

Those guys aint that bright to begin with.


IF you need to Beat on your Forward assist youve got problems.

[ReconLdr]

I believe that it was a squib round. You can hear the guy in the background saying that they were reloads and he didn't reload them. You first hear a click, then the rifle does not eject the round. He goes to chamber the next round and the bolt will not go into battery. He keeps hitting the forward assist to get the bolt into battery. He ejects some rounds and keeps hitting the forward assist. He finally pushes the squib round far enough down the barrel to get the bolt to go into battery.

The rifle is then able to discharge. Because there is a bullet already lodged in the barrel, the gases have nowhere to go. The bolt cycles allowing the gases to leak and they go anywhere they can; blowing out the magazine. Since the magazine is plastic, it can't handle the pressure and it just explodes. That's what I think happened.

Exactly. I've seen this video before and came to that conclusion.

I would bet money these guys are right. I have seen an M16A1 do this, except the metal magazine blew up like a balloon. We had to beat it out of the mag well. When we broke the weapon down for inspection, there was a bullet in the barrel about 2" from the chamber.

[YBNORMAL]

How would the bolt lugs rotate and the carrier move rearward if the lodged bullet was BEFORE the blowback hole in the barrel..............I may be way off on this but unill that bullet passes the gas block, an AR is locked down just the same as a bolt action rifle.

[YBNORMAL]

The rifle is then able to discharge. Because there is a bullet already lodged in the barrel, the gases have nowhere to go. The bolt cycles allowing the gases to leak and they go anywhere they can; blowing out the magazine. Since the magazine is plastic, it can't handle the pressure and it just explodes. That's what I think happened.

IF the bolt cycled, would not the ejection port be a heckuva lot easier path for said gasses?

[synergy]

How would the bolt lugs rotate and the carrier move rearward if the lodged bullet was BEFORE the blowback hole in the barrel..............I may be way off on this but unill that bullet passes the gas block, an AR is locked down just the same as a bolt action rifle.

The gas port is only 7" away from the chamber, in a typically 16" barrel. It's quite possible that the squib made it down that far.