The ONE TIME some reloaded ammo went through my Uzi - Case rupture & receiver bulge

[Trebor]

In the 17 or so years I've had my Vector/GI SMG I have been absolutely anal about what ammo gets fired through my gun. Until Saturday, when a partial box of commercial reloads got mixed in with the ammo I was using and six or eight rounds got loaded into what was supposed to be the last mag of the day. It's like knocking a girl up, you take precautions for years, but it only takes one time...

About 1/3 of the mag in, case rupture. Gun held up fine. It just seemed like a stoppage at first. Top cover stayed on. The photo is after I took the top cover off and then couldn't get it back on. Top cover got bent and the receiver has a slight bulge. Squib round in the barrel as well.

I'm already making arrangements for a well known MG guy to do the repairs.
I do need some guidance on what ATF forms I need to fill out to ship it, and how shipping is usually done for repairs. The gun is a transferable on a Form 4.

I also need a new rachetting top cover and maybe a new SMG barrel. Any leads appreciated. My only spare cover is non-rachetting.

 

[Slowmo]

Can you tell whether it is one or two bullets in the barrel?

 

[tomk]

I've got a BUNCH of ratcheting topcovers. Haven't checked prices lately but can ship one to you for $16 (lower 48). 2 for $27 shipped (assumes lower 48). Great shape. PM me if interested.

 

[Trebor]

I've got a BUNCH of ratcheting topcovers. Haven't checked prices lately but can ship one to you for $16 (lower 48). 2 for $27 shipped (assumes lower 48). Great shape. PM me if interested.

Pm sent

 

[dustindu4]

I saw a similar thing happen once with reloads and the barrel had about 9 squibs stuck in it and the top cover blew off just like that. Cut the barrel out and a new top cover and it was fine. It will be ok!

 

[Dirk Hawthorne]

Just curious, why did you have commercial reloads? Do you use them for handgun ammo?

 

[Trebor]

I saw a similar thing happen once with reloads and the barrel had about 9 squibs stuck in it and the top cover blew off just like that. Cut the barrel out and a new top cover and it was fine. It will be ok!

Just for the record the top cover didn't actuallly blow off. It seemed like just a stoppage until it wouldn't clear and I popped off the top cover and saw the blown case on the bolt head.
The photo is from when I tried to reinstall the top cover. It wouldn't go back on which is when I realized there was a receiver bulge.

Wasn't trying to mislead anyone into thinking it blew like that

 

[Trebor]

Just curious, why did you have commercial reloads? Do you use them for handgun ammo?

I helped run a new shooter event at a SF con a year or so earlier. This was a partial box of commercial reloads from that event that I kept for the next year's event. Or to shoot through a handgun eventually.
That box got mixed in with the ammo I brought for the MG shoot without me noticing and got loaded into the mag when I wasn't watching.
Had I even noticed the box before this I woulda taken it and put it away somewhere.

 

[Trebor]

Can you tell whether it is one or two bullets in the barrel?

One I think. I measured using a cleaning rod and eyeballed it. I could measure again and use a ruler to check the rod to be more precise to make sure

 

[Slowmo]

One I think. I measured using a cleaning rod and eyeballed it. I could measure again and use a ruler to check the rod to be more precise to make sure

Might be worth trying to determine that since it might relate to how you fix it. If you had a squib followed by a second round, the barrel may very well be bulged. If you had an out of battery discharge that left a bullet in the barrel, it might be fine.

That said, I’d be surprised if an OOB discharge would bulge the receiver. Might be worth checking the chamber to see if there is brass stuck in there. There are certain brands of brass that are prone to splitting and leaving a sleeve in the chamber. When the next round comes along, it OOB discharges since the sleeve effectively reduces the headspace of the barrel by 1/4” or so. Here’s an example of a sleeve that got stuck in my gun that I removed with Cerrosafe casting material:

 

[KickStand]

In regards to your shipping question, this is what I did and it worked great:
1. The gentleman that I used had the proper licensing to handle NFA stuff and he gave me a form to fill out that clearly stated it was out for repair.
2. I shipped it via USPS Registered mail, fully insured too (it’s slow though).
3. I added an Apple air tag that was hidden inside the package. Which was cheap and there no subscription fees. Just buy it and you’re good to go.


Good luck!

 

[SecondAmend]

10-12 years ago there was an indoor range that let me shoot my Uzi full auto there, and to be "a good customer" I'd buy a 50 round bag of his commercial reload 9mm ammo. It was so lame, it wouldn't even cycle the Uzi, so I would shoot the reloads in the Sig Sauer P226 that I'd bring along. For the Uzi I'd use Fed AE 115 gr. that I'd bring, and still typically shoot in everything 9mm. The Sig would shoot anything I ever tried in it.
MHO, YMMV, etc.

 

[Trebor]

Might be worth trying to determine that since it might relate to how you fix it. If you had a squib followed by a second round, the barrel may very well be bulged. If you had an out of battery discharge that left a bullet in the barrel, it might be fine.

That said, I’d be surprised if an OOB discharge would bulge the receiver. Might be worth checking the chamber to see if there is brass stuck in there. There are certain brands of brass that are prone to splitting and leaving a sleeve in the chamber. When the next round comes along, it OOB discharges since the sleeve effectively reduces the headspace of the barrel by 1/4” or so. Here’s an example of a sleeve that got stuck in my gun that I removed with Cerrosafe casting material:

View attachment 40411

Good to know, thanks.

 

[Trebor]

In regards to your shipping question, this is what I did and it worked great:
1. The gentleman that I used had the proper licensing to handle NFA stuff and he gave me a form to fill out that clearly stated it was out for repair.
2. I shipped it via USPS Registered mail, fully insured too (it’s slow though).
3. I added an Apple air tag that was hidden inside the package. Which was cheap and there no subscription fees. Just buy it and you’re good to go.


Good luck!

Air Tag is a good idea. I just bought a set of four for a trip the wife will be going on. I'll grab one and setup the ap on my phone and hide it in the box

 

[Slowmo]

In regards to your shipping question, this is what I did and it worked great:
1. The gentleman that I used had the proper licensing to handle NFA stuff and he gave me a form to fill out that clearly stated it was out for repair.
2. I shipped it via USPS Registered mail, fully insured too (it’s slow though).
3. I added an Apple air tag that was hidden inside the package. Which was cheap and there no subscription fees. Just buy it and you’re good to go.


Good luck!

It has been a year or two since I looked into it, but you’re not supposed to ship a short-barreled rifle (as defined by USPS regs, not the NFA) via USPS. I think it’s technically a regulatory offense of some kind, and I believe they can seize it and likely would not honor insurance if lost if they figured out what it was.

 

[mike400]

I can’t tell you how many guns I have seen damaged from so called “commercial reloaded” ammo. I include remanufactured ammo in that group. If it’s not factory new or you reloaded it yourself, don’t shoot it. It’s not worth saving a few dollars. Occasionally someone will say they heard of factory new ammo causing a squib or such, that percentage would be so low compared to this reloaded garbage. Not even your handgun, let alone your expensive NFA item. Just not worth your life or loss of your firearm.

 

[Hiller]

Ok Bad ammo. So what exactly happened?
Did you have a squib Round that didn’t fire and the round was in the chamber and you racked another round from the mag and boom or what? From the looks of the brass case, it wasn’t in the chamber at all when the round went off.
I mean no matter how crappy a round is it usually doesn’t just explode completely outside of the chamber.


R/s,Hiller…………

 

[Trebor]

Ok Bad ammo. So what exactly happened?
Did you have a squib Round that didn’t fire and the round was in the chamber and you racked another round from the mag and boom or what? From the looks of the brass case, it wasn’t in the chamber at all when the round went off.
I mean no matter how crappy a round is it usually doesn’t just explode completely outside of the chamber.


R/s,Hiller…………

My wife was shooting. On the second or third burst through that mag she stopped and said, "It's jammed."
She didn't have a stoppage before that. She said nothing felt different and we didn't realize there was a burst case and a bullet stuck in the barrel until I took a look. Bolt was half open and brass was visible.

 

[Hiller]

My wife was shooting. On the second or third burst through that mag she stopped and said, "It's jammed."
She didn't have a stoppage before that. She said nothing felt different and we didn't realize there was a burst case and a bullet stuck in the barrel until I took a look. Bolt was half open and brass was visible.

I’ll be darned. I would have thought it would have made a helluva loud Bang and thrown shrapnel.

Did you ever find out exactly what was stuck in the barrel?

R/s, Hiller………..

 

[Dirk Hawthorne]

I’ll be darned. I would have thought it would have made a helluva loud Bang and thrown shrapnel.

Did you ever find out exactly what was stuck in the barrel?

R/s, Hiller………..

I think it depends on what the pressure is in the case when it ruptures.

I've had a couple of OOB discharges in my UZI, there was nothing noteworthy about it except the report sounded more like a "pop" than a "bang".

I think the culprit was dirt, if I remember correctly. I used to use Unique powder for all my reloading and it's so sooty that it could be described as "crust forming." So it caked up in the chamber.

I couldn't find Unique anywhere, so I switched to Winchester powder and I'm happier with it.