Storm Lake Glock barrel blows up.

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AussieNorinco

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Well I went to a two day IPSC shoot on the weekend but only managed to shoot three and a bit stages before my barrel split in half

I shot the first three targets and went to shoot the second round on target 4when I pulled the trigger and nothing happened. I looked down to see the slide of the Glock 34 had come off and was laying at my feet.

The RO cleared the firearm and when I pulled the barrel out this is what I found.

p1260039.jpg

p1260037.jpg


It isn't real clear from the photo but the barrel is split about two thirds of its length.

Now, I can say it definitely was not a squib load or a double charge as the RO has ~15yrs experience and both he and I heard nothing unusual when the shots were fired. Also, nobody in the squad of ~10 people did either and many of them have been shooting for many, many years.

All we can assume is the barrel was faulty as it was an aftermarket Storm Lake barrel that had done easily less than a 1000 rounds.

Ruined my weekend
 
well now i would have to say that is a intersting split. were you reloading your own. factory? was there a casing in the chamber?
 
rivetc78 said:
What did Storm Lake (Genesis Millworks) say about the Cause?

Did they do any testing on the Barrel?

Did they say they will Replace it?
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I will be sending it to the dealer I bought it off here in Australia and he will send it back but I expect Storm Lake to say go away as I was shooting reloads.

Will wait and see but I am not too worried as it was my step fathers gun and he is gonna pay for a new barrel :) I was only using it because my new Para is sitting at my local dealer but my paperwork is taking longer than normal.

BTW Pats, yes there was a case in the chamber and it was fine. No splits or case head separation. There was also 9 holes in the targets and one left in the mag which matched how many I had shot
 
Many people, myself included, purchase these barrels for their Glocks to get around the "issue" of the polygonal rifling that is in the stock Glock barrel which seems (for many) to not handle cast bullets very well. If your Step Father has been shooting cast through it, it may be lead fowling that was being pushed through with your jacketed rounds and caused a pressure spike.
 
If there was heavy leading in the bore, the split could have been as much mechanical as hydrostatic (gas overpressure) Is it split on both sides? I don't know if storm lake machines from billet or uses seamless tubing. If the later, it could have been a faulty weld seam.
 
I hate to see any gun fail but at least it was kind enough to let go without any major fireworks or injuries.

Its amazing that the case was intact and there wasn't some sort of unusual sound. Got to be due to a flaw in the material I would think.
 
Most unfortunate if it happens to you, but every manufacturer has had a barrel blow at one time or another. Does that stop folks from buying barrels? No. The real test will be to see how they treat the shooter when the complaint is addressed.
dB
 
TPK said:
Many people, myself included, purchase these barrels for their Glocks to get around the "issue" of the polygonal rifling that is in the stock Glock barrel which seems (for many) to not handle cast bullets very well. If your Step Father has been shooting cast through it, it may be lead fowling that was being pushed through with your jacketed rounds and caused a pressure spike.
Click to expand...

Cocked&Locked said:
If there was heavy leading in the bore, the split could have been as much mechanical as hydrostatic (gas overpressure) Is it split on both sides? I don't know if storm lake machines from billet or uses seamless tubing. If the later, it could have been a faulty weld seam.
Click to expand...

These seem like pretty good theories. Good luck with warranty!
 
I've had a Barsto barrel in a 1911 blow up on me due to a double charge and I didn't notice any difference while I was shooting sounded exactly the same as the previous shot and recoil wasn't much different either.

Your's looks like a double charge too me and has nothing to do with the quality of the barrel...
 
TPK said:
Many people, myself included, purchase these barrels for their Glocks to get around the "issue" of the polygonal rifling that is in the stock Glock barrel which seems (for many) to not handle cast bullets very well. If your Step Father has been shooting cast through it, it may be lead fowling that was being pushed through with your jacketed rounds and caused a pressure spike.
Click to expand...

Lead fouling will typically have nothing to do with it unless there was substantial buildup in the chamber, right at the case mouth. And even then, a substantial buildup would be pushed out of the way, raising pressures only a couple thousand PSI.

Peak pressure for a 9mm usually occurs before the bullet has travelled 1/4 of an inch. In most barrels, the bullets haven't even touched the rifling at that point.
 
Just looked at the pics again I'm thinking you should be thanking Storm Lake for making such a quality barrel that held together as good as it did when that double charge went off.
 
Cocked&Locked said:
Is it split on both sides?
Click to expand...

This is the only relevant question posed so far. If the barrel is split evenly on both sides it was evenly loaded, which means it was loaded internally, by pressure. If it is not similarly split on the other side it was affected by some other factor.

The fracture path is very interesting, especially the area I have circled. Note how it goes “stepwise”, with long straight paths that suddenly step to one side then go straight again. This is the sort of thing that develops when a network of pre-existing paths is connected by a crack.
stormbarrel.jpg



If the barrel is not split on both sides my recommendation is that you send it to me for evaluation. I can take pictures and produce documentation that you cannot. I will happily provide a report that can be forwarded to the manufacturer along with most of the remaining barrel.
 
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