CPX-2 exploded after 15 rounds....pics

[Busarider]

I bought the new CPX-2 for my wife as a gift 2 weeks ago at the gun show. We took it to the range to test it out. Put one mag full of Federal 115 through it fine. Then 1 clip of of Tula 115(I know it's crap, but I was finishing it off). Then on the 3rd clip the gun went Kaboom and exploded in my hand after a few shots. I had the range owner come over and inspect my ammo to make sure I didn't miss anything wrong with it. He said there was nothing wrong with it at all. I called Sccy and have sent the gun (in pieces now) back to them yesterday. We will see what they say.

The barrel split in half, the slide is banna peeled, the lower handle is shattered. I have never seen this in person, lettle own with a 2 week old gun. The test round that came with it was dated for January 2015 so the weapon is only 2 months old from the factory even.

I'm very skeptical to keep this death trap if Sccy replaces it.

[Busarider]

[HootmonSccy]

Almost guaranteed, you has a squib load...
In case you don't know.. That's a round that is under powdered.. It's enough to go bang (sort of), but only sends the round part way down the barrel..
This does not blow up the gun.. Not hearing the difference in that round, or noting the difference in recoil, and shooting the next round, that is what blows up the gun...
Many don't know about squib rounds, so when it happens, they just keep going, instead of stopping and saying to themselves (and range master if necessary)... That was not right.. Let me fully inspect my weapon before continuing..

IF your wife was NOT hurt, you are VERY lucky.. This type of mishap can cause some serious hand damage..

See the below pictures..

[lamarw]

I agree with HootmonSccy. The ammunition is at fault and not the firearm. As stated, you and others around you were fortunate not to of suffered hand and facial injuries.

Please let us know what SCCY has to say about the pistol after their review. It was good you have pictures and witnesses to the incident. Do not discard the remaining ammunition and the box since you may end up filing a claim with the ammunition manufacturer.

Are you absolutely certain and willing to sign a sworn statement that the ammo in the box was new ammunition that was sold in the box? Did you purchase it new yourself and recall where you bought it? Many reloaders will use discarded boxes to store their reloads. It might hurt your cause if you bought the ammunition from other than a retail establishment or was given the ammunition.

You have already been lucky and hope it continues to hold out for you in your claim for your firearm replacement.

In a way, your SCCY toughness may of saved you from an injury.

[getvicious]

Busarider - First, you don't mention being injured. I'm glad you (and your wife) are okay.

If you even think you might pursue a claim or some legal action go speak to an attorney. Try to find one who has experience in firearm / ammo cases. There are special laws surrounding firearms compared to other types of product liability cases. Try to find an attorney who knows that part of the law.

Then, if you, and the attorney feel you have a case hire the attorney.

You mention not knowing if you want to keep the CPX if SCCY replaces it. I recommend not making that decision till you find out what SCCY says about the failure. If it was in fact an ammo issue, any gun in the world would have experienced the same type of catastrophic failure. Although, in the end, only you and your wife can make that decision.

Please keep us updated. This is the kind of thing nobody wants to see happen but is possible to happen to us all.

[Quixote2]

If you contact an attorney, he and you should have a metallurgist look at the photos. SCCY will not want to send the failed pistol back to you. The fracture characteristics of the barrel and the slide failures may indicate something of the stainless metal properties. The photos of the second pistol that was intentionally failed indicate to me a more ductile and less fracture prone alloy than the SCCY pistol appears to have used. I am no expert (in 70+ years I have broke a lot of stuff), that is why you should consult a metallurgist.

Seeing the barrel split longitudinally down the entire length with no bulges makes me nervous. My CPX-2 was produced within a month of yours. Possibly SCCY got a bad batch of alloy and may need to do a recall and replacement of some barrels.

[Homey237]

Why does anyone trust that TulAmmo ? If SCCY covers your loss your lucky. I would be more inclined to mistrust that garbage ammo sent down the barrel. And for what ? So you could save a few bucks ? I like both of my hands looking the same after I fire my CPX2.

[niteshift]

My vote is on a squib load.

[jimbojr85]

I am also inclined to blame a squib round or the ammo based on the sheer explosiveness of the damage, it not only shattered the barrel but the slide as well. I could see a barrel possibly being weak, or a slide, but both? I don't see that happening. I honestly can't remember the last time I heard of a modern gun exploding on its own without faulty ammo (squibs, too-hot reloads, etc.) or obstructions in the bore.
A few weeks ago I had an issue with a squib round, but I was very fortunate and the bullet lodged just ahead of the barrel and prevented another round from chambering. It was only after I checked the bore that I realized just how luck I was. Talk about my heart stopping and my blood running cold. Hootmonsccy is absolutely right, it is hard to tell when it happens. Especially when you are shooting fast.
You didn't say but did you have a jam, a failure to eject or a failure to feed, right before the incident? That would be indicative of a squib load not having enough powder to cycle the action.
I hope no one was hurt. If not, count your blessings and take it as a teachable moment.

[Busarider]

Well first off let me say SCCY has awesome customer service, and a crazy fast turn around time! I dropped the weapon off for shipping on last friday, and by this morning (following wednesday) i was already getting a phone call from their gunsmith. He even tried to apologize for the delay. I had to stop and laugh at that because i would have never know that there was a delay. Heck, I though they skipped people in line to help me before he said that!

Their gunsmith said that it was NOT a squib round. He said that it looks like it was a over charged round possibly, but he couldn't confirm exactly. He said it didn't have the normal signs of a squib, as it didn't have a bulge in the barrel, nor did it have a dark spot near where the first bullet would have been lodged. However, it had issues at the back of the barrel where it looks to have split from.

He said that average 9mm 115g ammo has a pressure of around 32K-33K PSI. He said that the metal used in their barrels is tested to hold around 212K PSI. So, you can image how much it took to split the barrel dead in half.

They are sending me a new CPX-2 to replace the exploded paperweight that i sent them. I'm pleased with the results.

[mont974x4]

That's cool.

[lamarw]

This is interesting and thank you for keeping us updated.

An overloaded round in a 9mm is not easy to do since most powder for the 9mm pretty much fills the brass to capacity. A double drop of powder would spill powder all over the loading bench. Maybe others will have more insight but all I can think of is the use of an incorrect powder. This is most unlikely in factory loaded ammunition.

What do you know about the box of ammunition you were firing? Was it reloaded?

I would not shoot another round from the box of ammunition that caused the dangerous explosion. I would also make sure that there was no way any one could accidentally do so in the future. I would personally want to pull the bullets from the brass to see what was in it (powder wise) and to keep it from ever being used.

The customer service from SCCY does not surprise me since I have personally experienced it. It is astounding.

[lamarw]

I hope you are joshing. I have never heard of limp wristing causing a catastrophic explosion of a firearm.

[mogunner]

An overpressure situation could have occurred simply from a bullet being seated too deeply into the case. I have some Tulammo that I intend to pull down and compare to other rounds, as the bullet profile is much different to some steel cased Wolf that my friend had that was supposedly the same bullet weight. The Tulammo also seemed to have much more recoil than the Wolf or any of the other 115gr bullet ammunition that we fired that day, even the Fiocchi which is usually a hotter round. I didn't have my chronograph with me that day, am hoping to get out next weekend and run some assorted manufacturer's ammo across it for reference.

[sccytoter]

Well, I have to say that SCCY seems to work hard at making a good product, AND backing it up.