What would cause this?

[tcoz]

First, let me say that this is my first ever post on the Silencer Discussion so as you can see, I know absolutely nothing about them. That brings me to a question about something that I saw at the range on Friday.

This guy comes with his girlfriend and they're carrying four rifles. Two were 300BLK and two were 5.56. One 300 was an upper build about 80% finished. He just got his stamp after waiting what he said was 11 months and he had a brand new can. I don't know the brand other than it began with "G". Anyway, i noticed he was having a lot of trouble with the functioning of two of the rifles. One stuck case in a 5.56 and then a complete unfired round that had the primer blown out of the back, in one of the 300's. Bullet looked like it hadn't budged. He said he had mixed subs and supers and didn't know which he was shooting (HUH??). I moved a couple tables farther from him at that point. He then screwed the brand new can onto the 300 on what I later saw to be a 16" barrel (no handguard) with a carbine length gas system. He said he didn't really know a lot about building, but he thought it would be ok. I moved even farther away at this point. At this point he fired it not knowing what kind of ammo he was even shooting. There was a loud bang, stuff started rattling around inside the can and when he looked at the end of it, the bullet had exited about 1/2" from where it should have, near the circumference of the suppressor. His only comment was "Damn, $1000 down the drain...bad day".

Not knowing anything about suppressors and not really wanting to strike up a big conversation with him, I just said he'd better wrap it up, go home and re-evaluate EVERYTHING...maybe also take his rifle to a gunsmith to see if it was safe. So, what could have caused this? My first thought which makes sense to me since he seemed pretty clueless about everything, was that he mistakenly loaded up and fired 5.56 through it. If that's the case, it's a damn good thing it wasn't the other way around.

[ThreeHundredTraveler]

I tend to be a risk taker. Even I would have moved away from that guy. No idea what he has built, no idea what ammo he is using for any given firing, and truly no idea what is going to happen if one of those unknowns in an unknown shot by the unknowing goes BOOM. Perhaps the only saving grace for that guy was I assume he was using factory ammo not reloads. If he reloaded, I would leave the range.

[dellet]

There probably was a couple of issues. My guess it was a combination of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and being a Trust baby.

[AR-300]

More dollars than sense

[gds]

Really hard to say what exactly went wrong. But my first guess would be a serious issue of operator head space and timing. Everything after that is a direct result.

[tcoz]

?...I assume he was using factory ammo not reloads. If he reloaded, I would leave the range.

Yes, I forgot to mention that it was all factory ammo.

[keith13b]

There probably was a couple of issues. My guess it was a combination of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and being a Trust baby.

Sorry - Cant stop laughing at the "Trust Baby"....then AR-300 follows up with the politically correct way to say it on the very next post. God I love this forum!

My GUESS would be the idiot fired a 5.56 round in the 300 chamber; if that's even possible. The bullet probably bounced all inside the barrel then tumbled immediately upon exiting the barrel - found the path of "least resistance" in the direction it was going and was free at last! Sorry for my poor humor....

[plant.one]

if he actually put the right round in the gun, my guess is crappy threading that wasnt concentric and things went sideways after a baffle strike. but with as many issues as you pointed out, god only knows.



smart move to get as far away from that dude as possible. oye.

[smustian]

Did you get his name and number so you could submit him for a Darwin Award??

[hunter2]

I have said it before "We have been protecting stupid people for so long (don't fold baby up in stroller, etc...) they are starting to breed". NUF SAID!!!