Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Hornady Bullet Failure

Last weekend I was plinking with my new Volquertzen VT2 semi automatic when I had a bullet failure. I probably fired 30 rounds through this rifle when this happened. I was using the 17HMR barrel with Hornady VMAX 17gr bullets. No idea of the age of them. My gunshop thinks it was over pressurized. It blew the back out and the casing was stuck in the throat. I was shooting Lefty and thankfully I had a thick sweatshirt on. The report was 3x of normal and it blew pieces through my shirt into my wrist. It was just a flesh wound but I think there is a little piece still stuck in there. I'm picking up the rifle tonight from the shop and they saved the case. They think it was the bullet and not the rifle. I'll contact Hornady with pictures and the story. I will report back with their response.

Anybody else have this happen to them? I'm a little gunshy to use those bullets again.

Straight Blowback in Hummer,has always done this and will continue to do so. Hint.

Mike Garrow's locking action,is vastly fhuqking superior and precludes such "excitement". Hint.








Franklin's piston on their 17 Whizzum's,is soothing for like reasons. Hint.





Just sayin'...............

It was the loaded cartridges - not the "bullet".

Vocabulary aside, I am sorry that happened to you. It has been known for a over 10 years that almost any make of Magnum rimfire or 17MachII rifle is an iffy proposition as to safety and function due to the erratic pressures of the factory ammo.

What he said.☝🏻


Out-of-battery firings in blowback firearms are not uncommon. Happens most often with dirty rimfire semi-autos, but has also occurred in semi-auto pistol caliber carbines (which can be even more exciting).

Remember, gunshop “experts” often aren’t.

Didn’t Hornady at one time warn against firing the Hummer in semi-autos?

IMO it needs at least a delayed-blowback like the Savage A-rifles.

Even a delayed-blowback rimfire gun has the potential for out-of-battery firing, and resulting case rupture, with an extremely dirty chamber or a deformed cartridge case (significantly dented), depending of course on the mechanical tolerance within the gun’s disconnector mechanism. A locked breech of some sort (bolt, lever, pump, revolver or single shot) is needed in order to completely preclude the possibility of rimfire out-of-battery firing.

However, reasonable cleaning intervals, rejecting use of “unbelievably inexpensive,” obviously contaminated, or visibly damaged ammo, and alertness while loading and firing a semi-auto rimfire gun are usually enough to avoid such mishaps.

There are plenty of theories on failures, but reliable solutions are scarce.

It seems to me that Mule Deer said once, that CCI manufactures almost all 17 HMR ammo, including Hornady. If that is the case, there should be problems with most brands of HMR ammo, not just Hornady.

The best thing is get away from semiautomatic 17’s and shoot with a bolt gun…

Kind of bs here. I'll agree: Get away from the 10-22 style 17HMR rifle. The Savage A17 is perfectly safe and designed to run 17HMR ammo safely. Why do you think Ruger discontinued the 10-22 magnum rifles. Do some research and get back to me on this.

Saturday, January 16, 2021 a round of cci 17hm2 detonated in my CZ 452 so chambered. The case was split lengthwise, the rim blown to pcs. The rifles plastic magazine was destroyed. Magazine housing was split into 2 almost perfect pcs. The actual bullet was sitting about 2-3” up the bore and pushed back out easily with a cleaning rod. I have multiple pics of it all which I sent with the unused portion of the box (40 or so rounds) to CCI has per their request. Still have all the correspondence too. They paid for new parts and sent me 7 100rd boxes of mini-mags as per my request. (They were hard to find at the time).They sent me following correspondence again saying yes indeed the ammo was defective, again apologizing. I have all the pics and paperwork so I feel safe to tell you. It was CCI black tip 17hm2.
Stuff happens. Still have the CZ American, shoot/hunt with it often. Stay safe.
P.s. it blew the magazine out hard enough to put 2 small ping in the hood of the truck I was shooting over.