[EBUCK]

You are right. Also the loads could have been old and the cases swollen or fractured from over use. Always use new or once fired brass is a good rule.

EBUCK

[Redbob]

You'll never blow up a gun just from using old brass.
Case might blow up, spilling gases out;
Case might get stuck, fail to extract, etc, but it'll never blow up the gun.
It's NOT the case but the chamber that contains the force of the powder burning.