You now have two bullets lodged in the bore.
Swing out the cylinder and reload.
Fire another squib. Fire a fourth.
The fourth squib prevented him from firing any more, because the bore was already full of bullet and the fourth projectile lodged halfway into the barrel with half still in the cylinder, locking the gun up tight. The clue to what was wrong was the shiny copper ogive of the first bullet now protruding slightly from the muzzle.
Remember: If it goes *pop*, STOP!
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Looks like it tweaked the frame, too, from the gap between the crane and the frame. Of course that might have been the owner trying to force the crane open
ReplyDeleteThe latter, I believe.
ReplyDeleteBetween that and a new barrel, I think that 442 is well on its way to being totaled.
Time to throw it in the drawer waiting for the next gun "buyback".
DeleteWhy would anyone keep shooting after the first squib?
ReplyDeleteOy. That just makes my brain hurt to think about it.
My personal favorite has always been the guy at the range who, on having a squib, LOOKED DOWN THE BARREL. That's when I started going to a private club.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a Bangy the Bullet campaign would be at least half as successful as the Eddie Eagle campaign...
ReplyDeleteYou can't fix stupid, but if you're not careful it'll fix you.
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone keep shooting after the first squib?
ReplyDeleteMaybe the guy didn't "get" what happened? Thought he had a misfire, or just missed the paper completely?
spitballin....
I'm surprised that the barrel didn't blow
ReplyDeleteStandard question: Factory loads or hand-loads?
ReplyDelete"Well that's why revolvers are so much better and simpler for new shooters than semi-autos! If they have a malfunction, you just pull the trigger again!"
ReplyDeleteI'm really impressed that the aluminum alloy gun held together. I'm guessing that some pretty impressive pressures were blown off at the barrel-cylinder gap. Glad that last bullet's heel didn't just seal the gap.
ReplyDeleteHad a similar situation, but they weren't squibs. All six shots sounded the same. Only number 1 left the barrel, though. Numbers 2-6 stacked up nicely from about a quarter inch from the end of the barrel to about an inch up from the forcing cone. Gun was a S&W 66-2, 4" barrel.
ReplyDeleteBullets were oversized. .360-.361". Dropped into the cylinder just fine, except for that last 1/16th-1/8th inch or so. Thought it was just sticky from buildup, so pushed them the rest of the way in with my thumb.
Cost me $110, but the gunsmith took the barrel off, drilled out and removed all five and put it back together. Shoots just fine, but I now test every single reloaded round to make sure they drop in and out of the cylinder. Or the barrel if for a semi-auto. I never want to tempt that particular fate again.
When on a busy firing line with a bunch of other shooters, you cannot go with the less loud "pop" or "bang" instead of "BANG", you have to go with the lesser perceived recoil. If it doesn't feel right, then do not shoot another round.
ReplyDeleteHad it happen to me with .38 Special reloads that were sold as part of a course, supposedly sourced from someone reliable. When the cylinder was swung out, rounds ejected and a cleaning rod inserted down the 4" barrel, the single bullet was only about 1" down the barrel from the forcing cone. Problem resolved in a few minutes, but a life lesson learned.
I tend to avoid reloads now, despite the higher cost of factory ammo.
Steve, these were lead bullets? I've been casting since 2009 and have never heard how oversize = squib.
ReplyDeleteThe charge would have to be quite light for that to be an issue I think.
What kind of relading machine was used? I've seen squibs from single stages and progressives, but never one from a machine with auto-indexing.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't really matter what kind of machine was used.
ReplyDeleteIn the end this is a software problem, not a hardware problem.
OMG, guess it's a damn good thing he kept getting squibs... sigh...
ReplyDeleteThe very first time I pulled the trigger on the very first gun I personally owned, it went click, not bang. I did the (I thought obvious) thing, and (not actually being aware that is was a Thing) tapped, racked, and banged. That's not the stupid thing. The stupid thing was loading the offending round in the next magazine up with only a cursory examination.
ReplyDelete(I got away with it - the initial FTF was due to me riding the slide back to almost-battery. Which doesn't excuse recycling the round, even with today's ammo supply.)
That, incidentally, has been the only malf to date; though with under 2K rounds expended, I can't say much for my sample size.
Was this guy really THAT stupid!!??? If so he my be the next Darwin award winner.
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling to understand how you can pull the trigger so many times and not wonder why there are no new holes in the target.
ReplyDeleteCrotalus,
ReplyDeleteAll four were primer-only squibs or had only a few grains of powder.
DJ,
Non-commercial reloads, I believe.
With .38Spl reloads, you generally only use a very few grains of powder. A 158gr .358" cast bullet over 5.5grs of Unique comes to mind, but do check the Hornady 5th Edition manual before loading.
ReplyDeleteAlso, from what I understand, .38Spl reloads have the highest number of goof-ups because...
ReplyDelete1- they're the most popular revolver round to reload, and...
2- with published charge weights, plus the case's volume, an inattentive operator might double-charge and never notice.
Primer-only squib... wonder what kind of rocket scientist figured out how to load one of those on a single-stage press.
mustanger,
ReplyDeleteI mean grains as in particles, not grains as in unit of measurement.
"Granules", "flakes", "particles". :o
Visiting a gunsmith friend in Texas, we took revolver off the "to do" pegboard. What was first thought to be a terrible, wavy polish on the barrel turned out to be more like a snake digesting a 6-pack of light bulbs. I think it was a Taurus.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I like a strong light and a bulky powder to reload with.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I've loaded and fired a squib before.
What CL said.
ReplyDeleteHAH. I think TS has the right of it. That's the only way that gun will ever be "worth" anything again.
ReplyDeleteAlso, dang. Guy's damned lucky there weren't any actually loaded cartridges in that cylinder.
"With .38Spl reloads, you generally only use a very few grains of powder"
ReplyDeleteIndeed. My standard load is 4.3 grains HP-38 under a 158 grain lead bullet.
That's near (or even over) max by some current manuals. It's a mild load according to Speer number 11.
My chrono tells me it makes close to 800 fps out of a 4" M&P which was my goal.
It's tiny in volume compared to case capacity. I bet a triple would fit so I make sure I either watch powder drop from the auto disk and/or visually check each case before seating the projectile.
A long time back, I shot at a range that required that shooters use their (reloaded) ammo. Had two squibs out of a box of .44 Specials. Each time, I opened the cylinder, dropped out all of the cases, and then checked down the barrel to find it blocked. The rangemaster punched them out for me both times.
ReplyDeleteAfter the second squib, I handed the rest of the box back to him and called it a day. (He didn't charge me for the session.)
About 30 years ago, my scoutmaster had the same thing happen to his revolver on a camping trip, though he stopped after the 2nd round. Over the years, the memory of that incident faded a bit, and I began to doubt its veracity, rationalizing that 2 rounds in the barrel at the same time would equal splodey. It's good to know now that my recollection was always accurate.
ReplyDeleteDumb story, I know, but still. It's why I come here every day for a visit.
jf
Talk about luck changing. Incredibly bad luck getting a squib load. Incredibly good luck the next one was also a squib. Astronomically good luck the next two were also. Maybe this guy should go buy a lottery ticket.
ReplyDeleterickn8or on the road
Based on the picture, the gun owner RELOADED and kept firing.
ReplyDeleteYikes!
"Based on the picture, the gun owner RELOADED and kept firing."
ReplyDeleteThe words under the picture even say exactly what happened. ;)
A little vinegar would clean that right up... turn the lead into easily soluble lead acetate.
ReplyDelete