The joy of squibs

[Angel Eyes]

From Jerry Miculek's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/267788486618080/photos/a.502527983144128.1073741825.267788486618080/809691895761067/?type=1&theater

I count eight of them in the bore.  How on earth did this revolver not blow up?

[vaskidmark]

So you are supposed to put the bullets (still in their catrridges?) in those holes in that wheel?

Manual that came with it said it was an 8-shot.  How are you gonna get 8 shots unless you get all 8 bullets in that pipe?

[/snark]

Looking at the stress marks it seems that the next shot would have done the trick peeling the barrel.  You can almost see them stacking up.

stay safe.

[230RN]

Hatcher's Notebook records a similar happenstance with an M1917 revolver.  He comments additionally that with an auto, with its sealed breech, this rarely happens, although it can.  With a revolver, the barrel-cylinder gap allows enough gas to escape that the bullets don't quite make it out.

Don't forget the relatively low pressure of the .45ACP and 45AR rounds.  Seems likely to me that the following rounds were not full-house loads in the cutaway view of the barrel.  I may have missed it, but loads were not discussed in the link.  I basically just looked at the picture.

With overloads, I recall that he said the barrel of the M1917 sometimes splits along the line where "Property of U.S. Government" is stamped on the barrel.

I believe this discussion appears in his "barrel obstructions" chapter, p. 180 ff.

Terry, 230RN

[never_retreat]

I was at a friends house when his neighbor came by with a recently acquired encore or contender something or other in 357.
He says I'm trying to dial in the scope but I can't even hit the target from 20 feet.
So we go down to basement range, my buddy drops in a round supplied by the neighbor, lines up and shoots. Noting nada no hole in the target.
He tries again this time from about 10' still nothing.
Huh? So we pop the barrel off and take a look. It was like someone put a lead liner in the barrel. Yep he was shooting overloaded hollow base wad cutters. They stacked up in the barrel and the front was blowing through.
Yep had to turn a punch out of brass on the lathe and press all the pieces out.

[French G.]

Chop that barrel about where they stopped cutting and I'll bet the gun is ready to begin its snubby career.

[Gewehr98]

Hell, just unscrew the barrel from the frame, install another, and keep on truckin'!   

[French G.]

I'm assuming(I know, I know) that a feeler gage in the cyl. gap before you pull the old barrel would show any issues with frame stretch? New territory, I haven't 'sploded a revolver.

[230RN]

Hell, just unscrew the barrel from the frame, install another, and keep on truckin'!  

Not quiiiite so simple as that.  Nonte's book states that the frame should be completely disassembled and mounted in support blocks to avoid warping it while screwing the barrel out and the new one back in.  Those things are really torqued in.

My son and I did that whole process for replacing the barrel in a Model 19.  (Old enough to have a pinned barrel and counterbored chambers.)

Lousy pic, but here's the result.

Terry, 230RN

REF:
http://www.amazon.com/Pistolsmithing-Stackpole-Classic-Gun-Books/dp/0811708217