Author Topic: .44 mag barrel ejection  (Read 4983 times)

m25operator

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.44 mag barrel ejection
« on: August 25, 2010, 08:28:25 PM »
Seen a lot of blown up guns but this awesome, would like to be there to do forensic.



Don't know why it says invalid, it works????
" The Pact, to defend, if not TO AVENGE '  Tarna the Tarachian.

Majer

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Re: .44 mag barrel ejection
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2010, 08:36:00 PM »
M25, the link doesn't work from my end
"If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim." - Jeff Cooper
Pericles--"Freedom is only for those who have the guts to defend it".

The problem with society today is that not enough of us drink wine from our enemies skulls”.

It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 3 for proper trigger squeeze.

Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars!!!
-Sheriff Jim Wilson
"When tyranny becomes law rebellion becomes duty" Thomas Jefferson
Es gibt keine Notwendigkeit zu befürchten, Underdog hier ist.
Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage. Where are we now??????

crusader rabbit

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Re: .44 mag barrel ejection
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2010, 08:05:38 AM »


I think that's the link M25 was trying to include.  If it's not, it's still an amazing "blow."

Respectfully submitted by Crusader
“I’ve lived the literal meaning of the ‘land of the free’ and ‘home of the brave.’ It’s not corny for me. I feel it in my heart. I feel it in my chest. Even at a ball game, when someone talks during the anthem or doesn’t take off his hat, it pisses me off. I’m not one to be quiet about it, either.”  Chris Kyle

fightingquaker13

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Re: .44 mag barrel ejection
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2010, 12:22:37 PM »


I think that's the link M25 was trying to include.  If it's not, it's still an amazing "blow."

Respectfully submitted by Crusader
Do you think it blew itself up to avoid listening to anymore of the "music"? God knows I would consider it. ;D
FQ13

alfsauve

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Re: .44 mag barrel ejection
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2010, 04:59:50 PM »
I guess I'm getting old and crotchety.  I've seen lots of pictures of destroyed "things".   I'm not easily impressed.  What I want to know is details.   

Double caseload of Bullseye?   Or no powder in the previous case?   Or did they fill the chamber with C4 and detonate it just for fun?  What happened?

I'm hoping m25s link, when we get to see it, will at least have some "action" to it.

Will work for ammo
USAF MAC 437th MAW 1968-1972

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Re: .44 mag barrel ejection
« Reply #5 on: Today at 03:33:12 AM »

m25operator

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Re: .44 mag barrel ejection
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2010, 06:55:05 PM »
See if this works, cylinders I have seen blow up, barrels I have seen blown up, barrels taking of downrange I have not, until now.

http://www.weaponscache.com/forum/pistols/2979-catistrophic-barrel-failure-44-magnum.html
" The Pact, to defend, if not TO AVENGE '  Tarna the Tarachian.

Badgersmilk

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Re: .44 mag barrel ejection
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2010, 07:56:44 PM »
Is it possible he fired the gun without the cylinder fully in positition to fire?  Not sure if the gun will function that way...  There's NO powder traces to be seen.  Even inside the blown cases there's no residue.  Why clean them after the accident?  Seem's really weird.    :-\

alfsauve

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Re: .44 mag barrel ejection
« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2010, 06:55:26 AM »
Is it possible he fired the gun without the cylinder fully in positition to fire?  Not sure if the gun will function that way...

It's very....no extremely......practically impossible to fire a revolver if the cylinder isn't properly aligned, because.....ah....well the primer wouldn't be aligned with the firing pin.   So no way to "fire" the round.   Only possible way would be if the rear of the cylinder was properly locked but the front was not aligned.   (Cylinder was at an angle to the bore line.  I've only seen some of the cheaper revolvers with no forward crane support or lock.   Even then we're talking a few thousandths of an inch at worst.

And despite all the Monday night quarterbacking, the guy said the frame was undamaged, and the barrel had no obstructions and no bulges.   It simply seems to be that the barrel failed where it was cut down to fasten to the frame.
Will work for ammo
USAF MAC 437th MAW 1968-1972

sledgemeister

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Re: .44 mag barrel ejection
« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2010, 01:01:29 PM »
See link for photos

http://www.thegunzone.com/anaconda.html

Quote
29-JAN-2005

Greetings all.

A shooter for 10 years, I'm a relatively new reloader having purchased a
Dillon RL550B about a year ago. To date, I've made and shot perhaps 3000
rounds without incident. Recently, however, I learned a most valuable lesson
from what could have been a life-altering experience. I'll share this
first-hand account with you hoping to educate reloaders and shooters about
the potential dangers of our sport. I realize that this incident was most
likely caused by inexperience and carelessness, so there's no need point it
out Smiley

I was the proud owner of a Colt Anaconda 6-inch .44 magnum with a nice
red-dot sight. Reloading was the only way I could afford to shoot it on a
regular basis. Several days ago, I was at the indoor range terrorizing
unsuspecting sheets of paper as I usually do: mostly .45ACP's through my
1911 and an occasional cylinder or two with the Anaconda.

Both guns were shooting great. About 30 minutes into the evening's
activities, I once again load up the revolver and step to the line. First
shot was a bullseye, as was typical for this rig. Second shot - KABOOM. I
felt an unbelievable recoil and was pelted all over my face, chest and arms
by fragments of metal and glass. An incredible pressure wave stunned me as
if I were punched in the head. I shook it off and looked around. The scope
was on the floor. The gun was still in my hand, but didn't look as it did
mere seconds ago. A friend rushed over and with clear presence of mind,
checked me for injuries. Whew. I emerge without so much as a scratch.
Miraculous, considering what just happened. The shooting stall contained the
flying shrapnel. Approved safety glasses, without a doubt, saved my vision.
Long sleeves, a cap and good ear protection also prevented certain injury. I
hate to say it, but dumb luck played a part as well.

At this point I gather up the pieces and attempt to make sense of this
catastrophe. It's not good. My second shot violently exploded, splitting the
cylinder into three pieces and causing chambers one, two and three to be
blown wide open. The shock caused a chain reaction, immediately setting off
rounds three and four. The bullet from round three was recovered on the
floor near my feet. It was severely mangled because it's exit path was
partially blocked by the frame of the gun. Unsupported by the cylinder, the
brass case blew open as if it were made of paper. Luckily, both bullet and
case didn't fragment too badly and perforate surrounding humans, including
me. Round four went off cleanly down range, though not through the barrel.
Round five was somewhat damaged - the bullet was pressed into the case by
about one-eight of an inch. A little more and it may have detonated as well.
Round six was in perfect condition.

The rest of the gun was equally distorted. The top strap was nearly
separated from the frame. Seams between the various metal parts were wide
and uneven. I thought "Damn, it's completely destroyed".

Here's where my education begins: Lacking any sophisticated test
instruments, the load I was using felt comparable to any factory ammo I had
used in the past. 9.0gr of Titegroup behind a 240gr SJSP. This was 10% below
the maximum load as published in the Hogdon manual. It shot with consistent
accuracy and was economical because it was the same powder as I had used in
the .45. I now realize my quest to economize reloading may well prove to be
the source of this misfortune.

Titegroup is a very fast, clean powder requiring low charge weights for
large calibers. Prior to this event, I reasonably assumed this to be an
ideal situation. Less powder, less fouling, less cost = more trips to the
range. That is until you realize a few things. 9.0gr in a .44 magnum case
is, more or less, a drop in a bucket. In subsequent tests I've recently
performed, it's all too possible to double charge a round and have it go
unnoticed in a progressive loader. That is not to say that I've been loading
with a casual attitude. I cannot, for the life of me, recall a moment of
distraction where I could have possibly doubled one up. Nevertheless, I now
own several fragments of stainless steel that were once a finely crafted
firearm. Happily, none of those bits are lodged in my forehead. For all
those interested, you can view high resolution photographs of the beast's
mortal remains here.

It is my hope that sharing this horror story will inspire folks to take an
extra bit of care while enjoying their sport. I've since sent the gun to
Colt for expert analysis. While it's my speculation that a double charged
round caused this, perhaps a post-mortem by the factory will render an
alternative conclusion. Unlikely as it may seem, I'll post an update if the
latter is true.

1-MAR-2005 UPDATE

I spent a good half-hour on the phone with the Colt engineer that performed
the post-mortem. Their metallurgical tests showed no problems with the grain
structure or hardness of the steel. In a nutshell, the gun was not
defective. Unfortunately, Colt would not officially speculate on the cause
of the failure. Off the record, the engineer did say it was most likely a
double charge.

I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters. - Solomon Short

alfsauve

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Re: .44 mag barrel ejection
« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2010, 08:35:59 PM »

Quote
Off the record, the engineer did say it was most likely a double charge.

One reason why I select a powder that fills at least half the case.   (Except for the .38spl 148gr WC, but then double charging that isn't fatal.)

Not that I select powders based only on that criteria.   My selection has to do with achieving the desired velocity with the lowest pressure.   I also look at the recommended "range" for a powder.   I tend to stay away from powders where the the difference between starting and maximum is 1/2 a grain.  (for pistols obviously).    I figure when you get down to only 0.5gr between min and max, the window is too easy to miss.   Give me a little more elbow room....a little more forgiveness.


Will work for ammo
USAF MAC 437th MAW 1968-1972

 

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