I was having a cup of coffee inside the clubhouse today when the range custodian walked in with a large Crown Royal bag in hand. He said "I just found something interesting at the indoor range." He dumped the contents of the bag onto the table and here was a later model stainless Colt Python with the top strap buckled and one cylinder blown, another peeled out. It had been gutted of interior parts but the barrel appeared OK although the forcing cone would need to be thoroughly checked. it ain't every day you see a pistol blown up but thats the first Python anyone can remember, we have quite a collection of blown up Contenders on the wall and more than enough 1911's but no Pythons to anyones memory...It must have been one of the action pistol guys, I'm sure the word will get out soon enough as to who it was, nobody knows anyone that regularly shoots a Python in action pistol.

Double-charged hot handload?

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Oh well, what the hell.

We figured someone messing around with lighter loads of Red Dot or Unique and 158gr. wadcutters, double charged or possibly triple charged one. Thats just one more reason I always liked using a powder than nearly filled the case, it was impossible to get more than enough to cause any problems. Those light loads of Red Dot, I remember something like 3.5 grns of Red Dot pushed a 158 gr. wadcutter at 700fps or somewhere around that, it would have to be off the scale at 6 or 7 grs.

I have seen a Model 15 with its top strap blown off and the cylinder was blown in half. This was during LEO qualifications and they were using factory reloads. The officer only had a few small cuts from this incident.

Can we start with a moment of silence?

Is your range set up such that someone can blow up their revolver without anyone else noticing, or do you think the guilty party dumped it off after blowing it up elsewhere?

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Someone took the time to disassemble it then dumped what he did not want at your range?

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You're shy a few manners.