Hi heres some pics of a 29-2 that went for a **** lucky no one was hurt very lucky .Looks like he had a double charge. These bullets were loaded with W-231 at 9.1 grains and 240gr cast bullet.Not much left of his gun.Make sure if you load to pay big time attention when adding powder or a KaBoom like this will happend enjoy the pics...[IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG]

Hi heres some pics of a 29-2 that went for a **** lucky no one was hurt very lucky .Looks like he had a double charge. These bullets were loaded with W-231 at 9.1 grains and 240gr cast bullet.Not much left of his gun.Make sure if you load to pay big time attention when adding powder or a KaBoom like this will happend enjoy the pics...[IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG][IMG:left] [/IMG]

WOW, atleast the barrel survived....lucky for who ever was shooting that thing!!! glad no one was hurt...just remember it is a machine it can break and fail..

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M.J.Hanna

It is amazing no one was injured.

BTW, that will take a lot of Bondo and buffing to fix ...

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NHI, 10-8.

Guess that is what you would call a "fixer upper."

He might want to throw that brass away, it looks like it might scratch his dies.

It's a dern shame that a fine, pinned and recessed, revolver is reduced to scrap through carelessness. Yeah, that may be jumping to conclusions, but I doubt it. I only know one thing that will do that - a double charge of fast burning powder.

Only carelessness will do that. The shame of it, it will give newbies the idea that reloading is unsafe.

I hope no one was injured in that incident.

The bright side is it may be a cheap lesson (cheap if no one was hurt).

Dale53

That looks awfully similar to a 329 PD kaboom I saw posted on another board (can't find the pics for the life of me). I think that one was eventually attributed to a light load in the magnum case. Theories on why light loads in big cases go boom vary, but the end result is alot like a double charge.

At least he's ok. They are still making 629s, the same can't be said for shooters.

My money is on a DOUBLE CHARGE of 9g W231, not 9g of W231. I use W231 @ 7g in a magnum case with a 240 and 265g cast boolit and it's a powder puff.

I've used close to that in a .357 with a 110g round (published data) and it wasn't a problem.

Yup, double charge.

Man that wasn't pretty good thing he still has his hands and other body parts. That is a barbeque gun literally. Larry

Do you know the owner of the gun? I would be interested in buying the demilled frame.

Your gonna need some Billy Mays Mighty Putty, on TV at about 3am every night...

Thank God nobody was hurt! Thanks for the pics.

Anybody notice that the tapped hole in the topstrap is in an odd position? I had to pull my 629 no dash out of the safe to confirm but on mine the front hole for the rear sight is over .200 aft of the barrel pin hole. The pictures of the KaBoom show a tapped hole almost on top of the barrel pin hole. I know it wouldn't make any difference when the cylinder blows but it struck me as odd.

Regards, Ed

i loaded some 44's this afternoon with 7grs. of unique and 240 gr. swc bullets, think i'll throw them away.

I bet who ever shot it had to clean his pants out. Most of the time I check the weight as I but them into the box, some do this and some don't. I willing to bet he will from now on.
Gald no one was hurt but pride.

That "hole" appeared to have been 'drilled and tapped' likely for a Scope Mount. Of course, in this condition it is hard to tell but that "hole" is not the one for the Rear Sight Leaf.

Without personal examination I'd say this barrel is now a 'Paper Weight' because depending upon just where the Bullet was when this Bomb exploded, well, I'm thinking the Forcing Cone is showing some fairly major signs of damage. But, at "best" since it has already been fitted to a gun it may or may not ever be usable again - without major machine and hand fitting.

This does NOT happen with straight walled pistol cases. That's an old myth that never wants to die.

Small charges of fast burning powder in pistol cases do NOT pose a threat. However, improper operation (generally with a progressive press by someone who is less than attentive) so as to cause a double charge (sometimes coupled with deep seating) CAN and DOES cause a Ka-Boom!

On the other hand, a light charge of slow burning powder in a large capacity rifle case CAN and WILL cause problems. Using the proper charge of the CORRECT powder will keep you out of danger.

Dale53

Kurac i sent you an E-Mail on this gun.

There is something to be said for selecting powders that will require large enough charges that a double charge would overflow the case. Unless you are truly inattentive, this would be an immediate warning that you have screwed up.
A double charge of 231 would not look abnormal to the casual observer.

This term and "Reloader" should never be mixed together at any time.

Damn I thought only Colt made "Open Tops".
Seriously I thank the powers that be that noone was injured. Looks like a dbl charge to me too.
FWIW my progressive press amounts to two Rockchuckers side by side, and a B&M powder thrower. Once I get past the size and prime stage, I put my expander die in one press and seater in the other. I expand the case then trun it over into my funnel. I then drop the charge from my B&M into the powder measure tube, pick the funnel and case up and pour the powder in. Then it is on to the other with the seater die where the bullet is seated and the round is boxed. works pretty good and even should something distract me, the worse that can happen is NO powder charge.

If it was a double charge, and the odds are pretty great for that, this is a prime example of why you should visually inpect every single case. It's quite easy to see a double charge in a .44 or .45 Colt case if you actually look once they're all done being charged. In 30 years of loading, I've caught exactly two that way.
Too bad about the whole situation. If some jack-boot yahoo anti-gun "person" sees this and puts out there on you-tube, it'll make the whole notion of "ordinary" people beng able to load their own seem dangerous and foolhardy, and give them something else to wine about.

Just take it over to BUBBA and he will weld it up for you!

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Navy Seabees "can Do"

Wow. I use WW231 in a lot of applications, from 9mm to 45 Colt, and I'm pretty much in line with everybody else...double charge! Some years ago when I was shooting IPSC, I was in a hurry, and double charged some 45 ACP...about four or five rounds, as I recall. Something to do with having significant brain fade. I felt...no, knew...something was wrong, stopped loading, went back to the basic setup procedure, and discovered my mistake. Thank God they didn't get out of the room! Glad no one was hurt in this deal.

Happy New Year, You-All!

MikeyL

Not true. I load 7.1 gr of 231 in the .45 Colt for my 25-5. I visually inspect EACH case in a loading block prior to seating bullets. I once caught a double charge that way. 231 is much bulkier than Bullseye. The double charged case was spotted easily, and was much fuller than the others as 14.2 gr of 231 filled it at least 3/4 of the way up. In this case, 18.2 gr of 231 (a double charge) would have filled the .44 magnum at least 3/4 of the way up. This was pure carelessness, and nothing more. FWIW, I use 9.5 gr of 231 as my everyday workin' load in the .44 magnum. It's good for about 1200 fps in my 6 1/2" 29-2, and is easy on the gun and shooter.

If you look closely at the primers of the fired casings, it appears they were all hot loads. You can see the primers are flattened and appear to have swelled back around the firing pin. Joe

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Tell you what, I won't charge you for those reloads.

Looks like he still had one more to go. Did he just get tired of shooting?

I find it interesting that the still-primed shell casing cooked-off like that. Also, that the shell casing on the opposite side of the cylinder appears crushed from compression, and then fragmented. Must have been some bodacious pressure waves involved in that miss-adventure. As is often said when things catastrophically burst in the old fossil plants: "Looks like the hoop stress done exceeded the yield strength"...hate it when that happens. (We say other things in the nuke-plants.) Also glad that nobody was injured. Thanks for posting. -S2

Ouch! that is an attention getter.

That's a shame about the gun but im glad to hear that no one was hurt.

Any chance that this was a bullet in barrel?

In the top pictures the casing at the top left has a spent primer and the casing at the top right has an intact primer.

The round in the topmost cylinder is not visible of course.

Could it be that the top left round was under-charged and left the bullet in the barrel and the round in the cylinder which is completely
missing went into hyper-pressure because of that?

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Bill

If the previous bullet were stuck in the barrel there would be damage to the barrel, bulged or split, I would think.

A fine example od a used not abused shooterBluing a strong 95% but a bit of a timing problem

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Forum consigliere

That should buff right out :-)...

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NICK-SWCA-NRA BENEFACTOR LIFE

I'll bet that had some interesting recoil

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173-358429
13.5-2400

pownal55

That load is on the Alliant website and not especially hot.
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/RecipeDetail.asp...ellid=33&bulletid=52

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USAF, 69-92
Vietnam, 72-73

That won't buff out with Mother's Mag.

thanks moxie, but i was refering to accidently double-charging a load as the original poster suggested he may have done.

Reloading IS unsafe, unless you take well-planned steps to avert the effects of occasional human "carelessness."

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Formerly Model520Fan

Wow!!!!



That is really something. Glad nobody was hurt.

Best,

Michael

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N-Frame-itis THERE IS NO CURE!

Reloading is as "Safe" as the 'person' doing the Reloading; nothing more and nothing less. If the person doesn't do the work properly some very "<span class="ev_code_RED">Bad Things</span>" like this can happen.

I looked as closely as I could at the primers that were present and the one on the Right appears to have been properly seated and the others don't appear to be "flattened or cratered" which can be signs of over pressure. But, that beings said; I'm guessing that this was the "ONLY" double charge in the cylinder at the time of the shooting. If the one "unfired" cartridge had also been "Double Charged" then - I believe - it would have created another Ka-Boom and more of the cylinder and likely more of the gun would also be gone.

I've 'looked into' a number of "destructive" firearms accidents since my first one in late '69 and this one has all the "signs" of being a Double Charge of Powder. Operator Error.

Did they find the rest of the cylinder?

I am very curious how Fugate Arms would describe this if they were selling it...

"Custom gunsmithing includes lightening cuts. Some wear, not really 'collector quality.' Sold as a collectors item only. Have a gunsmith inspect before attempting to shoot."

Wimer would give it a 92.3%. 95.2% if you have the top strap and the rest of the cylinder.



Bruce

In my world, we look at those pics and say, "That's a bad day in Bad Day Land."

Yee-ouch.

I'd have those parts cast in a resin globe and keep the orb on a little stand and VERY INCONVENIENTLY IN THE WAY on my reloading bench, always.

That's a fine load. Why would you throw them away?

It sure does seem like a double charge alright. The 44 mag. case, if I recall, on avrg. takes some where around 23gr to 24 gr to fill to the top.

Hard to figure, as it's natural to look down at your loading block. I usually clean up each reload with a rag and low volume loads I like to give them a quick little shake.

The good part is, it sounds as the shooter and by standers weren't hurt and he now has a parts gun.

Rod

One thing I started to do when I began reloading is to take a flashlight when I am done loading and visually check over the loads so I can tell if one was double charged or not. I actually did find one once, luckily for me that is my overall safety check.
I really don't want any of my guns to experience such a disaster.

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Vaya con Dios

tomhenry, after seeing that gun and considering a double charge of 7grs. of unique possibly in one of my handloads, gives me the creeps. i've always been careful but a sight like that is a sobering reminder that these things can happen.