329PD Kaboom pics (new pic in post 1)

Slufstuff

Slufstuff

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Here are a couple of pictures of a recent model 329PD kaboom. Not my gun, story is owner was firing at the range, using factory loads. Barrel went down range. Third party that was shooting in the next lane took these pictures, and verified the owner had only factory boxed ammo.

edit to add, barrel went about 15 feet downrange. Shooter was using WWB ammo, see the additional picture I added, maybe somebody can identify the exact load.
 

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Holy smokes! That's a nasty failure. Lucky no one was hurt or worse, killed. Any ideas what went wrong it?
 
I believe, with the high demand for ammunition, that a lot of "out of specification" factory loads are slipping past quality control.

My M&P 357 jammed last week, and after looking through the box of Winchester I was shooting from, I found two casings that had defects. It looked as if the projectile had been pressed in at an angle, or pressed so hard that the shoulder of the casing began to roll up. I stripped the barrel out of my pistol, just to make sure my eyes werent playing tricks on me, and sure enough, the shoulder of the casing had rolled up to the point that the round could not load.
 
I haven't fired factory ammo in years. Don't trust the stuff. All of my FTFs and squibs have been factory loaded. Load your own, and you'll know what you're getting.
 
Slufstuff;
If I were the owner of that gun, I would Email the pictures to S&W. Typical "over pressure" revolver failure occurs when the cylinder fails. Smith might want to replace that handgun. It looks like a revolver failure to me - not an over pressure cartridge.

It would sure be worth a try.

FWIW
Dale53
 
The cylinder is fine, so I don't think it was an over-load. The top strap is bent up, so I'm guessing the top-strap let go, the barrel rotated downwards breaking the frame at the crane. I see significant scorching on the cylinder flutes finish, and it looks like erosion on the upper portion of the forcing cone, so I'm wondering if the blast shield cut through (high round count). Did the owner check it regularly? I used to love watching CSI :)
 
Mine has a round count of 8, and now I'm afraid to look at it. Between lock horror stories and now this...

What is S&W's stance on replacements on failures like this? Is there a question that they would replace it, or would S&W and the ammo manufacturer just point fingers at each other until no one felt like pursuing it anymore?
 
I feel safe in predicting that the damage there ain't just gonna buff out...
 
Are those grips for sale?

Seriously, that is a failure caused by metal fatigue/stress. Being a new revolver it could not have been a case of abuse, the cylinder held the charge, but at some weak point in the top strap it let go causing shear forces to tear away the yoke area.
How far down range did the forward portion go? Did it end up right in front of the bench or make it any distance. That is just amazing, even moreso that no one was hurt.
RD
 
Wow, a picture really is worth a thousand words. The over pressure round would be easily recognized by how hard it would be to get the brass out of the cylinder, it would take a drift punch and a BFM to get the spent case out if it was a pressure issue. If the case came out easily then it is a gun failure simple as that, I would be interested to know what the round count on the gun is also.

My desire for an airweight revolver just went way down.
 
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Holy Toledo! :eek: now that's what I call a gun fail/falling apart alright!

So now you not only have to deal with the bullet coming at you,you may also get impaled by the barrel? :D
 
First of all, I have to give a lot of credit to anyone firing full house loads in a 329. Their pain tolerance is higher than mine.

I would be curious to know exactly how many full house loads were put thru that pistol, and if the factory conducted similar tests when designing the 329. I have been leary of scandium in revolvers since the beginning.

I think the failure was caused by the lock. :) The extra hole weakended the frame, making it barrel heavy, causing.....
 
I have a 329, and you guys are all wet. It's a self-defense feature built in to these guns - you not only shoot the bad guy, you whack him in the face with a flying barrel. Pretty clever, eh?
 
I think the failure had to be caused by the gas-erosion shield.It either became detached at some point and fell off,or just plain failed after many rounds of full-power ammo(probably 180s).In either case,gas would have progressively cut through the top-strap causing the catastrophic failure we see.Alternatively,maybe the gun somehow got through inspection and was shipped without a gas-erosion shield installed.This might account for the failure in a low round-count "new" gun.
 
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+1 to what swmod29 said. Does anyone know how many rounds were fired before this happened?
 
litsnsirn said:
Mine has a round count of 8, and now I'm afraid to look at it. Between lock horror stories and now this...

What is S&W's stance on replacements on failures like this? Is there a question that they would replace it, or would S&W and the ammo manufacturer just point fingers at each other until no one felt like pursuing it anymore?
Click to expand...

I, only I, have what it takes to own one of these. I will help you out by taking it off your hands - I'll even pay the shipping. :D

I love these posts. Somebody posts 3rd-hand pictures with 4th hand incomplete story including irrelevant data and a few chickens cluck.

S&W will replace that with a new firearm. Very good customer service.
 
Mr. Croom, I had the same thing happen to me with Remington 9mm factory round. The case mouth bulged out when the bullet went in off kilter. Only time I had a Glock stop dead cold. Took a little work to eject it. Real bummer about the 329. Does look like the top strap failed. Could be a combo of gun & ammo.
 
I added a pic in first post showing the actual location and ammo being fired. My old eyes cannot make out the exact load, maybe somebody can ID it.
 
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