Bulged Barrel At The Range Today

[FrankD45]

Well, after thirty years of reloading, I had my very first mishap today. I was shooting a friends Colt Army Special .38 with some of my jacketed handloads. I fired a string of five and all appeared normal until we noticed something strange at the muzzle.

Here is a closer look.

What you are seeing is the jacket of a Hornady 158 gr HP/XTP that was loaded over 4.4 gr of W-231. What you can't see is the next round which stuck behind the jacket. In this pic you can see the bulge in the barrel just back of the front sight.

There were three of us looking (and listening) and none of us saw or heard anything unusual.

The load is rather low powered to start with so my theory is that I short loaded one and it stuck short of the muzzle. I fired a second round that pushed the lead core out while sticking the jacket.

Now all I need is a new barrel.

Comments and other theories are welcome.

Frank

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

That always sucks when it happens. I had a Wilson SS .45 ACP match barrel split during a match about 20 years ago from a squib followed by a live round. I didn't hear anything unusual, nor did my spotter, due to all the other guys on line firing at the same time. It even cycled the action, and loaded the next round into the chamber obviously.

It looks like your bulge in the pictures is just to the front of the word Colt on the left side. Is that the spot?

That would make sense. The bullet stuck in the bore, then the following bullet drove the core out of the jacket. That is one reason I won't use jacketed bullets in light loads.

Here is that barrel. It is split from one end to the other, right on through the recoil lug to the throat. I still have it as a reminder of what can go wrong-

 

[Jim Watson]

I once saw something similar to happen, a light load with a Speer JSP stuck the jacket only in the barrel. The core pulled free by inertia and actually struck the target. So the funny report was dismissed by the shooter and me as bystander. The next shot pushed out the jacket and bulged the barrel. We later dug in the berm and found the jacket packed with cardboard as the next bullet had driven it to and through the target.

Lesson: Don't load jacketed bullets light in a revolver.

Although I would not call 4.4 gr W231 a particularly light load, and it is kind of unusual to short load a Ball powder.

 

[FrankD45]

It looks like your bulge in the pictures is just to the front of the word Colt on the left side. Is that the spot?

The bulge is actually a bit more than half way between "Colt" and the front sight.

I spoke to my "smith" and he suggested cutting the barrel down and re-crowning as the most economical fix. I am going to search for an original barrel and keep the chop- job as a last resort.

Frank

 

[Marksman]

Finding a replacement barrel for a vintage revolver like your Colt may be rather difficult. You may want to consider sleeving/re-lining or shortening the barrel and re-installing the front sight. Before doing anything you might want to shoot the gun, sometimes a bulge that slight has little or no effect on accuracy.

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

Finding a replacement barrel for a vintage revolver like your Colt may be rather difficult. You may want to consider sleeving/re-lining or shortening the barrel and re-installing the front sight. Before doing anything you might want to shoot the gun, sometimes a bulge that slight has little or no effect on accuracy.

I agree with this completely. I bought a model 15 with a bulged barrel, but didn't know it until I had owned it a while, and it shot like nothing was wrong with it. Being fussy about my guns though and not liking knowing about the bulge, I traded it off for something else. I wish I hadn't now.

 

[Andy Griffith]

Jacketed bullets and light loads don't mix.
Don't ask me how I found this out some years ago.

Either plain lead, gas checked or plated are the only ones ok for light loads.
Good luck on finding a barrel replacement for old Colts...I've tried.

 

[Tell Sackett]

Frank,
Dude, I feel bad for you. Having that happen to your gun is one thing. Having it happen to someone else's has got to be a bummer!

I have a JM625 with a bulge about where it ways Smith on the barrel. I'm not sure how it happened either. I know it was a Tell reload though cause that's all I shoot.

I can still drill the center out of a B27 Target @ 20 yards with it though so...........

Sorry for you misfortune!

 

[shovelwrench]

That always sucks when it happens. I had a Wilson SS .45 ACP match barrel split during a match about 20 years ago from a squib followed by a live round. I didn't hear anything unusual, nor did my spotter, due to all the other guys on line firing at the same time. It even cycled the action, and loaded the next round into the chamber obviously.


Here is that barrel. It is split from one end to the other, right on through the recoil lug to the throat. I still have it as a reminder of what can go wrong-

I had the same thing happen just this summer, barrel took a little more beating though......

Worst part is it was a Briley match barrel and bushing YEP, 300$ squib.

 

[Pisgah]

I learned the lesson the hard way, many years ago -- never load any jacketed pistol at less than pretty much a fullpower load.

 

[David Sinko]

I was shooting my 625 at a match some years ago and heard what I thought was the "click" of a misfire or failed primer. The SO and bystanders with the electronic muffs clearly heard the pop of the primer but before anybody could stop me I fired the next and last round dead center through the head of the target. I think I had loaded a round without powder and the primer alone was enough to get the Berry 185 gr. HBRN to clear the forcing cone. The next round shot it out, exactly where the sights were looking. The barrel did not bulge.

Another time I managed to load a 200 gr. SWC without powder (likely when I was setting the powder charge on my Dillon 650). I was shooting my Glock 21 at a Steel Challenge type match and again I did not hear the pop of the primer and thought I had a misfire. Fortunately the RO stopped me as I was trying to chamber another round. Electronic hearing protection is invaluable for hearing those rounds that are loaded without powder.

A third time I was shooting somebody else's reloaded ammo in my 940. I was doing a rapid fire drill and the fifth round in the cylinder was loaded without powder. It too cleared the forcing cone and I could've wrecked a really nice revolver.

The moral of the stories is to stop and check every time you hear something abnormal, even if you think it's just a "click." Sometimes we tend to forget this when time means money at a match.

Dave Sinko

 

[michael thornton]

MAN THATS A BUMMER, is that why the book says(do not reduce this load) good looking old colt, hope you can get it fixed

 

[Enigma]

I bought a beater Colt Army Special in .32-20 several years ago that had not just one bulge in the barrel, but two! I was fortunate enough to find a like-new 5" barrel for it, and had the old gal brought back to life. It's one of my favorite shooters now.

 

[tackdrvr]

Bummer

Frank, hate to see this, I know how careful you are when loading. Lesson learned; It can happen to YOU!!! Glad no one was hurt. Good luck on the repair project. Luke

 

[machinisttx]

I have heard and read of this happening, but never seen it until now. I have had a couple of squib loads with cast bullets, and the sound was definitely off from normal.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Jacketed bullets really don't work well with very mild charges.

Neither do plated bullets.

Earlier this year I was firing my ancient Webley Mark IV with a batch of .455 handloads I'd cooked up using plated SWCs and a mild charge of Red Dot. Too mild as it turned out. This one "roared" down the barrel but ran out of steam just before exiting. We were amused to see it sticking out of the muzzle. It was easy to tip open the Webley and nudge it on out with a rod.

almost-but-not-quite-nearly

 

[kennyb]

i too have had a "dry"round...it was in a 41 mag.that somehow i just missed adding the powder to...the primer caused it to lodge in the barrel..fortunately i heard and stopped firing...frank,i would fire the colt and see if accuracy has been affected...i suspect a new barrel may be difficult to find...thanks for sharing your story

 

[gearchecker]

Happened to me too. S&W Model 14, 6" barrel. When my Smith took off and replaced the barrel he estimates that there are 2 bullets in it, by the depth of a measuring pin put down thru the rear of the barrel. I actually recovered a bullet that was popped thru it when I noticed the issue.
Squibs really mess up a gun fast!

I saved the barrel, bullet and casing, and put them together in a framed shadow box, to remind me to be more aware of what a squib acts like.

 

[cfplinker]

Your load of 4.4 grains of 231 didn't sound too light to me so I looked it up. Since I don't have the Hornady book I checked the One Book-One Caliber section on the Hornady bullets. It shows the 158 XTP having a starting load of 3.8 grains of 231 and a max of 4.1 grains. Loads of 4.4 and 4.7 grains are shown as +P loads. The Hodgdon 2009 magazine also shows the 158 XTP. It starts at 3.8 and goes up to 4.3 grains of 231. The same data is shown for HP38 (surprise, surprise) The max +P load for HP38 is 4.6 grains of 231. Based in these numbers the 4.4 grain load is at or slightly above max for 38 Special. Have you thought about contacting Hornady to see what they think could have happened?

 

[FrankD45]

First, thanks for all of the input, it is appreciated.

As has been noted by others, the load of 4.4 grains of W-231 under a Hornady HP/XTP is not a light one. According to the 7th edition Hornady manual, the starting load for this combination is 3.7 gr with a maximum non +P of 4.6 grains. My load was 5% under that. I suspect I had one load that was a bit "short". That in combination with a hard jacketed bullet probably caused the first bullet to stick in the bore. The following shot pushed the lead core out while leaving the jacket in the muzzle.

I have spoken to two local gunsmiths who both recommended simply using a plastic or aluminum rod to tap the projectile out. They both suggested we fire the pistol as is and check performance before doing anything more dramatic, like shortening the barrel.

I will keep you posted as the situation evolves.

Frank