S&WIowegan
US Veteran
I have met a few shooters/handloaders who seem to seek this type of blowout thrill. Makes them feel super manly.
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Worst Revolver Kaboom Ever? S&W 500 4"
- Thread starter HarrishMasher
- Start date
BigBill
Absent Comrade
I'd have a wedgie for days.
I reload with no one talking to me. It's quiet. I charge all the brass in a tray, then look at every round and make sure it has powder and there all even powder wise. Any mistakes the revolver becomes a convertible it's that simple.
I reload with no one talking to me. It's quiet. I charge all the brass in a tray, then look at every round and make sure it has powder and there all even powder wise. Any mistakes the revolver becomes a convertible it's that simple.
Last edited:
Cal44
Member
Do you think he might develop a flinch?
SLT223
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here was a guy on youtube who seemed to do it deliberately. Ha several videos of himself blowing up revolvers. He blew the barrel clean off a Taurus Raging Bull.
Kernel Crittenden
US Veteran
The wonder if S&W engineered the X-frame like a car, to fail in a certain way to minimize injury. The gun version of a blowout panel or crumple zone.
DonD
Member
Blowing up a gun rated at handling 50,000 psi takes extra special effort.
Wow are you off the mark. The cartridge is SAAMI rated at either 60 or 65,000psi and one of the S&W engineers who worked the program said he estimated it would take upwards of 130,000 psi to do the damage shown. Don
According to Wikipedia (with a reference to the 2003 Shooting times) the 500 S&W has a working pressure of 60,000 PSI, however most factory loads are limited to 50,000. According to the article the cylinder is built to withstand a load 50% over pressure, with proof loads at 20% over. I'd guess the load in question was easily over 100,000 PSI.
Notice?
Granted, the gun, particularly the cylinder, is blown apart. But look at the exposed chamber walls: they appear rather thin for such a heavyweight cartridge.
My opinion, together with the proper fare, will get you on local transportation. However, I do think that if the gun companies are going to push the power envelope, they need to overbuild their guns.
Granted, the gun, particularly the cylinder, is blown apart. But look at the exposed chamber walls: they appear rather thin for such a heavyweight cartridge.
My opinion, together with the proper fare, will get you on local transportation. However, I do think that if the gun companies are going to push the power envelope, they need to overbuild their guns.
There is only one way to do that to an X-frame and that one way is to use very fast burning pistol powders. Bullseye, W231, Accurate#2, Ramshot Zip, Red Dot, Clays...
or the most likely candidate...
Drumroll please: Titegroup
You may have the space inside .500 brass to drop a charge of Titegroup that is FOUR times a published (or sane) max load.
If using a proper, slow-burning typical and appropriate magnum revolver type powder... there isn't enough physical space in the brass to do what is shown in the picture.
There are -many- angles where BAD handloaders can do bad things, but using wholly inappropriate powders is a difficult one to learn. I say this from experience. I was a handful of years in to handloading before I fully understood how powder works and specifically why some powders are a horrendous idea in some applications.
The biggest problem in breaking down the "after action" when one of these incidents happen is that the key evidence is obviously destroyed in the event. But without knowing much, I would say the chances are good that he was using a completely inappropriate powder in the first place.
or the most likely candidate...
Drumroll please: Titegroup
You may have the space inside .500 brass to drop a charge of Titegroup that is FOUR times a published (or sane) max load.
If using a proper, slow-burning typical and appropriate magnum revolver type powder... there isn't enough physical space in the brass to do what is shown in the picture.
There are -many- angles where BAD handloaders can do bad things, but using wholly inappropriate powders is a difficult one to learn. I say this from experience. I was a handful of years in to handloading before I fully understood how powder works and specifically why some powders are a horrendous idea in some applications.
The biggest problem in breaking down the "after action" when one of these incidents happen is that the key evidence is obviously destroyed in the event. But without knowing much, I would say the chances are good that he was using a completely inappropriate powder in the first place.
A bit surprised by this little musing. You don't think this gun is engineered to withstand considerable abuse?
Ole Joe Clark
Absent Comrade
At least he can salvage the grips/stocks. 
DonD
Member
What you suggested sounds like winner.
The engineer, with who I've had an email/phone relationship for a number of years, responded to me asking if they'd ever tested an X-Frame to destruction?
He said no, it would have destroyed their pressure rig which was something they had no interest in. Don
OLDSTER
Member
KABOOM
YIKES !!! OUCH !!! The shooter is lucky he didn't lose a hand and possibly an eye on that one
YIKES !!! OUCH !!! The shooter is lucky he didn't lose a hand and possibly an eye on that one
BigBill
Absent Comrade
What if a low charged was loaded with a hot primer? Isn't bullseye noted for blowing up guns if the charge is too small with a big empty case?
SLT223
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Well, it was safely built for the pressure it was designed for, and SAAMI spec ammo. Do you want a 60lbs gun to hedge the occasional reloading mistake? I don't think it would sell too well.
Groo01
Member
Groo here
This can also happen with a "light" load.
All loads are depended on the bullet moving at a given rate.
If a light load is used with little or no crimp/cracked case mouth
to reduce bullet tension, the primer can blow the bullet out of the case.
It then gets stuck at the bc gap and stops.
The powder catches up and pressure builds,BUT the bullet has stopped
and by the time it starts moving , the pressures are spiking.
K-boom.
The frame goes because the cylinder goes.
There is no squib because thebarrel is undamaged.
It is a hangfire.
This is why I ALWAYS use a good heavy crimp.
This can also happen with a "light" load.
All loads are depended on the bullet moving at a given rate.
If a light load is used with little or no crimp/cracked case mouth
to reduce bullet tension, the primer can blow the bullet out of the case.
It then gets stuck at the bc gap and stops.
The powder catches up and pressure builds,BUT the bullet has stopped
and by the time it starts moving , the pressures are spiking.
K-boom.
The frame goes because the cylinder goes.
There is no squib because thebarrel is undamaged.
It is a hangfire.
This is why I ALWAYS use a good heavy crimp.
BS. But I have enter 10 characters minimum.
ruggyh
SWCA Member
I have studied 2 desperate X-frames failures involving squibs hanging in the forcing cone and both resulted in split forcing cone and frame failures at the barrel. The cylinder of x-frames are much stronger than typically handgun cartridges due to the much higher operating pressure. Cylinder of these were undamaged, the grain was reviewed in three different cross sectional areas and no distortion was observed.
I have attached a picture of one of the barrels of the guns mentioned above.
Bullet length, cylinder length and case length all come into play, if the bullet leaves the case then it is unlikely any damage is going to occur excepting possibly tying up the revolver or stuck bullet in the barrel.
Remember this is an X-frame discussion and my comments are strictly referring to them.
be safe
Ruggy
