Ordered 2 boxes of the 245gr FMJ 44 Magnum and also one box of the 200gr Bonded JHP 44 Special from Underwood to shoot this weekend with my newest gun, a S&W Classic Model 29.
On Saturday, the gun locked up on round #3 of the Underwood FMJ. It had fired about 30 rounds of Blazer with no issues, but suddenly wouldn't budge. We had the gunsmith take a look at it and he had to sheer the bullet in half to get the barrel to open. He said it was an issue that the cartridge had not been properly loaded with powder charge and that the primer was enough to partially expel the bullet, but not enough to force it into the barrel and through the rifling. He assured me the problem was likely an anomaly and that the gun was in good working order.
After shooting some of the other guns we had for a bit, we returned to the 44 only to have it lock up again on the very first round of Underwood FMJ. Again the gunsmith had to clear the bullet without suitable powder charge from the gun, this time by tapping the bullet back down into the cylinder and opening the barrel. I kept this partially fired round, bullet somewhat ejected from the casing. I was again assured the issue originated from the ammunition, not the firearm.
The gun performed flawlessly on Sunday, firing about 60 rounds of Remington JSP and 10 of the Underwood JHP rounds. I was too nervous to try the magnum rounds again, even the ones from the other box.
I started this thread because I wanted to see if anyone else has had issues with this. I plan on reaching out to Underwood today to see what kind of resolution they can offer me.
On Saturday, the gun locked up on round #3 of the Underwood FMJ. It had fired about 30 rounds of Blazer with no issues, but suddenly wouldn't budge. We had the gunsmith take a look at it and he had to sheer the bullet in half to get the barrel to open. He said it was an issue that the cartridge had not been properly loaded with powder charge and that the primer was enough to partially expel the bullet, but not enough to force it into the barrel and through the rifling. He assured me the problem was likely an anomaly and that the gun was in good working order.
After shooting some of the other guns we had for a bit, we returned to the 44 only to have it lock up again on the very first round of Underwood FMJ. Again the gunsmith had to clear the bullet without suitable powder charge from the gun, this time by tapping the bullet back down into the cylinder and opening the barrel. I kept this partially fired round, bullet somewhat ejected from the casing. I was again assured the issue originated from the ammunition, not the firearm.
The gun performed flawlessly on Sunday, firing about 60 rounds of Remington JSP and 10 of the Underwood JHP rounds. I was too nervous to try the magnum rounds again, even the ones from the other box.
I started this thread because I wanted to see if anyone else has had issues with this. I plan on reaching out to Underwood today to see what kind of resolution they can offer me.
