Model 29 blow up

#1, I am glad you are OK. guns can be replaced....fingers, eyes, etc. can't.

I think this may be attributed to a cylinder not being locked in place when the hammer dropped.

Were you firing double action or single action?
 
If the gun was very far out of battery the firing pin would not have struck the primer. A little out of time it would spit lead as the bullet entered the forcing cone, but unless done repeatedly for some time I don't think it would blow up the gun. It could be way out of time, nearly 0.10 and still hit the primer. That could be a serious problem, but this gun only has 632 rounds fired and if it was that far out of time it was factory defective or the bolt was sticky or damaged or the cuts in the cylinder plugged up or damaged. I would be more apt to believe it was either defective or fired at some point with a squib lodged just inside the barrel. I would like to see good pictures of the fired cases. 2 reasons, off center firing pin marks and if the previous pound was a squib the primer would look different as the case would not have slammed back into the recoil shield with any force.

When this started I was away from home traveling with just a phone. Pictures on my computer do seem to show some indications that there was a crack in the barrel before the failure.

I stand by my statement that if you send the gun in you will not get a report as to why it failed. But, I do however believe in this instance you will get a replacement gun. If you send the gun into S&W and they do not replace it I see no legal means by which they could retain it and you could use legal representation at that point. Because there was no physical damage you might have problems getting an attorney interested in the case without up front compensation and the fees would quickly outstrip the value of the gun. You might be able to claim some kind of psychological damage, but that would be a real **** shoot and take years.

I would take good pictures of everything and then send it into S&W. If the gun failed because of some manufacturing fault, they will replace it. If they find it was an ammunition failure, a statement from S&W that it was an ammo fault would go a long way to convince the ammo manufacture that they needed to compensate you. If you receive no compensation from either then I would consider the services of an attorney.

There is a lot of differences in the failure of this gun and the other one mentioned in this thread. Both in the type of failure and the fact that the other gun failed with reloads. I reload and believe that reloads can be perfectly safe, but also know that things can go wrong. The gun manufacture has no control over this and if there is any doubt as to why the gun failed the factory will believe it was ammo and unlike factory ammo you have no recourse. Just part of reloading. In the case of a blown cylinder I am sure the factory has the means to examine the fractures and find preexisting problems as well as the grain structure of the metal of the failed piece. I am sure they also have experience examine cylinders that failed due to over pressure. What shows up to the naked eye isn't the same thing as what shows up to the trained eye using magnification and other forms of testing.
 
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S.B. said:
Going back over your other posts, you posted a "New to handguns",(http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1980-present/449225-choosing-store-bought-revolver.html and now this one)in October in 2015 and you further stated it was a .44 S&W? Pretty large purchase for someone new to handguns? I would suggest you go to something in the .22LR range before going any further? Pardon me but, just how much experience do you have with these big boomers?
My $.02, Steve
Click to expand...

I wish I could un-read this! Wow
 
S.B. said:
Going back over your other posts, you posted a "New to handguns",(http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1980-present/449225-choosing-store-bought-revolver.html and now this one)in October in 2015 and you further stated it was a .44 S&W? Pretty large purchase for someone new to handguns? I would suggest you go to something in the .22LR range before going any further? Pardon me but, just how much experience do you have with these big boomers?
My $.02, Steve
Click to expand...

Thanks for your concern Steve. I've shot approx. 600 rds through that weapon and another 500 through rentals and through a friends weapon of .44 magnum.

Yes, I am a NEWB, that is why I joined this forum, to LEARN.

I took the time to carefully explain how I fired and cared for the weapon in the first post of this thread, what exactly did I do incorrectly, since you seem to think it's my inexperience that caused failure? As well, how would more range time with a .22 (or other smaller calibers) have prevented this?
 
Campin Buddy said:
Thanks for your concern Steve. I've shot approx. 600 rds through that weapon and another 500 through rentals and through a friends weapon of .44 magnum.

Yes, I am a NEWB, that is why I joined this forum, to LEARN.

I took the time to carefully explain how I fired and cared for the weapon in the first post of this thread, what exactly did I do incorrectly, since you seem to think it's my inexperience that caused failure? As well, how would more range time with a .22 (or other smaller calibers) have prevented this?
Click to expand...
All of this is a non-issue. Please ignore. Keep visiting the forum and keep learning. What did S&W have to say? Personally,I'm in the material failure camp. Probably caused by an overtorque event. Or just plain metal failure. No process is ever 100%.
 
+ 1 on what EPJ said -- stay the course, you are doing fine -- sounds like a mfg/material failure.

If it was ammo, the cyl/top strap would have burst. As mentioned above, can't be far enough out of battery and still hit primer.

I had a "maybe" similar failure on a 329 and S&W said it wasn't an ammo problem -- barrel over torqued during assembly. They sent me a new gun.

FWIW,

Paul
 
The only kabooms I have seen with factory ammo have been with Fiocchi. A 357 mag and a 357 Sig.
 
Update 1-28-16 - I received a call from S & W rep and he presented the following:

- The weapon was sent to their metallurgical dept for testing.
- The failure was determined to be caused by a pre-existing micro crack in the frame, likely from the barrel being over-torqued.
- The weapon will be replaced under warranty.

That was great news and obviously what I was hoping for. The bummer is that there are none in stock right now so I'll have to wait for one to be produced and then sit through another 10-day wait. Hopefully I'll be shooting again soon.

I still don't know what I'll do with the remaining Fiocchi rounds I have or if I'll purchase them again in the future.
 
Glad top hear they are taking care of you. Still scary, though.
 
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Campin Buddy said:
I still don't know what I'll do with the remaining Fiocchi rounds I have or if I'll purchase them again in the future.
Click to expand...

Since the fault was determined to be on the gun side, there is probably no logical reason to be concerned about factory ammo. That said, when the new one comes in I think I would be wearing a full face shield and some heavy gloves for the first round :)

Glad they took care of you, though.
 
"I still don't know what I'll do with the remaining Fiocchi rounds I have or if I'll purchase them again in the future. "
I think I'd use them as fishing weights.
 
I think in the end you eat it.

My guess is on an obstruction in the barrel.

I only use Winchester, Federal or Buffalo Bore ammo. Frankly it's an issue of trust for me. Right or wrong.
 
Campin Buddy said:
Update 1-28-16 - I received a call from S & W rep and he presented the following:

- The weapon was sent to their metallurgical dept for testing.
- The failure was determined to be caused by a pre-existing micro crack in the frame, likely from the barrel being over-torqued.
- The weapon will be replaced under warranty.

That was great news and obviously what I was hoping for. The bummer is that there are none in stock right now so I'll have to wait for one to be produced and then sit through another 10-day wait. Hopefully I'll be shooting again soon.

I still don't know what I'll do with the remaining Fiocchi rounds I have or if I'll purchase them again in the future.
Click to expand...

DELETE my last post.That's what I get for scrolling through tired with a sinus infection. Glad all are safe and all well!
 
Campin buddy: I am glad no one was hurt! Also pleased to hear that Smith & Wesson played it straight with you, they have earned a great reputation through their honesty and customer service.
 
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