Well, I've only fired one BB Dangerous Game round, so with the next two Underwood Spls there's a 40% chance that the one that got really stuck was the same chamber as the one that choked on the BB. Also, I took the BB casing to my Ruger fanboy neighbor. He put a bullet into the casing and said based on the space in between the bullet and spent casing, he said the casing must have expanded greatly. So maybe BB Dangerous Game is too dangerous for the 69, but the stuck Specials is particularly irksome. Thanks again for all the responses.
Stuck casings, brand new Model 69 - help
- Thread starter Pdxrn
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I took forum advice and bought the 500 shock absorbing grips from S&W, they make it pleasant to shoot. Granted, the BB hit a little hard, but I'm in my mid 40s and don't deal with arthritis yet. And I did make the grizzly joke, but I bought the revolver specifically for motorcycle camping trips in Montana and Idaho, and I know the Glock might not cycle if something is on top of me, so I do appreciate the brown bear issue. And I take my 2 yr old hiking into Mt. Hood National Forest, so I like the .44mag for cougars and the rare black bear too. I know I'll never have to reload with any of these animals, save a pack of wolves perhaps, still. Maybe I shoulda just stuck with my CZ 75 in 9mm, that thing eats anything. This sucks.
Groo01
Member
Groo here
The plastic brush can over heat with a drill and put hot plastic in the chamber...
Stick big time.
Get some BJ's bore cleaner and a tight patch and CLEAN the chambers.
Re shoot, If sticking still, then a good smith or a trip to the mothership!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The plastic brush can over heat with a drill and put hot plastic in the chamber...
Stick big time.
Get some BJ's bore cleaner and a tight patch and CLEAN the chambers.
Re shoot, If sticking still, then a good smith or a trip to the mothership!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
twodog max
Member
I figure you have a couple of rough chambers. Personally I would steer clear of the BB stuff and shoot regular ammo if you can find any. If it stick with regular ammo. I would call S&W and send it home and let them fix it.
My 4.25 69 functions flawlessly with everything I have put in it however all are handloads and no hot stuff.
My 4.25 69 functions flawlessly with everything I have put in it however all are handloads and no hot stuff.
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Thanks for the warning.
cmj8591
Member
You are using ammo that is working with a substantial amount of pressure over normal 44 Magnum loads. It's not unusual for cases to stick. A brass range rod is a necessary item to have in your shooting bag so you can bang the sticky cases out from the front of the cylinder when you are working with over pressure rounds. It doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with your gun. You can mitigate this a bit by cleaning the chambers. No, you don't need a drill or a power tool to do it. Use a good rod with a bronze brush and some solvent of your choice. MPro7 is my go to right now but you can use anything off the shelf made for cleaning guns. Give the chambers a good scrub then wipe the solvent out with a clean patch. Take a patch saturated with CLP or a good gun oil and give the clean, dry chambers a good coat. That will go a long way towards helping, but not necessarily eliminating, the problem. If you send this gun back, they are just going to look at it cross eyed and ship it back to you. Your issue is more ammo than gun.
Your gun should shoot any 44 mag ammo reliably without any issues!
If it were mine, I would send it back to S&W as mentioned above after a phone call and fired casings in the cylinder.
If a gun can't shoot the ammo it was designed to shoot, then it's nothing
but an expensive paperweight !!!
I've had a Ruger and a Smith 44 mag that shot hot ammo with no problems. I've hunted Black bear with a magnum revolver and you don't want to load it with weak (wimpy) powered ammo !!
I also agree with above statements on not shooting hot ammo as a regular diet.
Good luck. If you send it to Smith and it is returned with the same issues, I would want a different gun or a refund.
P.S. A good Gun Smith can fix the problem in short order, but Smith should correct it for you.
If it were mine, I would send it back to S&W as mentioned above after a phone call and fired casings in the cylinder.
If a gun can't shoot the ammo it was designed to shoot, then it's nothing
but an expensive paperweight !!!
I've had a Ruger and a Smith 44 mag that shot hot ammo with no problems. I've hunted Black bear with a magnum revolver and you don't want to load it with weak (wimpy) powered ammo !!
I also agree with above statements on not shooting hot ammo as a regular diet.
Good luck. If you send it to Smith and it is returned with the same issues, I would want a different gun or a refund.
P.S. A good Gun Smith can fix the problem in short order, but Smith should correct it for you.
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I've never had a 44 mag, but I can say that I have shot hundreds if not thousands of rounds of hot Buffalo Bore and Underwood 357 rounds out of K, L and N frames and never had a case stick so badly that a firm push on the extractor rod wouldn't get it out. That revolver is defective. Period.
Send the entire revolver back. They need to test the gun after reassembly, and there may be a bit of work to do with cylinder gap, etc. when fitting a new cylinder. You paid for a new, perfect revolver, and that's what you should get.
Send the entire revolver back. They need to test the gun after reassembly, and there may be a bit of work to do with cylinder gap, etc. when fitting a new cylinder. You paid for a new, perfect revolver, and that's what you should get.
I live, hunt camp and fish here in Montana. They recently euthanized a bore grizzly within 20 miles of my house. I am just as apt to be killed by a falling tree as a bear. Ya, I carry a S&W in 45 colt when in the sticks, but, putting a heavy bullet where is belongs is WAY more important than its fps.
In the history of Yellowstone park 1 more person has been killed by bears than falling trees.
Here are some statistics from Yellowstone park where there is a big a grizzly population as anywhere in the lower 48
Type of Recreational Activity: Risk of Grizzly Bear Attack
Remain in developed areas, roadsides, and boardwalks: 1 in 59.5 million visits
Camp in roadside campgrounds: 1 in 26.6 million overnight stays
Camp in the backcountry: 1 in 1.7 million overnight stays
Hike in the backcountry: 1 in 232,613 person travel days
All park activities combined: 1 in 2.7 million visits
Since Yellowstone was established in 1872, eight people have been killed by bears in the park. More people in the park have died from drowning (121 incidents), burns (after falling into hot springs, 21 incidents), and suicide (26 incidents) than have been killed by bears. To put it in perspective, the probability of being killed by a bear in the park (8 incidents) is only slightly higher than the probability of being killed by a falling tree (7 incidents), in an avalanche (6 incidents), or being struck and killed by lightning (5 incidents).
On the model 69. I suspect there is a problem with a chamber or 2. I have fired some pretty warm loads and never had to use a hammer and dowel to drive out a case.
In a forum post here back in 2016, some quotes a Brian Pierce I think from S&W who says "IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED, HOWEVER, THAT THESE GUNS ARE NOT DESIGNED FOR LOADS THAT EXCEED MAXIMUM SAAMI PRESSURE GUIDELINES FOR THE .44 MAGNUM, OR 36,000 PSI".
Someone just beat me to what I wanted to say, but if I'm firing rounds within the specs of the gun, and I think all sounds should be, I shouldn't need a brass rod and hammer just to reload the damn thing. Sorry about sitting here and complaining, I'd rather be shooting the damn thing. Darn thing rather. I don't mean to flame S&W, my grandpa was a Pearl Harbor survivor, I very much appreciate love of Made in America. Not that I have other real options outside this great country.
Someone just beat me to what I wanted to say, but if I'm firing rounds within the specs of the gun, and I think all sounds should be, I shouldn't need a brass rod and hammer just to reload the damn thing. Sorry about sitting here and complaining, I'd rather be shooting the damn thing. Darn thing rather. I don't mean to flame S&W, my grandpa was a Pearl Harbor survivor, I very much appreciate love of Made in America. Not that I have other real options outside this great country.
It happens alot. Just mention the word bear and someone will pop up to tell you that your gun will just irritate a bear. Even if you say bear left or bear with me.
Bear with them.
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Sistema1927
US Veteran
Are you getting any other signs of over pressure with the Buffalo Bore ammo? Like flattened primers?
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I looked up the 265 grain load on the BB website. In the description they mentioned they had to get "creative" with powder selection and use a faster than normal powder.
The all copper bullet is less dense than lead and leaves less room for powder. They claim it is under the SAAMI pressure limit but I do not see how they would achieve about the same velocity as their 270 grain JSP load with more densely packed and faster powder without a lot more pressure. I wish there was an affordable way to measure pressure instead of guessing or relying on the manufacturer's data.
Sorry to hear your guns got damaged. Same goes for the OP.
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