Lee Loader

I wonder if the case split was sudden and great enough that all the combustion energy was directly against the cylinder?

How long after the accident were the pictures taken?
Not an expert but have worked with metal most of my life.
The rust on the cylinder edges says to me that this was something that took place over a long period of time and the final blow( or shot) caused the failure.
just my $.02 worth.


beekeeper

I did see a very similar photo that was blamed on a BP Colts with air space allowed. That would do it. It might also do it if there were already a bullet stuck in the forcing cone and another fired. Think squib then a +p+ 200 gr load pushing 400 grains. It might only take a day to get that rust down south or on the coast. lots of possibilities. I saw 1similar in a gun smith's place that had suffered from mixed powder, Red Dot and Unique, I guess 9.5 grains of Red dot with a 260 jhp will wreck 1 bad enough to ruin even the screws.

Ranch Dog wrote:I wonder if the case split was sudden and great enough that all the combustion energy was directly against the cylinder?

Think of this, the force is always directed against the cylinder. When a undersized case splits the pressure vents. Without a contained area(the cylinder chamber) to hold the pressure it won't build pressure like it normally would. The same for the bullet. The bullet will have absolutely no resistance going down the barrel. No opportunity to build pressure.

The end result of shooting this 44 in a Ruger 45 colt would be much like tossing it in a fire, the case ruptures and the pressure dissipates. It certainly wouldn't blow up the gun.

ljnowel wrote:

Ranch Dog wrote:I wonder if the case split was sudden and great enough that all the combustion energy was directly against the cylinder?

Think of this, the force is always directed against the cylinder. When a undersized case splits the pressure vents. Without a contained area(the cylinder chamber) to hold the pressure it won't build pressure like it normally would. The same for the bullet. The bullet will have absolutely no resistance going down the barrel. No opportunity to build pressure.

The end result of shooting this 44 in a Ruger 45 colt would be much like tossing it in a fire, the case ruptures and the pressure dissipates. It certainly wouldn't blow up the gun.

that makes sense to me if the brass was grossly undersized for the chamber .... but if the case was undersized just enough to delay the pressure in the case while it was expanding to the chamber walls, and reach nearly full burn before the bullet cleared the case mouth .... ?

still scratching my somewhat ignorant head here

jd

Probably just an old revolver with a weak spot due to use, he had it for years and shot it a lot.
Too sum it up:
It was a 45 long colt, and had a 44 mag case head smashed up against the back plate.
The ammo was a new box. (We all know that factory ammo is always perfect.... right?)
Somebody put a 44 mag in the box of 45 LC. Maybe an accident, maybe not.
It blew up the revolver. (By the way it still has a nice trigger on it.)

The point is: Use the right ammo.

Steve

Just so you know .... I don't think anyone is "arguing" as to what happened. I think we're all just wanting to understand "what" happened, and why (why the kaboom).

As for gun shops putting several different boxes of ammo in front of customers to look at .... I've seen it more than once.... stuff does tend to get mixed up when novices are looking at different "bullets", and the shop owner isn't paying very close attention.


jd .... still learning and breathing on the green side of the grass

Steve wrote:Probably just an old revolver with a weak spot due to use, he had it for years and shot it a lot.
Too sum it up:
It was a 45 long colt, and had a 44 mag case head smashed up against the back plate.
The ammo was a new box. (We all know that factory ammo is always perfect.... right?)
Somebody put a 44 mag in the box of 45 LC. Maybe an accident, maybe not.
It blew up the revolver. (By the way it still has a nice trigger on it.)

The point is: Use the right ammo.

I think there may have been more at here. I have to question the integrity of the round in the chamber. It's quite possible that if the wrong round was in the box that this round could have been an improperly loaded round, or possibly a case of direct sabotage. Being familiar with how ammunition is made then packaged (via Olin) at no time would 44 mag ammo be anywhere near 45 colt ammo in the manufacturing and packaging process.

I have to wonder if this wasn't an intentional sabotage by someone who was involved in manufacturing the ammo. Otherwise I would have to stand by what I said previously, a standard 44 mag would not do that.

You know, it wouldn't take much of a secret agent man to
load up a nuclear power load of caliber such & such & slip
them into unsuspecting boxes of factory ammo?? & considering
some of the nut's of today & some of the things they will do
for giggles, I would not discount the possibility????
But I do have to agree, something don't sound right here,
on the pressure side of thing's???????

larryw wrote:You know, it wouldn't take much of a secret agent man to
load up a nuclear power load of caliber such & such & slip
them into unsuspecting boxes of factory ammo?? & considering
some of the nut's of today & some of the things they will do
for giggles, I would not discount the possibility????
But I do have to agree, something don't sound right here,
on the pressure side of thing's???????

That was done with great success over in Iraq.