Range Report 45/70 Revolver

Must've been glock brass.

Maybe take some more pics so @EddieCoyle can use them for his reloading class?
I will let him borrow the barrel if he wants to show people what can happen.
But he has to admit he loves my signature. [devil2]

















Just kidding. If he thinks it can help people, I can take more detailed pictures and stop by the mill when he has a reloading class and drop off the barrel. I am usually around that area on weekends.

Ps: the brass is fine. I will take more pics.
 
Broc you should send your range report over to Demolition Ranch he would probably be more than happy to do a take off video 😂 that boy just loves blowing shit up.
LOL. If he pays for the gun, he can have it.

If done with care, it will probably still shoot 45/70, not very accurate, but it will. I just tried uploading a video of the gun still working but I can't. :(
 
The 45/70 revolver shoots great, see the 5 shot group. I flinched on one of them.

View attachment 376916

And then it blew the f*** up.

I have only ever seen pictures, and today I was the lucky guy.

View attachment 376918

Yes, this just happened.

(Sorry, I don't know why this one loads sideways)
View attachment 376922

The barrel blew the f-up. The ejector flew up and to the right and hit the ceiling.

I could not believe I don't have a single scratch and the guys that were next to me stepped back a few minutes early. That ejector could have messed someone up.

I had to ask them a couple of times if I was bleeding somewhere and didn't notice.

No, I did not sh*t my pants but had to check.

Cause ... Squib.
Caliber ... 45/70.
Manufacturer... Magnum Research.

I wasnt speed shooting this thing. I don't know how I didn't hear the squib.

My guess is the powder moved forward in the case, the primer didn't ignite it, but it pushed the bullet.

The gun still works; trigger, hammer and cylinder work fine. It needs a new barrel, but I don't think I will replace it. I am done with this gun, at least for a while.

The casings I pulled out look fine.
Holy f*** man! I’m glad you’re okay!
I asked for a range report and I was not thinking this was going to happen (neither did you obviously). Wow!!
 
Glad your OK but how did you not notice a squib on a 45/70? Wasn't the lack of boom and recoil obvious?
I was getting light strikes on every round. This one didn't feel different. I was also distracted with the light strikes. I didn't even hear the primer go off.

I have shot several empty cases with just primers to burn them, I know what a primer only sounds like.

Definitely my fault.
 
Glad your OK but how did you not notice a squib on a 45/70? Wasn't the lack of boom and recoil obvious?
He had a bunch of light strikes. New revolver. Anticipation of intense recoil.
People miss squibs all the time never mind will all that distraction going on.
The revolver was obviously showing some mechanical issues with the light strikes. It’s pretty easy on your 8th light strikes to just pull the hammer back and let her rip again.
 
He had a bunch of light strikes. New revolver. Anticipation of intense recoil.
People miss squibs all the time never mind will all that distraction going on.
The revolver was obviously showing some mechanical issues with the light strikes. It’s pretty easy on your 8th light strikes to just pull the hammer back and let her rip again.
This 100%
 
Was just on the phone with MRI because their return asks to be sent in a hard case box or they charge extra, and I was scratching my head thinking how that thing would ever fit in a hard box. The guy laughed said to not worry.

Anyway, we spoke about squibs for a while, apparently they have a bunch of blown up barrels caused by Hornady 250grain Leverevolution rounds. He said it is the design of the bullet on some rounds it allows gases to escape past the bullet, or something like that. He was expecting I would tell him that is what I was shooting.
 
Was just on the phone with MRI because their return asks to be sent in a hard case box or they charge extra, and I was scratching my head thinking how that thing would ever fit in a hard box. The guy laughed said to not worry.

Anyway, we spoke about squibs for a while, apparently they have a bunch of blown up barrels caused by Hornady 250grain Leverevolution rounds. He said it is the design of the bullet on some rounds it allows gases to escape past the bullet, or something like that. He was expecting I would tell him that is what I was shooting.
Short bullet. Short brass. I know the short 110 and 125 bullets in 357 allowed a lot of gas to leak and erode and even crack forcing cones.
 
Wow! Glad you're okay.

What did it feel/sound like when it BOOMed?
It didn't feel like anything, and I'm not sure of the sound. It all happens so fast, your brain just doesn't register it until after it happened.

I remember saying "HOLY SH*T", then thinking "am I bleeding anywhere?"

I do remember a sound of metal hiting something, I think that was the ejector hitting the ceiling.
 
Any chance you used large pistol primers instead of large rifle primers? That would explain the light strikes (pistol primers are shorter and get seated on the first strike instead of going off) and why the powder didn't fully light. Usually pistol primers in rifle cartridges will pierce, but you were shooting light loads that might not have the pressure to pierce anything.

I seriously doubt it had anything to do with powder position.

I'm glad you're OK. Maybe you can add the picture to your sig line. Full size of course.
 
Any chance you used large pistol primers instead of large rifle primers? That would explain the light strikes (pistol primers are shorter and get seated on the first strike instead of going off) and why the powder didn't fully light. Usually pistol primers in rifle cartridges will pierce, but you were shooting light loads that might not have the pressure to pierce anything.

I don't have any LP primers. I used CCI 200.

Right now I only have CCI 200, 250 and Federal 100.
 
Emailing with the guys at MRI. I sent the pics so they could check it out.

And sent me this:

They are designed to split like this so that they don't explode.

This is a very interesting and educational thread. But for me, the quote above is possibly the most interesting part.

Many modern firearms have design features which are not obvious, but which prevent catastrophic failures from causing catastrophic injury. I did not know that barrels could be intentionally designed to split. But I am well aware that engineers put a lot of thought into what will fail, and how, if excess loads are applied. I am very glad that no injuries occurred, and it seems like the design probably deserves some credit.
 
I found that part about them being designed to split like that very interesting too! I would have never thought that was the case. I thought/assumed it had followed the rifling grooves being thinner parts of the barrel. Now I'm curious how they actually design them to split like that.
 
need a poster for over the reloading bench? ;)
1596222763174.png
 
This is a very interesting and educational thread. But for me, the quote above is possibly the most interesting part.

Many modern firearms have design features which are not obvious, but which prevent catastrophic failures from causing catastrophic injury. I did not know that barrels could be intentionally designed to split. But I am well aware that engineers put a lot of thought into what will fail, and how, if excess loads are applied. I am very glad that no injuries occurred, and it seems like the design probably deserves some credit.
A friend brought another interesting point. He asked; is it designed that way because of some law?

He is very liberal so I knew where he was going. I replied "I highly doubt the government saved my life".
 
A 500gr. Bullet with an ass load of unburned powder behind it turned that barrel into a pipe bomb just chalk it up to "Shit Happens" but please don't give up on shooting and reloading get back on the bike.
I am not giving up on shooting or reloading. Haha.
I am actually going to the range in 2 hrs ... and I am also going to the casting seminar.
 
I am not giving up on shooting or reloading. Haha.
I am actually going to the range in 2 hrs ... and I am also going to the casting seminar.
Good for you. Get a new barrel on it, load it a little hotter, and shoot it like you stole it. Your sig line still sucks.
 
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