kaboom in a revolver?

[pilpens]

In the semi-auto section, there is a thread of glock kaboom.
I am wondering if there is such a thing or something similar with revolvers?
thanks

[mete]

Yes but it may be for a different reason. There have been articles about how to kaboom revolvers with "target" loads .If you're not paying attention you can double or even triple charge a 38spl producing very high pressures that will take apart your revolver !!
If you have a squib load [bad powder or primer or too little powder ] the bullet may lodge in the barrel and if fired again the barrel may burst.

[madcratebuilder]

happens way to often, normally from the wrong ammo or incorrect hand loads.



smokeless in a black powder cylinder.


So much for Rugers being bullet proof, at least not these bullets.

[Nasty]

It happens...usually for the same reasons.

[Kreyzhorse]

It happens...usually for the same reasons.

+1. If can happen to any gun.

[briandg]

the main difference in the scenarios is that the explosion is vented into the mag/trigger well in a semi, where it can injure the shooter, and in the cases I've seen and heard about, slide and barrel remain intact. You don't normally see a lot of shrapnel around to injure bystanders, in my experience.

The revolvers, as shown, will blow out at the cylinder, the exploding cylinder wall will either deform or cut off the top strap, and whatever explosive damage and shrapnel will be experienced above and in front of the shooter. I'd not want to have one go off without safety glasses, but I can't recall a single report of a person losing a hand or fingers to an exploding revolver. (I can't remember an exploding semiauto doing that, either, to be honest, only serious wounds.)

It bears mentioning that other than the gas operated desert eagle, you aren't going to find the sort of high power cartridges used in revolvers. A .454 casull is too intense for a mechanical system like a 1911.

[johnbt]

The difference is that revolvers don't fire out of battery and that's one of the original reasons given for Glock kaBooms; that and unsupported cases. Now everything is sort of lumped together in the great catchall of KB.

It's all on the gunzone site. He invented the kB name for what Glocks can do.

John

[ISC]

Revolvers are more prone to firing a second shot after a squib round though. That can esily cause a burst barrel.

I had it happen to one of my first handguns, a S&W model 19. I was shooting some .38 sp reloads a buddy gave me and didn't notice the reduced recoil. It made a small mark in the barrel but otherwise no visable bulging. I think the fact that they were lead bullets and mild charge prevented more damage.

[Tom Servo]

Revolvers are more prone to firing a second shot after a squib round though. That can easily cause a burst barrel.

Funny story:

I was working a range, and an old-timer came in with a S&W 66. He'd loaded some light .38 wadcutters. Well, he wasn't a very good shot, so when he fired the gun but failed to see holes appear on the paper, it did not occur to him that anything was amiss.

After six shots, he reloaded. Heck, persistence pays, right? He got one more round off, and the cylinder bound up. He brought it over for me to inspect.

I immediately noticed that he had a squib sticking out of the forcing cone. "OK," I thought, "this'll be easy to extract." I grabbed a cleaning rod and tried to drop it in through the muzzle. It wouldn't go in. He'd literally plugged the entire length of the barrel. Seven bullets, gang.

I turned it over to a gunsmith who cursed a blue streak. I'm to understand that he had to apply enough heat to soften the lead and extract it. I've no idea how low the pressure was, but the barrel was pronounced to be OK once the smith was done.

Here are two catastrophic ones I've seen. One was faulty ammo; the other was faulty manufacturing:

Scandium J-Frame shears off the barrel.

Factory squib load (and a really good example of stellar customer service)

[Jim March]

Madcratebuilder showed three pics of Ruger wheelguns blown up. The first is not typical - it's actually the first detonated Ruger I've ever seen where the topstrap broke. Even then, it didn't send pieces of the topstrap flying. The other two look like the more common sort of Ruger KB where the topstrap bends but doesn't break.

When they blow, generally Rugers send less shrapnel flying around than S&Ws. You also have a pic of an S&W completely missing it's topstrap...that's actually typical when they cut loose.

Rugers are NOT weak guns. They're usually tougher than a comparable S&W that costs at least one or two hundred bucks more than the Ruger. The "unbreakable" rep among newbies sometimes leads to people being careless with crude handloading and yeah, you can blow one up.

[laytonj1]

When they blow, generally Rugers send less shrapnel flying around than S&Ws. You also have a pic of an S&W completely missing it's topstrap...that's actually typical when they cut loose.

Does it really matter??? Seriously, back off the Ruger kool aid! A blown up gun is a blown up gun... period. Ain't neither one of them gonna do anymore shooting.

Jim

[johnbt]

There is a big difference between a gun that bends and one that sprays chunks of metal. It's not about the gun shooting again, it's about blood loss, losing fingers and blindness.

[madcratebuilder]

When a hand gun blows up, no matter the manufacturer there well be many tiny pieces of metal flying around at very high speeds. There can only be two outcomes, it's your lucky day or it's your unlucky day. My pic's of mostly Rugers was not intended to disparage Ruger, it's what I had on hand. I think it shows that even the strongest of revolvers are no match to an overpressure.

[Daryl]

So much for Rugers being bullet proof, at least not these bullets.

Ruger makes some very strong firearms. They're not bullet proof, nor idiot proof.



Daryl

[oneounceload]

They're usually tougher than a comparable S&W that costs at least one or two hundred bucks more than the Ruger

Glad that's YOUR OPINION, it is not a FACT. Cast versus forged and all that - being thicker and heavier due to being cast doesn't make it stronger, just thicker and heavier

[Jimmy10mm]

Knocking on wood, I've yet to blow one up but I did have one scare the heck out of me. I was reloading 45LC and shooting a Colt SAA New Frontier. I was using a Belding & Mull measure with their drop tube, weighing every tenth charge. I was probably using Unique and I cannot recall how many grains but a moderate load.

I was at the range and on one round the recoil went from moderate to 44 mag factory load level and the noise level of that round was substantially louder. I knew I had made a mistake in loading that case. When it came time to extract that particular cartridge I had to drive it out with a cleaning rod.

In Sixguns, Cartridges and Loads Elmer Keith describes how the thinnest part of the cylinder in a 45 Colt SAA is the bolt cutout. If a cartridge is overloaded to a large enough extent when it is fired the cylinder bolt cutout will deform and from then on extracting cases will be more difficult in that chamber. This was what happened with that gun. Needless to say I became far more careful to avoid distractions in subsequent reloading.

[tipoc]

Couple'a pics of a blown 29-2.







A poorly done handload was the cause.

Just a note on the sub discussion...in my opinion (of course it's mine I'm saying it) Ruger revolvers are stronger than S&W revolvers. This is only partly due to their increased mass. It's more a factor of design. They are beefed up in critical areas. The small parts are more robust. The cylinders are stronger (note the location of the cylinder stop notches), etc. These design differences and others make for a slightly stronger gun overall.

This can't prevent blown guns though. Seems kinda abstract to worry about which one may send more bits flying in the case of a catastrophic blown gun. Under the wrong conditions either one could blow.

tipoc

[laytonj1]

There is a big difference between a gun that bends and one that sprays chunks of metal. It's not about the gun shooting again, it's about blood loss, losing fingers and blindness.

Yeah... the hospitals are just filled with victims of blown up guns
Can you even name a single person who's blind from a kaboom? Or lost a finger?

The OP asks if revolvers can kaboom and it quickly turns into another Ruger vs. S&W debate...

Jim

[BigJimP]

careless reloaders can blow up any weapon ....

but turning this into a Ruger vs S&W debate is pointless ...

[briandg]

Yes, I've known people who destroyed their guns, but not a single one who actually "kaboomed" one. I've never actually heard of one blowing, ever, except in these very general anecdotes.

I don't think they are really that common, personally, as compared to the more routine barrel bulges and other damage.

[johnbt]

"Yeah... the hospitals are just filled with victims of blown up guns
Can you even name a single person who's blind from a kaboom? Or lost a finger?"

Can you phrase your post in the form of a sensible, polite question?

With your attitude, I doubt you'd believe anything I posted. Maybe anything anybody posted.

Have a real nice day, wherever it is you're coming from.

[laytonj1]

Can you phrase your post in the form of a sensible, polite question?

Sorry, let me try rephrasing it...

You said:

There is a big difference between a gun that bends and one that sprays chunks of metal. It's not about the gun shooting again, it's about blood loss, losing fingers and blindness.

So I asked:

Can you even name a single person who's blind from a kaboom? Or lost a finger?

Well?

Jim

[Jim March]

Ruger offsets the bolt notches, does away with screw-on side plates, doesn't leave a weak spot on the back of the barrel at 6:00 like a K-frame and perhaps most important of all latches the cylinder closed at the crane as well as the back of the cylinder. That last factor can sometimes prevent a KB! if the load would otherwise have shaken the cylinder loose from it's lockup state. (And yeah, that does happen now and again.)

And then when they do cut loose, they don't spray as much metal around.

[laytonj1]

Sigh....

Jim

[tipoc]

From the OP;

In the semi-auto section, there is a thread of glock kaboom.
I am wondering if there is such a thing or something similar with revolvers?

As you can see the answer is yes. As folks explained the reasons for it can be different than the usual reasons in semis. It is though a fairly rare occurrence. Most shooters go a lifetime of shooting without blowing their guns up.

tipoc