Barrel Bulge

[jag2]

Saw this mentioned on another forum but no good answers.
How or why would a stuck bullet cause a bulge in a barrel. I fired a .38/148 grn DEWC with too light of a charge and I ended up with a bulge right where the bullet stopped. I SWEAR I did not fire a second shot, the base of the stuck bullet still has its original shape. This was a Colt SAA 7 1/2 inch barrel.
Don't understand why that would cause a barrel to bulge.
Anyone have anything to share?

[zxcvbob]

The bullet stuck in the barrel might be the second one (it forced the first one out)

[Eagle0711]

From whats described, I don't see how a bulge could occur either. So.......

Is it really a bulge ? Can you feel the bulge with your fingers. or are you looking thru the barrel. Could it be an illusion, or look different from the bullet being tapped out? Try cleaning it and see if it looks different.

If it's really a bulge could it have been there before the gun was shot? Any way that a piece of lead could be in the barrel making it look like a bulge?

There is know way your experience could have bulged the barrel. I know two poeple who have bulged their barrels and neither could tell any difference in accuracy afterwards. Good Luck, Eagle

[jag2]

I also wondered if it was there all along and I just never noticed it.
I can feel a slight bulge on the outside and can also feel it when I run a patch
thru it. Perhaps it had something to do with the low charge bullet getting stuck
to begin with but I can't see how. Maybe it was the second bullet that stuck, I guess I'll never know

[Eagle0711]

I would make sure that the barrel is clear of any possible obstructions and shoot it.

Reasonable accuracy is 2-3" at 20-25 yards. I'll bet that it shoots just fine.

Let us know how it worked out. Good Luck, Eagle

[FrankenMauser]

Or....

It could be an old bulge, that the bullet stopped in.
A similar squib could have happened in the past, gotten pushed out by a following shot, and gone unnoticed until this latest squib.

...Not all bullets impacting other bullets stuck in the bore will cause major damage.

I saw one instance that was very close to this situation.
My uncle had a squib, fired a second shot, and both bullets 'fell' out of the barrel (soft lead, like your wadcutters). However, the odd report was noticed by him - and the falling bullets, by everyone else. A slight bulge in the barrel was visible in the bore, and ruled "safe" for light loads by a gunsmith (since it was concentric).

However, my uncle was not the most attentive reloader. He had several subsequent squibs with various loads, and ALL of the bullets stopped when they hit the constriction after the bulge. ...Until he didn't notice one, and blew the barrel off his revolver.


....He pays closer attention now.