Firing a separated bullet from a revolver

jakopotamus · January 19, 2015, 07:40 PM

So I was at the range yesterday and long story short, a .38 special hand loaded round separated leaving the bullet loose in the cylinder of the revolver and letting the powder spill out from the casing. Luckily, the bullet stuck out of the revolver and stopped the cylinder from cycling and allowing the separated round from firing.

My question is, what would have happened if I fired the separated round?

Also, I think the separation was due to a short casing and it not getting enough of a crimp.

Wreck-n-Crew · January 19, 2015, 08:00 PM

Quote:

My question is, what would have happened if I fired the separated round?

FME If the bullet stayed in the Cylinder but loose from cartridge a squib and a fireball powder flash. Might get burned. If still in the casing it may or may not squib but it will sound different as well.

Note:
It is important to listen to the sound anytime your shooting any gun and if it sounds light or funny. Stop shooting. Make the gun safe and check for damage for squib.

Quote:

Also, I think the separation was due to a short casing and it not getting enough of a crimp.

I would say crimp.

mikld · January 19, 2015, 08:39 PM

Recoil from another round/rounds loosening the bullet? If that chamber came around to firing position it may ignite the powder and push the bullet out the barrel, that is if the powder bullet and case are still in the chamber. I would suspect it wouldn't be a squib, but prolly very low velocity.

jakopotamus · January 19, 2015, 09:46 PM

The recoil from a few rounds loosened it out. I think I could have belled the case a bit too much as well since they were fully copper jacketed and didn't have much resistance. From what I understand, crimping doesn't create as much resistance as you would think.

BoogieMan · January 20, 2015, 07:07 AM

I would say your lucky it didnt ignite when another round was fired and the loose round was out of index. Not sure how possible that is but I know my 686 & 460 throw a lot of burning powder

TimSr · January 20, 2015, 07:28 AM

This should be a red flag to check bullet creep between shots to see if this is a one round problem, or your whole batch. They may all be creeping out, and this is the firt one to come all the way out. Do these bullets have a cannelure?

Wreck-n-Crew · January 20, 2015, 08:57 AM

Quote:

From what I understand, crimping doesn't create as much resistance as you would think.

Taper Crimping creates plenty of hold for much higher pressure rounds like 9mm, 10mm and 40 (all shot in revolvers) . Evidently crimp was not right.

Really concerns me a lot more than normal given that it was a low pressure .38 and not a high pressure .357. That crimp had to be awfully light to come loose at such low pressures. Even a +p is lighter than the 9mm,40,10mm,etc.

skizzums · January 20, 2015, 09:17 AM

I see no reason to not give a pretty heavy crimp on 10yd and under range loads. your not going to notice sub-par accuracy from mild deformation at most pistol distances. if it's jacketed, it should need very minimal flare and a pretty good crimp. lead rounds sometimes need a bigger flare, and not as much crimp since it kinda sinks into th lead. but either way, you should be able to put the bullet face down on a hard surface and push down with all your might(unless your like skinny-arms Rob Lowe, you may need a friend) and not be able to budge the bullet.

TimSr · January 20, 2015, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Really concerns me a lot more than normal given that it was a low pressure .38 and not a high pressure .357.

Yes, typically on those, a properly resized case is enough to hold the bullet, even with no crimp. He didn't mention what kind of bullets, or whether there was a cannelure, just that they were a FMJ, which also makes me wonder if they are .355" bullets for 9mm.

**Unclenick** · January 20, 2015, 10:29 AM

We don't know the weight of his gun. Even a mild load will back bullets out if the gun is light enough to move sharply during recoil. A heavy roll crimp can, indeed, make a difference. You can tell with a chronograph by the reduction in velocity variation.

That said, you can overdo a crimp and lift the sides of the case away from the sides of the bullet via the resulting bulge. The Redding Profile Crimp Die is the best solution I've found to that problem.

Jakopotamus,

Welcome to the forum. It looks like you haven't popped over to the General forum to introduce yourself in the New Members - Please Introduce Yourself Here, thread.

If the bullets slid in with little friction, there's a chance yor sizing die is not narrowing the cases enough. I've run into that problem with Remington brass (R-P headstamp) in the 45 Auto. It takes a small base sizing die, like those made for the Dillon progressive presses, to get Remington's thin, springy 45 Auto necks small enough. Brass that is thicker and more readily resized would include Federal and Winchester and my personal favorite, Starline.

January 19, 2015, 07:40 PM	#1
jakopotamus Junior Member Join Date: January 18, 2015 Posts: 2	Firing a separated bullet from a revolver So I was at the range yesterday and long story short, a .38 special hand loaded round separated leaving the bullet loose in the cylinder of the revolver and letting the powder spill out from the casing. Luckily, the bullet stuck out of the revolver and stopped the cylinder from cycling and allowing the separated round from firing. My question is, what would have happened if I fired the separated round? Also, I think the separation was due to a short casing and it not getting enough of a crimp.

January 19, 2015, 08:39 PM	#3
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	Recoil from another round/rounds loosening the bullet? If that chamber came around to firing position it may ignite the powder and push the bullet out the barrel, that is if the powder bullet and case are still in the chamber. I would suspect it wouldn't be a squib, but prolly very low velocity. __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...

January 20, 2015, 07:07 AM	#5
BoogieMan Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2012 Location: South Jersey Posts: 2,217	I would say your lucky it didnt ignite when another round was fired and the loose round was out of index. Not sure how possible that is but I know my 686 & 460 throw a lot of burning powder __________________ Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it. Milton Freidman "If you find yourself in a fair fight,,, Your tactics suck"- Unknown

January 20, 2015, 09:17 AM	#8
skizzums Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 4,615	I see no reason to not give a pretty heavy crimp on 10yd and under range loads. your not going to notice sub-par accuracy from mild deformation at most pistol distances. if it's jacketed, it should need very minimal flare and a pretty good crimp. lead rounds sometimes need a bigger flare, and not as much crimp since it kinda sinks into th lead. but either way, you should be able to put the bullet face down on a hard surface and push down with all your might(unless your like skinny-arms Rob Lowe, you may need a friend) and not be able to budge the bullet. __________________ My head is bloody, but unbowed

January 20, 2015, 10:29 AM	#10
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	We don't know the weight of his gun. Even a mild load will back bullets out if the gun is light enough to move sharply during recoil. A heavy roll crimp can, indeed, make a difference. You can tell with a chronograph by the reduction in velocity variation. That said, you can overdo a crimp and lift the sides of the case away from the sides of the bullet via the resulting bulge. The Redding Profile Crimp Die is the best solution I've found to that problem. Jakopotamus, Welcome to the forum. It looks like you haven't popped over to the General forum to introduce yourself in the New Members - Please Introduce Yourself Here, thread. If the bullets slid in with little friction, there's a chance yor sizing die is not narrowing the cases enough. I've run into that problem with Remington brass (R-P headstamp) in the 45 Auto. It takes a small base sizing die, like those made for the Dillon progressive presses, to get Remington's thin, springy 45 Auto necks small enough. Brass that is thicker and more readily resized would include Federal and Winchester and my personal favorite, Starline. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

January 19, 2015, 09:46 PM	#4
jakopotamus Junior Member Join Date: January 18, 2015 Posts: 2	The recoil from a few rounds loosened it out. I think I could have belled the case a bit too much as well since they were fully copper jacketed and didn't have much resistance. From what I understand, crimping doesn't create as much resistance as you would think.

January 20, 2015, 07:28 AM	#6
TimSr Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2013 Location: Rittman, Ohio Posts: 2,074	This should be a red flag to check bullet creep between shots to see if this is a one round problem, or your whole batch. They may all be creeping out, and this is the firt one to come all the way out. Do these bullets have a cannelure?