Ruined barrel

[calcot7]

I was shooting my SA Loaded the other day and after the second round the slide failed to chamber the next round. I racked the slide and the next round in the mag chambered most of the way. I had to smack the back of the slide to get it to chamber the rest of the way. I fired the pistol and again the slide failed to go all the way into battery with a fresh loaded round. The slide was now stuck slightly out of battery again. This time it was stuck hard........so I stuck part of a cleaning rod down the barrel and proceeded to hit it with a big hammer. No...not really. I did place the guns slide, just below the guide rod, against a wooden bench, pointed down range and applied significant force. Finally the slide let go and ejected the live round. At this point I disassembled the pistol and discovered that the barrel had split in two places. One at 2 o'clock from just behind the muzzle to the first lug and the other at 7:30 from the muzzle to the barrel link. The bushing appears to be undamaged. There is no evidence of bulging anywhere and the chamber appears to be OK. I didn't notice any difference between the rounds when I fired the gun and the shots sounded the same as a normal round going off. I had just cleaned the gun about a week before this outing and remember checking the bore with a light before I put it back in the safe. The ammunition was factory Federal bulk 230 gr FMJ. I can't figure out why this happened. Anyone got any ideas?

 

[IndyGunworks]

Squib, and the next round you fired ruptured the barrel, pushed the bullets out, but changed the tolerences enough that you couldn't chamber properly again. I am betting these were handloads.

 

[PGRChaplain]

He said the Ammo was Factory Federal 230gr. I concur with your diagnosis of a Squib. OP, weigh the rest of the Ammo to look for inconsintencies.

 

[croy]

I'd contact ammo manufacturer.

 

[calcot7]

I don't think it was a squib because it felt and sounded like a normal round when it / they went off. Wouldn't there usually be a bulge, even a slight one with a "squib" situation? There really aren't anymore to weigh out of the box the suspect round came from. They were in a loaded magazine and there are four rounds left in it now. So I guess weighing them won't take to long but I don't think it will tell me too much.

 

[calcot7]

Yeah I plan to call Federal and Springfield Armory but I don't have a good feeling about who could be at fault. The gun is pretty old. I never bothered to find out the date of manufacture. As far as the ammo goes I don't have the box for the lot number to ID the DOM either., So who can I find fault with unless it was a defective barrel. I'll probably have to buy a new barrel and call it a learning experience and unload and look down the barrel of the gun every time I fire a round for the rest of my life now. There have been a lot of rounds through that barrel. How many rounds can a Springfield barrel handle before they split?

 

[churchmouse]

1st....with multiple failures you should not have fired the gun again. Disarm it and have a look. 1 tap rack might not be an issue. 2nd one it is time to unload/inspect........seriously.

No knock as I see folks do this all the time. Something was obviously wrong.

 

[churchmouse]

Yeah I plan to call Federal and Springfield Armory but I don't have a good feeling about who could be at fault. The gun is pretty old. I never bothered to find out the date of manufacture. As far as the ammo goes I don't have the box for the lot number to ID the DOM either., So who can I find fault with unless it was a defective barrel. I'll probably have to buy a new barrel and call it a learning experience and unload and look down the barrel of the gun every time I fire a round for the rest of my life now. There have been a lot of rounds through that barrel. How many rounds can a Springfield barrel handle before they split?

Should not ever split shooting factory rounds. You may where the rifling out but the barrel should not split.

 

[IndyGunworks]

Did YOU buy the ammo from the store? Sometimes reloads are put back into factory box's.... I still think it was a squib

 

[calcot7]

1st....with multiple failures you should not have fired the gun again. Disarm it and have a look. 1 tap rack might not be an issue. 2nd one it is time to unload/inspect........seriously.

No knock as I see folks do this all the time. Something was obviously wrong.

There was only one tap rack.

 

[calcot7]

Did YOU buy the ammo from the store? Sometimes reloads are put back into factory box's.... I still think it was a squib[/QUOTE

I am sure it was purchased at a store. I can't say when, but I don't buy reloaded ammunition and I haven't bought or traded any ammo from or with an individual. If I had I would definitely inspect it to see if it had been reloaded. Even when the case is resized the whole length isn't there still a slight difference in case diameter at the base? I wish I would have inspected the firearm instead of smacking the back of the slide to get it into full battery before firing the last round. At that point however, I think the damage had already been done, I've dealt with squib's before and I was able to tell the difference in recoil and the loudness of the round each time. The one time I remember clearly was when I was shooting old ammunition and the round just popped. It was obvious that something was wrong. The bullet stopped about half way down the barrel of a 6 inch .357.
I was just wondering if it was possible for a barrel to weaken enough over time, if there was a factory manufacturing defect or bad steel, for this type of failure to occur.

 

[churchmouse]

There was only one tap rack.

I see.
Maybe need to slow my reading....

This will certainly be a squib. Even factory ammo can have issues.

 

[WebSnyper]

Should be able to get a new barrel and get it fitted. You might want to have CM or AllenM check it out and make sure there are no other issues, and see how much one of them would charge to fit a new barrel.

 

[calcot7]

I see.
Maybe need to slow my reading....

This will certainly be a squib. Even factory ammo can have issues.

Yeah probably, but I just can't get past the fact that I didn't notice any difference in the recoil or the report. I wonder if they may have been hairline cracks that finally let go. That and the fact there is absolutely no bulging. I guess I need to move on and decide on what barrels to consider as a replacement.

 

[churchmouse]

Yeah probably, but I just can't get past the fact that I didn't notice any difference in the recoil or the report. I wonder if they may have been hairline cracks that finally let go. That and the fact there is absolutely no bulging. I guess I need to move on and decide on what barrels to consider as a replacement.

Several good offerings
Clark/Fusion/Ed Brown/and others.
They market them as drop ins but trust when I say 1 in 10 goes in and fits up even near close.
I may have a low to no rd. count SA loaded barrel. I have a habit of up-grading some of mine before they ever see the range. I will look.

 

[calcot7]

Should be able to get a new barrel and get it fitted. You might want to have CM or AllenM check it out and make sure there are no other issues, and see how much one of them would charge to fit a new barrel.

Yes I already thought about that. I don't think there is any more damage to the gun...........but hey, I didn't even notice a catastrophic failure. LOL

 

[calcot7]

Several good offerings
Clark/Fusion/Ed Brown/and others.
They market them as drop ins but trust when I say 1 in 10 goes in and fits up even near close.
I may have a low to no rd. count SA loaded barrel. I have a habit of up-grading some of mine before they ever see the range. I will look.

That would be cool. Thanks for the offer. Please let me know if you find it.

 

[churchmouse]

Pm sent.

 

[bobbittle]

Did YOU buy the ammo from the store? Sometimes reloads are put back into factory box's.... I still think it was a squib

You can get squibs from factory ammo. I've personally had it happen.

 

[looney2ns]

It's easy for the shooter to miss the fact that he had a squib.