Heads UP S&W 629 with HOT loads

[begreen61]

a Guy had an S&W 629 that

he wanted to dispose of after a mishap at the range. He said there was a loud bang when

he tested his new load and the gun smacked him in the forehead, leaving a nice gash. When

the tweety birds cleared, this is what he saw.....

Perhaps his new load was a little hot......

[TheBadGuy]

Damn

[tubtar]

When I see this , I have to fall back on " what a fucking asshole "
Hey , there quick draw ................. you're punching holes in paper.
How fucking hot does your load need to be ?
Text book Freudian overcompensation.

[woodstock]

He's a lucky son of a bitch he didn't get seriously injured! That pistol should be put on display for other handloaders to learn from.

[Parker]

Guys, it's really simple - this is God's Punishment for him exhibiting the dumbfuckery required to buy one of the new Smith and Wesson's with the sideplate lock.

[Tinysd]

Guys, it's really simple - this is God's Punishment for him exhibiting the dumbfuckery required to buy one of the new Smith and Wesson's with the sideplate lock.
It only took four posts. :bwah:

[Doc Pringles]

Is Parker one of those guys? Man there was rage against S&W when it first came out but those who still hold a grudge are HARD CORE. :demented:

It’s the hard core who keep many other gun rights advocates in line in one way or the next. Although, S&W was in the hands of the anti-gun Brits for a time and made a few deals with the enemy. Some are STILL on the anti-S&W bandwagon for that one.

I’ll tell ya what Parker, I’ll let you borrow my Ruger P945. They were bought up by Ruger fans ASAP. They then notice;

1- extra heavy double action trigger. (For safety)
2- decock and manual safety that need to be pushed back up after decock. Before Ruger gave you an option on that in the P series. (This is an added layer of safety)
3- Loaded chamber indicator the size of a dinner plate jetting out the top chamber with LOADED in red. (Safety)
4- Firing pin safety that works on TWO levels. (Ya know…keep it safe)
5- I get the feeling you know your shit and have heard all this before. So I’ll just breeze by #5. Ummmm It’s got a…… mag disconnect safety.

Within months of release the used market was fire sale. I bought one once fired P345 with 4 new mags so cheap I had to do it. With a main spring swap and the removal of an over complicated mag safety. It’s gold.

Yes I know the issues of removing a safety but I had to draw the line somewhere.

:roadrunner:

[falcon125]

Send it back to S&W.
It looks defective to me.:devilzeek

[Doc Pringles]

BTW: I have NEVER seen a failure that severe. Not even on a few imports that have problems from time to time.

VERDICT—Whoever loaded that round was so unqualified to do so as to almost loose his life over it. In addition those in the general vicinity. Plus the moron wasted a perfectly good S&W…..ya know the NEW??? :roll: (10 years or more now?) ones.
:quickdraw: :right:

[Parker]

Doc, that Ruger would be best suited for use as a sinker when fishing for catfish, assuming the catfish are less picky than usual about eating garbage :devil1:

I hate the SW locks. No need for it. Period. End of story.

I don't like that the Taurus revolvers have a lock, but at least it's under the grip where little bits of shit will have a hard time getting in there!

And so's ya know, the CT state po-leece were having a little Q&A session/ demo time with the SW factory reps with their new model 64's. Apparently nobody believed them that the barrels were coming loose. Until the barrels came OFF the goddamn guns while the SW reps were present. Whoops.

SW had to put the blast shields in by the forcing cone since nobody thought thru what happens when lightweight metal with low sectional mass density is exposed to highly corrosive gasses, temperatures and pressures. Or maybe that building revolvers which weigh less than Airweight J-frames and chambering them for magnum calibers will cause problems with crimp jump.

These are all simple engineering problems, but SW has unfortunately been in the hands of morons for some time now. I love older SW revolvers. I love the pinned and recessed guns. I love the first model 586, the 625-3 and 625-8, I love the idea of the Mountain Gun in 45acp or 45 colt. I love the Kit gun as the workhorse little revolver it is.

I think it just so damned cool that the IL state police adopted the SW39 and history began to change.

I love that I can still find SW Victory revolvers being brought into my local gun range, unfired in 35 or 55 years, with the original trigger pull, still rough and harsh, and being able to smile at the owner, hand them a Colt or Smith and tell them withing 500 rounds the trigger will be just as smooth, just spray in some Gun Scrubber, and then some Rem Oil.

But the current iterations of about everything they are making? Fuck, put the SOUL back into things and they will improve immensely.

Doc, sorry to hear about the Ruger. Sometimes we do the best we can with the cards we're dealt, or bought by mistake ;)

[Oliver Mendl]

we had a similar revolver on the range, and on one of my first visits there, it was handed over to me, "that is what happens when you mess up on re-loading catridges"

i tried to bend some of the parts of the cylinder that stuck out with my leatherman just because i wanted to know how much force is needed for a cylinder to break up like that, needles to say that i coudln't bent it a mm....

hope no one was seriously injured!

greetings,
olli

[droid]

Hmmm... I guess you CAN chain fire metallic cartridges! :devil1:

[Peter Lezard]

Holy shrapnel in your teeth Batman!!! :devilzeek

Parker, I'm with you 100% about messing about with the lockwork of ANY gun, but I think that was the least of his problems....

[Parker]

Holy shrapnel in your teeth Batman!!! :devilzeek

Parker, I'm with you 100% about messing about with the lockwork of ANY gun, but I think that was the least of his problems....

Pete - 5x5, Brother Devil, you can't fix stupid.

[Derespina Knives]

Ohhhh no! That is FUCKED! That is a very lucky man, I'd like to see the gash on his head as well.

Man, do I have to re think my next revolver purchase an S&W 315? daaaaamn!

[Parker]

Ohhhh no! That is FUCKED! That is a very lucky man, I'd like to see the gash on his head as well.

Man, do I have to re think my next revolver purchase an S&W 315? daaaaamn!

Rethinks ANY smith and wesson 3XX - buy a real SW and be done with it.

[casio]

:thinkexplode::thinkexplode::sniped: LUCKY IT WAS JUST THE GUN:deadevil:

[IWantThatKnife]

Parker elucidates us with his knowledge of all things gun related. Guys, it's really simple - this is God's Punishment for him exhibiting the dumbfuckery required to buy one of the new Smith and Wesson's with the sideplate lock.


Um uh gee Park - looking at the photos it appears that the lock assembly is intact; but the OP says:
he tested his new load and the gun smacked him in the forehead, leaving a nice gash

I'm thinking that those .44 magnum shell cases probably looked like they didn't have enough powder in them so maybe he added some all on his own (I heard someone did that back in the 60's when I was in high school, topped off a rifle case because "there wasn't enough powder in it")

Fortunately the chap wasn't seriously injured; but as usually is, I suspect it was a reloading issue. I had a neighbor back in Ohio who reloaded, including .44 magnum. David measured the powder, weighed the loaded round, and if there was a big difference between weights he'd pull the round down and start again...no big bad booms...

[Parker]

Um uh gee Park - looking at the photos it appears that the lock assembly is intact; but the OP says:

I'm thinking that those .44 magnum shell cases probably looked like they didn't have enough powder in them so maybe he added some all on his own (I heard someone did that back in the 60's when I was in high school, topped off a rifle case because "there wasn't enough powder in it")

Fortunately the chap wasn't seriously injured; but as usually is, I suspect it was a reloading issue. I had a neighbor back in Ohio who reloaded, including .44 magnum. David measured the powder, weighed the loaded round, and if there was a big difference between weights he'd pull the round down and start again...no big bad booms...

Tim, the era of the sideplate lock Smith ushered in a lack of proper material engineering and QC hitherto unknown with them. It is a date stamp. And obviously, since the gun failed, the lock failed too. It should have been locked to prevent it from ever being fired with this round in the chamber.

[Per-Sev]

I was lucky enough to own a 629 pre lock and after firing about 100 rounds or so the cylinder timing was off enough that if started to shave the lead from the bullet and it hit me in the face once. That was the first and last time I fired that gun and took it to mag-n-port and had the hole gun re-worked. And the ammo I was using was factory loads. I have owned lock and pre lock Smith's and even though I had a problem with a pre lock I would still prefer that to the lock on my Smith. The less to go wrong the better IMOP.

[IWantThatKnife]

Tim, the era of the sideplate lock Smith ushered in a lack of proper material engineering and QC hitherto unknown with them. It is a date stamp. And obviously, since the gun failed, the lock failed too. It should have been locked to prevent it from ever being fired with this round in the chamber.

Parker - in this case I highly doubt whether a pre-lock or post-lock gun would have made much difference; I suspect that regardless of what gun (short of a factory proof gun) the load was going to do damage.

As far as pre-lock, post-lock whatever, I'll stick with my Model 29-3 6" .44 Magnum and factory loads.

[Parker]

Parker - in this case I highly doubt whether a pre-lock or post-lock gun would have made much difference; I suspect that regardless of what gun (short of a factory proof gun) the load was going to do damage.

As far as pre-lock, post-lock whatever, I'll stick with my Model 29-3 6" .44 Magnum and factory loads.

My initial comment Tim was that this was "God's punishment for demonstrating the dumbfuckery required to buy a Smith and Wesson side-plate lock-equipped revolver."

This statement, though a paraphrasing of my earlier statement, captures the statement in it's purest form.

The lock was not the cause of the explosion. God was.

God was punishing the owner of that revolver for having the temerity to buy something so retarded as a revolver with a key-activated "safety lock" on the sideplate. My statement had NOTHING to do with the load at ALL. This should be a religious experience for the owner. Hand of God in motion, all that.

Think of this as a sort of Ark-Building experience for the owner of that revolver.

Geezuz, it's like some mornings I have to wake up, shake off a hangover, drink a pot of coffee and break out the crayons for you :devil1:



Per-Sev, I'm impressed that the SW you describe got that far out without anyone fixing it, and I'm glad you did.

[IWantThatKnife]

:devilzeekmessage, with its "God is Angry" theme; but with factory ammunition I seriously doubt the gun would have blown up. That's the folly of your logic my friend.


Geezuz, it's like some mornings I have to wake up, shake off a hangover, drink a pot of coffee and break out the crayons for you


If I remember right, crayons are no longer allowed in households in Illinois where more the one gun and knife are in the house. Besides Parker, I think by now Jenny is too tired of all your antics to even bat an eye in the morning let alone get the fat crayons (for your pudgy little fingers) down off the tall (where you can't reach for safety) counter when you reek of 7/11 blended scotch. You know its good whiskey when it gives the hour of the day last week when it was made, plus listing the alcohol content by volume!

[Parker]

:devilzeekmessage, with its "God is Angry" theme; but with factory ammunition I seriously doubt the gun would have blown up. That's the folly of your logic my friend.



If I remember right, crayons are no longer allowed in households in Illinois where more the one gun and knife are in the house. Besides Parker, I think by now Jenny is too tired of all your antics to even bat an eye in the morning let alone get the fat crayons (for your pudgy little fingers) down off the tall (where you can't reach for safety) counter when you reek of 7/11 blended scotch. You know its good whiskey when it gives the hour of the day last week when it was made, plus listing the alcohol content by volume!

Tim, it's not the Angry God message you miss. It's the message of retribution as payback for being stupid. The retribution is for the purchase of the locking wheelgun.

You've heard of moving in mysterious ways? The mystery is the ammo.

KABLAMMO! Thou art smited.

And don't you go dissing on the 7/11 whiskey. The 3pm Tuesday batches are always the best and you know it.

Where are those friggin' crayons....

[dfarm]

He could hhave been going the exact opposite of what everyone here is blaming him for.

I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and guess he was working up a powder-puff load and this happened. I have been told by a couple of different people that more people blow up revolvers with light loads than with "hot" loads.

Just something to think about.

[SSandshark1050]

Secondary Explosion Effect:


"1. Excessively thick case neck thickness due to reforming procedures or metal flow - causes over-diameter cartridge neck. Jamming the large cartridge neck into a tight chamber neck is a very good recipe for disaster.

2. Build-up of residue in the neck area of the chamber which compounds 1, above. Cast bullet shooters have experienced this from lube build-up.

3. Stretching of case length resulting from both firing and drawing the expander button back thorough the neck during resizing - causes the mouth of the case to jam into the corresponding chamber area and impede bullet release.

4. Significant increase in local ambient temperature over that in which the load was developed. This can have more effect than the unwary may suspect.

5. Changing to another lot or manufacturer of brass that has a smaller internal volume. This is usually a hazard only if maximum loads for the gun were developed using larger internal volume brass.

6. Bullet seated to a greater overall length (OAL) so that bullet is forced into rifling when the action is closed. This is, of itself, not a hazard; many of my cartridges are prepared using this technique. However, if the load was developed with the bullet seated to normal factory load OAL, that same powder charge can be excessive when the bullet is seated so that it touches the lands.

7. A change of bullet ogive so that the effect of 6 is realized even though cartridge OAL remains the same. I have found at least two boxes of .22 caliber bullets that had noticeably different ogives in the same box.

8. Change to another lot of powder that is faster albeit of the same manufacturer and type.

9. Excessive headspace (or too short cartridges) which can result in head separation and allow hot gasses and molten metal to blow back in the shooter's face. This is not necessarily a pressure excursion, but that is often blamed as the problem.

10. Excessive powder charge. Reloaders are usually not willing to admit this possibility, but we all make mistakes. About 100 years ago, on the second box of .38 Specials that I ever loaded, the charges were so excessive that the web my poor wife's hand was split open. The gun held together and so has our marriage (five kids).

yes... a copy and paste but relevant none the less....

[rbmcmjr]

I don't believe I have ever seen SEE blamed for handgun kabooms. Historically, it gets long bottleneck cartridges (e.g., .25-06).

OTOH, it is very easy to double charge a light load into a .44 magnum. Or have a squib block the barrel only to have the next round fire, with predictable results when the two bullets meet.

Rick