I don’t think that’s supposed to happen.
I was chatting with the owner of my local Ye Olde Gunshoppe this afternoon when a fellow walked in from the range and up to the counter, carrying a Smith & Wesson 638 Bodyguard… or at least most of its pieces.
He’d been shooting away with some PMC factory ammo when the frame let go at the barrel threads, launching the barrel downrange and allowing the cylinder/yoke assembly to fall out the front of the broken frame.
No injuries, fortunately, and everything BUT the frame was completely intact. The cylinder and barrel (which was recovered from downrange) were in perfect condition, with no bulges or signs of obstruction. Fired cases were unremarkable. The shooter reported that the gun was only a year old and had seen some use but no abuse; no handloads and no +P ammo.
My best guess is that some kind of tiny stress riser or fracture started when the barrel was first torqued in, gradually growing until the catastrophic failure.
This was only the second serious failure I’ve seen first-hand; the first was a fellow who locked up his Remington 700 with a way-too-hot handload and broke the bolt handle off trying to beat the action open. While that case was obvious operator error, this one spooked me a bit. First, the shooter seemed to be doing everything right when his gun suddenly came apart in his hands… and second, his revolver was nearly identical to the one riding in my pocket as I type this.
[...] tells the story of a guy who’s Smith & Wesson blew up. Looks like a manufacturing [...]
Pingback by Snowflakes in Hell » Blog Archive » S&W Malfunctions — December 30, 2008 @ 11:47 am
There was a spate of this sort of thing a while back, which, IIRC, got traced to using a chlorine based compound between the barrel and the frame during manufacture which caused molecular changes in the stainless steel.
Comment by None — December 30, 2008 @ 12:23 pm
The biggest life lesson I have learned from working in places that had signs hanging out front saying “We Fix Busted Guns” for all those years is that guns break. All of them. There is no brand that is immune. I have seen blown up examples of just about everything you can think of. I have seen grenaded Rugers, Remington pipe bombs, and HK pistols that slam-fired after their firing pin safeties failed. I know a guy with an awesome scar from where the bolt exited his 7mm Magnum Voere rifle and traversed his face and shoulder before coming to rest on the dirt behind him.
My hobby is setting off explosions in my hand. If I wanted to eliminate the risk, I’d quit shooting and take up knitting.
Comment by Tam — December 30, 2008 @ 2:21 pm
“My hobby is setting off explosions in my hand”.
That’s some quote of the day shit right there.
Comment by Ahab — December 30, 2008 @ 3:22 pm
I wonder if that would have happened with an old pinned-barrel Smith?
Comment by Robert — December 30, 2008 @ 3:25 pm
Yup. Seen it.
Nothin’ sadder than an early flat-latch Airweight sending a chunk of frame downrange with the barrel, let me tell you.
Comment by Tam — December 30, 2008 @ 9:24 pm
[...] Quote of the Day – Hobby Edition My hobby is setting off explosions in my hand. If I wanted to eliminate the risk, I’d quit shooting and take up knitting. – Tam, in the comments at TD’s [...]
Pingback by Quote of the Day - Hobby Edition « Firearms & Freedom — January 1, 2009 @ 7:01 am
Have you considered not keeping a pistol in your pocket?
Comment by Abrok — October 27, 2009 @ 2:50 pm