S&B ammo blows apart Ruger GP100 cylinder

[savageshooter 10]

I came across this post about S&B ammo blowing apart a GP100 cylinder while browsing one of the other gun forums I frequent:

Catastrophic failure: GP-100 and S&B ammunitionMy link

 

Pretty scary stuff.

[Maksim 1,504]

Will be interesting to see if this was the gun or the ammo.

[Malsua 1,422]

Not good.

 

maybe the primer wasn't seated right...it looks like it blew out at the primer and worked to the outside.

[vjf915 456]

Ehh, the other five cylinders are still fine, he could just file down the part sticking out and keep .

 

Okay serious time, that really sucks. Round 39? That's a really short life....

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

Not good.

 

maybe the primer wasn't seated right...it looks like it blew out at the primer and worked to the outside.

 

 

wouldnt make a difference on a revolver. A primer not seated all the way on an auto could have it slam fire before its in battery, resulting in an uncontained firing however with a revolver, that just doesnt happen. The primer is just the second weakest point (second only to the bullet itself) and that is why it blew out

[Dan 177]

I'm no expert, but if a the primer blew out like that, doesn't it indicate an over-charged round? I'm thinking if the pressures were normal, and the gun failed, the primer would still be in the shell.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

I'm no expert, but if a the primer blew out like that, doesn't it indicate an over-charged round? I'm thinking if the pressures were normal, and the gun failed, the primer would still be in the shell.

 

 

Yes, unless something was HORRIBLY out of spec and allowed the primer to just fly out. Remember, firearms hold the primers in. If you set a round off without a gun the primer flys out.

[Dan 177]

Yes, unless something was HORRIBLY out of spec and allowed the primer to just fly out. Remember, firearms hold the primes in. If you set a round off without a gun the primer flys out.

 

+1 thanks

I see, if the pressures were normal, and the chamber failed... the primer may still fly out because the shell expanded , and wasn't able to hold it in place.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

Hey, sh1t happens

 

He'll get a new gun and problably some new ammo.

[henrym 19]

ray did you ever have any issues with your gp100?

[Ray Ray 3,566]

ray did you ever have any issues with your gp100?

 

No, but then I don't own one.

[henrym 19]

I thought it was you who was selling one a while ago. before the server was switched.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

Funny though, as my father has about a dozen Redhawks, Super Redhawks, viquero's, blackhawks, GP100s, and P-series pistols that are total safe queens.

 

and his name is Ray too!

[savageshooter 10]

I had the time to read the entire post, as well as the link to the end result, which was S&B replacing the owners GP 100.

[Malsua 1,422]

I had the time to read the entire post, as well as the link to the end result, which was S&B replacing the owners GP 100.

 

You have the link to the result? The thread was posted yesterday.

[Regulator72 80]

from the link;

 

Those other primers indicate some hot loads but that is a strange failure...

 

 

Can someone explain to me how/why this person knows this? not questioning the statement, more trying to learn what to look for.. are the primer strikes too deep?

[savageshooter 10]

You have the link to the result? The thread was posted yesterday.

Sorry, different shooter/gun. Link in original post to similar experience w/SP101 being replaced by ammo company: SP-101 replaced

[Sigman 41]

I don't know what happened, but I would lean towards a defective cylinder and hot ammo. It blew out at the weakest point. I have a couple of Ruger revolvers and they're built like tanks.

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

Can someone explain to me how/why this person knows this? not questioning the statement, more trying to learn what to look for.. are the primer strikes too deep?

 

 

The appearance of the primers is an indicator of pressure. These are flattened and imprinted deeply with the recoil shield. I would say they are indicative of a hot round, but not one that is over-pressure. One that has excessive pressure may actually cause the primer to "flow" into the firing pin hole or create a flange outside the primer pocket.

 

Up into the mid-70's most reloading data relied on reading primers and the ease of extraction. The Speer #10 manual (published 1979) was one of the first that had some load data derived from the use of instrumentation like pressure transducers and copper crushers. That is why we see such a difference in load data today (well that and lawyers).

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

[JonF 79]

The appearance of the primers is an indicator of pressure. These are flattened and imprinted deeply with the recoil shield. I would say they are indicative of a hot round, but not one that is over-pressure. One that has excessive pressure may actually cause the primer to "flow" into the firing pin hole or create a flange outside the primer pocket.

 

The lack of primer flow is curious though if the entire box/lot were overloaded. Then again, these were not the round that caused the failure.

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

Another indicator of over-pressure is a pierced primer.

 

It boggles the mind as to how the primer, in the GP100 in question, blew completely out of the case. That means the gun flexed enough for the case head to come off the recoil sheild with enough clearance to blow the primer out. Or, the primer could have flowed and flattened completely and blown out of the narrow rear of cylinder / recoil shield gap. Either way - that's a lot of pressure. Note also that the cylinder failed precisely where you would expect it to - at the bolt notch, the thinnest part of the chamber wall.

 

I predict a new gun at S&B's expense.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

[JonF 79]

Here's an interesting observation: take a look at the relationship of the cylinder locking cuts with respect to the individual chambers. Notice they are positioned somewhat overlapping the bores themselves? This means that there is a thin (and potentially weak) spot in the cylinders' bore wall thickness where that cut intrudes into each and every individual bores' area. Now notice where the crack propagated from? See a pattern?

 

 

Contrast this with the location of the same cuts on a S&W 686 cylinder and how they are perfectly centered in between the bores.

 

 

My intention isn't to pit Ruger against Smith but i often hear people on the internet righteously claim GP100's as "build like a tank" or some such. Maybe this is true in the frame construction, but it appears that there may be a weak spot in their cylinders if this is the case.

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

Jon:

 

Just an FYI - The S&W you picture is an L-Frame 7-shot cylinder and you're comparing it to the Ruger 6-shot. If you were to look at a S&W with a 6-shot cylinder you would find the bolt-notch cuts are also radially arranged with the centerline of the chamber. As I pointed out in the post before yours, it failed where you would expect it to - at the bolt-notch cut, the weakest area (thinnest chamber wall) of the cylinder. In order for the chamber to be aligned with the barrel, an even-number of chambers gun will have the bolt-notches "on" the cylinder, whereas an odd-chambered cylinder will have the cuts between chambers.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob