I did a booboo!!!

[Rafsob]

Was a the range on Friday and was shooting my beloved Hawken's Carbine .54 cal. I was working on coming up with a good conical bullet to ease the cost of shooting Barnes sabots. They are the only thing that this barrel shoots great.

So anyway, about have way through my fun time I notice that the barrel is really dirty or something about 6 or 7" down from the crown. So this is what I was shooting: Lee Molded Mini-balls, TC Maxi Hunters, Buffalo Bullets (460 gr) R.E.A.L bullets and even tried a couple of White bullets. I used a fiber wad on the R.E.A.L and White bullets. Rifle seemed to shoot fine and no problems. Neve once did I remember anything out of the ordinary. Each load was rammed all the way down the barrel and I didn't load the gun and talk at the same time. I went to the range because I knew it would be a very quiet day with not too many guys bothering me to shoot the schmidt.

Well I am getting a little long winded. I get betsy home and start to clean her. I notice that when I move the ramrod down the barrel there is a voided area about 6 inches from the crown. I inspect the barrel a little more thoroughly and realize that the barrel has a bulge in that area! I am sick. I love this gun.

Any thoughts guys. What the hell did I do wrong. I have been shooting BP guns for years and never had this happen before. I will have to replace the barrel, but I don't want to have this happen again. I got to know how it happened.

HELP!!!
__________________

 

[123.DieselBenz]

Poor mans "jug choke" :rotf:

Sorry . . . couldn't help it . . . no idea what happened . . . if it still shoots good . . . why replace it?

 

Rafsob,
Only one thing will cause a bulge, short start. You may have thought you were not distracted but obviously you were. Besides replacing the barrel you could have this one cut, remount the front sight and ramrod thimble and have a carbine.
Mark

 

[Vtsmoker]

Do you use a short starter? Just a guess but that would be about the right distance for a short started projectile that didn't get ramed. :idunno:

 

[S.Kenton]

yup my vote as well...short seated...

 

[William O.]

Short started is one thing I can think of that would cause this to happen. Usually you will notice that the shot that caused it either didn't sound right or didn't feel right. Or another bullet was short started after it was already loaded, the first bullet runs into the second resulting in a bulge where the collision occurs.
I have a Great Plains Hunter barrel that had a bulge in it near the muzzle that I had cut off and crowned that is a pretty good shooter now though.

 

[Squire1]

A short start or some other obstacle, wad perhaps, located at that spot in the barrel. Doesn't seem like something as light as a wad would do it but even an over powder paper disc can bulge a barrel if there is an air space between the disc and the powder.

 

[jtmattison]

Do you use a short starter? Just a guess but that would be about the right distance for a short started projectile that didn't get ramed. :idunno:

My guess too.

HD

 

[Lonegun1894]

That's the only thing I can think of that would cause it too. We all make mistakes, are you sure you didnt short start one and forget it and fire it down range? Before you go buying a new barrel, may be worth a range trip to see how it shoots now. May still be accurate, but if your luck is like mine, it may not.

 

[54ball]

Conicles like Maxi Balls and Minnies are notorious for creeping or sliding down the bore if the muzzle is pionted downward. It was most likely loaded properly and the ball slid away from the charge.
IMHO, the barrel is history. She has done her job by not rupturing.

 

[blackamg]

Been there done that. Short started a patched ball got interrupted and then forgot to ram the ball down the barrel. After that, every shot whistled a tune for all to hear, very embarrassing. Bought a Green Mountain barrel and had a pistol barrel left over for the future. I was just as sick as you are but the new barrel was a .54 and that was a help, better than the .50 I ruined. :shake:

 

[cowpoke1955]

Rafsob,
Only one thing will cause a bulge, short start. You may have thought you were not distracted but obviously you were. Besides replacing the barrel you could have this one cut, remount the front sight and ramrod thimble and have a carbine.
Mark

It's already a carbine :rotf: :rotf:

 

[Rafsob]

Well maybe I could make it a carbine carbine!

this really makes sense to me on the short starter. If I take the starter and lay it on the outside, it matches the spot where the bulge is located. :surrender:

Now my next problem will be finding a replacement barrel. So far no luck. Seems the majority of barrels are 1" and not 15/16". But I will keep looking. thanks guys.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Do you use a short starter? Just a guess but that would be about the right distance for a short started projectile that didn't get ramed. :idunno:

Yep. I would bet that is what caused it.
Rule for loading is to have a routine. Do it the same every time. Do not allow distractions while loading. It is simple human nature, if a routine is interrupted you might not remember where you were in the process. You learned a tough lesson. I'm sorry it happened but happy you didn't have a burst barrel with injuries.

 

[nkbj]

Is that a 1" barrel? Can ream and rebore?

 

[David W.]

LOL! Do you realize where the front sight would be in relation to the rear sight? might as well cut off the stock and make it a pistol.

 

[Otter]

You don't say (or I missed it) what make rifle it is. Looks like a TC or Lyman/Cabela's. If an Investarms make (Lyman/Cabela's), even the .54 cal is a 15/16" barrel. Would one of these work???
http://www.lymanproducts.com/store/page157.html
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000156993304

If it is a TC, give them a call. I don't have a TC, but from what I have heard from those who do, their customer support is as good as it gets, even if the damage was due to "operator error".

BTW - I have a .54 1:48 twist barrel from a Cabela's Hawken I have no use for and could make a deal on, no sights on it, though. Nothing wrong with it, I just have several other .54s and replaced the barrel with a .40 GM IBS. If interested, drop me a PM.

 

[paulvallandigham]

From what you have written here, you did NOT MARK YOUR LOADING ROD, and then load to the MARK!

That is how you short start a ball/bullet, and bulge your barrel. It also doesn't help if You are NOT CLEANING THAT BARREL between shots- EVERY SHOT! This is particularly Important to do when "Testing" different balls or bullets in the gun. Or when switching powders, or powder charges.

I don't know if you did this or not. I was not there watching you. All I can judge on is the physical evidence in the picture, AND WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN Here. I will not fall over if you SWEAR on a stack of bibles that you did these things I have noted above.

But, there are only a Limited number of ways that ANYONE can bulge a barrel, and one bullet HAD to be loaded short of the powder charge, whether you were talking to someone, or not. Its the expanding gases of the burning powder slamming into the base of that bullet/ball that cause the huge spike in pressure and the bulge in the barrel. How that bullet was loaded short is anybody's guess- but when you talk about the barrel getting dirty, and DON'T mention cleaning between shots, that is where I focus my analysis.

A barrel maker I know says that if the last 8 inches of the bore are OKAY, the gun will still shoot accurately.

Only testing the gun further will tell. Its a credit to the barrel maker that that the barrel didn't rupture, and cause you injury to your forehand, or to bystanders. :hmm:

 

[StewartLeach]

Afraid I vote with the others, problem arose from operator error with the short starter.

There is one other possibility- a loose fitting projectile can slide forward in the barrel. When I hunted with TC Maxis I had this happen. Learned about the problem when the bullet fell out of the muzzle! ML seasons are early in Colorado, and temps can be high on the eastern plains. Modified my practices to include a thicker, stickier lube and frequently checking seating with the ramrod.

Suggest you check out the Green Mountain RPL series of replacement barrels. I bought one for use on a Renegade acquired at a garage sale, and have been very pleased.

Consider donating your bulged barrel to a Hunter Ed instructor. We can always use props in class.

White Fox

 

[Vaino]

You didn't state what the powder charge was....if w/in reason, shouldn't harm the bbl. If you short started and then forgot to ram it home, that would be one reason for the bulge. I stopped using conicals because of them sliding up a clean bore, especially if the conical compresses air when ramming home. I've had both the compressed air and a downward tilting of the bbl cause the conical to slide up the bbl. Now use a PRB because checking the conical a few times during a day of hunting is bothersome.....Fred