Plugged Barrel Reminder

[musketman]

Have you ever dropped your muzzleloader (or tripped while hunting) only to have it land muzzle first in mud/snow/field?

OK, now you have a plugged barrel, what next?

NO NOT SHOOT IT OUT!!!

Remove the prime and with a small stick, work the obstruction loose and out, holding the muzzle away from your body...

Once the foreign material is removed, run a few patches through to get the smaller particles left behind...

Next: Check to see if the ball/bullet is still seated against the powder, loose fitting balls and unexpanded bullets will slide forwards if the muzzle is hit in a downwards manner...

Once the projectile is reseated against the powder, then re-prime and you are good to shoot... (of course your sights may be out of line now)

 

[WRussell]

When I was a kid I got to play chauffeur for a bunch of rich guys hunting pheasant. Got to see the result when some dufo uses his shotgun for a crutch climbing a fence, sticking the muzzle into alkali mud, then shooting. Yowzer.

:shake:

 

I once slipped and shoved my trade gun right into a snow bank (long before I fell into the creek gun first...). I quickly swiped out and dried the pan, stuck a piece of patching under the pan cover to soak up the rest while I checked the muzzle...packed.

Patch Screw in place I broke up the clump, dumped the barrel, carefully ran a patch down, then checked the seating, primed and ... poof...

Six primes later the gun went off and actually hit the stump I was aiming at. I was surprised at both.

 

[Rabbit]

My neice tripped and plugged the barrel of her Remington 1100. She thought she had it clear. When she shot it peeled the end of the barrel just like a banana. Doesn't take much!

 

When I was a kid I got to play chauffeur for a bunch of rich guys hunting pheasant. Got to see the result when some dufo uses his shotgun for a crutch climbing a fence, sticking the muzzle into alkali mud, then shooting. Yowzer.

:shake:

That guy proves hunter safety education requierments are a good idea . He is also proof , that money can't buy common sense . :shake:

 

[Mulebrain]

I would assume, that most people didn't even know if the barrel was plugged! I bet a ton of dirt has been blasted out of barrels.

Yeh I know you shouldn't do it :haha:

 

[Runner]

Years back, one of the farmer's sons where we hunted got a little bit of snow in the end of a 22 barrel. He was trying to pick it out. It was moving in the barrel, so that was not working. His dad told him to shoot it out. Split a heavy 22 barrel full length. The owner of the 1600 acre farm put his shotgun in the bed of the truck for the mid day break. When he reached to pull it back out, he somehow set it off with the muzzle against the plastic bed liner. Unobstructed but with a close blocking surface. It is three inches shorter and has screw in chokes now. I would bet that very little stuff just gets shot out of guns without effect.

 

[Mulebrain]

Ok! Let's say a barrel gets a dirt pack in the muzzle. The powder charge is packed with patch and round ball. Why wouldn't the air pressure generated by the forward motion of the patched round ball force out the obstruction?

We have all seen people sticking fingers in the end of barrels, forcing the barrel to explode. We have seen forced destruction of captured artillery. We have also seen a giant cannon filled with mud and destroyed, in John Wayne's Alamo.

I want to see documented ballistic proof. I understand potential danger of firing a non properly seated round, causing barrel bulge and such.

Are we saying that dirt blocked muzzle, will not allow the bullet to move forward at such a rapid pace, that barrel rupture is immanent?

I would tend to guarantee, that during many wars, barrels were fired with a dirt in the muzzle. I bet this happened allot in WWII, with M1's and such!

 

[davy]

Ok! Let's say a barrel gets a dirt pack in the muzzle. The powder charge is packed with patch and round ball. Why wouldn't the air pressure generated by the forward motion of the patched round ball force out the obstruction?

We have all seen people sticking fingers in the end of barrels, forcing the barrel to explode. We have seen forced destruction of captured artillery. We have also seen a giant cannon filled with mud and destroyed, in John Wayne's Alamo.

I want to see documented ballistic proof. I understand potential danger of firing a non properly seated round, causing barrel bulge and such.

Are we saying that dirt blocked muzzle, will not allow the bullet to move forward at such a rapid pace, that barrel rupture is immanent?

I would tend to guarantee, that during many wars, barrels were fired with a dirt in the muzzle. I bet this happened allot in WWII, with M1's and such!

Well this not a muzzleloader .. but it is spectacular when a gun explodes ..
especially right next to you .. believe me .. you will not soon forget it!! :results:

7mm mag, Ruger 77 ...

Davy

 

[Zonie]

I suppose your right about some guns being fired with the barrels plugged and not exploding, but a large number of them do blow up.

It's not as simple as the air pressure in front of the lower bullet pushing out the obstruction. It gets into sonic shock waves inside the barrel which can have tremendous pressures associated with them.
Even I, the Great Zonie blew up his J.C.Higgins .22 rifle back when he was young and stupid.
Now that he is old and stupid, he knows better than to fire a gun if there is any chanch of the barrel being plugged. ::

Firing a Muzzleloader with the ball not seated on the powder can do the same thing. That's why you should always checked for a bulged (ringed) barrel which you buy a used Front Loader.

 

[3 stinky dogs]

When I was a kid I got to play chauffeur for a bunch of rich guys hunting pheasant. Got to see the result when some dufo uses his shotgun for a crutch climbing a fence, sticking the muzzle into alkali mud, then shooting. Yowzer.

:shake:

Whare would that guy be on the stupid scale compared to the ones who do thta but put the butt of there gun on the ground instead?That is basic stuff.Well when I was a kid and living with my dad in Forest hill Ca my dad sent me out with his custom Rem. model 700 made for lefty's and suber light and sexy.I took a fall and dropped the gun off a cliff and into a knee deep pond.Not only did I plug the barrel to the almost to the action but bent the barrel.I still have that gun but it is a carbine now.Slill shoots th the right and high just a fuzz.

 

[3 stinky dogs]

Ok! Let's say a barrel gets a dirt pack in the muzzle. The powder charge is packed with patch and round ball. Why wouldn't the air pressure generated by the forward motion of the patched round ball force out the obstruction?

We have all seen people sticking fingers in the end of barrels, forcing the barrel to explode. We have seen forced destruction of captured artillery. We have also seen a giant cannon filled with mud and destroyed, in John Wayne's Alamo.

I want to see documented ballistic proof. I understand potential danger of firing a non properly seated round, causing barrel bulge and such.

Are we saying that dirt blocked muzzle, will not allow the bullet to move forward at such a rapid pace, that barrel rupture is immanent?

I would tend to guarantee, that during many wars, barrels were fired with a dirt in the muzzle. I bet this happened allot in WWII, with M1's and such!

Well this not a muzzleloader .. but it is spectacular when a gun explodes ..
especially right next to you .. believe me .. you will not soon forget it!! :results:

7mm mag, Ruger 77 ...

Davy

Say Davy,Can I take this picture and put on the wall at my range ? we lack any good excamples of barrel's split from shooting out obstructions.I am asking because I have been getting nasty e-mails from another guy who had pictures of venomus snekes On[url] venoumsreptiles.org[/url] I copied to use for teaching Boy Scouts to identify the poisenus snakes in our area.So I just want it to be Kosher.I can put your name on it if you like.

 

[Mulebrain]

Ok! Let's say a barrel gets a dirt pack in the muzzle. The powder charge is packed with patch and round ball. Why wouldn't the air pressure generated by the forward motion of the patched round ball force out the obstruction?

We have all seen people sticking fingers in the end of barrels, forcing the barrel to explode. We have seen forced destruction of captured artillery. We have also seen a giant cannon filled with mud and destroyed, in John Wayne's Alamo.

I want to see documented ballistic proof. I understand potential danger of firing a non properly seated round, causing barrel bulge and such.

Are we saying that dirt blocked muzzle, will not allow the bullet to move forward at such a rapid pace, that barrel rupture is immanent?

I would tend to guarantee, that during many wars, barrels were fired with a dirt in the muzzle. I bet this happened allot in WWII, with M1's and such!

Well this not a muzzleloader .. but it is spectacular when a gun explodes ..
especially right next to you .. believe me .. you will not soon forget it!! :results:

7mm mag, Ruger 77 ...

Davy

Say Davy,Can I take this picture and put on the wall at my range ? we lack any good excamples of barrel's split from shooting out obstructions.

He never stated what caused the failure yet? This could have been caused by something else? Lets not be so quick to jump to conclusions.

 

He never stated what caused the failure yet? This could have been caused by something else? Lets not be so quick to jump to conclusions.

He doesn't have to. There's nothing else that will burst a barrel in the manner shown in the photograph than an obstruction in the barrel.

 

[Mulebrain]

He never stated what caused the failure yet? This could have been caused by something else? Lets not be so quick to jump to conclusions.

He doesn't have to. There's nothing else that will burst a barrel in the manner shown in the photograph than an obstruction in the barrel.

That is not true. Improper load/bullet, also barrel fatigue can cause failure. I am not a ballistics expert, but have studied metallurgy, and gun manufacturing for many years.

Here is a neat link to a M14 barrel fatigue rupture.
http://www.thegunzone.com/m1akb/762r.html

 

[roundball]

I have personally been on the skeet fields when a guy fired a dry load, the primer force is enough to open the hull and bloop a cloud of shot 10 yds out of the barrel.

The sight of the shot coming out misleads newbies into thinking the barrel is clear, but the plastic shotgun wad is usually lodged halfway up the barrel.

Before anyone could react he had jacked in another shell and took another shot...the barrel burst/split for about 6" up towards the muzzle area.

I've been amazed all my life that a strong steel barrel will burst before a simple 1/4oz plastic wad would move out of the way, but it will happen every time as sure as the sun rises in the East.

 

[3 stinky dogs]

Na I dont mean to say that he blew up the gun by shooting out an obstruction I am saying that I want to use it as an excample of what could happen if you do.I am just worried that if some one sees it recognises it and sends me dirty mail foe stealing his pics like this other guy with the snakes.I beleave that evry range should show case as maney recked guns as possible to help prevent this cind of thing.I just like to have permission before I use someone elses pics.

 

He never stated what caused the failure yet? This could have been caused by something else? Lets not be so quick to jump to conclusions.

He doesn't have to. There's nothing else that will burst a barrel in the manner shown in the photograph than an obstruction in the barrel.

That is not true. Improper load/bullet, also barrel fatigue can cause failure. I am not a ballistics expert, but have studied metallurgy, and gun manufacturing for many years.

Here is a neat link to a M14 barrel fatigue rupture.
http://www.thegunzone.com/m1akb/762r.html

Notice on the link you provided that the rupture runs all the way to the muzzle. Now notice on the previous picture that the barrel bulged and ruptured prior to the muzzle.

Path of least resistance. Something was blocking that barrel.

 

[Mulebrain]

He never stated what caused the failure yet? This could have been caused by something else? Lets not be so quick to jump to conclusions.

He doesn't have to. There's nothing else that will burst a barrel in the manner shown in the photograph than an obstruction in the barrel.

That is not true. Improper load/bullet, also barrel fatigue can cause failure. I am not a ballistics expert, but have studied metallurgy, and gun manufacturing for many years.

Here is a neat link to a M14 barrel fatigue rupture.
http://www.thegunzone.com/m1akb/762r.html

Notice on the link you provided that the rupture runs all the way to the muzzle. Now notice on the previous picture that the barrel bulged and ruptured prior to the muzzle.

Path of least resistance. Something was blocking that barrel.

As stated in the article, the barrel was not obstructed and fatigue/manufacturing process caused the failure.

Again why try to state facts that are not facts. Now if this was your gun, and you obstructed the barrel I would have no problem believeing you! However this is not the case.

 

He never stated what caused the failure yet? This could have been caused by something else? Lets not be so quick to jump to conclusions.

He doesn't have to. There's nothing else that will burst a barrel in the manner shown in the photograph than an obstruction in the barrel.

That is not true. Improper load/bullet, also barrel fatigue can cause failure. I am not a ballistics expert, but have studied metallurgy, and gun manufacturing for many years.

Here is a neat link to a M14 barrel fatigue rupture.
http://www.thegunzone.com/m1akb/762r.html

Notice on the link you provided that the rupture runs all the way to the muzzle. Now notice on the previous picture that the barrel bulged and ruptured prior to the muzzle.

Path of least resistance. Something was blocking that barrel.

As stated in the article, the barrel was not obstructed and fatigue/manufacturing process caused the failure.

Again why try to state facts that are not facts. Now if this was your gun, and you obstructed the barrel I would have no problem believeing you! However this is not the case.

I didn't say the barrel in the article you posted was obstructed. I was simply trying to point out the differences in the failures between the photo in the article you posted, and the photo posted above, which I believe had to be obstructed due to the nature of the failure and the resulting damage. I was never stating fact... but instead offering opinion. As you said, it would only be fact if it were my gun or I knew the person or was there when it happened, etc.

Perhaps Davy will return and fill us in on why it happened. Until then... I still believe the failure had to be the result of a blockage of some sort.

eace: