Blocked Barrell

[Don Nix]

 Yesterday I was out playing with my two  converted 1858s. I was using some reloads that a friend loaded for me. I noticed that some were kind of mild while others would bark enough to shale the loading lever down.
As I fired the last round tho, i heard a soft metallic pop. just the primer. I waited a second to be sure that there wouldnt be a secondary discharge and then checked the weapon. Sure enough the bullet was stuck in the end of the barrell.
I took these pictures just in case someone hasnt experienced this before. Luckily it was the last round and I  was shooting slowly so there was no danger of another round being discharged.
In the last two hundred rounds that I have used from this source. I have had several malfunctions and quite a variance in power.
from now on I think I will began loading my own.

[Missouri Half Breed]

you have to be carfull about getting reloads form people your not sur of i reload my own amo and us a cowboy charge of eather a 125 grn bullit with 5 grn powder and wiegh every fith round worth of powder just to make sure nothing changes sounds like someone was in a hurry ifen you wher in the missouri area i do reload for my firends smokless is 25.00 a hundred with you furnishing the brass
Missouri Half Breed

[Short Knife Johnson]

Yeah, been there.  Three times.    One was my obsessive quality control when first beginning loading on a progressive.  A .44 Mag got put back on the RL 500B without the power charge.  The problem surfaced while shooting rams at an IMHSA Shoot.  The other times were while trying to use Hercules series of Dot powders in the Dillon measure.  Not a good idea, they tend to bridge off.  I pulled that batch of 300 bullets once to find I had 18 more rounds missing powder.

Get a chunk of wood dowling that is the largest size to fit in the bore.  Cut it off just a couple of inches longer than the barrel.  Now here comes the scientific part.  Insert the dowel in the muzzle, and beat the crap out of it with a deadblow hammer.  I wouldn't use a steel hammer in case you whack the crown.  

That's what I did.  Then the final step.  Breathe not a word of it to anyone and go into a self imposed exile.  

[Short Knife Johnson]

Also, for future reference, if there is a noticeable difference in report, recoil, and a general spookiness, stop, put the ammo away.  Pull the bullets and reclaim the components later.  It's not worth having a gun let go over something so trivial.

That slug isn't stuck too bad, a couple whacks ought to do it.

[Rebel Dave]

Don
Thats a heck of a way to slug the bore  lol.

Rebel Dave

[Dirty Brass]

I recently was test firing an older Colt PP 38 Spcl. and ran into the same scenario. One slug (obviously no powder in case) jammed halfway into the breech and half left in the cylinder. I could not turn the cylinder until I rammed it back into the case still in the cylinder. That took some doing, but it did go back into the case and I could then open the cylinder and remove the cartridges. These were reloads, and were marked "watch for squib loads", so I knew right away to not speed fire and take a chance of barrel obstruction.

Nice little revolver BTW. It amazed me the difference in physical size from that PP to a Mod. 28 HP model!

[Crow Choker]

Had it happen to me once, but was using factory 38 spec wadd cutters. Wrote S&W(brand I was shooting)about it and they sent me a new box. That was about 35 yrs ago. Agree with Miissouri Half Breed, reloads from someone ya don't know or even a friend can be dangerous to yer health, if not yer gun. Have one friend who reloads I'll shoot anything he reloads all day, know he's carefull. Have another, well, he's a very good friend, but caught him once mixing two brands of smokeless pistol powder, he thought since they were both about the same in burning rate everything would work out. Educated him on that. Knew of a guy that had to have a cooler full of beer by him when he reloaded. Blew the topstrap off a Model 15 S&W, double charge of Bullseye. When in my youth a local character who drank more booze than water would show up at some of our informal trap shoots. His reloaded 12 guage shells, well some would boom like a 16" gun on the Iowa Battleship and some, well ya could hear the shot hittin the grass 20 yards from him. We gave him a wide bearth. Shoot something like WD-40 down the barrel and use a wooden dowel to 'wack' er out as previously stated.

[Don Nix]

I  had no trouble getting the slug out of the barrel, I just posted as a warning to some who maybe had not experienced this before.
Its something I've tun across many times in the past both as a LEO and in the Army... I have had it happen in a 1911 before but fortunately when it happens in a 1911 there is not enough recoil to cycle the slide.
The friend that made all these reloads is usually very careful  but due to his health is heavily medicated at times and I think his thinker is off a bit.
I hate to hurt his feelings but I think I am just going to start using my little Lee hand loader and taking my time .
I also have been thinking of using BP in the 1858s exclusively but i have never loaded BP crtridges before so any guidance would be apreciated.Bear in mind I will be using a Lee Classic loader.
I also missed a deal the other day on a Lee loader for a .32-20. I wanted to use it to reload for my Great grandpas 1873.
But I messed around and missed the end of the auction and now I cant locate another.
if anyone knows of another for sale I'd appreciate a heads up.

[Drayton Calhoun]

Had it happen once with a Webley cut for .45 Auto Rim. One difference, due to the difference in bore/bullet size the slug stuck at the muzzle. Just the tip of the slug sticking out. In hindsight, it was rather humorous. And extremely dangerous. Turned out to be worse than just a primer. It was a squib load. Had one more where the slug literally dropped to the ground just a few feet away.

[GunClick Rick]

Shoot store bought???