Plugged Bore

Welcome to the Leverguns.Com Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here ... politely.

Moderators: AmBraCol, Hobie

Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.

Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
JimT
Shootist
Posts: 5468
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:04 pm

Plugged Bore

Post by JimT »

On a recent trip through Arizona I picked up a few guns that needed work. One of them was a nice looking .357 Armi San Marco that had a plugged barrel.

Looking down the muzzle ...
Image

Looking in the breech...
Image

It appeared someone had tried to pound the bullets out from the muzzle as the bullet in that end was flattened and deformed into the bore.

I pulled the barrel off the frame ..
Image

Drilled a hole in the bullets as deep as I could and tried melting the cores out. Then I tried driving them out ... to no avail. They did not budge.
Image

So I screwed a deck screw into the first bullet, locked the barrel down in a vise and pulled the bullet by hammering the deck screw...
Image

Turned out there were 3 jacketed bullets in the bore ... the first two apparently heavy 35 caliber rifle bullets. The last one about the size of a 158 gr. bullet.
Image

The barrel has a bulged area between 3/4" and 1" long. I have ordered a replacement barrel and that will be my next project.
User avatar
GunnyMack
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 9937
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:57 am
Location: Not where I want to be!

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by GunnyMack »

Moral of the story- small amounts of pistol powder aren't enough to push rifle weight bullets
BROWN LABS MATTER !!
User avatar
JimT
Shootist
Posts: 5468
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:04 pm

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by JimT »

GunnyMack wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2019 2:45 pm Moral of the story- small amounts of pistol powder aren't enough to push rifle weight bullets
Yep. If you are gonna run heavy rifle bullets you can't use Cowboy Action powder charges. The gun was cheap enough that I still won't have much in it when it's back together and I believe it will be a keeper!
Twodot
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 283
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:34 pm
Location: Montana

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by Twodot »

Someone must have been trying real hard to hurt themselves.
..
User avatar
JimT
Shootist
Posts: 5468
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:04 pm

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by JimT »

Twodot wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2019 4:19 pm Someone must have been trying real hard to hurt themselves.
..
I don't think so. I have shot heavy rifle bullets from the .357 with no problems. Silhouette shooters did for years also. I shot cast bullets which go down the bore easier than jacketed. And I wasn't trying to set any speed records. But you have to run them fast enough to clear the barrel. And you for sure don't want to fire another one or two up behind one stuck in the bore.
If the shooter had been running heavy loads the barrel would have had a large egg in the middle at least. Or maybe worse. Not just a swelled section. No .. I think these were light loads ... just too light to exit the barrel.
Twodot
Levergunner 2.0
Posts: 283
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:34 pm
Location: Montana

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by Twodot »

JimT wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2019 5:09 pm
Twodot wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2019 4:19 pm Someone must have been trying real hard to hurt themselves.
..
.. I think these were light loads ... just too light to exit the barrel.
I was sort of thinking the along the same lines.
Maybe the reloader's logic went something like "If I load them extra light there will be less recoil and then I can crank off 4 or 5 real fast".
..
User avatar
AJMD429
Posting leader...
Posts: 31932
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:03 am
Location: Hoosierland
Contact:

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by AJMD429 »

"And you for sure don't want to fire another one or two up behind one stuck in the bore."
Yep...!!!!
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws
"first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.


Want REAL change? . . . . . "Boortz/Nugent in 2012 . . . ! "
User avatar
fordwannabe
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 3369
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 8:52 am
Location: Womelsdorf PA

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by fordwannabe »

Jim you have forgot more than I will ever know about guns and such . I would like to tell you about a tool I saw on the net and then made that has become one of my favorites. I had a defective slide hammer( but a piece of small diameter pipe and a piece of larger pipe that slides on first pipe will work well)l I cut the defective end so it mated up to a cheap pair of medium size vice grips, them welded in place. In your situation after the deck screws were in the bullet, put the vice grip on the head of the screw and by sliding the weight back repeatedly it will slide hammer those bullets out in a jiffy. I use it on cotter pins, broken parts, bearings I can put a bolt with a washer in and slide hammer them out. Very handy tool. Just an idea.
a Pennsylvanian who has been accused of clinging to my religion and my guns......Good assessment skills.
User avatar
JimT
Shootist
Posts: 5468
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:04 pm

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by JimT »

fordwannabe wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2019 9:49 pm Jim you have forgot more than I will ever know about guns and such . I would like to tell you about a tool I saw on the net and then made that has become one of my favorites. I had a defective slide hammer( but a piece of small diameter pipe and a piece of larger pipe that slides on first pipe will work well)l I cut the defective end so it mated up to a cheap pair of medium size vice grips, them welded in place. In your situation after the deck screws were in the bullet, put the vice grip on the head of the screw and by sliding the weight back repeatedly it will slide hammer those bullets out in a jiffy. I use it on cotter pins, broken parts, bearings I can put a bolt with a washer in and slide hammer them out. Very handy tool. Just an idea.
That would have been perfect for what I was doing. I liked to beat myself to death with a 30 oz. hammer banging on a pair of vice grips.
User avatar
Sixgun
Posting leader...
Posts: 18564
Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:17 pm
Location: S.E. Pa. Where The Finest Winchesters & Colts Reside

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by Sixgun »

Jacketed bullets can be a bugger to get out if you start doing it the wrong way which is probably what the previous owner did....anything smaller than the full bore diameter will just wedge it in harder.......years ago, like 40 years ago...I was playing with light loads and jacketed bullets...didn't know better...young and dumb...now I'm old and dumb.

Wedged a 158 jacketed in a 8 and 3/8th's model 27.. took the gun down in the gunroom and started loading blanks ..started with 1 grain of Bullseye and worked my way up....had a block of wood I was aiming the gun on......nothing worked...kept going....somewhere around 6 grains I was really disgusted and just put the "blank" in the cylinder and without aiming at the wood, thinking it was not going to work..just held the gun...pulled the trigger.....BOOM!.....the bullet exited real easy...right across the gunroom and into the glass shelves that held my antique bullet collection...three levels.....about 3-400 single cartridges that were perfectly placed.....

Well Jim....you got her out...how bad was it bulged? You know that sometimes they work fine like that...but just knowing the bulge is there eats at you...remember Skeeter had a gas check that left a small ring in a barrel he had....he said it still shot fine but he never liked it being there.----6
Model A Uzi’s
Image
User avatar
fordwannabe
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 3369
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 8:52 am
Location: Womelsdorf PA

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by fordwannabe »

Jim I liked the original one I made enough that I made a pretty small one, and a pretty good size one using the different sizes of pipe I mentioned. I added weight by finally finding a use for a whole bunch of zinc wheel weights I fished out of 5 gallon buckets over the years. The application of Map gas to zinc will result in any shape you pour it into👍
a Pennsylvanian who has been accused of clinging to my religion and my guns......Good assessment skills.
User avatar
JimT
Shootist
Posts: 5468
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:04 pm

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by JimT »

Sixgun wrote: Thu Apr 04, 2019 11:15 pm
...how bad was it bulged? You know that sometimes they work fine like that...but just knowing the bulge is there eats at you...remember Skeeter had a gas check that left a small ring in a barrel he had....he said it still shot fine but he never liked it being there.----6
I pushed a few lubed bullets through the bore to check. It is tight at the muzzle ..an inch or so down the bullet will drop through for about an inch .. then it is tight at breech. It may shoot OK .. I have seen barrels that were "egg shaped" in the middle and they shot fine ... BUT like you said I don't like it being there. I have a 7 1/2" barrel coming and will see what I can do with that.
piller
Posting leader...
Posts: 15188
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:49 pm
Location: South of Dallas

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by piller »

The fact that the barrel was bulged says that it has been weakened in that area. I may not have much experience in that area, but the weakening of any part meant to contain high pressure would make me not trust it. A 7.5 inch barrel on that frame should look good.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
User avatar
JimT
Shootist
Posts: 5468
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:04 pm

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by JimT »

I have the new barrel installed ... I also put a set of old Ruger XR3 grips on it. Fired a few shots in shop to make sure it's working. Will take it to the range when the weather permits.

Image

Image
User avatar
claybob86
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1907
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 10:41 pm

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by claybob86 »

Oh man, that looks NICE! :mrgreen:
Have you hugged your rifle today?
User avatar
Griff
Posting leader...
Posts: 20803
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:56 pm
Location: OH MY GAWD they installed a STOP light!!!

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by Griff »

Very good!
Griff,
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93

There is a fine line between hobby & obsession!
AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
User avatar
ollogger
Advanced Levergunner
Posts: 2794
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2010 2:47 pm
Location: Wheatland Wyoming
Contact:

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by ollogger »

Looks mighty fine to me!


45 years ago my brother shoved his 12 gauge into the water to shock a big brown trout, well the gun didn't to fair to well & either
did he, I asked if he got the trout but he never replied

Brad
piller
Posting leader...
Posts: 15188
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:49 pm
Location: South of Dallas

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by piller »

JimT wrote: Sat Apr 06, 2019 7:32 pm I have the new barrel installed ... I also put a set of old Ruger XR3 grips on it. Fired a few shots in shop to make sure it's working. Will take it to the range when the weather permits.

Image

Image
What did you set the gap space to? I am not any sort of gunsmith, so I am curious.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
User avatar
JimT
Shootist
Posts: 5468
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:04 pm

Re: Plugged Bore

Post by JimT »

What did you set the gap space to? I am not any sort of gunsmith, so I am curious.
It was the weirdest thing. I haven't changed all that many barrels in my life but I have never had one that fit right out of the box. This one screwed in and tightened up with just a little file work ... the ejector rod housing lined up perfectly ... and the barrel/cylinder gap is .008" which is within tolerances. If I was fitting it I would like .005" but this works and I am gonna shoot it for awhile and see how it does. If it works OK I ain't "fixing" it an further. :)
Post Reply