Taurus Judge Blew Up With My Handloads. Opinions?

[jonp]

Today a Stainless Steel Taurus Judge blew up with my handloads. The cylinder split and the top strap is missing.



Attachment 216976
Attachment 216977

The handloads were the following:
New 45lc Starline brass, unfired
Wolf LPP from a box that I'd used 300 or so out of already with no problem
8.8gr Unique each load hand dipped then trickled onto a GemTech 250
250gr Lead Boolit mix of commercial Missouri and my own cast all weighed within 2-3 grs of each other
My homemade lube (Johnsons, Alox etc)
Crimped in the first groove
Loaded with a Lee Die and all are the same length

The target showed perfect round holes for all rounds including the one that blew the gun up. IE: No keyholing and all exited the barrel. The barrel shows no bulge, bend or anything. Looks fine
The ejection rod is bent and the cylinder is opened on one chamber and split in half. There is a perfect print of 45 LC on the face. The Primers show no sign of over pressure. No piercing, cratering, run, back out etc. The brass is also fine except for the dents of course. No holes, splits etc. 3 rounds were fired previous and were vigorous but fired ok. Accuracy was all over the place, the 4th blew up. I have fired similar rounds in both of my Blackhawks with no problems and the book says these are near max but not over so should be fine.

Any opinions? Guesses? Conjectures?

[richhodg66]

Wow! That load should have been safe in any .45 Colt handgun. If you're sure it wasn't an accidental double charge, there had to be some defect in the gun.

[Omega]

First, hope you're ok. Second, how full is that case? If it wasn't a double charge, my next WAG would be a S.E.E., that is one serious looking demo job to be something else.

[jonp]

First, hope you're ok. Second, how full is that case? If it wasn't a double charge, my next WAG would be a S.E.E., that is one serious looking demo job to be something else.

No double charges but I'm pulling the other 95 and weighing them. I hand poured each round and trickled as I said. When I was done I looked into the cases with a light to see if anything looked out of the ordinary but all were the same level and 17gr of Unique in a 45lc would be pretty obvious I'm thinking. The Unique is from a 1lb bottle I've loaded rounds with and is 1-2yrs old. I always smell the powder and look at it before loading and it was/is fine.

[Blanket]

are you sure you had Unique?? Sure looks and sounds like a double charge of fast powder

[waksupi]

, there had to be some defect in the gun.

It's a Taurus. Poor quality from end to end. It's no surprise metallurgy lacks as well as other qualities they don't have. Really sorry it blew up on you.

[thegatman]

OMG I hope you are okay. Blackhawks are stronger guns but if no double charge then maybe defective gun.

[jonp]

Yes, Unique. I always place the bottle on the bench with no other powder. In this case I dipped out of the bottle itself, however, that is a good thought. I'll check the powder in the bottle to see if I mistakenly dumped Tightgroup in it as that's the latest fast powder I've used to load up some 38sp

[Down South]

I wonder if it was a squib load with a boolit stuck in a throat with a shot fired behind it?

[Tazman1602]

It's a Taurus. Poor quality from end to end. It's no surprise metallurgy lacks as well as other qualities they don't have. Really sorry it blew up on you.

Have to disagree with that Waksupi, respectfully. I have 4 Taurus' all top quality -- granted newest one is 20 years old but mine are great. Best cast Bullet shooter I've got is a 6" barrel 357 model 66 (I think 66)...

But still....WOW. I have Ruger BH, SBH, RH ETC that I KNOW I've overcharged and never a budge...


Art

[jonp]

If there was a bullet stuck in the throat wouldn't there be some indication on or in the barrel? It looks fine. Besides, 4 rounds were fired and there is 4 holes in the target, wide apart but all nice and round. If one pushed another out of the barrel and both somehow hit the target I'd think at least one of them would yaw like crazy and leave a broad hole. All were good.

Art: I've run some very, very stout loads though my Blackhawks including Linebaugh levels with no problems. Of course, the Taurus is a different animal altogether so I stayed within book levels. I have another short barrel Judge that I'm now eyeing with extreme skepticism.

[Finster101]

I do not own a Taurus nor do I plan to ever.

[bayjoe]

I wonder if the cylinder might not have cycled fully and the bullet hit the barrel causing the case to explode.

[tomme boy]

Its a Taurus. Nuf said

[kens]

Glad you are OK.
Double charge in a 45LC case.
I have seen double charges on my own bench, and caught them before seating bullet.
I no longer like any case volume that would allow a double charge.

[Hannibal]

Unless this was the first full cylinder you ever fired through this pistol, I'm going to have to suspect it was either a double/over charge or a charge with an incorrect powder.

These things just don't happen. Something causes them to happen.

And most often it turns out to be operator/re-loader error.

Glad to hear no one suffered serious injury, whatever the cause of the failure turns out to be.

[lefty o]

almost with certainty you somehow double charged it. a squib stuck in the barrel would act much differently. either the double or a way way faster powder. as much as i dislike taurus, doubtful thats taurus's problem.

[Dusty Bannister]

Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, 4th edition. Unique
Lyman 452664, 250 grain Sugg starting grains 6.3 Max load grains 8.2

RCBS Cast Bullet Manual #1 Unique
45-250-FN, Sugg starting 7.4 gr Max 8.4 gr

[Hamish]

This is not the first, nor even the fifth, time that I have seen pics of a Judge blown up in this manner, several times by factory loads.

[turtlezx]

there you go HAMISH has your answer