Since I joined this forum, I have seen posts from folks that want to have .357 Magnum Charges in .38 Special casings. In the two posts I remember, some of the long time members explained that this is a bad way to go.
Well today I had the experience I wish everyone who plays games with pressure could have. Not the getting hurt part, but the suffering part.
Let me explain.
This weekend here in San Antonio we had a gun show. What I normally do is go to the gun show, then to the range for some target practice and that is what I did today. There were only two of us on the range. Myself and a young (25 or so) lady. As I got ready to shoot I heard pow, pow ,BOOM, and then a scream of pain.
I dropped my gun on the table and ran over to her. It seemed that her gun, an airlite S&W (I think) had blown up. It took the better parts of two fingers and heavily damaged the rest on her left hand and injured her right hand pretty badly.
Being certified Wilderness First Aid, I yelled at the RSO, and I started first-aid, and he called Bexar County EMS. I rode in the ambulance with her and meet my wife at the closest hospital.
We found out that her parents live in Amarillo and if you know Texas, that is an 8 hour drive (or more) to San Antonio from there. She had come down here to go to nursing school. She had just graduated and was to start her new job Monday. I don't think she will make it.
We stayed at the Hospital till her parents called and said they would be there in a couple of hours as they just hit Waco. When we left she was still in surgery.
Well she will live, but they had to amputate the two really bad fingers, and she has lost a lot of feeling in her left hand. The doctors think her right hand will heal with no lost of function.
Turns out she bought the gun last week, and went into a local gun store and asked for the most powerful .38 Special bullets they had. The clerk gave her some Buffalo Bore 158 gr. +P+ loads. I wish He would have asked some questions before selling her the ammo.
These were way too high pressure for this gun according to the RSO. He said it looked like the first two shots bulged the aluminum cylinder and the last one was too much and it came apart.
I applaud the members who warn some of the newer members who wish to play with the pressure snake. Pressure is not a thing to play or joke around with. It will eventually bite you. It can kill, maim, or worse. How would we feel if we loaded some really hot loads that is OK for our gun, but our twenty one year old granddaughter comes in and grabs some of grandpa's ammo, and the gun blows up blinding or killing her?
Like one of the seasoned members said. If you want magnum pressures get a magnum gun.
Please pray for this poor girl. Her name is Hanna.
I am going home to be sick.
Andrew
ACC