HamGunner
10-06-2011, 11:34 PM
A few days ago, a buddy and myself shot his NEW 8 1/2" S&W .460 Magnum revolver. The cylinder locked up once on a cratered primer from a Win. Supreme 260g. PTHP Platinum Tip 454 Casull round (they have small primers). Several other fired shells out of that same box of 20 rounds also had slight cratering with difficult cylinder rotation. Two were even punctured. A box of Hornady 200gr. FTX 460 Magnum rounds (large primers) seemed to shoot just fine. However, we were sometimes having just a bit of trouble getting the cylinder to ratchet without a bit of double clutching the hammer. Inspection of the Hornady 460 Magnum fired primers did not show any real cratering though. We then shot two boxes of my cast 280gr. .45 Colt loads (16.4gr. Lil'Gun)that had CCI 300 primers without any real noticeable problems and I just wrote it all off as weak primers in the Win. ammo and a stiff new revolver.
Out again today, with a box of 454 Casull Federal Premium 250gr. Barnes Expander rounds. No real locking up or cratering, but maybe an occasional stiff rotation. I started inspecting all the fired cases a bit closer. It seemed like the firing pin indentation was a bit deeper than any gun, revolver or rifle, that I could remember.
We fired another two boxes of my 280gr. cast .45 Colt loads and although we got no punctures or real hangups, the primers were really taking one heck of a deep punch from the firing pin. If they had been any hotter, I suspect that they would have ruptured also. Upon returning home, I re-inspected all the fired cases from the first shooting session a few days earlier. About the same degree of really deep firing pin strikes.
All ammo was factory except for my .45 Colt cast reloads.
My questions are: firing pin too long? Hammer strike too hard? Or other problems that I am not seeing?
Out again today, with a box of 454 Casull Federal Premium 250gr. Barnes Expander rounds. No real locking up or cratering, but maybe an occasional stiff rotation. I started inspecting all the fired cases a bit closer. It seemed like the firing pin indentation was a bit deeper than any gun, revolver or rifle, that I could remember.
We fired another two boxes of my 280gr. cast .45 Colt loads and although we got no punctures or real hangups, the primers were really taking one heck of a deep punch from the firing pin. If they had been any hotter, I suspect that they would have ruptured also. Upon returning home, I re-inspected all the fired cases from the first shooting session a few days earlier. About the same degree of really deep firing pin strikes.
All ammo was factory except for my .45 Colt cast reloads.
My questions are: firing pin too long? Hammer strike too hard? Or other problems that I am not seeing?