22 Becomes a 32??

[StrawHat]

A long time ago, (maybe in the late 60s?), The American Rifleman ran a short piece with a photo. Seems they had taken the barrel off a 22LR revolver and fired some rounds from it. The bullets expanded to about 31 or 32 caliber at the base. Does anyone else remember that article? Can someone cite the issue? I no longer have my old stack of magazines, and yes, I do feel lost without them!

[Jim]

I don't know anything about the issue, but the story is fascinating. What do you suppose caused that severe bump?

[StrawHat]

I don't know anything about the issue, but the story is fascinating. What do you suppose caused that severe bump?

From what I recall, it was just the firing of the cartridge and the gas causing the bump up in size. I wish I could find the article, I do not believe it was a uniform bump up but I could be misremembering.

[Bret4207]

There have been a lot of similar pics published over the years, and not just in 22. Back in the day some people would take the barrel out of a SAA and use it for a pocket pistol, or so the story went. I don't know if it was St Elmer or Hatcher or who, but they had pics of such a gun. Recovered boolits were always very wide at the base. Minus the barrel throat lead responds to pressure.

[Firebricker]

That is a big bump especially considering a heel type bullet. FB

[Dan Cash]

The Bullet's Flight F.W. Mann, pg. 60, Standard Publishing Company, Huntington, W. VA, 1942. Read all about it.

[Bret4207]

I believe "The Bullets Flight" is available on line now for free. Google it.

[DocDorle]

I believe "The Bullets Flight" is available on line now for free. Google it.

http://castpics.net/subsite2/ClassicWorks/The_bullet_s_flight_from_powder_to_targe.pdf

[StrawHat]

The Bullet's Flight F.W. Mann, pg. 60, Standard Publishing Company, Huntington, W. VA, 1942. Read all about it.

Thank you!

Not exactly what I was looking for but what an interesting read. I have Mann's book and read it years ago. Looks like I'll be reading it again as I now better understand what he has written.

[429421Cowboy]

Elmer Keith wrote about SAA's being made into pocket guns by removing the barrel and making them slipguns with the trigger removed. Seems like at close range a .45 boolit slamming into you would make you tend to forget whatever it was that you were doing at the time!

[I'll Make Mine]

I did something like this with my Dan Wesson Model 15, many years ago when I made up some handloads that were too weak to push the (unknown type, 95 gr. cast lead round nose) bullets through the forcing cone. After pushing the stuck slug back into the case with a cleaning rod (using a rock as a hammer, and doing no good to the threads that joined the rod sections, I might add), I unscrewed the barrel and fired the rest of the rounds from just the cylinder.

Worked pretty well, and I could see the bullets tumbling in flight (didn't hit much of anything with them, unsurprisingly, though they'd have been plenty accurate for poker table matches). I did find, however, that it took quite a bit of effort to get all the powder residue out of the threads to the barrel would go back in the way it should (by hand, all the way down against the feeler gauge).

Probably worth noting, in favor of those new to the shooting hobbies, that it's a Federal offense to load a revolver with the barrel removed these days -- one of the requirements is that all handguns must have rifled barrels, and I don't recall ever seeing rifling in the freebore of a revolver chamber. Now, if you cut the barrel off smooth at the front of the frame (ensuring that there's some rifling left after the forcing cone), it's hardly any different, and as far as I know, 100% legal (not to mention probably at least a chance the bullets won't tumble).

Might make an interesting carry piece in a small frame revolver with a big bore, like an old Bulldog .44 Special...