2 .44 mags touched off in a .454.....

[Boolseye]

...and I’m wondering whether they could have weakened the cylinder. 454 Ruger SRH Toklat. Cases split from stem to stern, other than that only effect seemed to be sticky extraction.


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[osteodoc08]

No. The gun will be fine. The brass attempted to stretch to the dimensions of the cylinder and couldn’t quite make it. Whomever it was needs to be more careful......not that I’ve never shot a 41 in a 44 :oops:

[Drm50]

Interesting and I don't know the answer. You wouldn't think it would hurt the gun because it wouldn't be able to generate much pressure in cylinder or barrel. I've never seen it in a revolver but have in rifles. Saw 270 fired in 3006, case fire formed but split neck, bullet had little velocity and extraction was sticky.

[lefty o]

maybe a little flame cutting, but nothing that actually affects the structural integrity of the revolver. anyone who sticks 44's into a 454 just shouldnt own guns.

[SSGOldfart]

Humm guess I never thought a 44 would fit a 454?

[243winxb]

Will not hurt a thing. Cylinder can handle 92,000 PSI. https://www.cartech.com/en/alloy-techzone/technical-information/success-stories/one-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-revolvers-get-lift-from-aerospace-alloys


Ruger made a cylinder from Custom 465 stainless, then fired 50 proof rounds from each of six chambers (total 300 rounds) at 92,000 psi. This is about 50% higher stress than that produced under actual firing conditions. The designers repeated this firing cycle numerous times and noted that the cylinder successfully withstood all of the proof firing without a scratch or sign of defect anywhere.

With this evidence, Ruger selected the Carpenter alloy for the chamber of its new six-round .454 Casull. No problems related to cylinder materials have been reported to Ruger from the field since the mighty revolver was introduced a year ago.

[bmortell]

id imagine it barely made any real pressure being the projectile isn't wide enough to touch both sides. it probably just looks way more dramatic than it is with cases split and carbon stains.

[onelight]

id imagine it barely made any real pressure being the projectile isn't wide enough to touch both sides. it probably just looks way more dramatic than it is with cases split and carbon stains.
Yup , be a surprise if there was not unburnt powder everywhere.

[725]

Perhaps my ignorance, but I thought a 454 could shoot .45 Colt and was never intended to handle the .44 mag. Having no experience in this, I'll be interested to hear what others say.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I did it once in my 454 Encore I was shooting my Contender 44 magnum and had both ammo on the bench at the same time it was like a pop gun note to self one ammo on bench at a time

[Wheelguns 1961]

Perhaps my ignorance, but I thought a 454 could shoot .45 Colt and was never intended to handle the .44 mag. Having no experience in this, I'll be interested to hear what others say.
It is not intended to shoot .44 mag. The reason a .45c can be shot in a .454 is because the diameter of the bullet is the same. The diameter of a .44 mag is smaller.

[onelight]

D
Perhaps my ignorance, but I thought a 454 could shoot .45 Colt and was never intended to handle the .44 mag. Having no experience in this, I'll be interested to hear what others say.
That is an oops :-?

[LUCKYDAWG13]

D
That is an oops :-?

More like a Oh ****

[Winger Ed.]

At night, it would have had a really cool muzzle flash.

[Boolseye]

Thanks guys. I will put it out of my head.


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[Silver Jack Hammer]

I’ve never fired a .44 Special cartridge in a .45 Colt SAA. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

[9.3X62AL]

There are headstamps on cartridge cases for good reasons. Knocking on wood here--I don't believe I have yet pulled this stunt while shooting. I take pains to keep only ONE CALIBER of ammo on the shooting point at a time, perhaps this accounts for my track record to date. When I do have two calibers on hand (e.g., while hunting with rifle and sidearm) the calibers are either VERY different in appearance and dimensions, or are identical. 30-06 and 22 LR handgun, or 44 Magnum levergun and wheelgun. I do try to keep things idiot-proof, because no one is infallible--least of all ME.

[OldBearHair]

Reminded me of the other rule of only one kind of powder on the bench at one time. I have had to dump the dribbler a few times because I didn't remember what powder was left in it.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Headstamps 9.3X62AL? Those headstamps are printed in awfully tiny hard to read font, especially out in the bright sunlight.

I now use nickel brass in the .44 Special and yellow brass in the .45 Colt when I’m at a match shooting both calibers.

Loading a .45 Colt’s cartridge into a Winchester ‘73 rifle is a goof we’ve all seen. That mistake is impossible to hide, the rifle jams and the shooter has to stop go to the unloading table and take the side plates off his rifle to clear the jam. It’s said Jeff Milton did this one time during a gunfight with Indians.

[fatelk]

I thought I could never, ever make a mistake like that, until the day I fired a magazine full of .380 acp through a 9mm Makarov.

No harm done, but I sure wondered where my accuracy went!

[Good Cheer]

Once knew a fella that shot factory lead .44 mags in his Ruger single action .45 Colt because that's what the guy at the gun store sold him to shoot in it.
Had lots of leading to clean out but didn't hurt anything else.

[Boolseye]

The concept that I learned in this thread was answered in the first couple responses...”probably no real pressure was attained” (due to the reduced size of he projectile). Funny how I need others to clarify things like that for me sometimes. Always learning.


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[Boolseye]

I thought I could never, ever make a mistake like that, until the day I fired a magazine full of .380 acp through a 9mm Makarov.

No harm done, but I sure wondered where my accuracy went!

Partly why the Russians created the round, perhaps-they can shoot our ammo but we can’t shoot theirs!


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[smkummer]

Yep, I never did fire a cylinder load of 44 special in my New Frontier Colt 45. But I recall they sounded funny and those cases sure did swell. It’s now my standing policy that I don’t bring both 44 special and 45 colt to the range at the same time.

[rintinglen]

Math was never my best subject, but here goes.
The difference in diameter between the two projectiles is roughly .023" or 23 thousandths of an inch. If you tried to make a car run with cylinders that fit that loosely in the block, I fear you'd have little success. In our case of a .44 in a .454, most of the energy from the expanding, burning gas would flow around the bullet and thence out the barrel.

Even assuming that the bullet immediately mushroomed to seal the cylinder throats, and disregarding the energy lost in deforming the projectile, the fact remains that the walls of the .454 have over a third greater area than does the .44, so the the energy per square inch is reduced accordingly. Given that the cases split, some of the energy may have flowed back, around the rim and out the sides of the rear of the cylinder, further reducing the stress on the gun. Finally, the Maximum SAAMI average pressure for the .44 is 36,000 PSI, while that of the .454 is 65,000 PSI.

So bottom line, other than the laxative effect of the realization of what just happened, no adverse effects are to be expected from the accidental discharge of a .44 from a .454 magnum revolver.
Now dropping one in a black powder .45 Colt might be a whole different thing, so let's not test that.

[Boolseye]

An excellent synopsis.
Also the phenomenal strength of the Toklat cylinder was
new info. It’s amazing what knowledge a question can elicit on this forum.


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[nicholst55]

Yup, only one flavor of ammo on the bench at a time. I did have a crew of "professional" Gunners try their best to fire a round of 7.62X54R ammo in a .308 Win M70 at Yuma Proving Ground. They succeeded in forcing it into the chamber, but were, however, unable to get the bolt to close. Probably a good thing. In their defense, they were also firing a Romanian PSL rifle that day.

[Norske]

I actually know a fellow who as a teenager put the wrong ammo into a Savage 99. He killed the deer with a 250 Savage round shot through a 99 chambered for 243. The rifle didn't blow up, but the receiver was stretched so the rifle was scrap. When he had sons, none of their ammo looked at all like any other ammo in the house.

[P Flados]

I might be forced to admit how well that 38 Special round did out of a T/C 30 Herrett.

Sizing a cast boolit from 35 to 30 in one pass on the press would be tough. Confusion at the range (3 revolvers, two T/Cs, two shooters, lots of containers of ammo) found a fast (but not advisable) "quick swage". No gun damage and one bullseye.

[skrapyard628]

Never loaded the wrong cartridge into my own firearms. But I did have to confiscate a rifle from a doofus cousin.

He told me his Enfield rifle had an OOB detonation while trying to chamber a round and I asked him to bring the gun by and I would take a look at it. The guy showed up with a full bubba Mosin 91/30 and a bag of corroded 270 Win ammo. Apparently he was trying to ram the bolt closed on the 270 cartridge and lit one off trying to force it. No clue why the idiot thought that rifle was an Enfield let alone why he was trying to fire 270win out of it.

I told him the rifle was broken and shouldnt be fired and gave him $20 to take it off his hands. I did a full inspection on it and everything was OK, so I fired a few rounds of the correct ammo through it and then stuffed it in the back corner of the safe.

[sundog]

Several years ago after a military bolt match, I was switching out equipment on the bench to sight in a 35 Whelen. Discussion ensued and one of the guys wanted to shoot it. 'Okay,' says I, 'but let me get the rest of my gear first.' I lean in the truck to get more stuff to switch out, and Bang! He shoots one of my 30-06 cast match loads for O3A3 in the 35 Whelen. Needless to say I was a bit steamed. No damage done, but he was not listening. And I got an extra fire formed 35 Whelen case.

[Boolseye]

Never loaded the wrong cartridge into my own firearms. But I did have to confiscate a rifle from a doofus cousin.

He told me his Enfield rifle had an OOB detonation while trying to chamber a round and I asked him to bring the gun by and I would take a look at it. The guy showed up with a full bubba Mosin 91/30 and a bag of corroded 270 Win ammo. Apparently he was trying to ram the bolt closed on the 270 cartridge and lit one off trying to force it. No clue why the idiot thought that rifle was an Enfield let alone why he was trying to fire 270win out of it.

I told him the rifle was broken and shouldnt be fired and gave him $20 to take it off his hands. I did a full inspection on it and everything was OK, so I fired a few rounds of the correct ammo through it and then stuffed it in the back corner of the safe.

Priceless. A little knowledge...


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