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Smaug · September 8, 2008, 10:48 PM

That didn't take long, seeing as how I just got it yesterday.

So I took it to the range today, intending to zero the scope for about 1/2" high at 25 yards. Just to get used to shooting a big 44 again, I loaded up one of my Light Magnum handloads. 240 gr. Ranier plated flat point bullet, over 6-12 gr. of Unique. should be about 44 Special power level. I'm 100% sure these loads are OK. Not double-charged or any of that jazz. I shot half of this batch probably 3 years ago in my S&W 29. They are beautiful loads. Very accurate, not too much kick.

So, I draw a bead on the target, cock the hammer, and cut 'er loose. BOOM clunk, clunk, clunk. It took a second to register what happened. The gun's weight was cut in half. I looked downrange, and the barrel/scope assembly had just stopped rolling.

I'm thinking the guy that traded this in somehow broke it. Maybe HE did a super-hot handload? Then glued it back together and traded it in on something. I don't believe gun shops test fire trade-ins, right? They probably just clean them up, give them the once-over, and mark them up 100% over what they paid, right?

Anyway, here's the gun:

Look at the cross section at the break. I'm no expert, but I didn't think gun barrel steel looked so... hollow. Doesn't that look like broken JB Weld to you guys?

The question is now: What do I do? Have any of you had something like this happen? The shop that sold it to me has a 30 day warranty. But I'm sure they'll ask what ammo I was shooting, and when I tell them it was a light magnum handload, they'll probably just slam the gate.

If I give the whole story to Ruger, they might fix it, but they also might not. I could of course furnish them with a couple of my handloads for them to disassemble and analyze if they ask. But I might have to pay them $100 or something for the service.

I wonder if I can get out of this without getting burned.

September 8, 2008, 10:48 PM	#1
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	Blew up my Redhawk That didn't take long, seeing as how I just got it yesterday. So I took it to the range today, intending to zero the scope for about 1/2" high at 25 yards. Just to get used to shooting a big 44 again, I loaded up one of my Light Magnum handloads. 240 gr. Ranier plated flat point bullet, over 6-12 gr. of Unique. should be about 44 Special power level. I'm 100% sure these loads are OK. Not double-charged or any of that jazz. I shot half of this batch probably 3 years ago in my S&W 29. They are beautiful loads. Very accurate, not too much kick. So, I draw a bead on the target, cock the hammer, and cut 'er loose. BOOM clunk, clunk, clunk. It took a second to register what happened. The gun's weight was cut in half. I looked downrange, and the barrel/scope assembly had just stopped rolling. I'm thinking the guy that traded this in somehow broke it. Maybe HE did a super-hot handload? Then glued it back together and traded it in on something. I don't believe gun shops test fire trade-ins, right? They probably just clean them up, give them the once-over, and mark them up 100% over what they paid, right? Anyway, here's the gun: Look at the cross section at the break. I'm no expert, but I didn't think gun barrel steel looked so... hollow. Doesn't that look like broken JB Weld to you guys? The question is now: What do I do? Have any of you had something like this happen? The shop that sold it to me has a 30 day warranty. But I'm sure they'll ask what ammo I was shooting, and when I tell them it was a light magnum handload, they'll probably just slam the gate. If I give the whole story to Ruger, they might fix it, but they also might not. I could of course furnish them with a couple of my handloads for them to disassemble and analyze if they ask. But I might have to pay them $100 or something for the service. I wonder if I can get out of this without getting burned.