Well, maybe “disaster” is a bit of exaggeration, but a squib load is nothing to take lightly. I was shooting my Model 83/454 Casull this afternoon and had what I initially thought was a dud primer. I was wearing both ear plugs and muffs, my standard practice when shooting 454 loads, and heard a “click” when the hammer dropped. I kept the muzzle pointed downrange for 30 seconds or so to make sure it wasn’t a hangfire, and then tried to rotate the cylinder to extract the dud round. The cylinder was locked up tight! I thought there had been some sort of mechanical failure, so I called one of the gunsmiths at Freedom Arms for advice. The gunsmith (unfortunately, I didn’t get his name) was extremely helpful and spent a good half hour suggesting steps to get the gun safe and the cylinder removed.
It turned out that the bullet had lodged just inside the barrel, preventing the cylinder from turning. I was able to tap the bullet back into the chamber using a squib rod I had, but that forced the case back against the frame, so I still couldn’t get the cylinder out. The gunsmith walked me through removing the grip frame, hammer and hand, after which I was able to move the cylinder stop out of the way. I was then able to tap the cylinder out of the frame with a plastic hammer.
I was able to pull the bullet from the case using an inertial bullet puller. I originally thought I must have failed to charge the case with powder, but there was a lot of blackened powder in the case (see attached pic). I was using a moderate load of Alliant 2400…a heavier charge than a “Ruger only” 45 Colt load, but less than a starting load for 454 Casull. I’m aware that H110/296 can squib if undercharged, but I wasn’t aware of the same concerns with 2400. I’ve never had any problem with this load before, so I’m wondering if it was an underpowered primer.
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Anyway, the gun is in pieces, so I’m going to send it back to Freedom Arms for re-assembly and a thorough going-over just to make sure all is OK. Hats off to Freedom Arms for their excellent customer service!
It turned out that the bullet had lodged just inside the barrel, preventing the cylinder from turning. I was able to tap the bullet back into the chamber using a squib rod I had, but that forced the case back against the frame, so I still couldn’t get the cylinder out. The gunsmith walked me through removing the grip frame, hammer and hand, after which I was able to move the cylinder stop out of the way. I was then able to tap the cylinder out of the frame with a plastic hammer.
I was able to pull the bullet from the case using an inertial bullet puller. I originally thought I must have failed to charge the case with powder, but there was a lot of blackened powder in the case (see attached pic). I was using a moderate load of Alliant 2400…a heavier charge than a “Ruger only” 45 Colt load, but less than a starting load for 454 Casull. I’m aware that H110/296 can squib if undercharged, but I wasn’t aware of the same concerns with 2400. I’ve never had any problem with this load before, so I’m wondering if it was an underpowered primer.
Anyway, the gun is in pieces, so I’m going to send it back to Freedom Arms for re-assembly and a thorough going-over just to make sure all is OK. Hats off to Freedom Arms for their excellent customer service!
