44 magnum case head separation. Wow

[meh]

Thanks for the info. I think this is what happened.

Did you ever measure your .44 Henry's fire formed brass? I just measured the fire formed cases coming out of my son's .357M Big Boy Steel Carbine today. The difference between the diameter near the rim and the diameter near the case mouth was very small, perhaps just 0.001" or at most 0.002", with no hint of bulging, just a taper. Probably this is not a Henry thing or a Rossi thing, just something that depends on each particular rifle.

 

[DW357]

Did you ever measure your .44 Henry's fire formed brass? I just measured the fire formed cases coming out of my son's .357M Big Boy Steel Carbine today. The difference between the diameter near the rim and the diameter near the case mouth was very small, perhaps just 0.001" or at most 0.002", with no hint of bulging, just a taper. Probably this is not a Henry thing or a Rossi thing, just something that depends on each particular rifle.

I have not. I'll try to remember to do that next time I shoot the Henry.

 

[DW357]

Well that sucks. Just got off the phone with Bob at Dan Wesson. "Is this Andrew? I got some bad news with your revolver"

Apparently he cannot salvage my cylinder. He says it's already oversized and if he were to ream/hone the cylinders it would be even worse
He thinks someone previously reamed the cylinders and didn't do the best job. He also said the throats on a couple of the cylinders were slightly oversized. Says these all could play a role in the case head separation.

So the bad news was that he said with parts (not just the cylinder needs to be replaced) labor and shipping I'm looking at $310!!! OUCH. This is the worst time to be spending that kind of money. He said the only good news is that it will be 4+ weeks before he gets around to it so that might give me time to save up some $. Ugh.

I'm actually surprised he said it was oversized and not undersized. I had a hell of a time hammering a bullet through the cylinder a couple months ago when I was trying to figure out if a jacketed .431" would work in this gun. Hopefully Bob isn't lying to try and get some quick money out of me....

 

[DW357]

I've shot quite a few rounds with it and had no problems except for that one case head separation. But I already spent $50 shipping it to him so I figured I might as well bite the bullet

 

[allen-1]

Well that sucks. Just got off the phone with Bob at Dan Wesson. "Is this Andrew? I got some bad news with your revolver"

Apparently he cannot salvage my cylinder. He says it's already oversized and if he were to ream/hone the cylinders it would be even worse
He thinks someone previously reamed the cylinders and didn't do the best job. He also said the throats on a couple of the cylinders were slightly oversized. Says these all could play a role in the case head separation.

So the bad news was that he said with parts (not just the cylinder needs to be replaced) labor and shipping I'm looking at $310!!! OUCH. This is the worst time to be spending that kind of money. He said the only good news is that it will be 4+ weeks before he gets around to it so that might give me time to save up some $. Ugh.

I'm actually surprised he said it was oversized and not undersized. I had a hell of a time hammering a bullet through the cylinder a couple months ago when I was trying to figure out if a jacketed .431" would work in this gun. Hopefully Bob isn't lying to try and get some quick money out of me....

Merry Christmas... Damn.

 

[DW357]

Merry Christmas... Damn.

I know!!! He apologized a couple times saying "I know it's tough this time of year. Would you like to call me back in a couple days after you think about it? Let me know what you want to do"....

Like I said, I've already spent $50 on shipping plus it's been there for a few weeks sitting around. I might as well bite the bullet.

He said it's certainly worthwhile to do considering the value of the gun and how it will last a really long time with a new cylinder. He also mentioned that hot reloads will cause wear faster since the brass expanding against the cylinder walls then being ejected out, acts like sandpaper against the cylinder walls?? I guess so?? I thought steel was harder than brass but what do I know about revolver metallurgy....

 

[meh]

I'm actually surprised he said it was oversized and not undersized. I had a hell of a time hammering a bullet through the cylinder a couple months ago when I was trying to figure out if a jacketed .431" would work in this gun.

The roughness might account for something there, and perhaps the cylinder throat of the charge hole you checked wasn't one of the oversized ones.

I'd have made the same choice.

I thought steel was harder than brass but what do I know about revolver metallurgy....

Hmmm. I doubt it's the brass itself that provides the abrasive action he's talking about, more likely fouling, not necessarily the fouling that finds its way there while shooting that particular round (because there'd be less of it with a hotter load), rather all of it put there since the last cleaning. Hardness of brass isn't the issue. You can polish steel with a cloth, after all, if you have an abrasive paste. If the brass is loose in the chamber, it's a light touch, but if it's tight, it drags everything between it and the charge hole along as it is extracted.

 

[DW357]

The roughness might account for something there, and perhaps the cylinder throat of the charge hole you checked wasn't one of the oversized ones.

I guess that's possible though I did try all 6 holes.

Hmmm. I doubt it's the brass itself that provides the abrasive action he's talking about, more likely fouling, not necessarily the fouling that finds its way there while shooting that particular round (because there'd be less of it with a hotter load), rather all of it put there since the last cleaning. Hardness of brass isn't the issue. You can polish steel with a cloth, after all, if you have an abrasive paste. If the brass is loose in the chamber, it's a light touch, but if it's tight, it drags everything between it and the charge hole along as it is extracted.

Yeah that makes more sense and probably what he was referring to. I was so frustrated that I'm out $300+ that I probably didn't really comprehend everything he was saying.

 

[allen-1]

I know!!! He apologized a couple times saying "I know it's tough this time of year. Would you like to call me back in a couple days after you think about it? Let me know what you want to do"....

Like I said, I've already spent $50 on shipping plus it's been there for a few weeks sitting around. I might as well bite the bullet.

He said it's certainly worthwhile to do considering the value of the gun and how it will last a really long time with a new cylinder. He also mentioned that hot reloads will cause wear faster since the brass expanding against the cylinder walls then being ejected out, acts like sandpaper against the cylinder walls?? I guess so?? I thought steel was harder than brass but what do I know about revolver metallurgy....

I'd do it. It's $310 and it's a Dan Wesson .44 Mag. That gun's worth what? 700? 800? Put a new cylinder in it and it's good for another 30 years.

 

[DW357]

I'd do it. It's $310 and it's a Dan Wesson .44 Mag. That gun's worth what? 700? 800? Put a new cylinder in it and it's good for another 30 years.

Yep! I paid $820ish for it a couple years ago but lately on gunbroker, they're selling for well over $900. Value is only going to go up as they haven't made them since the 90s (44 anyway, still producing the 357's).

 

[DW357]

I just sent an email to Bob asking if I can get the cylinder unfluted. That would be nice if I could since I’m spending all this money. It would look really cool I think.

 

[allen-1]

I just sent an email to Bob asking if I can get the cylinder unfluted. That would be nice if I could since I’m spending all this money. It would look really cool I think.

Ruger BlackHawk, (single-action). Unfluted cylinder, .44 Mag.

(Crappy photos - blame it on the "photographer")

 

[DW357]

Ruger BlackHawk, (single-action). Unfluted cylinder, .44 Mag.

(Crappy photos - blame it on the "photographer")

Love it!

Bob just confirmed with me that he has unfluted cylinders in stock! He asked me if I wanted one and I said YESS! of course! This will help ease the pain lol.

 

[DW357]

This is my buddy’s DW 41 magnum with the unfluted cylinder. So slick

 

[allen-1]

This is my buddy’s DW 41 magnum with the unfluted cylinder. So slick
View attachment 257870

That is very, very pretty.

I bought the Blackhawk, because.

I have a GP100 that I simply love shooting bowling pins with. It's chambered in .38/.357 and I shoot enough .357 in it so that I don't score the cylinder from the .38's. I also clean the cylinder, (the rest of it fairly well, but not quite as carefully). Anyhow, the Ruger revolvers are simply over-engineered as far as I can tell, the only things I've done to them is put Hogue grips on them, and optics on the pin gun.

When I saw the Blackhawk in a shop, having had the GP100 for a couple of years, I simply had to have it.

But Dan Wesson's guns are a step up, they're like the old Colts - they're beautiful.

 

[DW357]

But Dan Wesson's guns are a step up, they're like the old Colts - they're beautiful.

Yeah they're nice looking but I mainly bought them because of the interchangeable barrels. I hope to have a 15" barrel for my 357 sometime early next year...

 

[Eric H]

Yeah they're nice looking but I mainly bought them because of the interchangeable barrels. I hope to have a 15" barrel for my 357 sometime early next year...

That's how you become the Joker.

 

[DW357]

That's how you become the Joker.

Haha that’s right! I shot one last year and now I want one in stainless for my 715 revolver.

 

[jpm]

hey that gun looks familiar!

 

[DW357]

hey that gun looks familiar!

Yup

 

[Renegade800]

Glad you’re alright. I had a case head separation shooting a similar load with h110 out of a desert eagle was like a bomb went off in my face. Was nauseous from it maybe I got a concussion. I was thankful it was a rotating bolt handgun, was still bad though. I don’t shoot 44 mag from semi autos anymore just doesn’t seem right.

 

[DW357]

Glad you’re alright. I had a case head separation shooting a similar load with h110 out of a desert eagle was like a bomb went off in my face. Was nauseous from it maybe I got a concussion. I was thankful it was a rotating bolt handgun, was still bad though. I don’t shoot 44 mag from semi autos anymore just doesn’t seem right.

Damn! That’s crazy. The DW and desert eagle are both beefy guns. Glad you’re okay. How did the gun make out?

 

[Renegade800]

Gun seemed uneffected after close inspection. It has a beefy lockup with a few rotating lugs but the case must have failed when it was recoiling partly out of battery.

 

[Stape]

I had sticky chambers on a GP100. I used flitz metal polish and a cotton bore swab and chucked it up in a brill and did bit by bit until it was a mirror finish. Worked so well I did it to all of my revolvers.

 

[DW357]

I had sticky chambers on a GP100. I used flitz metal polish and a cotton bore swab and chucked it up in a brill and did bit by bit until it was a mirror finish. Worked so well I did it to all of my revolvers.

I wish it could have been that easy and cheap!! Ugh. Well at least I'll get a fancy limited run unfluted cylinder. Bob told me once the leftovers are gone, they will not produce them again.

 

[Stape]

I wish it could have been that easy and cheap!! Ugh. Well at least I'll get a fancy limited run unfluted cylinder. Bob told me once the leftovers are gone, they will not produce them again.

Well, just think how happy you'll be when it comes back! Plus it'll be cool to have something that is different. Treat it to a fancy set of grips while your at it.

 

[DW357]

Well, just think how happy you'll be when it comes back! Plus it'll be cool to have something that is different. Treat it to a fancy set of grips while your at it.

Just got my tracking number for the revolver. Be here Thursday! Can't wait!

Also just got off the phone with Bob and he said they have less than 30 of these unfluted cylinders left and once they're gone and they're gone forever. He says it would be a big undertaking to get a dedicated CNC machine and write a new program etc just for these cylinders. Pretty cool to get one of these.

 

[DW357]

Chambers are mirror polished! Came out great!

 

[meh]

Nice!

Coincidentally, vis-a-vis the Zero bullets that we were recently discussing you shooting in that gun, I shot a set of 20 different loads out of my model 69 today at 25 yards. Most of them were Missouri Bullet Company 240gr hard cast TCFP's and 180gr Hornady XTPs. One set of 5 shots, however, was 240gr Zero JSPs over 22.5gr H110 (Federal LPM primers), and it was the best group of the day. Zeros on the left, MBC hard cast on the right.

 

[DW357]

Nice!

Coincidentally, vis-a-vis the Zero bullets that we were recently discussing you shooting in that gun, I shot a set of 20 different loads out of my model 69 today at 25 yards. Most of them were Missouri Bullet Company 240gr hard cast TCFP's and 180gr Hornady XTPs. One set of 5 shots, however, was 240gr Zero JSPs over 22.5gr H110 (Federal LPM primers), and it was the best group of the day. Zeros on the left, MBC hard cast on the right.

Damn! That’s one hell of a group! I hope the DW shoots that well with the Zeros. Thanks for that update.