# Dear Smith & Wesson



## plottrunner (Apr 3, 2008)

*Dear Smith & Wesson: 
I am disappointed with the quality of your pistols. The friend who gave me these handloads said they were great loads but the pistol fell apart the first time I shot it. This could not be my fault. My friend has been reloading for a few weeks and although he drinks alot I am sure he knows what he is doing. Please send me another gun.*


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Ouch.


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## huntducksordietrying (Sep 21, 2007)

I hope he hit the target at least!


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## cklspencer (Jun 25, 2009)

Looks like someone left that to close to a fire or in a hot car. Thats got to be one of the best pick of a blown up gun. I love it.


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## younggun20 (Apr 16, 2009)

*WOW*!!!!!! :shock:

Can you imagine the look on the shooters face after that!


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## Fishrmn (Sep 14, 2007)

younggun20 said:


> *WOW*!!!!!! :shock:
> 
> Can you imagine the look on the shooters face after that!


It wasn't "shot". There is no way for the second cartridge to explode the way that it did, if the trigger was pulled. cklspencer got it right. Probably too close to a heat source. It looks like there were three cartridges that blew up. There is one chamber that doesn't have any of the brass left in it.

Fishrmn


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## apollosmith (Jun 29, 2008)

A hot car would NEVER get hot enough. And the rubber (I think) grip seems to be intact and there's no discoloration. WEIRD! I sure would like to know what happened. It appears that either one of the off-chamber rounds went off or that the on-chamber round was WAY too hot or the barrel jammed and the explosion tore the top off the two adjacent rounds... or something.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

fatbass said:


> If the timing was way off, the forcing cone was plugged or there was some kind of hang-fire, this is exactly what happens. This is most common with .38's that are subject to too many ++P loads.
> 
> One man's opinion of S&W...
> 
> http://www.chuckhawks.com/smith-wesson_dark.htm


As if changing their name to Smith, Clinton & Wesson was not enough to boycott them, OUCH!!


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## cowmilker (Dec 17, 2008)

A guy I worked with who retired, had something happen to him like this. I wonder if this is his gun. Brand new S&W .500. First shot with "gun shop" reloads, all 5 (or at least more than the 1) primers ignited with the recoil from the first round, ripping the backstrap off and sending a shell back into his forhead. His Son was with him, and got him in the truck, rushed him to the Hospital (Montpelier?). The local hospital Lifeflighted him to UofU, where they removed the shell. Lucky him (his name is Tom, I wont give last name), the shell lodged between the two lobes in his brain and they were able to save him, with minimal brain damage. Now he has a prosthetic (I don't know if it's metal or what) skull. He has recovered and I hear he's doing well. 
The ATF investigation revealed that the primers used in the reloads were too soft or the wrong kind (most of my info is from a guy that works with me who still keeps in touch with Tom so it may not be 100% correct).


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## apollosmith (Jun 29, 2008)

cowmilker said:


> First shot with "gun shop" reloads, all 5 (or at least more than the 1) primers ignited with the recoil from the first round, ripping the backstrap off and sending a shell back into his forhead.


It sure looks like that's what happened. Yikes! Though that doesn't look to be a .500. It's a model 629 and I don't think S&W makes that in a .500. Still, this sure seems to the cause of the failure. That would have to be some VERY soft primers to go off simply from shooting an adjacent round.


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

This is the second gun I have seen in this condition, though these pics are much better than the ones I saw the first time.
The first was owned by a guy I knew that, after a somewhat lengthy investigation, found that he had double charged about 10 cases somehow. He was using an unfamiliar powder and aparently the load called for was about half what he was used to and so when he glanced over at the tray, it didn't look like he had charged any of them yet. 
Not exactly sure how you forget that you have charged cases on a tray so completely that you just go ahead and re-charge them all, but that is the story he came up with.
His gun also blew three cylinders, but I am almost positive that only the first one actually lit, the other two were just torn apart by the explosion and never ignited. The story I got was that he had sent the gun back to them with a letter detailing exactly what he did, truthfully mind you, and they sent him a new gun, no charge. 
I have often wondered just how much of that story is actually true and how much was "cover" but I guess I will never know.

Either way, I think if I was S&W I would send him a check and a request that he not buy any more of my guns, as I don't want to be connected to such occurrences in todays litigious world. :twisted: 
Maybe tell him to buy a Taurus or something. :mrgreen:


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## cowmilker (Dec 17, 2008)

Artoxx said:


> Maybe tell him to buy a Taurus or something. :mrgreen:


That brings this thread back into the humor section!


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

Thank you, Thank you, 

That was my intent. :twisted:


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