I ruined my S&W model 19

Under NO circumstances should you try to drill out the bullets. Any sort of steel drill bit will ruin the barrel for sure if it gets started a bit cockeyed or pulls to the side at all and contacts the barrel steel. You'll either drive out the bullets with a brass drift pin or a wooden dowel or you'll need to do something else with care.

Lets not compound one foulup with a second one and ensure the ruining of the barrel.
 
JohnnyMac said:
So bought a model 19. Loaded up some light 38special loads for it and went to the range. Put 6 shots through no problem, nice light load. Load up the next 6 and start shooting at longer range. Fire 6 times and go to check my target. No holes. Turns out the first shot was a squib but since it was such a light load I didn't think anything of the light recoil and continued to shoot. All 6 rounds ended up in the barrel and she's now ruined.
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Wow. I'm surprised the barrel didn't burst.

Anyway, that's the risk you take shooting "pussycat" rounds. In your case, it appears that the rounds were just powerful enough to make it though through a clean barrel. Once the barrel fouled up a little and resistance increased, the bullets got stuck.
 
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BCRider said:
Under NO circumstances should you try to drill out the bullets. Any sort of steel drill bit will ruin the barrel for sure if it gets started a bit cockeyed or pulls to the side at all and contacts the barrel steel. You'll either drive out the bullets with a brass drift pin or a wooden dowel or you'll need to do something else with care.

Lets not compound one foulup with a second one and ensure the ruining of the barrel.
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Too true!

At an IDPA match in the US I attended, one of the really fast shooters who always uses downloaded ammo put six bullets into his Model 19 barrel and the last one was stuck in the forcing cone so we could not even get the cylinder open. He always shot semi autos so he did not realize anything was wrong till he looked at the clean target!

He took it to his amateur gunsmith friend who tried to drill them out and the bit broke in the barrel between the cylinder and forcing cone. Gun is totalled.
 
Today i have read about, low or no powder charge, an over charge, and a primer blowing up while reloading. I believe the main cause for all this is the use of progressive reloading machines, either not set-up properly, not using a "powder checker", operator error or inexperience. I have reloaded every kind of shell imaginable, black powder and smokeless, in over 40 years of reloading, and have never had this happen, ALL WERE DONE ON SINGLE STAGE EQUIPMENT!! I do the following checks while reloading,a) check flashhole after depriming b) check powder levels of rounds in loading block with a flashlight before proceeding c) check OAL of loaded rounds...In addition, i try to select powders that are too bulky to allow a double charge, and check the weight of every charge on a good scale. None of this is presented to gloat or boast, I believe alot of new reloaders/shooters are getting ahead of themselves and maybe should go back to reloading 101!!
 
I would try MD Charlton. They could probably dislodge the stuck bullets, or, if the barrel is bulged, they may have a replacement.
 
I had a friend do this (two shots only) with a dud and a full powered load in a model 29 of mine a couple of decades ago. Bulged the barrel. Had a 1917 where the barrel split from the same thing. Also a bulged 1911 barrel one time. I've seen pics of an 8" Dan Wesson barrel with bullets from one end to the other, the barrel itself wasn't damaged and neither was the gun. You shoot enough, work at ranges, teach newbies a lot, etc, all this stuff happens. Makes for interesting (if somewhat expensive) stories though. - dan
 
Thanks Matt, I've sent him a PM and I'm hoping one of those barrels works out for me.

Well the gun is with MDCharlton and it's a no go. Can't get the bullets out. The barrel doesn't appear to be bulged but there's nothing he can do with it.

And yes I know I'm a retard. Anyway the plan is to see if one of these barrels works out and hopefully I can salvage this gun.
 
When u get the gun back, I have another suggestion. The hammering action suggested which normally works well may create more problems given the size of the blockage. You may want to try a machine shop with a hydraulic press. A simple jig to secure it and protect the gun and a sized rod may do the trick when even pressure is applied. It will create more force than a hammer blow and the blockage should move.. Just yet another suggestion. Hate to see you have to rebarrel when its still salvageable.
Cheers
dB
 
JohnnyMac
Prior to driving out the bullets try dissolving them with mercury. It will take time but you may find the barrel is OK and the revolver still has good accuracy.
And yes I have seen this done.
Bogus
 
bogus said:
JohnnyMac
Prior to driving out the bullets try dissolving them with mercury. It will take time but you may find the barrel is OK and the revolver still has good accuracy.
And yes I have seen this done.
Bogus
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If you try this, educate yourself regarding the dangers of handling mercury or breathing its fumes.
 
As its not buggered up, disolve or melt the bullets out. You can also get a machinist to create a brass drill bit to drill them out. It only needs a small pilot hole through the bullets to give them room to be compressed and you can then drive them out. Model 19 barrels are rare beasts these days and worth the effort. I know I had a cracked forcing cone in one and was lucky to find a used barrel to replace it with.
 
Yep, mea culpa. Little bit of quick firing with my Highway Patrolman and a couple got stuck up there. MD Charlton had a look and the barrel was bulged...in the end they gave me a fair price and I sold it to them - I should check their site and see if it's up for sale with a new barrel...
 
Out of curiousity, just how light were the loads you guys used that gave you problems? 2.7 of Bullseye under a wad cutter is a pretty standard target load for .38.
 
bullets stuck in barrel

were they copper washed or lead???if they were lead you might be able to pick up a piece of brass rod almost the same size of your bore and carefully drive them out from the muzzle . is the barrel bulged?? or contact a gunsmith to get it done . why did you load so light ??? lesson learned . :dancingbanana:
 
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