KABOOM questions

[patrickg26]

First off, I'm just getting into the sport, so very newbie-ish, but I must say, i'm impressed with the accuracy of a shotgun rifled slug! Fired several for the first time yesterday. Fired 3 in a row at a 50 yard target first and all 3 hit the target (not bullseye but all on the 20" by 20" paper at least)
Then fired another 3 at a 100 yard target. - All 3 hit the target. And i'm by no means an expert shooter lol! I just aimed (or pointed as some would say since there's only a bead at the end of the barrel as a sight) and boom, 3 holes in the target. I know nothing about proper technique or anything, so these things are pretty good!

I do have a safety question I'm hoping I can get a few opinions on. (I've looked on google for answers but none are really clear and seems as though opinions differ).

How much of a safety buffer is built into the engineering of shotguns generally, when it comes to the pressures a barrel or other parts of a shotgun can handle? I hear alot of stories about barrels exploding or splitting open, or entire guns being blown appart because there was a few specs of dirt in a barrel, or someone used a bit too much powder in their reloaded shells (not that I have any plans of using reloded shells). I heard even a spec of snow or a tiny little bit too much oil in the barrel can lead to a KABOOM!

I inspected my shotgun after just ONE shot, and I noticed quite a bit of residue in the barrel (both the flat type of residue and the grainy looking thicker residue). So I found myself fliinching a bit every time I fired for fear or a (remote) chance that the gun explodes when I fire it. I know it sounds paranoid, and probably is, but if litteraly one or two almost microscopic flecs of dirt or oil can cause the gun to explode, why doesn't the powder residue cause it to explode?

I clean the barrel until it's squeaky clean after every "outing" (only had 2 so far) so I feel OK when I fire the first round...it's the subsequent ones I'm a little leery about.

Just how dirty/clogged does a barrel have to be in general before it gets to dangerous pressures? Is it really one or two tiny little flecs of material, or does it generally have to be like a quarter clogged or something like that?

I'm using a 12 gauge winchester x2 light (gas semi auto) by the way with 3" rounds, if that makes a difference. - The barrel looks really "thin" compared to some others I've seen in pictures.

Also - Does anyone have any good tips on how to clean the 2 TINY gas ports in the barrel? I mean, they must get filled/clogged with soot eventually no? But how the heck can you get something to fit in there to clean them? (they are half-way down the barrel and the barrel's fit ring is right underneath where they come out of the barrel. Since the gun is designed to have some of the gas/pressure bleed out of the barrel through those tiny holes, does that mean that if they get clogged up, it can increase pressures to dangerous levels? (other than the obvious problems I'd have with the auto-reload).

Thanks in advance for any advice/opinions anyone has.

Patrick

 

[Ganderite]

Three obvious things can cause a KABOOM. In no particualr order.

1- Using a shell longer than the chamber. If you are using 3" shells it is important to see that the barrel is stamped with 3" or longer.

Most older shotguns are 2 3/4" and a 3" shell measures about 2 3/4 before it is fired. This boo-boo can cause problems.

2- Firing a shot after the muzzle has been plugged with snow, mud or a old cleaning patch. (This is what the warnings you have read arereferring to.)

3- Firing ammo that has been over-loaded with powder. not likely to happen with factory ammo.


Don't worry about the crap left in the barrel from shooting. I one fired a Rem870 15,000 times without cleaning. Took two of us a week to do it. We wanted to see how much plastic would build up in the abrrel from the new palstic wads. (This was in 1964)

 

[sunray]

Relax. All modern firearms are extremely well designed and are made of high quality materials. Normal firing won't do anything.
"...a few specs of dirt in a barrel..." That's not going to do anything. Barrels usually burst because it was plugged with mud, snow, etc. That's dealt with through muzzle control. Keeping it out of the mud and snow. If you were to stumble while hunting, immediately check the barrel for obstructions and clean out anything you find.
"...noticed quite a bit of residue..." That's normal. It's unburnt powder, carbon and some bits of the plastic wad. Nothing to worry about. Normal cleaning takes it out. It won't get a quarter clogged from firing. The barrel won't get clogged at all from shooting. The gas system can and will.
A gas operated semi-auto will eventually stop working if it's not cleaned. The shotgun will just quit cycling properly and jam. No big deal. Again, normal cleaning will fix it. That goes for your two wee holes too. They can get clogged with firing residue, but that won't cause any pressure issues.
"...winchester x2..." Which one? The turkey gun or the sporting clays gun? If it's the turkey gun, quit using slugs. The choke is too tight. They won't damage it(slugs being lead and therefore are softer than steel will get squeezed by the choke. That can throw off the accuracy), but the gun is made for producing very tight patterns with shot. The sporting clays gun should have come with changeable chokes. Use the 'improved cylinder' choke for slugs. You can get extra barrels for your shotgun too. Not exactly cheap though.
"...All 3 hit the target..." How close together and at what distance? What kind of barrel and what choke does it have? Slugs tend to work better with a more open choke. However, a slug won't damage a barrel in good condition if it has a tighter choke.
Kabooms are not as common as it sounds on the 'net. They are usually caused by improperly loaded ammo or the wrong ammo altogether. This applies to rifles and shotguns. Factory ammo, while more expensive than reloads, won't damage the gun. There shouldn't be any oil in the barrel when you're shooting. A clean dry barrel is required. Oil can be on the action parts, but just a light coating. Too much, especially when the temperature drops, can cause the action to stop working as the oil congeals from the cold. Any oil in the gas system will be blown out with the first shot, but it should be clean and dry too.
"...looks really "thin"..." It is. Shotgun barrels don't need to be very thick. Rifle sighted slug barrels tend to have thicker barrel walls, but even they aren't very thick. Don't worry about it.
Mind you, metal fatigue can cause splits. Had one on my 870(pump gun) when shooting steel plates, long ago. Didn't know until I went to shoot the next relay and noticed the barrel looked funny. Looked and found the split. Unloaded and stepped back. Explained my problem to the RO, whereupon another guy hands me his shotgun and his ammo(most shooters are just like that). I promptly short stroked it on the second shot. Different makes have a different length to cycle the action. I went off and sulked. Just replaced the barrel with a smooth bore, rifle sighted barrel. It's thicker than the original barrel. Cost me almost as much as what I paid for the whole gun.

 

[patrickg26]

"...winchester x2..." Which one? The turkey gun or the sporting clays gun? If it's the turkey gun, quit using slugs. The choke is too tight. They won't damage it(slugs being lead and therefore are softer than steel will get squeezed by the choke. That can throw off the accuracy), but the gun is made for producing very tight patterns with shot. The sporting clays gun should have come with changeable chokes. Use the 'improved cylinder' choke for slugs. You can get extra barrels for your shotgun too. Not exactly cheap though.
"...All 3 hit the target..." How close together and at what distance? What kind of barrel and what choke does it have? Slugs tend to work better with a more open choke. However, a slug won't damage a barrel in good condition if it has a tighter choke.

It must be the sporting clay one because it has a smooth bore and came with 3 different screw-on chokes. One says "full", one says "1/2" and the 3rd says "1/4".

I was firing the 3" rifled slugs with a posted velocity of 1750fps with the "full" choke installed. I was actually surprised that the kick wasn't much harder than with the 3" 1250fps bird shot I was firing before. Almost no difference.

I fired at a 20" by 20" target at 50 yards and all 3 hit within a few inches of each other.
Then I fired at a 20" by 20" target at 100 yards and all 3 hit the target within a couple inches of each other too. The 100 yard target was so far away, I couldn't even make out the circles and the bullseye... I just generally shot at the target itself, so they all hit a bit towards the top left corner of the target. I did not shoot them in immediate succession either...shot one, then looked at the barrel to make sure it wasn't clogged, loaded another round..aimed and shot again ..etc..

So if a few specs or dirt won't cause a KABOOM, I can guess that a tiny bit of water from rain or snow won't cause it to go KABOOM either? It really has to be "plugged" ?

Patrick

 

[bogie]

I tripped once while duck hunting in a marsh with my Remmie 870 Wingmaster and somehow I had opened the chamber. Likely I was carrying it unloaded but the mech release got hit on the way down. I am left handed and it was in my left at the time. Anyways, I looked down after I got up and saw the chamber full of mud and marsh grass-crammed. I took the barrel off and cleaned all the muck out I could and checked the barrel. Shot like a champ the rest of the day. It is important to check the barrel first of all always. Of course I cleaned it thoroughly when I got home. 16 at the time. Should never have sold that gun. Fit me so well. Never seen a kaboom or heard of one from anyone I shot with and that was 40 years ago-there were a lot more people with shotguns then.

 

[12magnum]

that's interesting. most choke tubes i've seen i.e. rem. win. invect. or m.c. have the choke marked on them as full,mod. impcly. etc. the 1/2 and 1/4 was the british choke definition. i've seen a few cases where a reload was a dud on the first shot, left the shot column in the barrel, pump action, and the shooter pumped the action and fired again!!! he got a KABOOM.