If that case had come out without a hitch, and another round had chambered, I'd have pulled the trigger and likely blown up the rifle.
Howdy
If you had gotten a bullet stuck in the bore and followed it with another one, I suspect the rifle
would not have blown up. At least not with Black Powder pressures.
I had a squib in my Uberti replica 1860 Henry at a CAS match last year. With my earplugs in and under the heat of battle, I did not hear the primer go off, I assumed I had a bad primer and I worked the lever, ejecting the round. Then I finished the stage. It was not until later, when I got my brass back, and there was no unfired round that I began to suspect I had had a squib. One of my Pards confirmed that he had heard the primer pop, but I had kept shooting too fast for him to stop me. When I got the rifle home and cleaned it, sure enough there was a slight ring in the bore, down where the primer had lodged a bullet. The next round had hit the bullet and forced it out the barrel. The gun did not blow up. These rifles have very heavy barrel cross sections, not like a pistol which probably would have blown up. The thickness of the steel in the barrel is what saved the rifle. While it is true that the toggle link rifles are not the strongest action, it was strong enough to keep the rifle in one piece. Don't get me wrong, I do not intend to duplicate the mistake, but my rifle held together fine and I have shot it a bunch since then.
For the record, this was the first time I have loaded a round without any powder in it. It happens to us all some time. I have been loading cartridges with Black Powder for many years, but somehow this one slipped by me. Next time, if I don't hear a loud boom I will stop and make sure the bullet exited the barrel, even though it will cost me time.
All my CAS rifles are chambered for 44-40, none for 45 Colt. This includes the Henry, an Uberti 1873, a couple of original Winchester Model 1892s, and an old Marlin Model 1894. I also have an original Winchester Model 1873 but it is chambered for 38-40. My 44-40 load uses the exact same amount of powder as I put into a 45 Colt round for my pistols, 2.2CC (roughly 35 grains) of FFg, usually Schuetzen. My 44-40 rounds use the Mav_Dutchman Big Lube 200 grain bullet, my 45 Colt loads use the PRS Big Lube 250 grain bullet. I have slugged all my 44-40 rifles, they vary from .427 groove diameter to .429 for the Henry and a Winchester Saddle Ring Carbine 1892 made in 1916. I used to use a .427 bullet in all my 44-40 rifles, but since buying the Henry, with its .429 groove diameter, I have upped the diameter to .428 as a compromise. I use dead soft, pure lead in my 44-40s, so the bullets may be bumping up slightly in the bore to fill the .429 rifling.
I never get any leading at all when firing Black Powder, this is in rifles and pistols. I suspect it is because BP burns hotter than Smokeless, but for what ever reason, after I clean a rifle or pistol that has been shot with Black Powder, there is never any lead, not in chambers nor bore, none. If you are getting leading, you are doing something wrong. What are you using for bullet lube, are you using something BP compatible? I lube all my BP bullets with SPG.
I am too cheap to buy originals.
You don't have to spend big bucks to buy originals, you just have to be at the right place at the right time. My original 1873 cost just a bit more than a brand new Uberti. Of course, it is not as pretty, it is pretty much devoid of finish, but I didn't buy it to look at it. Buying refinished originals is a great way to save money. I paid less for my two 1892s than brand new replicas because they had been refinished. Pretty well done too. A good refinish job can knock down the value of an original so it is affordable as a shooter.
