Sad day for my M15 - bulged barrel

C

carguychris

New member
I took my early 1970s vintage S&W Model 15 to the range the other day.

The last time I shot it, I had a squib load with one of my handloads. I fortunately noticed immediately that something wasn't right and ceased firing, so it was only the one bullet. Several weeks later, I finally got around to soaking the bore in Kano Kroil and hammering the bullet out with a brass rod. No big deal, right?

Anyways, I noticed during my recent range trip that my groups seem to have opened up, and there were more flyers than usual. When I went to clean the gun after I got home, there was a distinct ring in the bore about 1" from the muzzle, and I realized that the barrel is bulged. :(

Given the stories I've heard about M15's withstanding much more severe abuse, I'm really surprised that it only took one squib, but it is what it is. :confused:

I'm in debate as to whether to attempt to fix it, sell the gun (with full disclosure), or just keep it and live with the fact that it's not the tack driver it once was. :(

Thoughts?
 
A guy here managed to stick just a bullet jacket and bulge his barrel by blowing it out. (Don't load a JSP like a lead wadcutter.)

The bulge was not large, he only found it when a tight cleaning patch "jumped" the bulge. It was mid-barrel, not obvious from the outside and might have shot ok. But he couldn't stand the thought so he sent it back to S&W for a new barrel.

Does S&W still have barrels of that vintage? Maybe not but you could ask.
Otherwise I would check with somebody still doing PPC guns, Frank Glenn, maybe, and ask if he had a takeoff.
 
Wondering how you could possibly have bulged the barrel with a round that didn't have enough pressure to get the bullet out of the barrel...

Is it visible on the exterior of the barrel?
 
Salmoneye said:
Is it visible on the exterior of the barrel?
Click to expand...
No, but you can discern it with finger pressure.

That said, the gun has nickel finish, which makes it more difficult to pick out small variations in contour.
 
While I would not have any expectations S+W would have a NOS barrel on hand...you never know till you ask.
They also may be helpful regarding options.

Good luck!
 
I too am confused. It could be due to my own ignorance. I can understand a second bullet striking a squib and causing the bulge. I do not understand a squib itself causing the bulge unless it was an oversized bullet.

I will now read responses and learn.
 
I really wonder if it's possible that the squib that you found lodged in the barrel was the first one you FOUND and that perhaps it is possible that it happened before that one? I also wonder about a bulge in a barrel where the bullet did not exit.

One of my friends who has many Model 10's (don't we all! :D) picked up a former issued/duty gun and I discovered a nice bulge in the barrel when cleaning it but that revolver shoots extremely well. It's unfortunate that yours does not.

I agree that this is a sad day.
 
Yes, I am curious. My one squib-with my reloads-was in my 4" M-57. The bullet wedged in the forcing cone, locking up the revolver.
 
Sevens said:
I really wonder if it's possible that the squib that you found lodged in the barrel was the first one you FOUND and that perhaps it is possible that it happened before that one?
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Excellent point. Although I don't recall an abnormal report with the previous shot, I suppose it's possible.
HighValleyRanch said:
1" from the muzzle?
Any reason that you can't just shorten the barrel by cutting, and crowning (and adding a new front sight of course)?
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Iffy; the bulge is really close to the front locking lug, almost right above it.
 
Howdy

I too don't quite believe that a bullet stuck in the barrel would cause a ringed barrel by itself. Generally, a ringed barrel in a revolver happens when a bullet is fired into a bullet already stuck in the barrel. The second bullet striking the first one causes the lead to expand in diameter, and a bulge results. But a bullet that did not have enough oomph to escape the barrel in the first place? I can't see how that would cause a bulged barrel. I have helped lots of cowboys in CAS remove stuck bullets from their barrels. Have never seen one result in a ring, unless a second bullet was fired into it.

You state this gun is from the 1970s. I am assuming you bought it used. Can you really be sure the bulge was not there when you bought it? Could it be that you noticed your groups opening up, and then noticed a bulge that has been there all along? Perhaps there is some other reason for your groups to have opened up?

I have an old 38 M&P that is somewhere around 100 years old at this point. Somewhere in those 100 years somebody ringed the barrel. I only noticed it when I was peering down the barrel one day. The gun shoots just as good as any of my other old M&Ps.
 
That usually happens when another round is fired after the squib left a slug in the barrel. Whatever, will need a new barrel and that may cost as much as buying another revolver after parts and labor. Bummer.
 
Howdy Again

There is another solution short of a new barrel. Since the bulge is 1" from the muzzle, it is possible for a smith to back bore the barrel, removing the rifling to a point behind the bulge. Then you have a new crown, down inside the barrel.

I know of one Cowboy Shooter who had this done and it worked out fine. I am assuming your Model 15 has the standard 4" barrel, so that would leave you with a barrel that is effectively about 3" long.
 
"...bulged the barrel with a round that..." It's caused by firing another round. Usually blows the first one out after causing the barrel to bulge before it actually blows. You don't need to feel anything. You can see a ring inside the barrel.
A squib without the following bullet won't bulge anything.
1" from the muzzle can be cut off, re-crowned and another front sight put on. Probably for less than replacing the barrel.
 
Driftwood Johnson said:
You state this gun is from the 1970s. I am assuming you bought it used. Can you really be sure the bulge was not there when you bought it?
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Yes, I've cleaned it dozens of times, and never before noticed the "skip" when pulling a patch through.

After reading the responses here, I'm becoming convinced that a bullet must have gotten stuck on the previous shot, and the abnormal shot I felt must have cleared the previous stuck bullet out. It makes sense. I can't fathom how one under-pressure load would have done this.
Driftwood Johnson said:
There is another solution short of a new barrel. Since the bulge is 1" from the muzzle, it is possible for a smith to back bore the barrel, removing the rifling to a point behind the bulge. Then you have a new crown, down inside the barrel.
Click to expand...
I might just look into that.

BTW I have thousands of rounds through this gun, and it's not pristine - it had ~85% finish when I bought it for $265. If I choose not to fix it, at least I can argue that I got my money's worth in use out of it.
 
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Don't shoot groups with it anymore and you'll probably never notice any deterioration in accuracy.
There's lots of shooting fun to be had without shooting groups.
See how simple life can be.
 
Well let me through a compliment your way for being so open minded about what might have happened and not getting defensive. My thought would have been that the bulge was there before you bought the gun but that thought would have been wrong as you've already stated.

it is possible for a smith to back bore the barrel, removing the rifling to a point behind the bulge. Then you have a new crown, down inside the barrel.
Click to expand...

I seem to remember back in the 1980's that Anschutz did this with some of their target .22 rifles. That is, their rifling stopped well short of the muzzle but I can't find any documentation for it so take it with a grain of salt.
 
Is it possible for a (relatively) slow moving bullet to tumble within and get stuck in a barrel bulge that was already there?
 
I seem to remember that they found that 16 inches was the optimum length for .22 long rifle for accuracy. Any longer and the bore length, recoil, shot reaction came into play, so in order to keep the longer sight radius they did just that.
 
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