Anyone have their gun explode in their face?

[Aero Denezol]

It is weird, but at the range I usually fire the first shot of a rifle or shotgun out away from my face. Especially if it is my first time firing it. Maybe that isn't such a bad idea.

I do the exact same thing.. load one (1) round and hold away from my face. All metals can develop inclusions after repeated use.

 

[Spitpatch]

This I just now posted on General Firearms Discussion, regarding Prescription eyewear:

Bausch and Lomb Outdoorsman frames, scrip lenses. I opt for polarized. Have three pair: one yellow (for target shooting), one dark tinted, and one photo-brown transitional.

When I was poorer, I had only one pair. They broke just prior to a sagerat/chuck/coyote hunt in Eastern Oregon. Almost went without 'em. Phoned the optometrist, and he rushed the order, and I literally picked them up on the way out of town.

For reasons still unknown (but probably cheap brass: PMC), I experienced case head seperation while shooting at a chuck. Pieces of the Model 70 .223 went everywhere. Blew out the wood on the left side, fractured the aluminum floorplate housing, smashed the ejector button back into the bolt face, compressing the tiny spring to a solid wafer, and dismantled and broke the extractor. I had wood fragments in my cheeks, but I owe my eyes to my good Bausch and Lombs.

The gun survived. Parts from Winchester and a headspace check at the smith put it back in operation. A lesson I do not want to repeat. God issues you one set of binoculars. He expects you to have them when you muster out.

 

[KONE KILLER]

This was an 18 inch barrel.

Now it looks like it is gonna be about a 10" barrel. It would make for a great rock salt riot gun!!
j/k, glad you are ok!! That could of been a trip to the slab for sure!

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I have been shooting my handloaded sabot/roundball slugs out of my 18 inch Mossberg for over 24 years with no issues. It's a standard smoothbore. The sabot is a shotcup

 

[rolandson]

ouch.

 

[blitz]

I have been shooting my handloaded sabot/roundball slugs out of my 18 inch Mossberg for over 24 years with no issues. It's a standard smoothbore. The sabot is a shotcup

yeah they make sabot slugs designed for smoothbores too such as the brenneke KO's

 

[Spitpatch]

It is weird, but at the range I usually fire the first shot of a rifle or shotgun out away from my face. Especially if it is my first time firing it. Maybe that isn't such a bad idea.

Really? I guess I have a bit more faith in my guns. If my faith (and firearms choices) were as fragile as this, I would be well aware that the disaster could happen on ANY discharge, and not believe I'd insulated myself by only suspecting the first shot.

Having said that, I have actually employed the old technique of strapping a questionable gun to a tire and firing it with a "remote" (string attached to the trigger while standing a distance away). An old Mexican Mauser was a test subject with this technique, also a .50-70 Sharps Carbine, and an old 8-bore blackpowder side-by-side "stopping rifle".

Once proving themselves repeatedly being held by the "Michelin Man", I trust them implicitly, and engage in no theatrics, and never with a modern gun.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I have done the tire thing too, especially with repro blackpowder guns like my Murdoch Scottish pistols and a few old surplus guns

 

[Cougfan2]

I can't think of anything other than an obstruction that would have made the barrel blow up that way.

 

[Nwcid]

I know you said it wasn't, but I really don't see how this could NOT be a barrel obstruction. First off, all slugs will shoot through all barrels without something like this happening. Ammunition makers do make slugs recommended for this or that type of barrel, but a 12 Ga. slug will shoot through any 12 Ga. barrel regardless of choke without a catastrophic failure of this type taking place. If they didn't ammunition makers would be sued out of existence in very short order. Especially in today's sue crazy legal climate.

Sorry but that is just not true. There are too many variations for sure. I will agree that they are sized small enough to be fired safely though up to a full choke.

Here is one, <broken link removed>
"Slugs may be fired through choke tubes except those with X-Full constrictions or designated "Turkey tubes". Generally, open choke tube constrictions will produce more consistently accurate groups. The "Improved Cylinder" tube is a popular choice for slug shooting".

Then also there are guns like the Mossberg 835 that has an oversized barrel and and is clearly marked they are not for slugs. Here is part of the spec sheet "Non-slug models feature a wide rib with white front and brass mid-bead sights and overbored and ported barrels".

 

[142]

I've shot 3" 1.25oz Federal brand slugs (advertised 1,600fps) out of my 28" vent rib Rem barrel WITH a full choke installed. ...No problems at all. Gratefully! I might start paying attention to what choke is in after seeing your barrel, just in case a full choke vs a modified or IC creates unnecessary pressure. If there wasn't an obstruction in your barrel I'd be getting TWO new barrels from Mossberg. Glad you're fine. My cousin fired bird shot with the barrel of an Ithaca 37 submerged and it produced a similar result as yours. It also split the stock in two and launched the gun over his shoulder about 10 feet gouging his neck pretty deeply on the way. That was obviously not the guns fault...

 

[The B]

My cousin fired bird shot with the barrel of an Ithaca 37 submerged and it produced a similar result as yours. It also split the stock in two and launched the gun over his shoulder about 10 feet gouging his neck pretty deeply on the way. That was obviously not the guns fault...

Natural selection tries and fails again...

 

[Mutt]

Could a piece of one of the earlier shells have stuck in the barrel cause an obstruction. Something like part of the plastic shell or the wadding?

 

[Hardwood floor guy]

I've shot 3" 1.25oz Federal brand slugs (advertised 1,600fps) out of my 28" vent rib Rem barrel WITH a full choke installed. ...No problems at all. Gratefully! I might start paying attention to what choke is in after seeing your barrel, just in case a full choke vs a modified or IC creates unnecessary pressure. If there wasn't an obstruction in your barrel I'd be getting TWO new barrels from Mossberg. Glad you're fine. My cousin fired bird shot with the barrel of an Ithaca 37 submerged and it produced a similar result as yours. It also split the stock in two and launched the gun over his shoulder about 10 feet gouging his neck pretty deeply on the way. That was obviously not the guns fault...

Mama always said...."stupid is as stupid does"....forest gump.

 

[chemist]

The strangest thing to my eye is where the rupture occurred. Sure, the barrel gets thinner toward the muzzle, but that far along the pressure must have been far below peak.

I agree that it does not have to be an obstruction, although that may be most likely. And I don't believe that a stuck piece of plastic could slow down a slug enough to develop that kind of pressure. Surely the OP would know if the previous round squibbed or otherwise got stuck.

I've fired 3" magnum Sluggers repeatedly through a couple of Mossy 500's without a second thought. They say the Slugger and the Fed TruBall are made specifically for cylinder-bore barrels.

 

[Box13]

I think all factory slug rounds take into account the various chokes in use on most models of shotguns because of the legal problems that might arise.But there might be special slug shells that could cause troubles in some guns that I havnt run into yet.A wad stuck in a barrel from a previous squib load will in fact do just exactly what you see in that pic.Ive heard that a cleaning patch or even a piece of a leaf can do it.Its not that the slug cant push out the wad but that the wad slows the slug enough to cause a spike in pressure.Shot guns run at a lot lower pressure then a pistol or a rifle,with way thinner walls and a quick spike of just 2-3000 psi can blow a barrel.10000-10500 is usually about max on a 2 3/4 12 ga and an extra 2000 is sure to at least bulge the barrel.Glad your didnt get hurt.It would be interesting to see what mossberg would have to say about that barrel...Robin

 

[Simonpie]

All metals can develop inclusions after repeated use.

Hungh? An inclusion forming over time, or cycle count? I think I need some more explanation.

 

[fry]

^^ what he said ^^

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I have read of spider web homes in barrels that have caused this sort of destruction.. yes it can be a variety of things but it seems likely this was a squib of some sort or we are not getting the full info, somehow. It is possible it was simply a weak barrel but IMO very unlikely

 

[unklekippy]

While a squib makes sense(I had this happen in a .223 once), how do you not notice a squib in a 12 gauge? My guess is that something smaller than a 1oz. slug hung up in there. Either way, thank God you're OK. Mossberg shotguns have a decent reputation. But this right here is why I have Remington 870's.