Buckmark Kaboom

Ammunition was Winchester Xpert .22 Lot# BK91M.

More information and head scratching here.

The Walther P22

Every now and then, I get email asking me why I never recommend the Walther P22 pistol. Indeed, I see that my friend Peter has given it his recommendation in a recent blog article. The little Walther has many fans. They love the German pea shooter for it's size, and it's mimicry of the larger Walther P99.

For the record, I don't particularly care for the Walther P99 either. The P99 is not a bad pistol, I suppose it has it's niche with the transformer grip crowd as well as the James Bond fanatics who want the latest movie gun, but it never really stuck me as being anything special. It is a sufficiently accurate, and durable enough polymer 9mm pistol. That is all. The P22, however, is another story.

The Walther P22 is cursed with a zinc pot metal slide. The pistol had been on the market for approximately six months when the first reports of slide failures began to appear on internet forums. Many opinions on the internet should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism, but when corroborating photography accompanies the reports, and time and again, the slides are shown exhibiting failures in the same areas, it behoves the reader to take notice and pay attention.

The 22 cartridge is not a round that is reloaded. These failures can not be blamed on poorly loaded home brew ammunition. If a 22 round could be overcharged, it is still difficult to imagine an overcharged 22 round that could do this type of damage. Even if the shooters were firing round after round of Stinger ammunition, this type of failure should not have happened with the regularity that it occurred in the Walther P22.

Even if a potential purchaser wanted to ignore the forward slide failures, blaming them on the use of hyper velocity Extreme Shok killa gorilla ammo, it is hard to deny that the subsequent cracks that appeared with frequency at the slide stop notch might be indicative of something else. That something else just might be a pot metal slide that would make a Lorcin look like a forged steel wonder gun.

Because of the regularity of these slide failures, and the potential for injury that could result from a chunk of metal leaving the frame of the gun under recoil and slamming directly into the shooter's face, I can not recommend the Walther P22 for anyone. Instead, I recommend the Ruger 22 line of pistols, or a Browning Buckmark. Either has a long track record of durability, reliability, accuracy, and a ready market for resale if the owner so chooses.

Ouch!

The load was 200 gr. Horn XTP'S with 27 gr. of H110.

More here.

Ruger Redhawk Failure

Ummmmmmmmm This ain't good.

Read about it here, at The Firing Line.

FN FiveseveN KaBoom

FN FiveseveN grenaded on him.
He admits to using reloads.
He says they were not over charged.
FN is dragging their feet.
Go figure.

Click the pic to see a photo of the guy's hand.
Go here to see more photos and join in the discussion.

AK-47 Kaboom

Anaconda Ka-Boom

A double charge of Titegroup in a Colt Anaconda.

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

Hint: Not paying attention can harm you and your gun.

Got it yet?

I share this picture and accompanying story to serve as a reminder for those of us who send lots of lead downrange as well as those shooters who are new to shooting sports. Knowing how to recognize a squib load and what to do about it is a necessary fundamental of safe firearm handling.

I have only encountered a couple squib loads in my lifetime; this is the first time one has resulted in plugging my barrel.

On the 5th shot of a rapid-fire, double-action string, the sound and recoil resulting from pulling the trigger of my Model 19-3 were substantially different. Substantially different. The bang was more like the weak "pop" of a cheap firecracker, and the recoil was practically non-existent. Fortunately, and likely due to my having taught about squib loads and their potential hazards so many times in NRA Basic Pistol course, I didn't fire that sixth shot.


I was shooting .38 Special, 158 gran SWC Factory Reloads from The Outdoor Marksman.

It turned out to be a great object lesson for my two sons and wife who were watching. Being able to open the cylinder, see the slug lodged in the barrel, and to talk about what would have happened had the sixth shot been fired was a terrific object lesson.

I'm going to make a color copy of this picture and share it with my future students when talking about the various types of ammunition malfunctions. Feel free to share these pictures if you think anyone you know could benefit from them.

From orygunmike

Pinned & Recessed

I was asked today why S&W aficionados prefer a pinned barrel.
I showed this picture.
There were no further questions.

They don't make 'em the way they used to.......

Faced with problems ranging from misfires to barrels breaking off, North Carolina has asked Smith & Wesson to replace hundreds of sidearms carried by probation and corrections officers. Some say a crush fit barrel is just as good as a pinned barrel. This is why others disagree.

"In one sense it's funny, in another, it's alarming," said Chief Deputy Correction Secretary Dan Stieneke. "On the one hand, statistically (the revolvers' performance) is not bad, but it's just the safety issue. That kind of failure gets people's attention." Yep. No kidding Chief! In previous tests of revolvers purchased in 2004, roughly one in four misfired. These were .38 caliber Model 64s. Barrels broke on the .357 caliber Model 65s. Test fires of a third revolver, the J frame Model 60, resulted in cracked or sheared barrels in four cases. The North Carolina Correction Department has asked Smith & Wesson to replace only five hundred Model 64 revolvers bought in 2004, though there have also been problems with two additional models. Eventually, the department may demand that Smith & Wesson provide replacements for all 5,000 of the department's revolvers.

MSM article
Hat tip to The Smallest Minority