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| One of Us |
In my first post on this forum I'm looking for input from knowledgeable 500 mag big-bore shooters. I especially would appreciate a reply from Whitworth, who I am told from a helpful member on the 24hour campground is the expert who can really answer my questions. If Whitworth is who I believe him to be, I thoroughly enjoy his book on big-bore shooting! My revolver is eight years old and in that time I estimate that I have fired about 200 total 400gr Win Supreme and 440gr CorBon heavy factory loads, 400 mild mid-range reloads using Titegroup and XTP bullets, and about 200 loads using LilGun (35-38gr powder with 350gr XTP) with LG being the most recent. I did not notice the erosion until the LG was used. My concern is the degree of barrel face erosion; when is it time to get the gun re barreled? The face of the barrel is rough and looks and feels like the surface of a fingernail emery board. The opposing face of the cylinder charge holes is absolutely smooth with no roughness at all. Barrel/cyl gap is .005" and there is very tight lockup and no end shake. Under magnification I can't see any cracks in the barrel face. Of course there is some flame cutting on the bottom of the top strap, but it isn't excessive, looks nothing like the barrel face, and doesn't seem to be progressing. The big questions are am I nearing, or at, the time for a new barrel, is there any other viable solution, or am I worrying about nothing? I don't want to remove the base, 4 rings and scope to send it to S&W unless absolutely necessary, but safety is my first concern. As an aside, I have stopped using TG and LG and am happy with the performance of IMR4227 which I think is a more barrel friendly powder. Helpful input will be appreciated. Thanks to everyone, and I hope to Whitworth, who replies! Merry Christmas to all! Defend the 2A - if you can't fight for your rights you don't have any! | ||
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A photo would help here ! | |||
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I couldn't agree more but my shooting skills are better than my computing skills. I read how to do it in another part of the forum but to no avail. Defend the 2A - if you can't fight for your rights you don't have any! | |||
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Thank you for the kind words. They are much appreciated! I don't know about being an expert, but I will try to shed some light on this situation. First of all I would say the suspect powder is definitely LilGun. It has been well documented, by the likes of Freedom Arms, to erode metal, particularly when shooting light-for-caliber bullets. Secondly, barrels used by Smith & Wessson on the X-frames are by Lother Walther, and are extremely tough -- particularly given the application. The damage you have witnessed is (I believe) still within safe and functional parameters, the caveat being that should you observe an increase in erosion, you should consider having Smith & Wesson replace the barrel. Since you have ceased and desisted in using the offending powder, you are probably okay. If performance hasn't fallen off, I would think you are okay and the cylinder/barrel gap is still within an acceptable range. The pitting indicates the actual loss of material and the first to go are the softer materials, so what remains is the harder material. Hope this helps. Max "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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Thank you, Max, that puts my mind at ease! I'll keep an eye on it and if it worsens I will ship it to S&W. Big-Bore Revolvers is great, please keep the books and articles coming.  Defend the 2A - if you can't fight for your rights you don't have any! | |||
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Max, if you are interested, and would want to see a photo of the barrel face I will gladly send it to an email address or perhaps in a pm. Just let me know. Defend the 2A - if you can't fight for your rights you don't have any! | |||
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| Moderator |
Would love to see them. PM on the way. "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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I am on my 3rd .500 S&W for just that reason. One the erosion gets too bad, or it appears to be flame cut, it can and will start spitting "stuff" back at you and your face. The latest one I have appears to have had the forcing cone somewhat more polished. | |||
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Hello Is this erosion caused by a certain powder, or, is it from the amount of shots fired? Mark | |||
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| Moderator |
It's the powder - LilGun. "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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Then I'll have to certainly change the powder that I use! Thanks for the advice. | |||
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Yes, guys, I'll never shoot another round loaded with LilGun again, and I have about 20 loaded with 38gr understand 350gr Hornady XTP. Thanks to everyone who has replied, I appreciate the terrificinterest and response. I posd the same question about a year ago on a forum devotedto S&W and only had a couple reply postings. This forum is great! Defend the 2A - if you can't fight for your rights you don't have any! | |||
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Excuse the typos in the previous posting,but you can get my drift! Defend the 2A - if you can't fight for your rights you don't have any! | |||
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So about how many rounds before you get serious problems. | |||
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As long as the pistol is shooting accurate I wouldn't rebarrel. Leave the build up in the top strap cutting and that will help retard any further erosion in that area. LilGun is a forcing cone cutter for sure. I use H-110/296 instead. _____________________________________________________ A 9mm may expand to a larger diameter, but a 45 ain't going to shrink Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened. - Winston Churchill | |||
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Has Lilgun been seen to cause erosion in the small(er) caliber magnums? (41 Mag, 44 Mag) sputster | |||
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Good info never knew that about Lil Gun and I have never used it, but I do have some. Looks like I'll be selling it Member NRA, NFA,CSSA,DSC,SCI,AFGA | |||
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I , too, would like to know. Thank you. | |||
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The magic number seems to be somewhere between 600 and 700 rounds. | |||
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So about how many rounds before you get serious problems.[/QUOTE] Between 600 and 700 rounds seems to be the magic number and I haven't shot the new one much yet but you can bet I will be changing powder before I do. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Handgun Hunting S&W 500 barrel face erosion-how much is too much?
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