A good friend of mine just called me to tell me that his wife just had a gun blow up in her hands. She was at the range shooting the practical portion of her CCW course, firing a brand-new .38 revolver using standard 158 grain non +P ammo and on the 21st round it blew. Fortunately, she was not seriously injured; only a small scratch on her forehead, and no bystanders were hurt. He wanted my advice as to what he should do. I suggested he first make sure they secure any unfired ammo and any pieces of the weapon they can find. I also suggest he get a written statement from the instructor and any other witnesses. What other actions can you all think of?

Thanks for your help.

By the tone of your email.... "written statement from the instructor and any other witnesses" it sounds to me like somebody is trying to get rich.

If nobody was hurt, be thankful.

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Originally posted by fireball168:
By the tone of your email.... "written statement from the instructor and any other witnesses" it sounds to me like somebody is trying to get rich.

If nobody was hurt, be thankful.

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Or protect themselves from someone else who wants to get rich! Immediate, factual information works both ways!

Or maybe they want to be able to say who's fault
it WASN'T so they MAY be intitled to a new gun.

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Originally posted by fireball168:
By the tone of your email.... "written statement from the instructor and any other witnesses" it sounds to me like somebody is trying to get rich.

If nobody was hurt, be thankful.

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Isn't it a shame most of us have become so cynical as to jump to conclusions based on very little information.

No, in fact my friend is not interested in any litigation to "get rich"--just a replacement for this brand-new firearm. My suggestion of obtaining statements comes from my training and experience performing aircraft mishap investigations. I believe such statements will be helpful in dealing with large corporations whom manufacture ammunition and firearms. The thread on this site concerning Sako's rifles and their reaction to product failures leads me to believe there may be challenges in obtaining a replacement firearm. Further, I purposely did not post details as to what model/manufacturer of either the ammo or the weapon as to avoid creating a stir or motivating others to attempt to profit from this unfortunate mishap.

My friends are not out to "get rich" for if they were, they would not be my friends.

Not too surprised. Last month I went to pick up my new S&W 642 (38spl) and the dealer noticed a previously unnoticed hairline crack through the bottom third of the barrel. A very slight, hairline crack that could only be seen if held in the light a certain way.

So, yes, it could have blown on the 21st shot, or the 10th, etc. Who know what other defects were hidden elsewhere.

I have heard that if you send them the gun the failure will never have happened and the gun will no longer excist.

TMT,

Yes, I would write to the manufacturer. I would include some pictures of the gun's fragments.

Whoever made the gun owes your friend's wife a new gun and an apology. I think the apology might well take the form of a an upgrade in finish, a nice presentation box, and a case or two of ammunition. That's the least I'd do to make a customer less (rightfully) that pissed off about my product.

Is it S&W? I understand they make bicycles. They ought to send along His & Hers mountain bikes. I'm serious. If the manufacturer is not suitably impressed with the need to make this right, then make sure they get a picture of the scratch on his wife's forehead.

There is no need to put anyone out of business, and none of these remedies would do that. At the same time, a few freebies to restore goodwill is not something your friend should feel guilty about.

H. C.

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Originally posted by quicksdraw45:
I have heard that if you send them the gun the failure will never have happened and the gun will no longer excist.

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I would send pictures, and when they offered me something nice for bringing it to their attention; at that point, I would send in all the pieces.

H. C.

Last Monday I was hunting quali with a friend when his Meffert 16 ga SxS blew 3" in front of the chamber. This was a Krupp steel barrel made in 1921 that looked new. The load was 16ga Winchester SuperX #7. The guide said 3 weeks previously he had guided a gent who had 3 Win factory shells of the same type fail to blow the wad out.
Dom't tell me he had mud in the barrel, we were walking along a lane and had just shot 2 birds.. This was his 4th shot. No, he didn't have any 20ga shells in his coat.
Fortunaely he only broke the end of one finger and lost his nail. He hunted that afternoon with my Berettta. Tough old bird!
He said he couldn't accuse Winchester without more evidence but he was gong to contact them. He was more upset about an irreplaceable gun than his hand.

The ammo maker should be contacted as this is most likely the problem. If it was reloads then there is no case even if it was a gun problem.

John,

Wasn't trying to get your dander up on my earlier statement...although I think we all live in the same overly litigious world. Based on the amount of stuff we are reading here lately, it is pretty easy to jump to a conclusion.

Anyway, I think I would be taking some detailed pictures, in the best lighting possible, of the firearm, the brass that came out of the firearm before, and after the event, as well as any personal injury that occurred. If the ammunition was factory loaded, take pictures of the box with the lot number, showing the number of rounds left in the box.

Then send it to everybody involved, the retailers involved, the manufacturers, the range, etc. Make sure everybody is copied. Sit back and watch.

I contacted Speer over the holidays regarding some 50AE factory loads that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that are overloaded. They weren't interested in having the remainding cartridges back, as they said "we looked up the load data for that batch, and it was quite mild, in fact milder than your reloads". Too bad, as I HAD been using Speer components for years....never again.

Best of luck in trying to get a decent answer, and again I'm glad nobody was hurt.

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Originally posted by Major Farner:
She was … using standard 158 grain non +P ammo…

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I'm looking through this thread for some indication as to whether the rounds were factory-new, commercially remanufactured or reloaded. You subsequently mention:

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I purposely did not post details as to what model/manufacturer of either the ammo or the weapon as to avoid creating a stir or motivating others to attempt to profit from this unfortunate mishap.

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I cannot resist asking "Who's being cyncial now?," but that does suggest that the rounds weren't "basement reloads."

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Originally posted by quicksdraw45:
I have heard that if you send them the gun the failure will never have happened and the gun will no longer excist.

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Those who post this type of "I heard that" gunshop grapevine stuff on my own Forum generally don't last too long.

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Originally posted by fireball168:
I contacted Speer over the holidays regarding some 50AE factory loads that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that are overloaded. They weren't interested in having the remainding cartridges back, as they said "we looked up the load data for that batch, and it was quite mild, in fact milder than your reloads". Too bad, as I HAD been using Speer components for years....never again.

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I've re-read this twice now, and I'm at a loss to understand how you determined that the factory rounds were in fact over-loaded, #1, and, #2, what Speer ammo has to do with your use of Speer components?

Or is that just an expression of your personal pique at that division of ATK, and your declamation of "I'll show them!?"