Ruger OM 44 Convertible

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sixshot

Buckeye
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
1,835
Location
soda springs, idaho
How many of you have ever seen an old model SBH convertible? Probably no one but I saw one today. A buddy of mine just got it back from Ruger, he had sent it in for a taller front sight & since it had an earlier conversion to the transfer bar & had broken, he had it replaced at the same time. This is a hard way to end up with a convertible!!
Ruger did a very nice job, they also reblued the old 3 screw & put a nice new set of factory laminated stocks on it. Even though the gun was a SBH it had been changed to a round trigger guard & aluminum grip frame, nice touch & the gun had shot very well before being sent in.
My friend called me early this morning & gave me the low down. He had went up into his upper pasture & started shooting it from the bench. His loads were 9 grs of Unique with a 300 gr GC bullet sized .431", also he had some that had 10 grs of Unique, again with the same bullet.
He told me he had fired 2 rounds & when he fired #3 he blew the top strap clear off & the top 3 chambers of the cylinder. The top of the frame that goes over the barrel was gone, also the back of the top strap including all of the rear sight.
He showed up at my house 2 hours later, I was amazed that he hadn't been hurt, not even a scratch on his hands. He couldn't find the top strap or any of the cylinder but he did hear it launch. The barrel actually looks like it can be reused, no crack in the forcing cone, etc. but for sure it will have to go back to Ruger, hopefully they can tell exactly what happened.
When he handed me the gun he again said that he only fired 3 rounds, 5 of rounds had fired & the sixth one was the next one up on the left side of center. The case had been ruptured badly & all the powder was out of the case but the cast bullet was still in the case!
I didn't pull the base pin but I actually think he had fired 5 rounds instead of 3, if I had pulled the base pin I could have seen if the primers had been struck but I wanted to leave the gun intact so Ruger could asses the problem.
The barrel was perfectly clean, so it hadn't been anything lodged in the barrel & the gun did exactly as designed when there is an overload......double charge, & that is, the cylinder let go on the top 3 holes. Its my guess that it had to be a double charge even though he said he was loading on a single stage press & weighing every charge.
I believe he failed to move his powder funnel, just a guess, & ended up with a double dose of a fast powder. He is a long time, 40+ years handloader.
I think the SBH 44's are maxed out in the reloading manuls at about 36,000 & proofed somewhere around 80,000 so what ever happened was an enormous pressure spike that could have been a disaster. Yes, he's out a $500 sixgun but still has both eyes & all his fingers, very lucky.
This is the second 44 SBH I have seen blown up in the last 3 years, glad I wasn't standing there watching either time. I pulled the bullet from one round & it held 9.9 grs of Unique, which is a pretty stiff load with a 300 gr slug. Heavy bullets are usually better with slower powders when you start to get into the higher end velocities.
When you blow the cylinder & top strap you end up with a convertible!

This is the original gun when I owned it a few years ago.

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This is the same gun today after it was remodeled into a convertible.

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AT this point there are more questions than aswers but I'm still leaning towards a double charge of Unique. Thoughts?

Dick
 

Fowler

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
106
Been there and done that I hate to say.

Mine was a 45 colt with HS6 but same end result. I single staged the loads and hurried not checking a extremely important step and it cost me, I didnt check the bullet tray with a light to ensure all of the cases had equal powder charges. I wasnt hurt but boy did I learn a thing or two that day!

Guys pay attention when loading, a second of carelessness caused my double charge and I am sure it caused this one as well...
 

contender

Ruger Guru
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
25,142
Location
Lake Lure NC USA
Ouch!
Glad to know he's not hurt, other than the loss of the gun.
I love convertables, but not that variety.
I seem to recall that gun. It's a prefix Super that somebody flattopped the rear sight area. That's a shame. It'll be interesting to see what Ruger has to say, but I believe you are right, a double charge, and a heavy bullet. Oops! It goes back to what I've always preferred, a powder that fills or almost fills the case to the bottom of the bullet. If you double charge those, it spills all over the place.
 

Sheriff

Single-Sixer
Joined
May 4, 2010
Messages
461
Location
Oklahoma
Saw something similar (was actually standing on the line next to it) when an officer friend of mine was qualifying with his ruger Security-Six and it did the same thing. At the time, the small dept I was working for required quarterly qualifications and supplied primer and powder and presses, we supplied brass and bullets. The powder was Unique. The best conclusion anyone could come up with was 'double charge' even though the offficer swore he double checked his charged cases before seating the bullet.

Your friends OM looks exactly as I remember the Security-Six looking. Double charge would be my 'best' guess.
 

Jeff Hoover

Blackhawk
Joined
Feb 25, 2009
Messages
919
Use enough dynamite, there, Butch ? :lol:

Glad he is OK......if he had callshot brass, it would have contained itself to the brass only.......Tell 'em Steve !

For kicks, I googled callshot Brass.......You're famous Steve ! :lol:
 

Paracletecomes

Bearcat
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Messages
5
Location
Under the shade and in the sand
I have never seen anything like that, very crazy. Thank God he walked away with no shrapnel. Everyday I wake up I'm grateful to God for both eyes, both arms and both legs. Not everyone is to fortunate or blessed, so I'm sure glad he kept his eyes!
 

HAWKEYE#28

Moderator
Staff member
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Jun 27, 2003
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Near North Woods,MINN, USA
I AM A BIT SURPRISED THAT RUGER WORKED ON THE GUN, SEEING HOW THE TOP STRAP WAS MODIFIED. IN THE PAST THEY EITHER WOULD NOT DO SO, OR, THE GUN WOULD BE RETURNED TO ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION AND THEN WORKED ON.........JUST SAYIN'. ANY WORD ON THEIR OBSERVATIONS IF THE GUN WAS SENT BACK TO THEM?
 

sixshot

Buckeye
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
1,835
Location
soda springs, idaho
Ruger has sent comfirmation that they have the gun now, no word yet as to what they found or what they are going to do. I'll let everyone know when my buddy hears from them again.

Dick
 
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