Barrel rupture

[Mike from OK]

We all take great pains to avoid this. And with modern materials it is a rare occurrence... usually requiring an engineered/contrived scenario or a serious case of ignorance/wrecklessness.

But how common was it in earlier times when barrels were fashioned by hand?

In Osborne Russell's 'Journal of a Trapper' a member of their party goes missing. He was never found, presumed dead, and Russell noted that one of the possible misfortunes that befell him was that his gun barrel ruptured and killed him.

I found it interesting that Russell mentioned barrel rupture as a possible misfortune. Was it common enough that it would be one of the main suspected causes for a person to lose their life in spite of all the other dangers a trapper in the Rockies would face?

Mike

[rich pierce]

I’d say with a rifle it would be a lot less frequent than with a trade gun. But he should have been carrying a rifle.

[Roger B]

I've read most of the fur trade journals that are available & Russel's is the only mention that I've ever seen.  I did read an entry about a "percussing tube" blowing out, though I'm not sure what the writer was referring to.  Perhaps a drum & nipple arrangement.  A lot of trappers went under without a trace, so it may have been more common than we think, but I seriously doubt it. The trade rifle suppliers made pretty good products in the interest of keeping their contracts.
Roger B.   

[Daryl]

The nipple was the "tube", from British nomenclature.
Forsyth spoke of the "Tube" and which end should be constricted for the flash-hole.

[Hungry Horse]

One of the rifles on the Lewis and Clark expedition ruptured a barrel. It was one of the Harpers Ferry rifles, and obviously it ruptured somewhere beyond the forearm, because it was shortened and presented to one of their native guides. Probably was short started, and fired without roaming the ball down on the powder.

  Hungry Horse

[Mike Brooks]

French trade guns were notorious for barrel failures.

[longcruise]

My memory of the Osborne journal entry was pretty much a conjecture that "perhaps his percussion tube burst".  I think they were in the Yellowstone country.

[wmrike]

Would a blown barrel necessarily have been tantamount to a fatality?  I will let you decide whether or not there is a viable analogy, but some pretty spectacular barrel/action bursts involving modern firearms rarely result in more than a bruised and mildly cut left hand.  I am certain that today's eye protection quietly contributes the absence of permanent trauma.

[Hungry Horse]

 I think unless there was a breech plug issue, most barrel ruptures occurred after the loaded had traveled down the bore a ways, and built up pressure. So, likely many survived barrel ruptures without, or with only minor injuries.
 I believe many more rupture occurred after the conversion to percussion, especially in smoothbores with light barrels.

  Hungry Horse

[Mike from OK]

My memory of the Osborne journal entry was pretty much a conjecture that "perhaps his percussion tube burst".  I think they were in the Yellowstone country.

You got me to thinking so I went and looked it up... Yellowstone country is correct.

"July 31st:

...The next day we concluded to stop at this place for the lost man and four men went in search of him, and returned at night without any tidings of him whatever. It was then agreed that his gun had bursted and killed him or his horse had fallen over some tremendous precipice."

Mike

[Darkhorse]

My memory of the Osborne journal entry was pretty much a conjecture that "perhaps his percussion tube burst".  I think they were in the Yellowstone country.

You got me to thinking so I went and looked it up... Yellowstone country is correct.

"July 31st:

...The next day we concluded to stop at this place for the lost man and four men went in search of him, and returned at night without any tidings of him whatever. It was then agreed that his gun had bursted and killed him or his horse had fallen over some tremendous precipice."

Mike

Sounds like some of those old hunters had healthy imaginations. But limited though as they only admit to 2 possible causes. I would guess that having only one shot contributed to more deaths than bursting barrels or horses falling over cliffs.

[Mike from OK]

Darkhorse, in the same journal entry Russell goes on to state that the man was 55 years old and had 30 years experience in the wilderness...

I'm thinking mid 50's would make the guy a prime candidate for a heart attack.

But the fact that his horse was not found leads me to think there may have been other things at play.

We'll never know. But the fact that gun rupture was one of the conclusions stuck in my mind.

Mike

[Notchy Bob]

I've seen several references to ruptured barrels, especially with trade muskets. Samuel Hearne mentioned it, and attributed the problem to the natives' use of odd projectiles when they could not get proper balls.  However, left hand injuries related to firearms accidents were not unusual on the frontier.  Didn't Thomas "Broken Hand" Fitzpatrick get his nickname that way?

There are some old illustrations showing trappers with a spare ramrod carried in the rifle bore.  This was not simply a convenient place to carry the spare rod.  I can't speak from personal experience, but I understand that a patched round ball, in a rifle carried on horseback all day, can "drift" up the bore, creating a dead space between the ball and the powder charge, resulting in the same effect as short-starting the ball.  A spare ramrod carried in the bore might help keep the ball in place, and would also allow for a quick visual check.  If the ball had drifted, a smart push on the rod before withdrawing it would re-seat the ball and prevent possible barrel rupture.

Notchy Bob

[longcruise]

I think there were hostiles about in the Russel event so that could account for the disappearance of the man and his horse.

That may have been the same hunt where he and his companions lost their entire outfit to Blackfeet and had a very long walk to rejoin their group.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Here's a barrel rupture from the mid 80's...in this case the barrel was double balled, and the second ball hydraulicked up the bore several inches.  We never found the hammer.  No one was injured, but all shooting stopped for the day.

[Nordnecker]

Gadzooks! Was that a modern steel Barrel? I can't believe how it split in straight lines like that.

[Mike Brooks]

The gun I blew looked just like that. Only difference is my Buds kept right on shooting once they confirmed all my body parts were intact.

[Robby]

General Knox, Washingtons artillery General was missing fingers on one hand as a result of a barrel failure while duck hunting.
Robby

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

The example I gave is a 1" x .54 cal. Sharon barrel.  There were shreds of the patch in the torn steel at the end of the split.

[Pukka Bundook]

Taylor,
That's the first time I have seen a classic "Banana peel " split ,..... from the Breech end!
That would be Noisy!

[Mike Brooks]

Taylor,
That's the first time I have seen a classic "Banana peel " split ,..... from the Breech end!
That would be Noisy!

It is VERY loud, believe me. it's like being hit in the head with a wet mop. My top flat disappeared, never to be seen again. The short started ball was still in the barrel.

[Mike Brooks]

Barrel ruptures in the old days weren't always considered the end of the road, I have seen quite a few brazed repairs.

[Hungry Horse]

 A friend bought an antique trade gun at a gun show. When we disassembled it, we found that it had ruptured its barrel under the forearm. The wood showed no damage, so I always suspected the barrel ruptured during proofing, and was repaired.


  Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

Gadzooks! Was that a modern steel Barrel? I can't believe how it split in straight lines like that.

That barrel's maker should be published.Too many barrels are around now that were
made from extra easy to machine steels that were never intended for the stresses of
what goes on when a sudden,abrupt internal pressure occurs. I know barrel makers
get defensive about this but IF they have confidence in their products they wouldn't
have to be.
One other thing to look at is the idea of extreme powder charges.The guns I have seen
with original powder measures or flasks do not indicate extreme charges of any kind.
The powder makers/sellers may like the idea of big loads but common sense must be
a factor as well.
Bob Roller

[Marcruger]

"The powder makers/sellers may like the idea of big loads but common sense must be
a factor as well."

Common sense seems mighty uncommon these days.  Even here on ALR we get questions like, "Can I shoot 120 grains of 3f in a .45?"  I just shake my head. 

My opinion is that with traditional muzzleloaders we have no business shooting at long ranges with open sights and rainbow trajectories.  If hunting is involved, why would someone shoot something that lives and breathes at relatively long ranges?  My ethics must be different than these folks.  Large charges for "flatter trajectory" have no place in my book. 

The other reason I hear is more powder for more power in a given bore.  My answer to that is, if you need a harder hitting load, you need a bigger bore.  Many animals have been taken cleanly with moderate volumes of powder. 

Getting close enough to place a ball in the right spot is of course key. 

With moderate loads and pressures, I believe most modern barrels will easily outlast us if loaded correctly.

My apologies if my rant here has offended. 

God Bless,   Marc