Tubular magazine safety

[Bullet Bob]

In the November, 2006 issue of "Rifle" magazine, there's a very good article about tubular magazines and accidental discharges by R.W. Ballou.

I happened to pick up this issue out of a stack tonight, and thought others may be interested. He performs some tests with different bullets, primers, and calibers that I thought were very well done, and might be of interest to other levergunners.

I'll apologize in advance if it's been discussed before, I did search under the last name of the author before posting, and didn't see anything.

[RKrodle]

I haven't seen it. What did they say?

[J Miller]

In the November, 2006 issue of "Rifle" magazine, there's a very good article about tubular magazines and accidental discharges by R.W. Ballou.

I happened to pick up this issue out of a stack tonight, and thought others may be interested. He performs some tests with different bullets, primers, and calibers that I thought were very well done, and might be of interest to other levergunners.

I'll apologize in advance if it's been discussed before, I did search under the last name of the author before posting, and didn't see anything.

BB,

It has been discussed before, but not recently. And anything new on the subject is welcome. Is this article on line by any chance?

Joe

[Hobie]

IIRC he pretty much says that magazine detonations have to be set up with hard recoiling rounds using hard bullets that directly contact the primer of the round on top AND that the cartridges just split the cases not being confined enough to build up real pressure. BP would, of course, be different hence the Marlin 1881 experiences with .45-70 RN ammo of that period. That is likely what started the concern. IOW, you mostly don't have a thing to worry about.

BTW, we did discuss it in depth but on the OLD forum which is why a search produces no results here.

[RKrodle]

Thanks Hobie. I don't remember the discussion from before but that is what I had always heard.

[Levant]

That's good info, Hobie. I hunted with a Marlin 30-30 for years and never worried about the rounds in the magazine until I read about the possibility a year or two ago... A case where ignorance is bliss.