300 Blackout Failure...and potentially a good deal on a barrel!

[atlas3025]

Well, my poor attention to detail while reloading caught up with me this weekend. I had a squib in my suppressed blackout--that somehow cycled the action! I have had one of these before where there was no powder charge, only primer, that resulted in a bullet stuck near the end of the barrel, but the gun didn't cycle that time. This time, the gun did cycle and I was caught up in the moment, and kept firing. I didn't even notice at the time.

I did notice that my POI shifted and I wasn't hitting the steel plate at 50 yards anymore. A few minutes later when I took the suppressor off, I noticed it was very hard to unthread from the gun. After some struggling, it came off. I looked at the threads on my barrel and noticed a crack going all the way into the bore. It was then I figured out what had happened. Apparently the squib bullet had made it almost out of the barrel, and so the next collided with it just short of the muzzle. The can appears to be no worse for wear, but my barrel is scrapped. It was a 10 inch AAC 1:8 barrel. I will try to post a pic later.

The upside is that I may have found a decent barrel on the cheap to replace it with.

http://www.300blktalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=179&t=80986

I don't know much about them, but figure for the price there is little risk. I think I paid $135 shipped.

I will post up results when I get it in and do some range testing.

[mikegideon]

Ouch!

[Lumber_Jack]

Well, my poor attention to detail while reloading caught up with me this weekend. I had a squib in my suppressed blackout--that somehow cycled the action! I have had one of these before where there was no powder charge, only primer, that resulted in a bullet stuck near the end of the barrel, but the gun didn't cycle that time. This time, the gun did cycle and I was caught up in the moment, and kept firing. I didn't even notice at the time.

I did notice that my POI shifted and I wasn't hitting the steel plate at 50 yards anymore. A few minutes later when I took the suppressor off, I noticed it was very hard to unthread from the gun. After some struggling, it came off. I looked at the threads on my barrel and noticed a crack going all the way into the bore. It was then I figured out what had happened. Apparently the squib bullet had made it almost out of the barrel, and so the next collided with it just short of the muzzle. The can appears to be no worse for wear, but my barrel is scrapped. It was a 10 inch AAC 1:8 barrel. I will try to post a pic later.

The upside is that I may have found a decent barrel on the cheap to replace it with.

http://www.300blktal...p?f=179&t=80986

I don't know much about them, but figure for the price there is little risk. I think I paid $135 shipped.

I will post up results when I get it in and do some range testing.

yeah that sucks, looking forward to seeing a picture.

I also ordered that same barrel this morning, used the code 300bt and knocked off $40

[Guest nysos]

The only 10.5" 300 blk barrels I have seen that cheap are the untreated stainless AR stoner barrels. I may have to pick one of these up for my pistol build consider every barrel I looked at was going to be in the $225 range or more.

[MacGyver]

Wow! I'd consider yourself very lucky!

That could have ended a lot worse.

[Lumber_Jack]

The only 10.5" 300 blk barrels I have seen that cheap are the untreated stainless AR stoner barrels. I may have to pick one of these up for my pistol build consider every barrel I looked at was going to be in the $225 range or more.

Yeah I saw some reviews that said they were good. but like the OP said its a price I'm willing to try to save $100 plus

[Guest nysos]

Yeah I saw some reviews that said they were good. but like the OP said its a price I'm willing to try to save $100 plus

I started doing some digging as well due to being unfamiliar with the company and haven't found anything bad mentioned about them.

[Lumber_Jack]

You could also have a custom built McGowen for $225 shipped. Hard to beat a McGowen, expecially at that price. Mine shoots great and I have ZERO fouling.

Dolomite

$235 shipped was his quote to me. Still a good price. Just thought I'd give this one a shot, if it doesn't perform, I'll swap the barrel, and post a good review.

[mikegideon]

I have heard great things about the Alphas. They had some Melonite treated 16" barrels for $159 which is a great deal. For your first 300 I would recommend going as cheap as possible to make sure you like the caliber first. That is what I did. I built a bolt gun first and fell in love with the caliber. My wife also liked the caliber a lot so I built an AR. I am getting ready to build another bolt gun in the caliber.

It does everything I want it do and it does it a lot cheaper than 223. I load using surplus pulls for .12 each and with my cast bullets it is under .07 per shot.

Dolomite

I can't find anything to dislike about the caliber. I may even shoot mine one day

[leroy]

atlas:__________

Glad you are still ok. Sorry for the stuff bein scrapped; but it can always be replaced. Wuz thinkin about this a bit. Have you took a look at the bolt? I wonder what the lugs look like. Ya may want to clean the bolt up real good and get your magnifying glass out and take a real good look at the bolt under a bright light. I would look for stretches, deformities, dings, and cracks; etc. If ya have some buddies in the nondestructive testing business, ya might want to MT (...magnetic particle test...) or PT (....dye penetrant test...) the lug area. The lugs contained the "overload" and bullet crash within the barrel. Pressures had to be pretty high until the lugs unlatched.

leroy

[atlas3025]

Thanks for the heads up Leroy. I will take a good look. I am hopeful everything survived since these were low pressure subsonic rounds, but better safe than sorry.

[MiddTennTaco]

I keep coming back to this thread for pictures, lol

[atlas3025]

I forgot to take one last night, I will tonight. The pic will be disappointing. There is just a small fissure in the threads on the barrel's muzzle, about a millimeter long and half a millimeter wide.

[atlas3025]

Here are the pics. You can actually see the bulge in the threads at the fissure. The bullet must have lodged there. Almost made it out.

[peejman]

Check the can very carefully. If the barrel threads are bulged that much, it's very likely the first few threads in the can are bulged as well. You probably still have enough good threads for adequate retention, but a few minutes with a thread gauge will make sure.

[atlas3025]

Check the can very carefully. If the barrel threads are bulged that much, it's very likely the first few threads in the can are bulged as well. You probably still have enough good threads for adequate retention, but a few minutes with a thread gauge will make sure.

Yeah, I checked it. It looks to be ok. It tightens up very well on another barrel I have, and is still concentric, so I think I am ok.

[mikegideon]

Yeah, I checked it. It looks to be ok. It tightens up very well on another barrel I have, and is still concentric, so I think I am ok.

You're a lucky guy.

[MacGyver]

This happened with a thread on suppressor, not a quick attach type? What can was it?

I guess any baffle strikes likely happened during your last session, but I still think I'd do something to guarantee concentricity.

[mikegideon]

, but I still think I'd do something to guarantee concentricity.

I was thinking the same thing

[atlas3025]

It is a thread on, k-baffle type. The threads that would have been damaged were on the booster (Neilsen Device) which I left on it when I put it on the Blackout. I have an aluminum rod that I use to check that it all lines up. It is a 9mm can, and I rarely use it on 9mm, but I do need to check to make sure it still has enough clearance for it.

I took it apart and haven't found any damage to the baffles either, so I don't think there was a strike.