What would happen if you stuck a wooden dowel down the barrel of a gun and fired it?

[bogie]

The poster below is lucky to be alive. A few years back, a bench shooter left a 6-8" piece of Dewey rod (he'd let it slide down to knock out jammed bullets) in his barrel.

In a tightly fitted custom action, the blowback from the cartridge rupturing (the bolt was frozen, and would not open) was such it escaped back through the bolt action receiver and (I'm not sure about the mechanics here...) foreign matter ended up in the guy's frontal lobe... He was conscious after firing it, but soon lapsed into unconsciousness and died. The piece of rod, with a bullet jacket around it, was found about 40 yards downrange.

I had (notice "had") a NEF target .223, was shooting Wolf in it, the laquer cases were sticking, I was using a cleaning rod to tap them loose, a section came off in the barrel, when I shot it the trigger guard shattered and every spring in the gun broke. I should have got a few stitches in my right hand but
was so mad I just dealt with it. I sent the gun to NEF for rebuild, they said it was unsalveagable cause of stress on chamber and receiver.

rk

 

[Werewolf]

I'm not sure how well it relates to the topic, but I saw this a while ago and thought it was pretty cool. It lets you shoot an arrow from a 10/22.

WOW!

That is really neat - assuming it works.

It is also proof positive of the movie saying Build it and they will come. Human ingenuity. Ain't it grand...

 

[bogie]

Guys, these are NOT toy projectile throwing devices. We're looking at 50,000+ PSI in some cases. Right next to your HEAD. And it can spike higher. Ever pop a primer pocket? That's about 65,000 PSI. This stuff can KILL you. DO NOT PLAY WITH STICKING ARROWS OR ANYTHING ELSE DOWN THE BARREL.

I don't care if it worked when you saw it on TV. I don't care if it worked when you saw it on the video game. I don't care if your cousin's girlfriend's brother's friend's daddy successfully did it, after telling everyone to hold his beer. DO NOT TRIFLE WITH STUFF THAT CAN KILL YOU.

 

[Taurus 66]

Guys, these are NOT toy projectile throwing devices. We're looking at 50,000+ PSI in some cases. Right next to your HEAD. And it can spike higher. Ever pop a primer pocket? That's about 65,000 PSI. This stuff can KILL you. DO NOT PLAY WITH STICKING ARROWS OR ANYTHING ELSE DOWN THE BARREL.

I don't care if it worked when you saw it on TV. I don't care if it worked when you saw it on the video game. I don't care if your cousin's girlfriend's brother's friend's daddy successfully did it, after telling everyone to hold his beer. DO NOT TRIFLE WITH STUFF THAT CAN KILL YOU.

To piggy back on bogie's response:

And even if the gun did not rupture, can you possibly imagine the serious burn you could get from stunting? Everyone here pretty much knows the cutting force of an oxy acetylene torch. Well that's what the fire is like as it crosses paths with your skin & flesh, only, the flash from the gun is at a much higher PSI pressure than the oxy acetylene while steel cutting. You could end up losing fingers in a "FLASH" ... either instantaneously or through an amputative procedure.

 

[JohnKSa]

The Mythbusters test was done with a shotgun in stages. In each stage, there was a "shooter" cast from ballistic gelatin in the shooting position. The SAME shotgun was used for all shotgun stages.

1st stage was a hand made from a skeleton cast into ballistic gelatin. Finger stuck in the barrel--gun fired. No effect on the barrel. Finger/hand destroyed. "Shooter" uninjured.

2nd stage was a hand made from a skeleton cast into ballistic WAX which has a harder consistency. The hand was the same dimensions as in the first stage. Finger stuck in the barrel--gun fired. Barrel bulged very slightly. Finger/hand destroyed. "Shooter" uninjured.

3rd stage was a barrel plugged from muzzle backward with several inches of dirt. Gun fired. Obstruction was shot out--barrel bulged a bit more significantly but nothing terrible. "Shooter" uninjured.

4th stage was a barrel plugged with a spike at the muzzle that was then welded in place. Gun fired. Obstruction was shot out--barrel split, rail curled back, but still no really significant damage other than around the muzzle of the gun. "Shooter" uninjured.

5th stage was a repeat of the 4th stage but using a Carcano Rifle, IIRC. More or less the same results as the 4th stage.

The Mythbusters test differs from the hypothetical on this thread in one important regard. All of the plugs were done at the muzzle while this hypothetical involves an obstruction at the chamber.

 

[AStone]

What would happen if ...

...you attempted to climb a really big mountain in the dead of winter,
when temperatures were hovering around -4*C?

Said mountain required that you climb approximately a vertical mile in a 24 hr period.

You must carry all the necessary conditions for life - water, food, warmth, rain gear...

What would happen if, after you made the summit, on the way down, as you walked ahead of your climbing partner, who held the only thread protecting you from falling to your death, that you plummeted off the edge of a snow bank for about 40'.

When you landed, standing upright, your right tibia was forced up through your knee joint into the distal end of your femur, completely crushing it.

What if...the pain was so intense that you...couldn't deal with it, but you did anyway.

Then, you fell off of your temporary <understatement> PAINFUL </understatement> perch, off the side of the mountain onto the rope held by your partner, and stopped falling because he did his job and belayed your decent into death ... at least for a few hours, but then, because he was over 40 m above you, on a snow slope, was unable to hear your cries for help, and concluded you dead, cut the rope and let you fall.

What if you fell the rest of the way down, hit the bottom, touching the void, then had to crawl out of the moutains on your own, dragging your leg that was not merely broken, but crushed, with the top of your tibia jammed into the bottom of your femur?

What if?

Is this what Homo sapiens (wise man) has come to?

First, there's extreme sport.
Climb the biggest mountain in the shortest time.
Surf the largest wave without being crushed.
Helicopter yourself onto Everest & snow board down.

Now, comes extreme shooting.

Push a wooden dowel down a barrel, and pull the trigger.

To each his own.

Natural selection is real.

Nem

 

[redneck2]

So, does this mean I shouldn't try it after all??



Actually, I saw a Springfield Loaded that was fired (quite unintentionally) with a squib bullet lodged in the barrel. Bulged the barrel enough to jam the barrel/slide/frame, but the gun actually held together quite well. Barrel was replaced and the gun worked fine.

I would suspect a 200 grain lead bullet jammed in the barrel would make more resistance than a loose fitting dowel rod

 

[jd25q]

When training with the Guard several years ago a couple of guys used the blanks to propel cleaning rod sections from our m-16's. I think they wrapped tape around the rod section in a couple of places. I was a reloader then and tried to explain the pressure situation. I have no idea how much powder or what kind was used in those blanks, but I suppose not much. It would embed the rod in a soft tree at 10 or 20 yards.

 

[Tim Burke]

why would you want to do that?

Vampires?

 

[f4t9r]

Why would you do that ?????

 

[texasguy]

haha last summer, me and my friends took my .22 and did that.

you break open a .22 cartridge so its just the shell and powder and put it in the chamber of the gun with the barrel facing up, no bullet of course, and put a 1/4" sharpened dowel down the barrel, and it will actually sit in the shell, kind of weird that a .25" dowel will go into .22", but a 2"x4" is not really 2"x4".

It shot about 40 feet and stuck about 2" into a phone book. kinda scary.

 

[bogie]

Methinx that Darwin's gonna have a field day...

 

[colt.45]

the improvised munitions black book

you all know it, "the improvised munitions handbook" its a book that describes in detail how to make some pretty dangerous weapons and explosives. in the book it says that you can make a grenade launcher with a shotgun with some blanks a thick dowel and a molitov cock tail. i would never do this but i think it might work

 

[podmart]

I dunno, I just got to thinking. I'm looking for theory here, don't none of you dummies go out and try this! (Some muzzleloaders excluded )

-James

Do you hate muzzle loaders?, what did we ever do to you except pollute the range with clouds of dense sulphur laden smoke and bits of unburnt wadding and flying sparks of powder and dirty layers of grease on the firing benches. Am I not human? scratch me and do I not bleed?

- Martin

 

[mbs357]

I remember back in the day, some soldiers would be in a bit of a panic while reloading and end upsending their loading rods downrange with the bullet.

 

[carebear]

I've done the blank and cleaning rod stunt myself for rabbits.

But then, I didn't pay for the rifle.

If the Marine Corps had given me rounds I wouldn't have been forced to improvise.

I blame society.

 

[coalbucket]

obstrucion in barrel

would be about the same as forgetting to remove ramrod from muzzleloader,it will greatly increase recoil-you will not find much left of ramrod, but you wil not forget to remove it, next time.

 

[bogie]

Guys, this can KILL you. I was at a benchrest match where it DID kill someone. They found the rod section downrange will the bullet/jacket around it.

PLEASE don't play with bore obstructions.

 

[carebear]

I think the danger is really from the bullet striking the obstruction, that causes a second inertial interaction between solid objects (I know I'm not getting the science right).

With a blank, it's just the gasses involved in hitting the ad hoc projectile so I think the math becomes different. Really, the space between the end of, say, the cleaning rod section, and the blank would just be an extension of the expansion room in the case. Since the cleaning rod is sub caliber it should have less friction that the round, even though it weighs more. Which might increase pressure some but, in my experience, not dangerously.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

you all know it, "the improvised munitions handbook" its a book that describes in detail how to make some pretty dangerous weapons and explosives. in the book it says that you can make a grenade launcher with a shotgun with some blanks a thick dowel and a molitov cock tail. i would never do this but i think it might work

Actually, the idea came from Che Guevera's manual. Neither the writers of the "Improvised Munitions Handbook" or Che ever actually tried it, however.

In order to make it work, you have to have a rag soaked wth gasoline (like a molotov cocktail) and have it burning before you pull the trigger -- if the glass bottle doesn't stand up to the sudden shock, guess what happens?

The US Army isn't any smarter -- one of our improvised munitions is (or used to be) the Eagle Cocktail. This is a waterproof bag or a sandbag lined with a poncho and filled with thickened gasoline. To that you attach a thermite grenade and a white phosporous grenade (bear in mind the bursting radius of a WP grenade is farther than you can throw it) and wire the pins together so you can pull them both at the same time.

"Method of employment; emplaced or hand thrown."

 

[carebear]

Actually, the idea came from Che Guevera's manual. Neither the writers of the "Improvised Munitions Handbook" or Che ever actually tried it, however.

In order to make it work, you have to have a rag soaked wth gasoline (like a molotov cocktail) and have it burning before you pull the trigger -- if the glass bottle doesn't stand up to the sudden shock, guess what happens?

The US Army isn't any smarter -- one of our improvised munitions is (or used to be) the Eagle Cocktail. This is a waterproof bag or a sandbag lined with a poncho and filled with thickened gasoline. To that you attach a thermite grenade and a white phosporous grenade (bear in mind the bursting radius of a WP grenade is farther than you can throw it) and wire the pins together so you can pull them both at the same time.


"Method of employment; emplaced or hand thrown."

I always figured I'd drop that bad boy onto a tank off of a roof. I would not watch to see if it worked. Option 2 was to have a PFC run up and place it by hand then have him dive for cover.

I figured on going through PFC's pretty quick.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I always figured I'd drop that bad boy onto a tank off of a roof. I would not watch to see if it worked. Option 2 was to have a PFC run up and place it by hand then have him dive for cover.

I figured on going through PFC's pretty quick.

Whenever I think of the Eagle Cocktail, I also think of old Colonel E.J. Kennedy, "It is sufficient, son, to surprise the enemy. You don't have to f*cking astonish him."

 

[bogie]

I think the danger is really from the bullet striking the obstruction, that causes a second inertial interaction between solid objects (I know I'm not getting the science right).

Well, you're correct there. The danger is pressure. Period. Pressure that'll either grenade the item that you're either holding out at the end of your arm (count your fingers...), or that item that's 6-8" from your face (hey, you think you're ugly now...), _or_ come back through/around portions of the action, and kill you that way. Think very powerful, very nasty, plasma cutter. It's not the projectile striking something - that's really small and secondary.

 

[Sport45]

The Mythbusters test was done with a shotgun in stages. In each stage, there was a "shooter" cast from ballistic gelatin in the shooting position. The SAME shotgun was used for all shotgun stages.

1st stage was a hand made from a skeleton cast into ballistic gelatin. Finger stuck in the barrel--gun fired. No effect on the barrel. Finger/hand destroyed. "Shooter" uninjured.

2nd stage was a hand made from a skeleton cast into ballistic WAX which has a harder consistency. The hand was the same dimensions as in the first stage. Finger stuck in the barrel--gun fired. Barrel bulged very slightly. Finger/hand destroyed. "Shooter" uninjured.

3rd stage was a barrel plugged from muzzle backward with several inches of dirt. Gun fired. Obstruction was shot out--barrel bulged a bit more significantly but nothing terrible. "Shooter" uninjured.

4th stage was a barrel plugged with a spike at the muzzle that was then welded in place. Gun fired. Obstruction was shot out--barrel split, rail curled back, but still no really significant damage other than around the muzzle of the gun. "Shooter" uninjured.

5th stage was a repeat of the 4th stage but using a Carcano Rifle, IIRC. More or less the same results as the 4th stage.

The Mythbusters test differs from the hypothetical on this thread in one important regard. All of the plugs were done at the muzzle while this hypothetical involves an obstruction at the chamber.

I watched that show and think you have it down pat. I thought at the time that they missed the classic screw-up involving 12 gauge shotguns. They should have dropped a 20 gauge shell in the barrel and then loaded and fired the 12 gauge. That would have done some damage for them!

 

[Sport45]

Reminds me of when I was a kid, shooting my lever-action bb gun. I ran out of bb's, so I started thinking of other things I could stuff in the barrel. I finally decided on spaghetti. Angel-hair didn't work very well, but the thicker stuff (#4 I think) was close enough to the diameter of a bb that I was able to achieve pretty good speed and accuracy out to about 20 yards.

Made me think of when I was a kid. Did you know strike-anywhere matches make a pretty good pop when fired from a 177cal pellet gun into any hard object? Can you even buy strike anywhere matches anymore?