SX3 burst barrel, anyone see this before?

[TwoEyedJack]

So my 17 yr. old son was out hunting ducks today. He has a Winchester SX3 and was shooting Winchester factory ammo, steel, 3", 1.25 oz. BB, using a modified choke tube. He jumped a bunch of birds out of a ditch, shot three ducks and one geese with three shots. According to him, all the shots sounded the same. Then he reloads, shoots again and boom the end of the barrel peels back. Half the choke tube is gone. I doubt a wad could have stuck. When one of those loads goes off it definitely has a distinctive feeling on the shoulder. Is this a common problem with the SX3? Winchester will be getting a communication tomorrow.

 

[rcmodel]

Mud plug in the barrel.

Sorry to disagree with your sons story.

But that is the only thing that could have done that.

PS: looks from the rust in the choke tube threads that isn't the first time the muzzle has been in the water either.

rc

 

[wally]

Mud plug in the barrel.

Be pretty easy to do when reloading in a hurry!

 

[oneounceload]

Or a stuck wad that the last shot blew out when the barrel ruptured. Notice there seems to be some rust in the choke threads and barrel as well.

 

[TwoEyedJack]

No, there is no way he could have gotten mud in the barrel. Three shots fast, a fast reload, then boom. No way that barrel got in the mud, especially since he was on a graveled farm road. In the last three weeks we have taken that choke tube out twice and oiled it. No matter what you do they rust. He hunted in the pouring rain in Saturday.

 

[rcmodel]

All the stuck wads I ever saw were the result of 'reload Bloopers'.
And the wad stuck halfway down the barrel not far in front of the forcing cone. = ringed barrel.

That is a clear cut case of a mud plugged barrel.
Nothing more, nothing less.

rc

 

[oneounceload]

If the choke worked its way a little loose and the wad petals caught the skirt, it could get stuck near the end. With a fast reload, and not paying as close attention, it could happen. Not saying it is a sure bet, but it is a possibility, but I saw that happen with a $30K FAMARS, and it was not a pretty sight.

 

[rcmodel]

As rusted on as it looks, I doubt it worked it's way loose.

rc

 

[WestKentucky]

Let us know what Winchester says. Make sure you have the ammo info handy too as in the box so they can reference that lot and see if any hot loads or bloopers have been reported.

 

[Virginian]

Maybe the guns was as shocked as I was at three ducks and a goose with three shots and lost it's equilibrium. Since I wasn't there I cannot say definitively what happened. Winchester will probably replace the barrel. Easiest course to take and better PR.

 

[o Unforgiven o]

In the last three weeks we have taken that choke tube out twice and oiled it. No matter what you do they rust. He hunted in the pouring rain in Saturday.

That is a significant amount of rust, and if nothing else shows a serious lack of maintenance. Calling it unavoidable is nonsense.

 

[oneounceload]

In the last three weeks we have taken that choke tube out twice and oiled it

Oil can help a choke loosen; grease should be used on tube threads to keep the tube tight.

 

[Averageman]

I had a single shot 12 gauge burst at the breech when I was a young man. The whole thing went off like a grenade and I'm lucky, very lucky I wasn't hurt.
Naturally the first thing mentioned was a barrel obstruction, I was positive that was not the case.
This was the first time that particular gun had been shot, but we had shot maybe 15 rounds through it.
The Gentleman I was shooting with sent the gun off to have it inspected to determine the cause, come to find out the breech had a locking block under the chamber and it was determined that the weld for this block was wrong.
I don't jump to conclusions anymore when it comes to stuff like this. Have an expert take a look at it.

 

[Jim Watson]

Steel shot rusted into a lump slamming into the choke tube?

 

[denverrdan]

I'd assume mud aswell.

 

[Reinz]

My vote is muzzle obstruction of some kind.

 

[oneounceload]

My vote is muzzle obstruction of some kind

I believe that is a given; the type of obstruction can be a variety of things

 

[1KPerDay]

I vote wad, or squib followed by a good round. Do you specifically remember 3 loud shots going off?

Only burst I've personally witnessed was a squib slug followed by a good one...

http://youtu.be/jJ_53JwhQPo

 

[Sol]

It's obviously a clogged barrel, as stated previously.

I, being a purveyor of fine Warner Brothers cartoons can make this claim having witnessed Bugs Bunny putting his finger in the barrel of Elmer Fudds shotgun, causing the exact same damage.

 

[wally]

having witnessed Bugs Bunny putting his finger in the barrel of Elmer Fudds shotgun, causing the exact same damage.

I managed to stop myself from saying this in #3, kind of surprised it took #19 to actually happen

 

[Nickel Plated]

The thing that amazes me most is the bead sight managed to stay on through all that. The 2 Winchester SXP barrels I have both lost their factory beads on the first trip to the range.

 

[WestKentucky]

Yep, I immediately thought of daffy duck and that wascally wabbit. I do hope that they send a new barrel, but I also hope they get info on the ammo too so that they can investigate the safety of the remaining rounds on the market. If this is the only issue, no big deal...but if this is the 20th it's a whole different story.

 

[Miked7762]

Did you ever locate the other portion of the choke? That might yield some useful information, particularly from the area where it separated.

 

[Virginian]

Maybe when they welded in the bead they messed up the heat treatment. (TIC)

 

[TwoEyedJack]

I talked with Winchester (guns) today. After I described what happened, and that the burst happened almost 2" into the barrel in the middle of the choke tube, he said it was almost certainly a stuck wad. He told me that it was possible for a 3" magnum load to leave a wad in the barrel even when it was not a squib load. I never had heard of that before. The customer service rep told me I should get in touch with Winchester (ammo) and see what they want to do. That is on my list of things to do tomorrow.