I quit loaning out good guns years ago after a couple of bad experiences. In one case my BIL blew up an mint Field Grade LC ejector gun after he stupidly obstructed the left barrel, then fired a 2 3/4" magnum shell thru the same tube (lost a good chunk of his left hand in the process). In the other a good friend borrowed my late 60's vintage Grade II .22 Browning
auto, my pride and joy at the time; and when returned, the right side of the frame featured deep gouges where it appears the barrel threads had been mashed into the engraving. I was in my early 20's at the time, but those experiences broke me; that was until the LC Smith vs. Parker Challenge Event commenced when I found myself loaning out my A-2 and Dead Pigeon guns. But I've since sold those guns and so now am forever cured!
The only time I've ever bulged a chamber (have yet to screw up a barrel), I was also in my early 20's. I had purchased the best rabbit/brush gun I've ever owned; a Spanish made Erbi with an original set of 18" barrels bored cyl/cyl and 3" chambers. The gun certainly wasn't pretty, nor was it well balanced; but those little details didn't matter to a kid, and in thick cover (and youthful reflexes) it was simply impossible to miss anything that flushed. As it sometimes happened, we got rained out one Saturday and me and my BIL were sitting around lamenting our boredom and the missed opportunity. And possessing the energies and imagination of the kids we were, and also a box of Win 3" 1 7/8 oz magnums; we decided we needed to settle the dust over which of us was the toughest man once and for all time. So we stepped outside with the little Erbi and that box of Roman candles, and in the cold drizzle determined that the winner would be that individual who could pull both triggers simultaneously and remain standing. He went first; and knowing I couldn't back down now, I followed. He caught me so that I was saved the indignity of a soggy butt over in addition to a bruised shoulder, and was thus declared the official winner of our stupidity contest. Back inside and wiping down my dampened Erbi, I was flabbergasted to note a very obvious bulge in the forcing cone area on the bottom side of the right chamber! I know there were no barrel obstructions (after blowing up the Smith, my BIL and I always look for nice round holes of daylight in each barrel before loading); so either a bit of the fiber wad in one of those Win shells got a bit sideways, or the barrel steel in that Irbi simply couldn't take the strain. Bottom line, although I still have what remains of that box of Winchesters 40 years later; I ruined the best game getter I've ever owned, and paid for another of life's hard lessons thru my wallet. My deceased father always said that the Good Lord looked after XXXXXX's and fools; so thru His grace I've managed to survived, gaining just a little wisdom in the process so that I no longer do stupid things with guns any longer. But my personal experience could add a little understanding to the issue being discussed here in that I did not notice the aforementioned bulge until such time as I was cleaning the gun; and since the bulges in the above photos are subtle, it is entirely possible that the offending shooter didn't either? And certainly, had they been clearly evident, the dealer would have noticed something askew when the gun was returned and not much later when the gun was being cleaned and put away. And although we will never know, I have to wonder if the dealer actually noticed those bulges; or if perhaps the problem was pointed out to him by a customer or other observer long after the fact?
Last edited by topgun; 08/16/16 03:34 PM.
