Thanks for joining us for another TFB Wheelgun Wednesday, where the world revolves around revolvers (at least for one day a week). If you’ve been a firearms enthusiast for long, you’ve no doubt seen a photo of a kaBoomed revolver, but this time we’ve included a bit more context and a few more contextual photos. These photos come courtesy of Jacob, one of the Range Safety Officers at the Sharpe Shooters Outdoor Range in Augusta, Georgia. Jacob pointed out that no one was hurt despite the amount of pieces produced from the overcharged, handloaded .44 Magnum cartridge. Jacob also mentioned that the shooter has been reloading for 30 years, and unfortunately discovered his explosive mistake with quite a surprise.

kaBooms @ TFB:

• POTD: Browning A5 Kaboom
• KABOOM REPORTS: Egyptian Surplus In A Kel-Tec Edition
• Remington 700 Muzzleloader KABOOM – Man’s Bolt Action Rifle Detonates in His Hands [GRAPHIC]
• POTD: Model S&W500 4″ Kaboom

As for the few kaBoomed revolver photos floating around the interwebs, we usually only see the one photo similar to the title image of this article. We’re fortunate to see a bit more of the rest of the pieces, that blew up and out. The following photo is of the S&W 629’s top strap embedded in the wooden cover of the shooting lane.

As the top chamber exploded, the side walls blew out into the neighboring chambers and opened up the cartridge to the right of the barrel, and smashed the empty case in the chamber to the left of the barrel. I was surprised to see that the rear sight remained intact and that the head of the front screw sheered off to escape the jettisoned top strap. The only injury of the incident appears to be a minor powder burn, and of course the damaged pride.

According to Jacob, the owner of the kaBoomed revolver was kind enough to give his skylight windowed wheelgun to the owner of the Sharpe Shooters Outdoor Range at the cost of a Diet Coke. The owner of Sharpe Shooters will use it as an educational tool for current and future handloaders. Naturally, it’s sad to see this happen to any shooter and firearm, but it’s good to see occasional reminders to pay attention to each step of the process when reloading. Jacob didn’t recall which powder the .44 Magnum was loaded with, but remembered that his original load data was to use 11 grains of powder.

Thanks to Jacob and Sharpe Shooters Outdoor Range for letting us share this learning experience and we are glad that no one was hurt. Feel free to stop by their range if you’re passing through. They have a simple but informative website and maintain an active Facebook page as well. You can see Jacob’s original Reddit thread HERE. What do you think about this kaBoom? Are there any extra safety practices you use to prevent any big surprises?