Firing smaller calibre cartridge in parent case rifle

[paps]

Hi guys,

I'm not fixing to do anything stupid here, just my curious mind wandering

If you had a parent case and one of it's offspring - like a .308 and .243 for example - where the smaller .243 would feed smoothly and could be fired in a .308 rifle, what would likely happen?

Like I said, at some point someone must has made a mistake and accidentally done thing. Obviously it wouldn't fire accurately, but would the bullets just scuttle down the barrel and out? Or would you likely have a blow up??

[Norton]

If you were very luck the bullet would get spat out like you said.

I suspect it would destroy the rifling in the process, but you'd have all your digits at least.

If things went really wrong and it caught in the rifling... You'd be one unhappy camper.

[mobo]

Two words...

Catastrophic + Failure.

[Aster]

Yes it's happened, and no it didn't go well.

I had a quick Google but couldn't find it, but I've read a thorough article on exactly this when 1 stray round found its way into a bag of different ammunition.

The wrong cartridge was a smaller calibre, and when fired the rifle turned into a grenade.

I'll post back if I find it again. Can't remember the blokes name or cartridge info to search better for it at the moment though...

[Gregg]

You'd get a spectacular bang as all the gases escaped around the bullet.

I reckon Norton's right though, having a lose bullet go thundering down your rifling could only wreck the thing.

[inventurkey]

If you're unlucky, something like this



Some reading here: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2013 ... -disaster/

[bunnybuster]

Now think about this, 1, the bullet is soft enough to pass through the barrel without damage in the original calibre , 2, the pressure in the chamber will be far below normal breech pressure with the correct proj,---the case mouth will blow out until neck tension releases the proj.where is the "catastrophic damage" factor ?? the pics of the destroyed rifle and cartridges look like 6mm ppc fired in 220 ppc-

BB