Ouch, that hurt!!

[jason280]

I was doing some bench work with my 10" .357 Maximum, and things got a little ugly.  Actually, its something that I've never had happen with any of the scoped pistols I've ever owned.

Anyway, I had just bought this barrel, and I had finally found some time to try it out.  I fired the first round, and was a little surprised at the muzzle flip.  No big deal, so I got ready for the next shot.  Just as soon as I squeezed off that second round, it felt as though I'd been hit in the head with a hammer!   At first, I thought I hadn't respected the 200gr Maximum bullet enough and the gun has somehow jumped out of my hand (and in to my forehead).   Instead, the entire base/rings and scope came off the pistol, recoiled in to my head, and was now laying at my feet in a puddle of blood. After I managed to stop the bleeding (the head is a highly vascularized region and tends to bleed quite profusely), I examined base holes on the barrel.  3 out of 4 screws were completely stripped, while the other one was well on its way to being stripped.  

Luckily, there was no serious damage (to me or the scope), and no stitches were needed (a little Dermabond goes a long way on facial lacerations).  However, it made me realize the need to check screw holes on all my guns!  I'd picked this barrel up used, and it came with the mount and scope all ready on the barrel.  It never really crossed my mind to check them, but I guarantee you I will in the future!

[Questor]

I feel your pain, or rather I have felt it in the past. That was a Weaver  base wasn't it?

[jason280]

No, actually it was a Redfield 3-ring base set!

[Questor]

When I first started shooting, the guy I bought my Contender from (a gunsmith) argued that if bases were mounted properly, then you don't need Loc-Tite. I have found that to be false. Now I loc-tite everything with threads on it.  It makes a difference in anything having to do with scopes, triggers, and stock attachment.  Maybe loc-tite isn't valuable to the average Joe Deerhunter who doesn't shoot much, but the enthusiast really needs it. Particularly if it's for handguns.

In my flying scope incident I was shooting a 44 magnum revolver with Weaver mount and a Leupold 2x scope. The scope hit my head, bounced over the top and landed on concrete. Fortunately the scope was not damaged except for scratches after dropping close to seven feet.

[Graybeard]

The heavier a gun especially a handgun recoils the lighter the base/rings and scope needs to be if you want it to all stay in one piece. Weaver bases are fine but at some point you really need to go with either six holes or move up to 8-40 screws rather than 6-48s.

Those heavy steel bases and rings are the worst possible choice on a heavy recoiling handgun. Four screws just aren't enough and for sure you must use 8-40s to hold them in place not the 6-48s.

The T'SOB is really a modified Weaver type base made of stronger alloy using six holes. That's why they last so well.

[44 Man]

Amen on the t'sob bases!  I have never lost a mount but early on in my shooting career my friend and usual gunsmith always insisted on 6 screws on everything (except .32 mags).  If we didn't have a t'sob on hand, we would drill two more holes in a weaver base (sorry J.D.) and attach that.  And, we always used locktite.  If you ever have to take it off again, we learned that a liberal dose of WD40 would loosen the locktite.  44 Man

[jro45]

I lost my scope on my 357 Mag shooting 158gr bullets. I was in a closed in range shooting when I fired my third or fourth shot the scope came bach and hit me in the eye I was using to sight the handgun. It was my contender. I have a 10 barrel on it with a Redfield scope. It didn't cut me but was a &%$# of a hit