black plastic Smith tubes

**Dan Mastin** · 10-28-2018

So, were some of Jackie's early tubes defective? That's what I'm using.

**Michael Bodner** · 10-28-2018

I believe he had to rework the formula or method once it was discovered they were failing.

You should talk to him directly for precise details...

**John Holland** · 10-28-2018

Jackie V. doesn't do the work. Yes he owns the tooling, having purchased it from the original developer, however the entire operation is contracted out.

**Hal** · 10-29-2018

I've never used anything but the black ones. The first ones I bought maybe 3 years ago lasted maybe 6-8 shots before beginning to split. I do NOT remember where they came from. They were ordered on-line from one of the common suttlers. The quality seems to have gone downhill since. The last ones I bought (Again, don't recall from who) maybe a year or year and a half ago split after only two or three shots. While on many, the crack does begin at the flash hole, I've had several that the side wall split and the flash hole still be intact. When the side wall does split first, it seems to always be at what appears to be the sprue.

I'm no plastics expert, but I have been involved with designing and testing a few plastic parts. In those cases, the failures could almost always be traced to putting too much 'regrind' back into the mix. 'Regrind' is the sprues and culled parts that get recycled. They have to be ground up into small pieces before being extruded again. Unlike casting bullets, when too much of the scrap is put back into the mix, the parts can get brittle. It's got something to do with breaking the chains of molecules or something like that that is way above my head, but I do know using too much regrind causes failures like this. Is that what's happening on these? I have no way of knowing. I just know they exhibit similar symptoms.

At Nationals, I bought 100 of the blue ones from Back Creek. Having heard they had purchased the moulds, I am hoping that they have a different manufacturer, or at least new manufacturing practices. I've not fired any of these new ones. I am hoping for better luck than with the black ones.

**rgsheppard** · 11-01-2018

I've been shooting a Smith for three years now. The black tubes were purchased before Jackie bought and set up the equipment. A few of those tubes have cracked at the flash hole and have been tossed. Considering the pressures the tube is under and the number of uses, it is understandable that this will happen. The tubes are inexpensive enough for me to consider this the price of doing business. I have not had any problems with the blue or black tubes purchased through Jackie. Even if I did, I have no question that he wouldn't back the product. Just don't think they'll last forever.

**Hal** · 11-01-2018

That brings up an interesting point. What would be a fair service life to expect of a plastic Smith tube? Personally, if I got 10 shots from one, I would think anything in addition to that would be icing on the cake. On the other hand, I've had them split after maybe 3 shots. I would consider that poor quality. That's with 30 grains of Swiss 1.5F and a little COW as filler behind a .518 Lee Smith bullet. It's all pretty subjective and only an opinion, but it would be interesting to hear what the rest of you think is acceptable.

**pastore** · 11-01-2018

[QUOTE=Hal;72870]That brings up an interesting point. What would be a fair service life to expect of a plastic Smith tube? Personally, if I got 10 shots from one, I would think anything in addition to that would be icing on the cake. On the other hand, I've had them split after maybe 3 shots. I would consider that poor quality. That's with 30 grains of Swiss 1.5F and a little COW as filler behind a .518 Lee Smith bullet. It's all pretty subjective and only an opinion, but it would be interesting to hear what the rest of you think is acceptable.[/QUOTE
I am still using some tubes that have been loaded maybe 50 times. I have never had one split lengthwise. The only ones I ever had split that way was some of the first white ones that were available. On the black ones I only have to retire them when the base gets a small crack due to fire cutting.