Even steel cannons can have problems...

[cannonmn]

My answer to your question about how, why, when, where, is simply "I don't know."  Maybe someone left a cleaning rod or brush in the bore.  All I know for sure it that this is a 120mm smoothbore gun on an M1A2? US tank.

[Artilleryman]

I hope the breech held.

[EL Caz 66]

Holy $#!%...

[Gatto_Gunmaker]

Woooooowwwww 

I understand it happen 

I don't see the seamless tube inside, I see the walls be very thin. 

This cannon not be accepted in N-SSA events... 

[dan610324]

hehehe

thats an good one  Gatto

thats why we never see any M1 in the pictures from nssa shootings   

[cannonmn]

thats why we never see any M1 in the pictures from nssa shootings   

No no, the real reason is that the flimsy bridge over the creek leading to the NSSA range will only hold a few tons, not a 60 ton tank.

[dan610324]

but if they look around very carefully and no one see them , then they can ignore the 5 ton limit road sign   

[intoodeep]

No no, the real reason is that the flimsy bridge over the creek leading to the NSSA range will only hold a few tons, not a 60 ton tank.

 Good Grief!! That bridge is still there? It was a flimsy old thing when I went there as a kid. That was almost 30 years ago.... I suppose they have the same old foot bridge across they stream too?


 

[Artilleryman]

The main bridge has been rebuilt since you were a kid, and the footbridge is a nice modern one put in a couple of years ago.  I don't know why that tank would need a bridge to cross the creek.  It would be interesting to know what caused the failure of the barrel.

[rampa room artillery]

 thats what happens when you try to put electronics in a projectile of a gun.  premature detenation would be my guess everybody had the same problem in the civil war from time to time. look up the pics. it would kill the whole crew then they would bring in a new crew and keep shooting the shortend barrel, lol,  broken but not dead.

[dan610324]

but for sure its an realy nasty accident , Im lucky I havent asked my son what ammo they got in their gun now in afghanistan . but probably not any programable ammo in an 20 mm cannon .

[Victor3]

 Maybe a high explosive round that went off in the barrel? They shoot a lot of the DU penetrator rounds, but I don't know if just the propellant from one of those would do such damage. I suspect it was kinda loud, whatever it was Maybe they forgot to remove the tampion

http://www.fprado.com/armorsite/abrams.htm

 Looks like General Dynamics is still making a mint off of the upgrades. I don't see anything in there about a new reinforced tube though...