CATASTROPHIC rifle failure!!!!!!

[Swampman]

The barrel on this rifle isn't split or even damaged.  A BAR and a A-Bolt while both Jap rifles aren't the same animal.

[charles p]

Please keep us advised.  Your experience and misfortune is important to all of us.  I am glad you escaped in one piece. 
I knew a fellow who lost a thumb when a shotgun failed.  He was shooting low brass dove loads.
Charles
 

[Flash]

If the bullet crushed the neck a bit I doubt it would chamber.

When the case is too long and the round is chambered, the case mouth is close to or touching the bore and when the bolt handle is cammed over, the case mouth is crushed into the bullet. It's sort of like a roll crimp, that you don't know is happening.

[Muddyboots]

I am curious about case detonation from too little of powder in a round? Though this condition is highly debated, I wonder if this may be one of those instances where a case received a significant reduction in powder? Even at that, this seems to be so explosive in nature.


If this isn't a wake up call for all to wear full PPE at the range, I don't know what would do it then. I still see folks shooting caplocks without safety glasses.


Muddy

[BBF]

A case could be made for only using your own loaded ammo in this occurrence.

[Swampman]

And why would that be safer?

[ceadersavage2]

Man like said about the law suit all I can add is get-r-done .Now I surly am glad you are ok as still with us .Man you could have been hurt realy bad if not dead . This made me sick looking at it. Don't send it to Remington or Browning At all as said Good luck to you

[parkergunshop]

This chambering uses a slow burning power for the factory loads.    One cause of blow-ups per the P. O. Ackley book volume II is a reduced charge of slow burning powder like 4350, 4831 or Norma 205.   If there was a malfuntion at the ammo factory with the powder being dropped into the case being reduced, a detonation effect can blow up a strong action.   Norma specifically notes to not load below the minimum charge using their N205 powder.
The reloader can avoid this issue by examining each case after the powder is dropped for the correct volume of powder in the case before seating the bullets,  I have seen powder measurers malfuntion several times when doing this.
You are a lucky man to have not been seriously injured,  back in the 1980's a blow up of a Remington 788 action in 22-250 stripped all the locking lugs off of the bolt and sent it back into the shooters face.
 

[parkergunshop]

Many Military bolt actions especially the Enfields and Springfield actions  have gas relief port holes in the receiver on the right side to let gas out of the locking area recess in the case of a case failure.     Remington address this issue in the 700 action by recessing the bolt nose into the barrel to avoid having a gas port in the receiver and gas in the locking recess area being an issue, other manufacturers make no allowance for blocking gas in the barrel or providing locking lug/receiver interior area gas release via a gas port  if a case fails.
I have done lots of rebarrelling of Enfield and Springfield actions, and as advised drill another gas relief port in the left side of the receiver ring in line with the gas relief hole in the Enfield bolt to let escaping gas out of the receiver ring.   I also drill gas relief holes in the bolt body in line with the loading port (like Weatherby's Mark V) to let gas out of the bolt interior to avoid blowing the cocking piece out of the bolt in case of a catastrophic release of gas into the bolt interior.
Gas has to go somewhere when a case fails, keeping it out of the shooters face seems to have been thought of more in the past than with many current bolt actions designs.
I actually feel safer behind most of the old Military Bolt actions than behind the more supposedly modern commercial actions.   Still think that the 98 Mauser design has yet to be really improved on.
 

[BBF]

And why would that be safer?

 
Because hopefully you take enough care that the powder and charge are correct.

[His lordship.]

Several years ago I had propellant gas blowby get to my right eye.  I was shooting Turkish surplus in 8 mm, many of the production lots of this stuff were famous for split necks and punctured primers, but some lots were better than others.  I was shooting a Yugo Model 48 (Mauser 98K).  The Yugo Mausers have an unusually strong and longer firing pin than other Mauser variants, I think it is to deal with the stubborn primers on the 1950's vintage Yugo ammo in 8mm.   
 
The Mauser 98 is overbuilt for safety, 2 gas vents in the bolt, a gas shield at the end of the bolt, and triple lugged.  When I fired my bad round, the primer got punctured and the gas came back at me, it all took fractions of a second, but I do remember the grayish green gas coming back like a storm wall and curling around my shooting glasses and hitting me in the right eye.  At first I thought I had been blinded, nope, then I thought the gun blew up, no, the primer was only lightly punctured, I had seen worse cases of this before without problems.
 
Some puncturing of the Turkish ammo cases were so bad that I had to field strip the bolt at the range several times to clean it out from the corrosive primer gas getting into it, I stopped using that ammo.  Still it was an experience to get hit in the right eye from the propellant, and lucky to have not been injured.  I don't know how much my glasses helped, but I always use eye protection.  My old girlfriend got hit in the eye from a brass fragment of a .22 RF shell ejecting from a Ruger Mk-2 pistol, she did not have glasses, it made me a believer to use protection on everything that goes bang.

[wild willy]

I'am interested in knowing what caused this.But this is looking like another one and done poster

[SHOOTALL]

years ago we had a store called Jumbo Sports . It sold Browning rifles. While shopping one day I saw a guy come in with a Browning A bolt marked 30-06 . There was brass flowing out of the bolt . I knew the manager and wandered over to look . What had happened was the factory had installed 270 bbl and chambered it for 30-06 . The factory told the manager to replace the rifle and ammo. The also wanted the rifle. Have you checked the bore as to size ? can it be done ? If the rifle was used who knows what was done to it.
As for the old Military bolt guns with 60 + years on them many made in war time at a time corrosive primers were used and the end of bolts were often open naw I'll take a nice new bolt gun.

[scootrd]

I'am interested in knowing what caused this.But this is looking like another one and done poster

I too saw the update today and was hoping OP had an update for us.

[Ladobe]

First, I'm glad you survived.
 
Secondly and most importantly, what Mannyrock and Lloyd said is exactly correct.  Do nothing until you find that law firm, one who feels good enough about your claim to foot the expenses prior to trial or settlement, then follow their advice.

One more for glad you survived what could have easily been the worst.
 
Didn't wade through the 70 odd replies, so please excuse if a repeat.   But I will also emphasize what Mannyrock, Lloyd and Richard said at the very start of this thread.   A been there done that kind of thing.   I was able to get all expenses on the cuff until settlement, including all medical from the best doctors (instead of from my own medical insurance).   Plan on settling in for the long wait though, mine was 19 months from first lawyer visit until a $2.2 million lawsuit was filed when they wouldn't settle finally forced a settlement almost immediately.   And most of that lawsuit was punitive.   They knew all along they would loose but held it as long as they could IOW.    You are entitled to full reimbursement for all expenses AND punitive damage.   
 
Lawyers take their cut first, pay off all your expenses incurred on the cuff by doctors, labs, care needs, expeerts, etc, and you get whats left.   And it is not taxable income.   My lawyers were so good that in the end they got considerably more than the original settlement being sought - hundreds of thousands more than my total bill for care and repair expenses by sticking them with some punitive damage as well with the promise they would continue the lawsuit otherwise.   Helps to have all the cards in your stack... expert and doctors depositions and lawyers all with trial track records they are afraid of.   FWIW   

[Swampman]

And why would that be safer?

 
Because hopefully you take enough care that the powder and charge are correct.

Factory ammo is much safer stastically than home brewed.

[mcbammer]

  BBF, my exact thoughts. Many times, at our local Wal-Mart, I have seen customers open a box of Ammo that set on an open shelf,and take a look at the Bullet. Wouldn`t be hard to switch a good Cartridge for a bad one. Most of the times there are no Clerks in the Sporting Goods department.
 TPI, thank goodness you survived to tell your story. It might save someone else from the same fate???

Now   that   is  downright evil. Switching  ammo  in  stores.

[mechanic]

I haven't been in any store lately that had any ammo out for the public, other than shotgun shells, and case lots of mil surp.  Anything else you have to ask for.  And there ain't no returning it, once bought it's yours.
 
Ben

[MZ5]

Speculators might want to have a look through Hatcher's Notebook.  Receiver destructions (really spectacular ones) were discovered to have happened when case heads were not hardened like they should have been (or were annealed by mistake).  That may or may not have anything to do with this failure, of course, but the book's information is worth a review.

[mcbammer]

My  ?  would  be  are  not  all guns  tested  at  the   factory?  If  the  gun  is  used  try  to   run  down  its  history   like   previous   gunshop work  &  owners.  Keep  us   informed  on  the final verdict. Ill  not  forget   my   shooting   glasses  anymore   after  seeing   that.   Glad  your  O K   

[Rock Mill Armory]

Wow you are lucky to be alive. The guys are right, the last people in the world to send your accident to is the mfg.
When a firearm "blows up", , the explosion follows the path of least resistance, If this was a semi-auto, would say it could of fired out of battery. I would take a hard look at your receiver & have all parts you found MP tested from the point of explosion, including your bbl, also paying attention to the head space & lock up area. A gun forensics lab is going to have to do this & will know where to start. I suspect a flaw in the forging or milling process. This could cause a big recall & prevent another accident. As far as walley-world ammo goes - they buy and sell reject pile stuff, your choice to buy there...Good luck & count your blessings...Larry

[Rock Mill Armory]

Just a saftey note, not directed at anyone, on a misfire.  You should wait 1 minute with your rifle pointed in a safe direction prior to extracting the bad round. This rifle that blew up is a example if what could happen,when it goes boom w/out lock up.

[huntswithdogs]

I've kinda kept an eye on this thread. I've also noticed that the OP has been back to it for a while. Wonder if he has been advised by counsel to not say anything else?

HWD

[quickdtoo]

He hasn't been online here since the 2nd, his profile location is Vancouver, WA but his IP is in Wisconsin. 

Tim

[Dand]

I'm wondering if there is any chance a 338 win mag round could have been mistakenly put in the 300 win mag box or chambered in the rifle?  Would  that be enough difference to make things blow?  The 338 is quite a bit shorter and might fit - but don't really know.

[SHOOTALL]

Consider this back when shooting IMHSA people got to building reall big calaber guns on the XP-100 ( 600) remington action . Some as large as 458 wm cut down short enough to fit. The shooter had to tape his hand and arm to shoot it ( this is related in "Shooting Steel" if I remember correctly) . So a couple guys that shot at the same matches I did decided to test a XP action. They took a box stock gun and filled the case with Bullseye powder and from a safe distance remote fired the gun. They had a film of it. What it showed was gas escaping from every where it could come out. But the action held togather though there was some flame cutting. And no it was not rebuildable .
I mentioned the 270 bbl on a 30-06 that was fired ( a Browning ) it also held togather.
There is more to this story that we have been told . The gun needs to go to an independent testing lab. The gun if used could have been abused in the past . There could be metal problems etc.

[SHOOTALL]

I would tend to think pluged bbl from a bullet that did not exit or maybe left a jacket or part of in the bbl. The one thing that scares me is a new shooter with muffs shooting alone and not picking up on a squib load or such. Even experinced shooters going for fast times can mess up.

[Swampman]

Once again, the barrel is in perfect condition.  It wasn't a pluged barrel.

[yooper77]

Unfortunately, I feel we will never know if its was the factory Remington Express Core-Lokt ammo or the rifle.
 
yooper77

[SHOOTALL]

Unfortunately, I feel we will never know if its was the factory Remington Express Core-Lokt ammo or the rifle.
 If any ammo was left it could be tested as could any brass pcs that were found ,
yooper77

Once again, the barrel is in perfect condition.  It wasn't a pluged barrel.

Excuse me , guess I'm not as sure as to the lugs giving up or the bbl. You must have the advantage of mesuring the bbl demisions and lug recesses.