Catastrophic Failure

[WalkedUp]

My friend came out with me for a mooch yesterday. We had a lovely time, a good wind blowing and we both shot well. Rabbits, crows, wood pigeon and squirrels.



Afterwards he wanted to blast through a few rounds with his .17” HMR as he had not really used it for a couple of years and the lull weekend was a good excuse to get it down from the attic. It was chance for me to use my new .308” WIN with a spare scope. Messing about bore sighting it then a few groups with cheap FMJ.




My pal said to me, I can’t seem to load it. Ok, I rest the empty 308 down and offer a hand. The chamber is completely rusted, as is the outside of the barrel. “Crikey! This really isn’t great!” Naively I chamber a round and pull the trigger. Boom! The magazine explodes sending shrapnel shooting out the bottom and narrowly missing my wrist. A few scratches and singes but nothing serious. I assumed that there was a squib load, from the old cartridges being stored in a damp loft. However, nothing had blocked the barrel, as back at my house the 0.15” steel clearing road passed through without any obstruction. Sobering lesson, if the rifle looks rough leave well alone.



One loose bullet, one case ruptured at the neck, one case ruptured at the base on the rim.

 

[Stevie/P]

tut tut you should have really known better
Thankfully no one was injured.
Lesson learnt

 

[20-250]

Sounds like the problem wasn't merely the ammunition, yet the next time a thread is posted about cleaning rifles, the vast majority will post that they never or rarely do so.

 

[Stevie/P]

Sounds like the problem wasn't merely the ammunition, yet the next time a thread is posted about cleaning rifles, the vast majority will post that they never or rarely do so.

Agree but don’t confuse cleaning with poor house keeping as is the op post.
Storing firearms and ammunition in a damp environment is not good visible signs of corrosion should ring warning bells imo.

 

[User00056]

Sounds like the problem wasn't merely the ammunition, yet the next time a thread is posted about cleaning rifles, the vast majority will post that they never or rarely do so.

I never clean my rifles. They get a pull through with a boresnake, and wiped with am oily cloth.

None have ever exploded

 

[enfieldspares]

I would say that the rusted chamber prevented the round from going fully home and the bolt fully closing. So not fully seating and sealing the base of the chambered round if that's the correct wording? Thus the very very very small bit of unsupported rim being the place of least resistance was rupture by the gases and, as you show, vented into the magazine. The rear of the receiver ring being at that point made cut away at the bottom where the rounds feed up.

Or....the rusted barrel and chamber may have gripped the bullet of a previously loaded cartridge which when ejected left the bullet in the barrel and only the case was extracted and ejected? Then when you chambered the next round you were effectively either pushing that bullet forward enough (even if your bullet in your round was partly pushed back into its case) to be able to load and fire your shot.

My own thoughts are the first scenario. That the bot wasn't fully closed. But it does show the soundness of the design that the fail safe is that the gases vented down into the magazine and not back along the boltway between bolt sides and the receiver sides towards you face. Send the rifle's designer and its makers an early Christmas card! Their skill kept your eye safe.

 

[.243 t3]

So today I’ve had the same thing whilst out with my boy ! Shot a pigeon off mirror of truck , then chambered another round and shot again 5 mins later at a rabbit ! It went bang like the rest and I had missed , so again chambered a round and took another shot and there was an almighty bang the rifle did a front flip out window onto floor and mag was shatters all over the place .
The gun had done a complete 180 and was facing toward back of truck on floor outside the door .
I’ve got home and put cleaning rod down the barrel to find one bullet half way down there and it easily tapped out but is still complete .

 

[hoodwink]

Both of these is not uncommon with the HMR, squib round due to split case and dam getting in. Primer fires powder doesn’t burn. The bullet, lodges about 1inch up the barrel. A friend bought his HMR around to my house saying he can’t get it to load, fortunately for him it lodged so the next round wouldn’t chamber……..

 

[.243 t3]

Yeah I have a case from today and the powder is still in the case and won’t come out if turn upside down

 

[sauer]

I never clean my rifles. They get a pull through with a boresnake, and wiped with am oily cloth.

None have ever exploded

Wont have a boresnake in the house ... spoken to 3 seperate gunsmiths who say they had more work from folk whk snapped boresnakes than anything else.... some who went on causing more damage trying to get it out themselves

Back to OP

As said the .17hmr and its ammo has reputation for this

Paul

 

[User00056]

Wont have a boresnake in the house ...

Not had a single issue with any of my four rifles from .22 to .308

 

[WalkedUp]

I have experienced squib loads on the HMR before but have always known that it had occurred and so stopped shooting. It is hard to be certain what happened here as I wasn’t the one shooting. However what is clear is that I failed to adequately inspect, or rather heed the visual warnings, the gun given to me prior to operation. A gunsmith will need to look at the rifle before it can be used again.

 

[kenbro]

Not had a single issue with any of my four rifles from .22 to .308

Some don’t know to put some strong cord through the tail of the snake so you can pull it out backwards in the rare event it might break.
I think buying cheap (Deliberate or not) knock off bore snakes doesn’t help.
I sometimes pull a 243 snake ( Bit of lube on it) through my 308 if I’ve only fired one or two shots.
KB.

 

[gixer1]

Wouldn’t touch a 17 HMR due to this - there are just too many issues with it and the way it functions.

Glad no one was injured.

Regards,
Gixer

 

[User00056]

Wouldn’t touch a 17 HMR due to this - there are just too many issues with it and the way it functions.

Glad no one was injured.

Regards,
Gixer

I'm of the same view. Far too many reports of accidents

 

[Hill searcher]

Not sure if they fixed the split neck issue with the ammo. Mine did the same a few years back. It sounds like a normal shot first and you think you have missed then bang it explodes out the magazine. I have been using an FX impact with a thermal for the rabbits since. Great tool.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Is the sound of a squib load readily determinable if a moderator is fitted and stuck outside a vehicle window with engine running?

K

 

[WalkedUp]

Is the sound of a squib load readily determinable if a moderator is fitted and stuck outside a vehicle window with engine running?

K

I would expect so, there is no supersonic crack.

 

[hairlesshunter]

Agree but don’t confuse cleaning with poor house keeping as is the op post.
Storing firearms and ammunition in a damp environment is not good visible signs of corrosion should ring warning bells imo.

totally agree it not just about cleaning your rifle and accessories but also keeping them clean and storing them in the right environment very lucky

 

[Klenchblaize]

It (a lack of interest in basic maintenance/upkeep of equipment) happens in all walks of life. My B-I-N ownes some of the nicest and commensuratly expensive freshwater fishing reels you could imagine, yet at the end of a day on the river they get chucked into a box or bag until next required without a second thought.

K