Thread: .17 HMR blow up

Yeesh, I would seriously consider sending a batch of that brass including the failed case away to go back to the manufacturer for analysis - unless we are talking the shortage of the early 1940's or the early 1970's I would not be considering age of the ammo to be a factor in the failure as per the photo you posted. Dodgy .303Brit from Pakistan or the last of the Greek HXP from the bottom of the drums that looks like it's been recovered of an ancient Persian shipwreck yep no issues with that if you decide to shoot it and it blows up but recent manufacture in the last 5-8 years bugger me - that's not cool at all.

Especially given that the .17HMR didn't really get underway in NZ until 2004 to 2005, after the hype of it's release in the US in 2002 and 2003... I remember the first semi auto's that came out in .17 and the drama's that came with those splitting cases in half, blowing necks apart and occasionally disassembling themselves spontaneously. This has shades of that all over it - but as you say bloody lucky to have happened in a bolt gun with the breech still closed and locked!