Thread: What happens when a 50 cal rifle blows up.

He's a lucky guy.

Fk that ,he s a lucky to be alive.Iv seen a 270 explode on the trigger pull.Guy beside me in a shooting comp,thank god for safety glasses.Blu the bolt face and damaged the scope a bit.

Insane how the secondary fail safe caused the most damage, very lucky to be alive to talk about it. Anyone know if there were over pressure venting ports on the serbu rifles?

Holy sh&t..................... !!!

Sheesh

Rifle builder said it would need 85,000 psi to do that!

Greetings All,
If a more micky mouse type of breeching for a 50 calibre exists I have no idea what it would be. It just looks weak and Heath Robinson to me. Subject to wear and eventual stripping just as happened. I think that the 85,000 lbf/in2 claim was just arse shielding IMHO.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
If a more micky mouse type of breeching for a 50 calibre exists I have no idea what it would be. It just looks weak and Heath Robinson to me. Subject to wear and eventual stripping just as happened. I think that the 85,000 lbf/in2 claim was just arse shielding IMHO.
Regards Grandpamac.

I have to admit I thought the same - no real integrity in that screw-on breech device, if it had been used in conjunction with a back-up locking system it would have been preferable.

Still feel sorry for the guy, not a good day at the range but God smiled on him a little what with his father and transport being right there.

holy smoke Batman!!!!!!!
I feel for him,I really do.....he has one HUGE hurdle to overcome the first time he shoots rifle again....it starts with a F and rhymes with grinch...... the mind will be SCREAMING ...what the fcuk are you doing???this hurt last time....dont do it dont do it......

Wow
The fail safe was only to close the breech correctly and not an over pressure fail safe

I guess they assumed that in over pressure the barrel stub would expend and the threads would not let go
The back thrust must have been colossal to overcome the shank expansion and strip those threads
I wonder what if any destruction testing was done by the manufacturer ?
I also wonder if there was significant throat erosion starting in the barrel and it was riveting the projectiles
There is never just one thing that goes wrong
It's a cluster F of things that contribute to total failure
I know this from experience

Originally Posted by akaroa1

Wow
The fail safe was only to close the breech correctly and not an over pressure fail safe

I guess they assumed that in over pressure the barrel stub would expend and the threads would not let go
The back thrust must have been colossal to overcome the shank expansion and strip those threads
I wonder what if any destruction testing was done by the manufacturer ?
I also wonder if there was significant throat erosion starting in the barrel and it was riveting the projectiles
There is never just one thing that goes wrong
It's a cluster F of things that contribute to total failure
I know this from experience

I reckon the round was oiled inadvertently or charged with the wrong powder.

There are thousands of screw breach artillery peices out there that worked just fine.

Originally Posted by norsk

There are thousands of screw breach artillery peices out there that worked just fine.

Aye, but were they not usually fitted with some sort of recoil dissipating system and positioned skywards, hence if it did vent out of the breech it would be directed downwards? (still a bad day though!)

Originally Posted by caberslash

Aye, but were they not usually fitted with some sort of recoil dissipating system and positioned skywards, hence if it did vent out of the breech it would be directed downwards? (still a bad day though!)

No

Interupted thread breeches preceeded mechanical recoil dampning.

Interupted thread breeches have half the amount of bearing surface as a entirely threaded breech plug does.Breech plugs being introduced in the matchlock age continuing to today in modern reproduction muzzle loaders still using a threaded breech plug.

Where ever the the barrel is pointing makes no odds
If the breech lets go .

Next time, clamp the 50 cal to a 4 ton table and tie a loonnggg piece of string tied between you and the trigger.

interesting the muzzle flash thing..... some of them rounds were definitely different to others....