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

Nothing wrong with a "screw in lid" as millions of AR's in various sizes are evidence that a screw on barrel extension just plain works. There are many other examples of this approach and if one was to calculate the "locking area" of any thread compared with a normal bolt action you'd be surprised.

Originally Posted by Tentman

Nothing wrong with a "screw in lid" as millions of AR's in various sizes are evidence that a screw on barrel extension just plain works. There are many other examples of this approach and if one was to calculate the "locking area" of any thread compared with a normal bolt action you'd be surprised.

With respect, AR barrel extensions are not repeatedly done up and undone. They are also shouldered in front of the upper so they are really no comparison to this pipe bomb design.

Originally Posted by ishoot10s

With respect, AR barrel extensions are not repeatedly done up and undone. They are also shouldered in front of the upper so they are really no comparison to this pipe bomb design.

Threaded breeches are not the same as a pipe bomb. False equivalence. What happened with this Serbu RN-50 is just what happens when you put a bomb inside a gun, any gun. I wonder if the shooter's ammo was sourced from some of the 'stores' Assad deliberately left unguarded for ISIL to raid. Plenty youtube videos made in Syria of exploding guns amid shouts of "allahu akhbar".

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

What actions are actually safe ? Are Martini style actions the safest ? Confirms to me that having a powerful cartridge loaded to starting loads is a lot better than trying to squeeze the last fps out of a lower powered round.

Greetings Moa Hunter and All,
All firearm actions are safe when loaded within the pressure limits of the action including a substantial safety margin. We just need to work within it. I note from Zimmer's post above that the proof pressure for the 50 is about the same as the maximum pressure of many of the latest crop of cartridges. There are two things to note. A cartridge producing the same pressure but with a larger dia case produces more thrust to the action. Thus the thrust in a AR type barrel fixture is a great deal less than that delivered to the cap in the BMG. I would have run like hell if I had seen anyone loading a contraption like the one in question.
Regards Grandpamac.

Without seeing the action it is hard to determine the cause of the safety 'ear' failure but it would be reasonably safe to assume the gun was OK with normal proof loads (30% above normal pressure), especially with the screw breech which is strong system. I suspect the cartridge being loaded with the wrong powder by some careless handloader which probably took the pressure beyond 100,000 PSI. I have seen 90,000 PSI loads safely held by a Mk 5 Weatherby despite severe case head expansion. Pressure versus powder charge is a parabolic curve and a relatively small increase in charge can cause a large increase in pressure.

Greetings All,
I had a look at the Serbu Website and noted that the rifle in question sells for about $US1,300.00. Serbu also offer a single shot bolt action 50 calibre for twice that and a semi auto repeater for six times that. This leads me to the conclusion that the subject rifle is aimed at the lower end of the market which shows in function (desperately slow to load) and perhaps strength. It wouldn't be much use against the zombies, especially if you had to gather up all the parts and reassemble the rifle between shots.
Regards Grandpamac.

Being a Sabot round there might have been some sort of failure with the sabot part which caused the perpetrator to go haywire . Apparently the Marines tried to make these rounds in 7.62 and had to abandon them because of catastrophic problems of barrels exploding .

Hot load or not, that screw cap design gives me the shits for a 50 BMG rifle.

Originally Posted by dogmatix

Hot load or not, that screw cap design gives me the shits for a 50 BMG rifle.

Yeah, at least when we made pipe bombs as kids we attached wire to the end caps so they didn't fly off too far or get lost.

Originally Posted by Mauser308

You aren't thinking like a true zombie apocalypse survivor here, you just need to find a choke point so all your zombies line up nicely for you and one shot from the .50bmg and it's beersie time...

You raise a good point, foolish of these guys to take them on in a wide open area.

Originally Posted by Mauser308

You aren't thinking like a true zombie apocalypse survivor here, you just need to find a choke point so all your zombies line up nicely for you and one shot from the .50bmg and it's beersie time...

Thankyou for your kind advice Mauser 308. I will get onto constructing a suitable choke point once the annual firewood collection has been completed. Unfortunately the rifle cupboard is bare of .50 BMG rifles and I would be too tight to put that much powder in a single case anyway. I did turn up a .303 and some full patch ammunition so this will need to suffice. I will also keep my eye on the more credible US news channels and change my choke point program if it appears that the zombies have finished with the Yanks.
Regards Grandpamac.

This dramatic and very nearly fatal rifle failure sure has lit up the internet. And as you would expect, everyone has an opinion.

It’s worth noting that the rifle manufacturer, Mark Serbu, has published a very emotional video in response to the failure, and is determined to conduct a full and frank analysis of what happened, including testing one of these rifles to failure. Yes I know, having the manufacturer do it probably isn’t as objective as it could be, but I get the feeling the guy will be nothing but totally honest.

I know several of you on here have witnessed firsthand a horrible rifle failure that resulted in life changing injuries. If I’m not mistaken, that was caused by a reloading mistake. Every one of the rifle mishaps I’ve known about directly has been caused by bad ammunition. Until we get the full story - including an analysis of what’s going on inside those mad SLAP rounds - there’s not much point denigrating the rifle design and all that. You might just find that the rifle design can handle a whole lot of abuse!

My money is on the dumb decision to persist with those SLAP rounds. I’ll eat my hat if the problem isn’t directly related to something very very dodgy happening either in the manufacturing or subsequent storage of those rounds. Some sources in the US are saying you can buy “counterfeit” SLAP rounds that are reloaded and not made by the official manufacturer (Winchester / Olin). You can bet your bottom dollar that Winchester is looking into this with a very high degree of urgency...

Originally Posted by Flyblown

My money is on the dumb decision to persist with those SLAP rounds. I’ll eat my hat if the problem isn’t directly related to something very very dodgy happening either in the manufacturing or subsequent storage of those rounds. Some sources in the US are saying you can buy “counterfeit” SLAP rounds that are reloaded and not made by the official manufacturer (Winchester / Olin). You can bet your bottom dollar that Winchester is looking into this with a very high degree of urgency...

In my opinion he should never have published that vid without some serious investigations and conclusions. What message is he currently conveying - Serbu rifles are dangerous? We don't know that at this stage but he has probably done irreparable damage to the manufacturer's business even if the weapon is proved not at fault.

Id be interested to know if the barrel had excess copper in it from the Redtip Incendiary API, I remember reading a few .50 threads years ago and guys having issues with them stripping the jackets in the barrel and causing all sorts of issues with their Barretts.

as said..the muzzle flash thing on previous rounds was interesting...he dispelled the theory of previous round not exiting properly as you could see the projectile embedded in hydrant....