How to blowup your rifle

[wwbrown]

This may have been said before, but you should find a better gunsmith because there was no reason to cut that reciever. You mentioned the plumber tried to unscrew the barrel but it would not come loose so out comes the bandsaw, the right tool at that point was either a better vise and action wrench combo or a lathe.
The barreled receiver could have gone into most lathes used by actual rifle smiths the first step would be to relieve the shoulder and try to spin the barrel off. Use a cutoff tool to cut the barrel off close to the recoil lug and carefully use a boring tool to cut the barrel out of the reciever. I say carefulbecause if you bore to far back you will have to buy a new bolt because you could hit the bolt with the bar.

You would have been money ahead even if the bolt was ruined while boring the barrel out because the receiver, the most expensive component, would be fine.

wade

 

[Pdvdh]

This Thread would be boring, in comparison, if the band saw had not been employed.

 

[uncle_motorhead]

While setting up my Super 1050 I over installed my primers, with a visible anvil circle in the unfired primer. Using WC844 (H335) I was getting click bangs @ 0 degrees f. No problem when warm or when I added powder. I read every post, and other than Hodgdon saying it was the primer, no one asked about seating depth. Hodgdon told me I was light on powder. This was b4 I realized the primers were crushed at that time. So how was this primer seated? The other question is, did the bullet get pushed back into the case during chambering, effectively reducing chamber volume to 300 Wby volume?

 

[WildRose]

Part #2 -- thinking while taking Lab 4 morning constitutional --- when hunting always visually check barrel & then put a muzzle mitt on it B4 heading out into cold !! Dread the idea of melted snow, frost or H2O freezing inside barrel??
What were conditions @ your range when shooting, besides chilly?? Was this the first shot in new string??
Any chance bolt metal failed??
Have an ole Rem 700 BDL SA that started out life as .244 Varmint, had a mid-life change to 6.5X284 ( but did not like the cartridge length restriction(s) w/detachable box -- so it became .260AI Hunting/tactical; Chet Brown Stock, Dave Tubb Spring & Pin in Bolt, Jewell Trigger, new Loopy LR TMR,
AND Then @ the range ----- shooting in the summer -- (no stiff lifts) -- there was a "cease-fire" so everyone had to clear their rifles AND when I lifted my Bolt Handle that was all I got -- bolt handle -- the Live .260AI round was still chambered (Gunsmith's Nightmare anyone !?!? )
After everything being safely disassembled, multiple attempts @ reattaching handle -- (silver solder, even welding) - no repairs would hold -- it appears as if flaw in metal ?? Fatigue??
Sent old Bolt to Dave Kiff in White City, Ore. & got replacement Bolt made -- all has been fine since
Just saying -- sometime Metal has a flaw or fatigues or Fails -- glad no injuries LRB

Bolt handles can easily be drilled, tapped and screwed/bolted and or pinned. There's no reason soldering or welding should not have held either unless the surface of the steel itself had been badly damaged by super excessive heating or exposure to acid.

Poor quality steel can be made to delaminate with enough heating/cooling but we're talking forge temperatures.

 

[Scooterbum]

My 300 win mag just looks better and better all the time!

Winkfish, u might want to consider it.

 

[WildRose]

My 300 win mag just looks better and better all the time!

Winkfish, u might want to consider it.

You can blow up a WM as easily as a Rum. I have and shoot both and enjoy them equally.

The only thing wrong with the Rum is the cost of feeding it.

 

[Saracen]

Well. I destroyed my 300 RUM today.

Yesterday I was testing some load development on my 300 RUM with Berger 230 with Retumbo.

Everything went well and found a load that appeared to group well. 86.8 gr. COL of 3.600" Federal 215 primers on Hornady Brass.

The temps were 3 degrees and a slight breeze bringing the windchill temps down to -15.

I went home and loaded a few more rounds at that charge and try a couple other loads.

Today it was -10 with a 20mph wind. For some reason no one else was at the range. I fired 20 rounds of 190gr Nosler Accubonds to make sure that everything was working well and to warm myself up a bit. I am getting about 3100 fps out of the 190s with Retumbo at 91.5gr

20 rounds fired and not a single issue. I was firing a 2 rounds then I would let it sit for few minutes and fire other rifles.

About an hour into it I then switched over to the 230 grain rounds. I fired the first round. 3129fps and I couldn't lift the bolt. Something was seriously wrong. I broke off the bolt handle trying to open it at the range hitting it with my hand trying to open the action.

I took the rifle to my local smith and I attempted to get the bolt out. After three hours f trying everything under the sun, No luck. There is a picture of the results:

It was very difficult to put the gun on a band saw and cut it apart.

To say the least I am not happy. A perfectly good rifle is now a pile of scrap.

I went home and pulled all the bullets to check the powder charges. I used a two different scales and I was within .1 grain of what I loaded.

I don't know what happened. Obviously over pressured. It was 3 degrees out when I tested the rounds and it was only -10 today. There were no pressure sings, no cratered primers, nothing that would indicate that there were any issues on that same load the day before.

What a great way to end the year. I guess I will be looking for a new rifle in the new year.

 

[Saracen]

Silly question, but is there no chance at all that one case had another type of powder in it? Or possibly that the case somehow had an abnormallity inside, thereby increasing internal pressure?
Is there bulging on the barrel?

 

[Hard Head]

The only thing I can think of is that maybe in very cold temps even if velocity does not change much ,but pressure does ,then maybe there could be an issue that with certain powders as they leave the barrel they cake and bake then freeze to the bore , then as you progressively fire more rounds and let it cool for awhile it might build up a very thin coating that will not be compressed or pushed out in normal temps. no physicist just trying to think of things that go bang when they shouldn't. If you ever have a issue again like this try dropping a brass rod down if you can lift the bolt, if you can not lift the bold try tapping the rod and have some one lift the bolt handle at the same time,very glad you are fine and no missing parts!! Pete

 

[kweidner]

Ok just read all 17 pages. I wonder too about tumbling media especially stainless. It is an easy step to miss in checking flash holes.

On a random other note. I have many bees at my range as we grow pine trees in this part of the world. I actually had a bee this summer crawl into my barrel at the range while cooling. I pulled the bolt and blew him out but always wondered what would have happened had I not seen it. Freak things just happen. My insect theory could explain many a unknown situation like this. Lol he was just looking for somewhere warm. If condensation can do it I bet an insect could.

 

[skipglo]

Thank you for the additional input and thoughts.

We tried to weld a rod onto the bolt but were not able to break the bolt loose. I actually broke the rod I welded to the bolt. We were unable to separate the barrel from the receiver, I tried that as well. Then I cut the tang and with a large channel lock I was unable to rotate the bolt. Then I cut the receiver again to be able to put the bolt in the vice so I could get more leverage. Once I got there, I was able to rotate the bolt and unlock it. It still took hammering on the receiver to separate the bolt from the receiver. The stuck case is still in the barrel.

What surprises me that the delta in temp is only about 15 degrees. I did the load development at 3 degrees so I wouldn't have expected such an increase in pressure. The Accubonds I have, worked from +30 to -10 with zero issues. The powder from all the rounds (Accubonds, Berger) are from the same 8 lb jug.

I also find it interesting that just the day before I shot that rifle over a span of 3 hours and put over 50 rounds down the pipe shooting 190 Accubonds, Berger 210 and 230s at 3 degrees with zero issues.

I will have to use this as a learning opportunity that is for sure. I have never experienced these issues with other powders and other calibers when shooting over a large temp range. I typically do my load developments at common hunting temps (10-30 degrees)

I guess I have a great deal more learning to do. I was not aware of the copper loading impacts between different round type on the barrel. in other calibers I am able to switch between rounds without negative impacts.

I have always shot Nosler, Hornady, and Sierra in the past. This is my exposure to Berger in the RUM. I had no issues with Berger in 308 and 30-06.

Any additional info you folks may have to help educate me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

[skipglo]

Come on fellas, weather has nothing to do with this issue. Here at home I use the same load in temperatures from + 90 to -45. I think the safest answer is the shell was simply overloaded! It happens....as cautious as we believe we are....cases get overloaded, it could have been a corner of a rag or case cleaning cloth under your scale! Glad you are ok though!

 

[WildRose]

Come on fellas, weather has nothing to do with this issue. Here at home I use the same load in temperatures from + 90 to -45. I think the safest answer is the shell was simply overloaded! It happens....as cautious as we believe we are....cases get overloaded, it could have been a corner of a rag or case cleaning cloth under your scale! Glad you are ok though!

Doubtful as there's simply not enough room to overload one to such a degree in most cases.

If you do double charge a case about 2/3 of the added charge will end up all over the loading table too so it gets awfully obvious.

As soon as you attempt to seat a bullet into a completely full case you will be met with extreme resistance as well.

This kind of pressure almost certainly is the result of a clogged pipe. The only question is where and how it clogged.

The easiest way to come up with a sudden catastrophic pressure spike is to mistakenly jam a bullet into the lands or to have some sort of obstruction in the bore ahead of the bullet.

The answers to most problems are a whole lot simpler than we tend to make them.

 

[skipglo]

Doubtful as there's simply not enough room to overload one to such a degree in most cases.

If you do double charge a case about 2/3 of the added charge will end up all over the loading table too so it gets awfully obvious.

As soon as you attempt to seat a bullet into a completely full case you will be met with extreme resistance as well.

This kind of pressure almost certainly is the result of a clogged pipe. The only question is where and how it clogged.

The easiest way to come up with a sudden catastrophic pressure spike is to mistakenly jam a bullet into the lands or to have some sort of obstruction in the bore ahead of the bullet.

The answers to most problems are a whole lot simpler than we tend to make them.

I didn't say it was double charged, I said overcharged...when doing load development it only takes a few extra grains over max to get a casing stuck. And you are correct... double charge is obvious and all over the table!