Help! Can't believe this happened

[baldhunter]

Rifle is a 300wm and was shooting at the range just an hour ago. Groups were wider than normal. Then really opened up about 3" left. The last shot was a ragged hole like it was sideways. Anyone seen this before and if so what the heck causes it? Have less than 300 rounds down this pipe and brake. The brake is Ultradyne Apollo Max. Thanks for any help.

If it's this brake,it's not rated for the 300 Win Mag.

Apollo Max Muzzle Brake - Ultradyne

APOLLO MAX sets the standard for performance by providing breakthrough recoil reduction and unparalleled muzzle compensation for those who refuse to settle.

ultradyneusa.com

This one is

Pegasus Muzzle Brake - Ultradyne

PEGASUS has been meticulously engineered to provide superior recoil reduction and neutralize muzzle rise with a smooth, balanced release of blast energy in a tanker-style compensator. Compensation ports strategically divert gases away from and out of the shooters line of sight while the...

ultradyneusa.com

 

[smokin502]

Any chance the bullet came apart as it left the muzzle causing minor damage to the the brake ... causing the large group? Then additional rounds compounded the damage until you had the catastrophic failure?

It's possible, unfortunately no way to tell. I didn't even think about that. I guess I expect these bullets to be near perfect

 

[stormc]

It looks like a a flat, hardened, foreign object, occupied the third port from the muzzle. It
"Rolled / flattened the forward edge of this port, scratching the carbon on the interior of the opposing side of the brake, as it was levered forward, fracturing the thin rear wall of this port.

 

[smokin502]

So I got a response from Ultradyne and they said it has happened to them as well and thats why they came out with the Apollo LR brake for the magnum rifles. The guy asked for my address and said he would send me one for free. Which was very cool of them. I never did ask thinking I bought the wrong brake. But as it turns out midwayusa had the 300wm listed as a caliber approved for this brake. Either way it was cool. They were easy to deal with.

 

[DDWing]

So I got a response from Ultradyne and they said it has happened to them as well and thats why they came out with the Apollo LR brake for the magnum rifles. The guy asked for my address and said he would send me one for free. Which was very cool of them. I never did ask thinking I bought the wrong brake. But as it turns out midwayusa had the 300wm listed as a caliber approved for this brake. Either way it was cool. They were easy to deal with.

Glad to hear that Ultradyne stood behind their product, and that their sending you a new brake free of charge. I guess I better change out mine for the LR version. Thanks for posting your results.

 

[Tulsa Reiner]

I would be interested to know what you find out about the cause, as I have the same brake on my Remington 700 300WM Long Range. Hopefully there's no damage to your rifle.

It looks like you'd better replace it with a brake designed for the 300 WM, since the Mfr of your brake doesn't rate it for 300 WM.

 

[Tulsa Reiner]

So I got a response from Ultradyne and they said it has happened to them as well and thats why they came out with the Apollo LR brake for the magnum rifles. The guy asked for my address and said he would send me one for free. Which was very cool of them. I never did ask thinking I bought the wrong brake. But as it turns out midwayusa had the 300wm listed as a caliber approved for this brake. Either way it was cool. They were easy to deal with.

Am I reading you correctly? Are they sending you the new model (Apollo LR) the they designed for magnum rifles? If so, that is very generous.
Have you contacted Midway to point out their misinformation?

 

[cape cove]

@smokin502 Thanks for posting this problem. I am not very up to-date on brakes and was not aware that muzzle pressure was a concern. I thought all brakes for a certain caliber were equal and good to go on all same caliber rifles. TKS

 

[smokin502]

Am I reading you correctly? Are they sending you the new model (Apollo LR) the they designed for magnum rifles? If so, that is very generous.
Have you contacted Midway to point out their misinformation?

Apparently midwayusa corrected it some time ago. It currently does not have the 300wm as an approved caliber.
Yes they are sending me the bigger and heavier brake for magnums. No charge. Nice to see a company with good customer support. It is becoming rare lately.

 

[Bob Wright]

That's good news! Very thin material where it's fracturing I see on your photo.

 

[smokin502]

So I received the new brake already. Pretty fast shipping. Here's the pics of the difference between the 2.

 

[Bob Wright]

Big difference!

 

[Hugnot]

I don't see any copper wash on the insides that might occur with a bullet contacting the brake, see some yellowish color that might be reflections from photo flash. The last bullet key-holed indicating instability and poor accuracy before. See some longitudinal striations on surface near barrel and some dented edges that don't appear to be of catastrophic origin. Thinking stress fracture upon installation that progressed during 300 rounds then total failure just as bullet was exiting end of brake. Hole at end of brake looks like it has comfortable width for .308 diameter bullet. See indications of debris from event blown thru brake like plastered against inner surface of end and torn outside edges at end of brake.

 

[Chadp82]

I see what the company did as respectable. They acknowledged that the product info was misrepresented and sent the correct part. I would be curious to know if it was just midway or if maybe their product data at one time listed this too, and could be the origin of the compatibility listing on midway or maybe other retail sites. May never know…

Luckily no one was injured. To me that's scary. Whether the bullet struck and damaged the part, or it failed under the pressure, either way it could have been worse than a flyer of a few inches.