Catastrophic Failure

[Vrybusy]

As the heading states, while attempting to break-in a new custom made tactical bolt action rifle, I experienced a malfunction that unfortunately sent me to the hospital and the eye doctor. To be fair and as impartial as possible, I do not want to mention the company’s name at this time.

After ensuring the barrel was not obstructed, I inserted the bolt, loaded a magazine and chambered one round. The plan was to break the barrel in according to the manufacturer’s instructions (fire one round, clean…..fire another, clean….you know how it goes) As I squeezed the trigger on the very first round there was a large flash in my face. The best way to describe it is like a cartoon picture that depicts a blast – sparks, flash, debris…. It felt like being punched and hit with a sandblaster at the same time. My face and right eye sustained damage from some apparent blowback through the bolt area on the rifle.

Later that evening (after the ER and Eye Dr), I was able to open the bolt (at the range it would not open at all). A small piece of steel (broken extractor) fell out, followed by the rear portion of the shell casing (.308). The casing was mushroomed in front of the primer area nearly double the size it originally was. The bolt release mechanism is now damaged and the bolt will not cycle fully to the rear. The rest of the casing is stuck in the barrel.

Would anyone know what may have been the cause of this? My guess is it may have something to do with the “headspace” in the rifle/barrel area? I was using reputable ammunition from a well known company that we’ve been using for over 20yrs without any problems. I’m not ruling out the ammunition; however I’ve never seen this happen in the past.

Although I’ve lurked here in the past, this is my first post – any and all input/help would be appreciated!

 

[MrGreg]

Yikes! Pics of the rifle and case might help.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Have you contacted the builder? Ammo maker? What brand ammo and load?

 

[Engine 22]

Getting the popcorn popper fired up...........

In all seriousness, I'm glad youre doing ok considering what could've happened. I'm going to guess that ALOT of guys here will ask to see pics of said rifle and case head or fragments of it. Good luck!

 

[shedhorn]

Wow nice first post. Get the popcorn this is going to be good.

 

[jimmykm21]

When you say reputable ammunition , do you mean a company that sells reloads?

To me it sounds like the ammo , it's hard to tell until the rifle can be checked out.

Glad you're okay

 

[Engine 22]

I'm leaning towards ammo as the culprit too.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Also have you fired the ammo in another rifle? First round in a new rifle, that would be a strange coincidence if you're first round was bad ammo but weirder things have happened.

 

[Eastbay]

Sound like overpressure from the ammunition...

 

[W54/XM-388]

It sounds almost like your barrel bore was not big enough for the round.

 

[TurboFC3S]

Wow nice first post. Get the popcorn this is going to be good.

You can say that again!

 

[buffybuster]

Glad you're OK.

A picture is worth a thousand words....

 

[aur0ra145]

Why do I think there is more to this story. Pictures needed.

 

[diverdon]

It sounds almost like your barrel bore was not big enough for the round.

That would be one of the first things I would check. I would also take care to insure that I preserved a chain of custody for the ammunition and the rifle. If it can be established that one party or the other is negligent they may be responsible for your medical bills, lost work, as well as a new rifle.

 

[B.A.C.]

Did you by chance get it from here?

Tactical Precision Rifles Law Enforcement Military, Tactical Precision Rifles Law Enforcement Military

 

[buffybuster]

Sound like overpressure from the ammunition...

What was described can also be caused by the chamber counterbore being cut too deep, leaving the case unsupported. But there are not enough details to make any educated guess.

 

[66427vette]

Sounds like a good story lets see the pics.

 

[Shanerbanner10]

Sounds like ammo to me, unless the builder really really messed up. Interested in pics.

 

[Vrybusy]

I cannot post pics of the rifle at this time. On the outside I do not see any visible damage to the gun with the exception of the broken extractor and bolt release. However, here is a pic of the portion of the casing that came out gun.



As for the ammo - no not reloads, factory loaded "premium" ammunition.

Sorry, you may have to rotate the pic to see it better

 

[turbo54]

What was described can also be caused by the chamber counterbore being cut too deep, leaving the case unsupported. But there are not enough details to make any educated guess.

This.

The flippant and wild out-of-the-ass regurgitated guesses based on nothing other than a broken gun are counterproductive and make my head hurt.

[MENTION=95624]Vrybusy[/MENTION]

Sorry to hear it and I sure hope you recover 100%! Certainly take many hi resolution photos of the rifle, ammunition and everything else.

If you are interested in the folks here continuing to make wild speculations, please post pictures. (There will also be some insightful observations/thoughts too though).

Do contact the ammo manufacturer and rifle builder.

Good luck!

 

[Vrybusy]

Here is another pic of the casing.

 

[Vrybusy]

At this time the only thing still in the barrel is the remaining portion of the 308 casing. We are having an independent third party look at both the gun and ammunition.

I'm sure more pics of both the gun and ammunition will be taken soon by someone more skilled than myself and with better photography equipment.

As for the gun, what part(s) would you need to see to better determine the issue? At this time I cannot get a clear photo of the inside of the chamber area.

 

[Asperly Aimless]

It's a Federal headstamp...

 

[Sako man]

It sounds like there was something in your barrel or the projectile and barrel were somehow the wrong caliber for one another. Could they have not installed the correct diameter barrel? Could it be a wildcat barrel? Oversize chamber? Could have been bad ammo? factory loads or reloads? I would not rule out any possibility. The case is just sheered between the bold and chamber it looks. Can you see down the barrel now? Not enough info here to know.

Sorry though, sucks.

 

[turbo54]

... can also be caused by the chamber counterbore being cut too deep, leaving the case unsupported.

After viewing the case head pics, this is my guess. Looks like there was no support just ahead of the case web, and the case blew outward into "space" where there should have been a barrel.

Good news, is that if this is indeed the problem, it'll be easy to measure/prove.

 

[turbo54]

Primer doesn't look flattened too much, and the firing pin dimple isn't cratered...looks just like a primer from Federal GMM normally does, having been fired from a Rem700.

Doesn't look like a particularly "high pressure" event took place to me.

 

[Vrybusy]

There was nothing in the barrel prior to me loading the gun - I visually checked it prior to shooting. I wanted to make sure that #1 it was clear and #2 to see how close they (the company, since they installed the scope) were on with their bore sight; I didn't want to be shooting in the dirt. Turns out, the bore sight was pretty close!

Turbo, thanks for the input. When I closed the bolt on the round, there was little to no tension on the handle as I pressed it down, no cam feeling like on other rifles where you can "feel" the round being pushed in to the chamber. Initially I thought this was just a feature of a very expensive, smooth feeling custom rifle. But perhaps your observation might support this, if it indeed blew outward in to an open area.

 

[Sako man]

I mean if you look down the barrel now can you see through it?

 

[VJJPunisher]

congratulations, you just completed the Tactical Rifles.net barrel break in procedure. now get out there and enjoy those .000030 " groups out of the best rifles ever made

 

[Vrybusy]

Yes, I can see through it. No obstructions other than the casing that's in there.

I'm not sure what damage was done internally, but the bolt release is broken and the bolt will only partially open - it won't come fully to the rear.

 

[Asperly Aimless]

If it was a TR rifle, I think I'll shit myself.

 

[turbo54]

Turbo, thanks for the input. When I closed the bolt on the round, there was little to no tension on the handle as I pressed it down, no cam feeling like on other rifles where you can "feel" the round being pushed in to the chamber. Initially I thought this was just a feature of a very expensive, smooth feeling custom rifle. But perhaps your observation might support this, if it indeed blew outward in to an open area.

Kinda unrelated. While a high end rifles action might feel slicker than a factory gun, the bolt nose counter bore being too deep wouldn't affect the level of resistance of the bolt closure.

I've seen the results of a Remington type action that blew up because of the counter bore - looked damn similar to yours.

 

[MoBoost]

Unsupported case failure. Ouch. The only other time I've seen damage like that when semis fire out-of-battery.

 

[turbo54]

Dumb question, and I mean NO offense by it...

The rifle is in fact chambered for 308 Winchester, yes?

Not 308 Norma Magnum or something?

The barrel has "308 Win." or "308 Winchester" engraved in it??

 

[The_FNG]

Ouch, that sucks mate, hope you're ok.

You'd almost say that was fired in a .300WM chamber...almost.

 

[Vrybusy]

Turbo, the action is VERY similar to a Remington (at least it looks that way to me). I just thought the bolt would have more resistance than what it had when chambering a round. I'll certainly mention the counter bore issue you bring up to those who will be looking at the gun.

 

[Sako man]

Dumb question, and I mean NO offense by it...

The rifle is in fact chambered for 308 Winchester, yes?

Not 308 Norma Magnum or something?

The barrel has "308 Win." or "308 Winchester" engraved in it??

Dude, this is what I was wondering? It sounds like chamber was way too big? Considering he did not feel the round chamber, no positive cam, or any resistance.

 

[Vrybusy]

Good question, no offense at all. Yes, the barrel is clearly marked 308 on the left side. Definitely not a Norma or anything else. The order form states 308 and delivery receipt also has the matching serial number and 308 marked on it.

 

[nashlaw]

Anxious to see the outcome. I am leaning to Turbo's thinking. Had to some void for that brass to expand into. This yr, I had my first 2 case head separations and both looked like the brass just parted. Nothing like what you have.

 

[buffybuster]

Pictures support the unsupported case theory, likely the result of excessive counterbore/excessive boltnose clearance.

 

[Sako man]

Good question, no offense at all. Yes, the barrel is clearly marked 308 on the left side. Definitely not a Norma or anything else. The order form states 308 and delivery receipt also has the matching serial number and 308 marked on it.

Yeah, but there is 308 Norma Mag, 308 Marlin Express, 308 Winchester. All different. Does it say 308 Winchester or 308 Win on the barrel? Not just 308.

 

[Vrybusy]

I don't have it in front of me, but I'm pretty sure it said 308 WIN on the left side of the barrel. I just looked at all the paperwork, and it states .308 Win. Also, in looking at what the company offers, it appears that they only have the .308 Win in this model.

 

[Timo Turl]

We're you wearing safety glasses ?

 

[netranger6]

Did you by chance get it from here?

Tactical Precision Rifles Law Enforcement Military, Tactical Precision Rifles Law Enforcement Military

Wow, just spent a few minutes checking this link out. What a bunch of fear mongering ass hats, pretending to do custom work. Lol.

 

[Vrybusy]

Unfortunately, no I was not wearing safety glasses. But you can bet I'll be wearing them in the future! I USED TO wear eye protection while shooting everything with the exception of a scoped firearm - not anymore. My eye, cheek, nose and upper lip took the brunt of the material that escaped through the rear/side of the gun.

 

[MosesTheTank]

Vrybusy,

Reading this thread is making me cringe for a lot of reasons. So sorry about your injuries. I hope a full recovery is in short order. There is indeed a lot of speculation here as guys are doing their best to get a mental picture of what you're describing. Please post just a few pics that won't take any photography skill at all.

1. The caliber barrel stamp
2. The bolt face with that tape measure run across it like you did with the brass
3. Assuming it has a detachable magazine, a pic looking into the magazine well that also captures what the bottom metal looks like
4. This one can be tricky, but if you could throw some light down the bore from the muzzle end and snap a pic from the breech that would be great. Often times too much light is worse than not enough.

After you get those pics back from your 3rd party please post those as well. There are some highly knowledgeable folks on here that will offer some good insight once they have a little more to go on. And believe me when I say that you are doing the community at large a service by getting your story plainly out there.

 

[Vrybusy]

For those who asked, I believe the barrel is stamped only with "308"

 

[wilwith1l]

Unfortunately, no I was not wearing safety glasses. But you can bet I'll be wearing them in the future! I USED TO wear eye protection while shooting everything with the exception of a scoped firearm - not anymore. My eye, cheek, nose and upper lip took the brunt of the material that escaped through the rear/side of the gun.

You cannot over emphasize the importance of Z-87 rated eye protection. Hopefully, your mistake can help serve as a reminder for all of us. I hope you have a speedy recovery.

 

[Vrybusy]

Here is a pic looking in to the chamber showing the feed ramp..... The white spot on the feed ramp appeared after the malfunction. If you look closely you can see the remaining portion of the shell casing still inside the gun. I'll have to get more pics posted when they are taken. I'm not sure I can get an accurate photo of the bolt face anytime soon as it is "stuck" in the gun and will not come out at this time. I'll check on getting the others taken as suggested.

 

[Vrybusy]

Wilwith, I agree totally with you! You never know how important it is until its almost gone!