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Suppressors My Thunderbeast -- EXPLODED!!

PSYOPS

PSYOPS

Lieutenant Patrick
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 19, 2009
915
3
Albuquerque, NM
I had a "fun" day at the range today.

First off, I will let Thunderbeast help me out. I'm POSITIVE these guys will take care of me.

I just wanted to show this and see what may have happened. This had to have happened to somebody else.

I have had this can since Oct 2012.
It's a Thunderbeast 338P-1.
I have shot 62 rounds through it.
Today, I shot 13 total rounds.
The can was on securely (tight).

My load recipe is:
Berger 300gr OTM
90.0gr H1000
Lapua brass
Federal 215
2405 fps

Gun: DTA w/16" SAC 338 barrel

On the 13th shot it blew the can baffle system and all things in it, down range. It was loud and violent. Please look at the pictures and tell me what happened. My can looks like this:





 
Last edited:
Thats interesting.....most times I've heard of this...the entire can is launched down range. Real curious what they've got to say on this one.
 
Did you pick up the pieces that blew out?

Without seeing better pics, the outer tube might have cracked, broken weld, lets see what they find.
 
Guys---I was shooting at a 12"x18" target at 762yds and the entire baffle and innerds went down range. I was the only one at the range, so I walked 762 yards with no sight of the baffle or any pieces. It could have gone half-way to El Paso....I may never find it.

My gun is perfectly fine.

This is weird!
 
It don't look like the can saw excessive pressure as the OD is still nice and round, I see no bulges. I also think pics of the baffles would be more helpful. If I had to guess based on what I see I would say the weld failed, based on the round count on the can (early life failure) and the no apparent signs of swelling. But that is based on limited info...
 
jbell said:
show a close up pic of the end of the can that came apart...
Click to expand...

Sorry for the poor pics, but the outside of the can seems undamaged, but as you can see from this side view, everything in the inside is GONE!! The can opened up like a can of soup and just blew apart.

 
I would say faulty weld. I am sure it happens. I would not get too shook up about it (not that I think you are). I am sure TB will take good care of you. Good to hear you and your DTA were unharmed.
 
jbell said:
I would say faulty weld. I am sure it happens. I would not get too shook up about it (not that I think you are). I am sure TB will take good care of you. Good to hear you and your DTA were unharmed.
Click to expand...

I agree with you 100%!

I will give the Thunderbeast guys a call on Monday. I'm absolutely sure that they'll take care of me. My only fear is that we have to put a whole new can through the ATF system. I hope we can "repair" my can....with the already approved serial number by ATF.

Either way, we'll make it work. All the bizarre stuff happens on Saturday... :)
 
I have two suppressors on order from TBAC, so want to follow this to conclusion, TBAC's great and will cetainly take care of you.
 
Please let us know what they say about the failure. I am very interested in educating myself on this. Am I correct in assuming no damage to the barrel threads?
 
Name Enough said:
Please let us know what they say about the failure. I am very interested in educating myself on this. Am I correct in assuming no damage to the barrel threads?
Click to expand...

No sir....the threads on the barrel and the threads on the remains of the can are in perfect condition. The can was screwed on tight, so no damage there.
 
PSYOPS said:
I agree with you 100%!

I will give the Thunderbeast guys a call on Monday. I'm absolutely sure that they'll take care of me. My only fear is that we have to put a whole new can through the ATF system. I hope we can "repair" my can....with the already approved serial number by ATF.

Either way, we'll make it work. All the bizarre stuff happens on Saturday... :)
Click to expand...

At worst you have a very expensive, registered flash hider lol. Is it just me or does it look like there is rust on the end of the can where everything blew out? I see hints of orange in the pictures.
 
rideHPD said:
At worst you have a very expensive, registered flash hider lol. Is it just me or does it look like there is rust on the end of the can where everything blew out? I see hints of orange in the pictures.
Click to expand...

It's just the picture. I went and looked the remains again, just now, and there is no rust. We usually have zero rust here in New Mexico...just too dry. The orange color was where the weld blew out and the baffles went flying to Mexico. :)
 
Bad welds. You can tell by how the end of the can is very ragged and the appearance of oxidation in patches where the weld seam would've been. My guess is that the pressure within the baffles caused the front of the can to come apart like a too small jacket on an obese man.
 
You will be just fine. They did have a recall of some of the 338P cans awhile back. Were you contacted? They had some welding issues that were fixed for free and you received a suppressor cover.
Looks like your end caps circumference weld failed. Good news is your tube is in tact and undamaged. They can put in a new baffle stack and weld you back together. You will be up and running again.
Have you ran your numbers for pressure? A 16" barrel on a 338 is some serious pressure and force. I shoot a 338 Norma with a 22" barrel and its a handful with a can on it.

Good Luck.
 
PSYOPS said:
It's just the picture. I went and looked the remains again, just now, and there is no rust. We usually have zero rust here in New Mexico...just too dry. The orange color was where the weld blew out and the baffles went flying to Mexico. :)
Click to expand...

You don't necessarily have to have moisture to have oxidation. Just the presence of oxygen and sufficiently high temps will cause it. Just to confirm, there are actually orange patches on and around the weld seam?
 
KATLarsen said:
Bad welds. ...... the pressure within the baffles caused the front of the can to come apart like a too small jacket on an obese man.
Click to expand...

That's my best guess.....and on behalf of Chris Farley(RIP) and myself, I can relate to a "fat guy with a small jacket". Love, "Tommy Boy".
 
KATLarsen said:
You don't necessarily have to have moisture to have oxidation. Just the presence of oxygen and sufficiently high temps will cause it. Just to confirm, there are actually orange patches on and around the weld seam?
Click to expand...

No orange color. It was only in the photo. When I just looked at, there are welding colors on the inside, but on the rim that blew out, there is just ragged metal and a black color from the jagged can.

So, to be clear, I see no signs of oxidation.

I've had the can only 10 months with only 62 rounds through it. I paid nearly $1800 for this can, not including the tax stamp and ATF processing money. So this is pretty much brand new.

Whatever happened, this is an epic fail! And it will be corrected, I have no doubt.
 
KYS said:
You will be just fine. They did have a recall of some of the 338P cans awhile back. Were you contacted? They had some welding issues that were fixed for free and you received a suppressor cover.
Looks like your end caps circumference weld failed. Good news is your tube is in tact and undamaged. They can put in a new baffle stack and weld you back together. You will be up and running again.
Have you ran your numbers for pressure? A 16" barrel on a 338 is some serious pressure and force. I shoot a 338 Norma with a 22" barrel and its a handful with a can on it.

Good Luck.
Click to expand...



Thanks KYS!!!

A recall due to faulty welds..................case solved!
 
PSYOPS said:
No orange color. It was only in the photo. When I just looked at, there are welding colors on the inside, but on the rim that blew out, there is just ragged metal and a black color from the jagged can.

So, to be clear, I see no signs of oxidation.

I've had the can only 10 months with only 62 rounds through it. I paid nearly $1800 for this can, not including the tax stamp and ATF processing money. So this is pretty much brand new.

Whatever happened, this is an epic fail! And it will be corrected, I have no doubt.
Click to expand...

Even the best machinists have bad days. The good companies take care of their customers.
 
Hi,

I'm so sorry this happened. We'll make it right and do it as fast as we can. The good news is with current ATF rules/regs, as long as the serialized tube is intact we can repair the suppressor without additional paperwork.

Please do everything you can to locate the baffles that blew out. This is for two reasons. First, the more parts we can get back, the better we can analyze what happened to identify the root cause. Second, nobody wants to have in their possession "extra" silencer parts. If I had to guess, I would expect you'll find the core still welded together between 0 and 250 yards from the shoot position, more or less in a straight line.

For those of you speculating about the visible welds from the photo, keep in mind that the exit-side endcap weld is not a primary structural weld for the baffle core.

The pressure at the muzzle for a full power .338LM load from a 16" barrel is extreme. Like almost twice the pressure of a 26 or 27" barrel. For comparison, it'd have pressure similar to a .308 10" SBR barrel, but with 2x+ the powder behind it. I realize we do not have a barrel length limit published for our .338 cans, but we would not recommend the 338P-1 for use on a 16" .338LM simply due to the extreme muzzle pressure.

This is all speculation until we can examine it, but another possibility would be repeated baffle strikes due to stability. In the past we've seen a few failures of that type due to stability, alignment, or a loose can (I saw this one was still tight/)

Anyway, please give us a call on Monday and we'll get you sorted out.

Again, apologies from myself and the rest of the TBAC crew for this problem. We'll do everything in our power to make it right as quickly as possible.
 
Well I feel good about my TBAC can I purchased. Just hope you guys don't come out with 2 newer versions before I get mine. Still have a long wait time for this stamp......... =/
 
Please find those parts. I would really like to know if there was a baffle strike(s) or it was just too much pressure for the welds to handle. I'm really happy that you are ok.
 
Zak Smith said:
Hi,

I'm so sorry this happened. We'll make it right and do it as fast as we can. The good news is with current ATF rules/regs, as long as the serialized tube is intact we can repair the suppressor without additional paperwork.

Please do everything you can to locate the baffles that blew out. This is for two reasons. First, the more parts we can get back, the better we can analyze what happened to identify the root cause. Second, nobody wants to have in their possession "extra" silencer parts. If I had to guess, I would expect you'll find the core still welded together between 0 and 250 yards from the shoot position, more or less in a straight line.

For those of you speculating about the visible welds from the photo, keep in mind that the exit-side endcap weld is not a primary structural weld for the baffle core.

The pressure at the muzzle for a full power .338LM load from a 16" barrel is extreme. Like almost twice the pressure of a 26 or 27" barrel. For comparison, it'd have pressure similar to a .308 10" SBR barrel, but with 2x+ the powder behind it. I realize we do not have a barrel length limit published for our .338 cans, but we would not recommend the 338P-1 for use on a 16" .338LM simply due to the extreme muzzle pressure.

This is all speculation until we can examine it, but another possibility would be repeated baffle strikes due to stability. In the past we've seen a few failures of that type due to stability, alignment, or a loose can (I saw this one was still tight/)

Anyway, please give us a call on Monday and we'll get you sorted out.

Again, apologies from myself and the rest of the TBAC crew for this problem. We'll do everything in our power to make it right as quickly as possible.
Click to expand...


And that is why I am sold on TBAC. They have great products, and hands down the Best CS i have ever seen.
Glad you and your Rifle are ok, PSYOPS.
Zak and the boys at TBAC will get you taken care of.
 
I suspected barrel length as a contributing factor of the failure. That is a LOT of pressure in that can.
 
Zak Smith said:
Hi,

I'm so sorry this happened. We'll make it right and do it as fast as we can. The good news is with current ATF rules/regs, as long as the serialized tube is intact we can repair the suppressor without additional paperwork.

Please do everything you can to locate the baffles that blew out. This is for two reasons. First, the more parts we can get back, the better we can analyze what happened to identify the root cause. Second, nobody wants to have in their possession "extra" silencer parts. If I had to guess, I would expect you'll find the core still welded together between 0 and 250 yards from the shoot position, more or less in a straight line.

For those of you speculating about the visible welds from the photo, keep in mind that the exit-side endcap weld is not a primary structural weld for the baffle core.

The pressure at the muzzle for a full power .338LM load from a 16" barrel is extreme. Like almost twice the pressure of a 26 or 27" barrel. For comparison, it'd have pressure similar to a .308 10" SBR barrel, but with 2x+ the powder behind it. I realize we do not have a barrel length limit published for our .338 cans, but we would not recommend the 338P-1 for use on a 16" .338LM simply due to the extreme muzzle pressure.

This is all speculation until we can examine it, but another possibility would be repeated baffle strikes due to stability. In the past we've seen a few failures of that type due to stability, alignment, or a loose can (I saw this one was still tight/)

Anyway, please give us a call on Monday and we'll get you sorted out.

Again, apologies from myself and the rest of the TBAC crew for this problem. We'll do everything in our power to make it right as quickly as possible.
Click to expand...

Even with all the best intentions and quality controls, stuff happens! It's when something goes wrong you see the type of company you're dealing with. I don't own any of their products but my hats off to Zak at TBAC for immediately stepping up with absolutely no excuses and promising to make things right! That's outstanding customer service!

BTW, I had no idea the innards of a suppressor could travel up 250 yards when the end cap blows off! Wow!
 
I have just under 1800 rounds through my 338P-1, 27’’ barrel with a fairly hot load and it has served me well, I would buy another TBAC without a doubt.

Thanks for a great and accurate product

Cheers
oneshot.onehit
 
I've had that happen twice, and man, talk about some RECOIL!
 
It has happened once to me, though the whole can flew off. It was made of carbon fiber, and ironically, also let go on the 13th round of the day. It felt like a grenade going off. I'm not sure if the recoil and blast were any worse than a naked muzzle, or if it was just because I was not expecting it.
 
Saw a guy from SilencerCo send a can down range. We asked him what kind of groups he could could get with it. It happens. Good news is, nearly ever company currently in business today will bend over backwards to make it right for you. Obviously TB is thank kind of company.
 
Is there a way to prevent a TBAC suppressor from blowing off? I take it that having a short barreled magnum rifle caliber has something to do with it? I have thousands of rounds through my 30P-1 right now but really am thinking about cutting my 7WSM down to about 22". The suppressor has mostly lived on shorter lower pressure cartridges, 243/308 and a longer barrel 7WSM.
 
KYS said:
You will be just fine. They did have a recall of some of the 338P cans awhile back. Were you contacted? They had some welding issues that were fixed for free and you received a suppressor cover.
Looks like your end caps circumference weld failed. Good news is your tube is in tact and undamaged. They can put in a new baffle stack and weld you back together. You will be up and running again.
Have you ran your numbers for pressure? A 16" barrel on a 338 is some serious pressure and force. I shoot a 338 Norma with a 22" barrel and its a handful with a can on it.

Good Luck.
Click to expand...

^^^ This.. Im guessing a combo of overpressure and time took its toll.
 
I think that is what is called a bloop tube? :) Looking forward to my 30BA...
 
Bacarrat said:
Is there a way to prevent a TBAC suppressor from blowing off? I take it that having a short barreled magnum rifle caliber has something to do with it? I have thousands of rounds through my 30P-1 right now but really am thinking about cutting my 7WSM down to about 22". The suppressor has mostly lived on shorter lower pressure cartridges, 243/308 and a longer barrel 7WSM.
Click to expand...
Hi,

Until we analyze these parts we won't know what caused this failure.

7WSM @ 22" not a problem.

There's always the possibility of a manufacturing defect and our defect rate is very, very low. When that happens our goal is to make it right.

There are some cartridges out there that produce muzzle pressures/forces outside of our quoted/rated cartridge capacity "envelope." It's also possible to get to too short of a barrel length and produce too much muzzle pressure. For example, I think expecting a 30P-1 to have the same lifespan on an 8" .308 WIN SBR as it has on a regular 20" or 24" precision rifle is unrealistic, and I think that would be the common sense conclusion. If you have a question about a particular cartridge, load, or barrel length combination, the best thing to do is to send us the info including load data and we can see if we can get you an answer one way or the other.

hope this helps
Zak
 
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