Exploding Gun - All should read

JimP

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
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Gypsum, Co
I'd like to know all the facts of what is really happening with this muzzle loader.

In one article that I read it stated that this muzzle loader was capable of firing smokeless powder, it went on to say that one of the shooters that had one blow up only used 47 grains of powder. I'd like to know what kind of powder? Was it black powder or smokeless powder? If it was smokeless what type was it? Also what was Savages recommendation on type and amount of powder? Did he use a actual scale and measure it by weight or did he use a black powder measuring tool and measure it by volume?

Lots of questions that are not answered in the story.
 
rammont

rammont

Active Member
Oct 31, 2016
228
4
Montana
It looks like the guy was trying to get to the hottest load he could find, unfortunately we don't know what powder, bullet, or sabot he was using so we still don't know what happened.

Here is a copy of the loads recommended in the rifle's manual.

smokeless loads.jpg
 
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JimP

JimP

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Mar 28, 2016
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Looking at that load data and from what I remember reading that he put 47 grains into it I would say that it was a overload. They never did mention what bullet he was shooting out of it.
 
Colorado Cowboy

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
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Dolores, Colorado
My opinion doesn't matter in this case, BUT I will say that I don't believe that a muzzle loader should be designed, built or marketed with the ability or recommendation to shoot smokeless powder. First it's too easy for a new shooter to get the idea that ANY modern muzzle loader can shoot smokeless powder. Second, it would be too easy for an unethical hunter to shoot smokeless powder during a blackpowder only season. As last, it just seems wrong for a muzzleloader to be able to shoot both types of powder.

I shoot a lot of black powder in competition, but it is cartridge loads, not muzzle loads. Just wanted to clearify this. I also muzzle load hunt big game.
 
rammont

rammont

Active Member
Oct 31, 2016
228
4
Montana
It wouldn't surprise me a bit if the guy violated every safety recommendation that the manual specified, I've met a lot of people that think that you can stuff as much powder as you want in any case and nothing bad will happen. I remember a similar issue with a guy that sued Winchester over a "safety" problem with their lever action rifles. The guy was hunting and carried the rifle with a cartridge in the chamber, the hammer back, his hand compressing the lever, and his finger on the trigger - the end result is pretty obvious, the rifle went off when he tripped and he shot a relative that was hunting with him. The sad thing is that he won his legal complaint, the court agreed that the rifle had an inherent design flaw in the safety. Stupid people do stupid things.
 
Ikeepitcold

Ikeepitcold

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 22, 2011
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Reno Nv
Colorado Cowboy said:
My opinion doesn't matter in this case, BUT I will say that I don't believe that a muzzle loader should be designed, built or marketed with the ability or recommendation to shoot smokeless powder. First it's too easy for a new shooter to get the idea that ANY modern muzzle loader can shoot smokeless powder. Second, it would be too easy for an unethical hunter to shoot smokeless powder during a blackpowder only season. As last, it just seems wrong for a muzzleloader to be able to shoot both types of powder.

I shoot a lot of black powder in competition, but it is cartridge loads, not muzzle loads. Just wanted to clearify this. I also muzzle load hunt big game.
Click to expand...

I think most of us value your opinion on these things.
 
R

RJW

Member
Jan 2, 2013
50
0
wapiti, wy
many years ago I was in southern Vermont and working in a couple gun shops there, one fella came in and had a Thompson he had blown up, the story went he was minding his own business and thought he had grabbed a jug of pyrodex in the dark but had grabbed H110 instead.
he said 120 grains of H110 blew the back 10 inches of his barrel right up.

a while later the local game warden came in and told the shop owner that yes that guy had blown his gun up, and gotten a ticket for it, seems the story the warden told was the back of the barrel, about 8 inches or so blew up, literally, and went right through the roof of the guys jeep and the hammer and lock blew out the side and right through the dashboard instrument cluster.

he claimed you could pass a clay bird white flyer through the roof hole no problem. It was an easy ticket to write for shooting from the vehicle.
 
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