Another ML accident

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Honestly though, I think the bullet was started but not run down the barrel or the crud in the barrel after two shots using the pellets stopped the bullet mid way unknown to the shooter.

Bad stuff regardless and am happy the shooter was unharmed.

Exactly what i think happened. A really tight Bullet that didn’t get pushed all the way down to the Powder, it came to a Stop and wouldn’t go any farther, and the fella chose to Shoot it out. This is speculation of course, as i wasn’t there. But i‘d bet money on it being this
 
The last time I heard of a failure like that the rod was inadvertently left in the bore.

This thread is a good reminder why you should ALWAYS wear high impact shooting glasses.
 
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I hate admitting this because i have been muzzleloader hunting since 1984. about 2 years ago i shot a double load out of a 52 knight lrh by mistake at the range. I couldn’t believe the recoil and was like what the heck just happened, basically it was al lapse in concentration talking to my buddy,what a wake up call.i am very thankful nothing happened except hurting my pride.on a side note at 100 yards i had 2 holes about 8 inches apart and 8 inches low.hopefully it never happens to me again, but things can and will happen. stay safe everyone,and have a great season
 
Something definitely stuck in the muzzle. Double load or something along those lines would have blown the breech end out I would think. Probably short started and forgot to ram. That’s my guess.

Yep, I would place my bet on this. . .. Being distracted and probably used a short starter, then used the longer part of a short starter and forgot the ramrod. Combine this with a heavy load or possibly using Nitro based powder, you have
a bad situation on hand.

The main explosion is close to exactly half of the barrel. By rule of thumb, when a explosion occurs as such,
it is almost always approximately halfway between the two contained ends of the pipe, in this case the barrel.
 
The rupture starts about where a short started bullet would be. Some bullet starters are kinda long. Over 6" at least.
muzzleloader-bullet-starter-wooden-handle-jags-mz1500-mz.jpg

5KW4xSe.jpg
 
Maybe loaded 2 bullets on each other. More than likely did not seat bullet because it was a dirty bore and dirty bores after two or three shots get really hard to push a bullet down. Particularly if you've ever sized your bore and the sizing is .500.

First time I went to the range I did not swab between shots. By the third shot I realized that it is becoming almost impossible to push the bullet all the way down to the powder even though it felt like it was seated at certain points tapping on the end of my ramrod pushed the bullet down even further.
 
Something is Fishy about that, I have a pretty good idea what I feel happened, But I’m not gonna say it since I would be going against what the Guy say’s, and i wasn’t there. I will say that i have NEVER Seen anything like that “Just Happen” out of the Blue

I seen something very similar to this with a Centerfire Rifle many years ago (not quite as bad as this, But close) A good friend of mine Ran up a Large embankment after a Nice Buck that had just crossed an Old Mountain Rd He was on, When he got to the Top he Spotted the Buck, He Pulled up and Shot, The Muzzle of His Barrel looked like a Peeled Banana after the Shot.
No doubt he had stuck something in the Muzzle when he was scrambling up the Large Dirt Embankment, He didn’t think he did? But these things don’t “Just happen“ out of the Blue
This is why I use a barrel condom. Well, not the expensive ones from the store. I cut the fingers off a nitrile glove and slide it over the muzzle end.
 
I agree with the obstruction theory. Looks like a short started bullet. Lucky shooter!

Nit Wit
 
Quick check, before loading, is to open the action and look through the empty primer pocket with the rifle pointed at the sky and you should see light. If not find out why before you load the rifle using your witness marks on the ramrod. JMHO
 
From what I've read from Muzzle Blasts and "experiments " that the Bevel Brothers have done in 2020 trying to blow up barrels, the old idea that short starting a ball or sabot seems to need rethinking. They tried short starting and leaving the ball just off of the powder charge and then moved toward the muzzle incrementally - and had no barrel bulges or blow outs. Then they increased the powder charges to several times the normal load and got one to blow at some obscene charge. Their opinion, after trying to blow things up, was that the way to destroy to perfectly good barrel is to put an obstruction in the barrel - mud, snow ramrod, extra ball or sabot. But short starting or having the ball or sabot migrate up the barrel won't cause a barrel rupture. Just reporting what I read. (and not willing to try duplicating their "experiment")
 
This is why i PREACH about Bullet fit (Lead Conicals loosening up, and slipping off the Powder Charge) I have spoke of it all through this Forum over the years

I came up with the Idea, and use of 1-40 Alloy to Combat Lead Conicals from Slipping off the Powder Charge. MANY times a Soft Lead Bullet will ”Give up” about halfway or so down the Bore, The Soft Lead Bullet is “Stripping out” in the Riflings as it’s being pushed down, MANY times that Bullet Will be LOOSE when it gets to the Powder, which is NO GOOD
Which is exactly why I use either my J. Dewey rod at the range or a spinning jag on the guns ramrod regardless what I'm doing.
 
Don’t know surrounding details, but years ago I was out on a deer hunt with my son. I gave him a loaded M-L, no reloads. We weren’t that far apart. Rather than a rushed lesson on reloading, I told him to make that one shot count.
 
Kids make mistakes.... no joke! Sure glad I never did anything dumb. Just truly glad nobody got hurt.
 
Something to be said here too about distracted shooting.

Example I am at the range and load up my ml load sabot bullet and all but the primer. Then I see jimmy! Holy moly jimmy it's been a while! Talkie talkie and then back to shooting... Ok add powder and saboted bullet. Hey why does my rod sit up so high? Dunno who cares?! Add primer and wait for barrel explosion.
 
Does anyone know the pressure standard to which factory 50 caliber muzzleloaders are tested?

Can recommended factory loads be calculated with QuickLoad?

The photo below shows what happened to the casehead of a 338 Lapua that was overloaded and the barrel came apart. It would take a tremendous overpressure to make the brass expand that much. The guy was lucky nobody got hurt.


Casehead Expansion.jpg
 
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