111 blew up at the range today

hrdbul · 09-26-2012, 09:48 PM

New to forum, hello all pleased to be here. Well I need help figuring out what happened today. I'll fill everyone in on what has transpired.

Bought a 111 Trophy Hunter XP package in 6.5x284 on Sunday. Cleaned it Sunday night with Butches bore shine scrubbed it until patches came out clean. Went out and put 8 rounds through it waiting 5 minutes between shots. I usually break in a new gun better but I was excited to shoot it. So after the 8 rounds I went home and foamed the bore with Birchwood Casey foaming bore cleaner, let it sit 30 minutes then worked it over with the brush and patches, a few patches with butches and then dry patches until they came out clean. Checked the barrel from the chamber as well as the muzzle checking to see any rough or dirty spots, all good. Set in in my cleaning rest with bolt open. It's morning picked gun off rest put in case went to range. Set up, few dry fire exercises loaded first round, squeezed and boom twang. Barrel split from muzzle almost to forearm. Large bulge 3/4 of an inch from muzzle.?

HSM 142gr Berger Match VLD's

Any thoughts, I know there was no obstruction in barrel. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

**bootsmcguire** · 09-26-2012, 09:53 PM

No thoughts other than possible issue with your load? Glad you are alive to tell us about it.

**Blue Avenger** · 09-26-2012, 09:53 PM

spider?

You looked through it again or just know it was clear last night?

hrdbul · 09-26-2012, 09:56 PM

Yea, shook me up la little, didn't look today, had not been touched since I put it back in my cleaning rest. Has any one ever had a bullet come apart going down the barrel? My buddy thought maybe a yellow jacket, a lot at the range today.

jerkin · 09-26-2012, 10:23 PM

Does that really happen, blowing up a gun because of a bug? I would have never thought it was possible.

nsaqam · 09-26-2012, 10:27 PM

Sounds exactly like a barrel obstruction to me.

In many other bolt action rifles your face may have taken a beating. The Savage design is strong and the gas handling qualities unsurpassed.

Time for a new custom tube or prefit.

**fgw_in_fla** · 09-26-2012, 10:36 PM

I can't ever recall reading or seeing a barrel come apart unless it was obstucted by something that didn't care to move too easy.... like the bore sight laser, a piece of something left behind in the case that found it's way into the barrel during transport, a clod of mud or soil from sticking the barrel into the dirt - accidently. who knows?.....

Be glad you're typing this from home & not the county hospital.

If, in fact, it was an insect.... Think about how he felt. Or maybe his last thought seeing that bullet coming.

Frank in Fla

Kill N Grill · 09-26-2012, 10:47 PM

The bulge would suggest an obstruction. Can you post a picture of the barrel?

**tjf76** · 09-26-2012, 11:14 PM

I agree, sounds like a barrel obstruction to me as well. Please post some pics for us to see.

82boy · 09-26-2012, 11:15 PM

If there is a bulge, and a slip from the muzzel, to about the forarm, ther had to be an obstruction.

**Admin** · 09-26-2012, 11:32 PM

Glad to hear/see you're ok and weren't injured...that's the most important thing. As everyone else has said, it definitely sounds like some kind of bore obstruction towards the muzzle end since that's where it split.

hrdbul · 09-27-2012, 12:01 AM

I work in the gun trade and my first reaction hearing this would be obstruction. The only way for something to have gotten into the barrel is when I put it in the case. It was clear the night before after I cleaned it and put it back in the rest. I have pics here on my iPad but can't get them up if any one can help. I'm wondering if the bullet could have come apart on the barrel.

hrdbul · 09-27-2012, 12:03 AM

From the length of that 142gr Berger it seems it would be almost out of the barrel.

**Dennis** · 09-27-2012, 12:03 AM

Wow, glad your alright! Gotta be some type of obstruction. The only one I have ever seen is when a hunter accidently put the muzzle in dirt, didn't realize it, shot it, and the barrel is as you described. I think he still has the barrel, if so, I will take a picture of it and post it.

Dennis

PS: If it was an overcharge, or the wrong powder, I believe the chamber and bolt would have been damaged vs barrel damage starting at the muzzle.

hrdbul · 09-27-2012, 12:05 AM

Yea, very slight primer flattening but nothing concerning, spent cartridge and bolt had no pressure and ejected smoothly

**devildogandboy** · 09-27-2012, 12:25 AM

any kids around the house? sounds like an obstruction is what i'm thinking also.
you didn't leave cleaning rod or jag in barrel?

hrdbul · 09-27-2012, 12:30 AM

No kids brush, jag and J Dewy rod and adapter all accounted for.

hrdbul · 09-27-2012, 12:53 AM

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Hope this works, i'll take some better pics in the morning, gun is at work waiting on a call to Savage.

**Wigglesworth** · 09-27-2012, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by hrdbul

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Hope this works, i'll take some better pics in the morning, gun is at work waiting on a call to Savage.

Dang it...

From the looks of the bulge at the muzzle end of the barrel, I would "guess" that there was an obstruction near the muzzle.

Just a guess though...

**Dennis** · 09-27-2012, 01:59 AM

Dang it...

From the looks of the bulge at the muzzle end of the barrel, I would "guess" that there was an obstruction near the muzzle.

Just a guess though...

I am going to have to agree with this. I don't think this is due to any defect.

**fgw_in_fla** · 09-27-2012, 05:16 AM

It looks like something blocked the bullets escape about 2" from the muzzle opening. You can see where there's a bulge / distortion at that point. The last time I saw something like that, a bullet blocked the barrel from no charge & the next round tried to push it out.
It pushed it out alright..... Right out the side of the barrel. It looked very much like this.

You need to buy a lotto ticket & see if your luck is still holding. Then maybe church on a regular basis. Someone was watching over you.....

Count you blessings.

Frank in Fla.

Opus Dei · 09-27-2012, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by fgw_in_fla

It looks like something blocked the bullets escape about 2" from the muzzle opening. You can see where there's a bulge / distortion at that point. The last time I saw something like that, a bullet blocked the barrel from no charge & the next round tried to push it out.
It pushed it out alright..... Right out the side of the barrel. It looked very much like this.

You need to buy a lotto ticket & see if your luck is still holding. Then maybe church on a regular basis. Someone was watching over you.....

Count you blessings.

Frank in Fla.

That's what I thought-a prior shot was a squib. Re-reading, it seems this was the first round, though.

Nonetheless, that barrel is a wallhanger.

**Dennis** · 09-27-2012, 06:29 AM

The last time I saw something like that, a bullet blocked the barrel from no charge & the next round tried to push it out

It's something close to the above

kevin_stevens · 09-27-2012, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by fgw_in_fla

You need to buy a lotto ticket & see if your luck is still holding. Then maybe church on a regular basis. Someone was watching over you.....

Or trying to kill him off.

So I understand a squib round blocking the barrel, but is it really possible/likely that some of the other minor obstructions (spiders, Q-tips, loose dirt) that have been mentioned would result in a burst barrel? I would think anything not substantial or substantially stuck would just get blown out of the way.

KeS

**efm77** · 09-27-2012, 01:42 PM

First off, I'm glad you're ok. Secondly, I don't think something loose in the barrel would do that, it would have to be lodged. Something like a spider would just get blown right out. It should be no different from people who put electrical tape over their muzzle to keep dirt, snow, etc. out of their barrel while hunting. When you shoot the tape is just blown right off from the air coming out ahead of the bullet.