If I owned one, I'd never shoot any military surplus ammo in it after watching this.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1449kJKxlMQ[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1449kJKxlMQ[/ame]
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50 BMG Round Explosion
- Thread starter wood714
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Crickey! That was bloody close.
It was a blessing that his dad was right there with him.
It was a blessing that his dad was right there with him.
OP
Yep, A miracle type blessing period.
I didn't think anyone could survive getting their throat cut like that.
Lord..Makes me think twice about using that surplus WW2 45acp ammo I recently acquired. Wow..
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vonn
US Veteran
Lucky is all I can say.
Always be careful using products that were developed to submit the lowest bid! Also companies where it is heard daily “close enough for government work!”
GF
Member
Kentucky Ballistics is one of the few YouTube channels I subscribe to.
Scott is a good dude. I'm glad he's OK and that he'll continue with his channel.
50 caliber is a different beast.
You have to know when to remove the flash suppressor (SLAP rounds) and know when your shooting factory ammo. He was not.
He's lucky to be alive and I believe Faith in God and Vanderbilt Hospital are the reasons why.
Oh ... and the fact that he "put a thumb in it!"
Scott is a good dude. I'm glad he's OK and that he'll continue with his channel.
50 caliber is a different beast.
You have to know when to remove the flash suppressor (SLAP rounds) and know when your shooting factory ammo. He was not.
He's lucky to be alive and I believe Faith in God and Vanderbilt Hospital are the reasons why.
Oh ... and the fact that he "put a thumb in it!"
It was combination of the rifles design and bad ammo. From what I understand they aren’t sure if this was actual military ammo or ammo put together with surplus components. At $100 a cartridge there is going to be counterfeit loads.
I’ve never loaded 50BMG. Is it possible to blow up a gun with the correct powder ? The design of that rifle is about the same as a pipe bomb.
I’ve never loaded 50BMG. Is it possible to blow up a gun with the correct powder ? The design of that rifle is about the same as a pipe bomb.
OP
That's what I was thinking. I checked out the maker of the rifle. I'd not be too comfortable shooting 50 BMG out of a $1,259 rifle.
RN-50 - Serbu Firearms, Inc.
50 some years back I shot a 50cal rifle at White Sands. It was brewed up from a single shot action from spotter gun on recoiless rifle and a M2 barrel
It was not fun to shoot and had no recoil system.
It was not fun to shoot and had no recoil system.
Cal44
Member
I looked up 50 BMG SLAP rounds on a military tech site.
I had never heard of them.
Caliber .50 Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP)
These consisted of a smaller-than-caliber tungsten bullet in a plastic sabot that made a round for a 50 cal gun.
The plastic sabot would fall away after leaving the muzzle leaving a very fast moving small diameter bullet -- nearly 4000 fps.
At the time this cartridge was developed, the Marines also tried to make a 7.62 x 51 version.
The 50 cal version worked, but the 7.62 version did not. In the 30 cal version, the plastic sabot sometimes explosively disintegrated while still inside the barrel -- resulting in the bullet penetrated the side of the barrel destroying the gun.
So this makes me thing something like this happened.
The old plastic in the sabot, probably dried out and became brittle over 25 years.
The sabots were probably partially disintegrating in the first three shots. This probably left the smaller than 50 caliber bullet exiting the barrel out of alignment and maybe tumbling. That was likely the cause of the poor accuracy. It looked like the third shot hit a couple feet from point of aim.
In the final shot, perhaps the sabot explosively self destructed throwing the bullet off course and jamming it in the barrel resulting in the kaboom.
Sort of like the container ship in the Suez.
Just a theory.
I had never heard of them.
Caliber .50 Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP)
These consisted of a smaller-than-caliber tungsten bullet in a plastic sabot that made a round for a 50 cal gun.
The plastic sabot would fall away after leaving the muzzle leaving a very fast moving small diameter bullet -- nearly 4000 fps.
At the time this cartridge was developed, the Marines also tried to make a 7.62 x 51 version.
The 50 cal version worked, but the 7.62 version did not. In the 30 cal version, the plastic sabot sometimes explosively disintegrated while still inside the barrel -- resulting in the bullet penetrated the side of the barrel destroying the gun.
So this makes me thing something like this happened.
The old plastic in the sabot, probably dried out and became brittle over 25 years.
The sabots were probably partially disintegrating in the first three shots. This probably left the smaller than 50 caliber bullet exiting the barrel out of alignment and maybe tumbling. That was likely the cause of the poor accuracy. It looked like the third shot hit a couple feet from point of aim.
In the final shot, perhaps the sabot explosively self destructed throwing the bullet off course and jamming it in the barrel resulting in the kaboom.
Sort of like the container ship in the Suez.
Just a theory.
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mckenney99
Member
Saw this video yesterday. Guy kept his cool and saved his own life. He also gives credit to his lord for watching over him. Seems to be a pretty decent dude. Hope he continues to heal.
Dear God....
LVSteve
Member
His comments about the age of the ammo and who has had it and what's been done to it struck a chord with me. Guy a few spots along was having issues with his Garand in 30-06. He saw I was shooting M2 in my 03A3 and asked to shoot a few in his rifle, straight swap for what he had. His gun then worked fine. I fired two rounds of the stuff he gave me. I can say two things for sure:
1) Judging by the flash the ammo had a slow powder in it, likely way too slow for a semi auto.
2) Judging by the recoil, there was a lot of it in there.
So, regarding the ammo in the video, I can imagine some yahoo saying, "Yeah, but think how well it will go when I fill it with Bullseye, nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!"
1) Judging by the flash the ammo had a slow powder in it, likely way too slow for a semi auto.
2) Judging by the recoil, there was a lot of it in there.
So, regarding the ammo in the video, I can imagine some yahoo saying, "Yeah, but think how well it will go when I fill it with Bullseye, nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!"
Just finished watching it with the 12 y.o.; followed by the "thou shalt not shoot any ammo that is not factory loaded or handloaded by yourself" lecture.
Also less than thrilled by the "pipe bomb single shot" rifle.
Sheesh. Probably used 2 guardian angels for that one!
Also less than thrilled by the "pipe bomb single shot" rifle.
Sheesh. Probably used 2 guardian angels for that one!
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I want the T-shirt.
While the design of the gun is non conventional I agree it was not the gun. At over 85,000psi a Barret may have left you with a bolt in your forehead. That heavy cap threaded on with the heavy threads should have been able to take any reasonably pressure.
He said the manufacture said it would take over 85,000 PSI and I believe that. Look at high pressure hydraulic piping sometime. It would not be hard to pressure test a set of treads like that to determine when they would fail. The manufacture probably did at some point in the design. A blind hole in a piece of that steels round stock with the open end threaded with those threads and that cap, a gauge and port installed in the firing pin hole and a high pressure pump and go to pumping until it let go.
A very old duplex powder that changed it own property or someones concoction is what I suspect.
I met a guy at a gun show who had a blown up single shot bolt action style 50BMG. He had also been pretty severely injured.
An 85,000 PSI round in a Winchester model 70 30-06 might become real evil. Given enough pressure it would rip the bolt lugs right off.
Notice the chamber itself did not fail.
He said the manufacture said it would take over 85,000 PSI and I believe that. Look at high pressure hydraulic piping sometime. It would not be hard to pressure test a set of treads like that to determine when they would fail. The manufacture probably did at some point in the design. A blind hole in a piece of that steels round stock with the open end threaded with those threads and that cap, a gauge and port installed in the firing pin hole and a high pressure pump and go to pumping until it let go.
A very old duplex powder that changed it own property or someones concoction is what I suspect.
I met a guy at a gun show who had a blown up single shot bolt action style 50BMG. He had also been pretty severely injured.
An 85,000 PSI round in a Winchester model 70 30-06 might become real evil. Given enough pressure it would rip the bolt lugs right off.
Notice the chamber itself did not fail.
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GF
Member
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/55482/SLAP1-1923983.jpg
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/55482/SLAP2-1923988.jpg
Picture #1 is the kaboom ammo Scott used
Picture #2 is genuine SLAP ammo
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/55482/SLAP2-1923988.jpg
Picture #1 is the kaboom ammo Scott used
Picture #2 is genuine SLAP ammo
