Savage Model 10MLSS .50 caliber Muzzleloader Rifle blown up

[Madmike]

This is fairly graphic so don't open if you are sensitive.... will be of interest to anyone that shoots one though

Savage Model 10MLSS .50 caliber Muzzleloader Rifle

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

WOW    I've never seen anything like that he is a lucky man to be alive . In my younger days I deer hunted all the time I've not been in several years . I'm about 90 % sure my muzzle loader is still loaded 

[Madmike]

I received it in an e-mail then did a Google search and found the info in the link, seems to be a good source and nothing on Snopes.

Some of the old bolt action .303's - think they were Ross'  ??? - were famous (infamous??) for blowing their bolts back and ripping guys faces apart.  You fellows down South may not have seen many of them but 303's were standard issue in Commonwealth countries.  Guy that I know in the Rangers here told me they got the last 3500 of them from Pakistan in new condition.

Rangers is like a militia in the North that mostly exists to aid in things like search and rescue and be available for local knowledge to Military Forces when needed.

[big turkey]

Iknew a guy who was a avid shooter.

He had abolt blow back through his jaw.

Scared him so bad, should add they lost him three times on the operating table.

He is now a preacher part time and a electrician the other part of the time.

Very fortunate is what I thought.

Al

[ArmyValker]

My buddies got a shotgun that can't be snapped shut without firing a round. You gotta be aware of these kinds of things.

[Sharkey]

I have been interested is one of those muzzleloaders, because you can shoot smokeless gunpowder in them. I love blackpowder hunting, but hate cleaning the gun. I guesss I might pass on one now.

[Serk]

Wow... I've often wondered why someone didn't make a muzzle loader built to take smokeless powder... Didn't know one was out there...

...and think I'll continue to act as if I didn't know it was out there... Ouch!

[RoadKill]

Any thing can be destroyed. Muzzle loading IS hand loading,there was no "factory load" in that rifle. We dont know what the load was and I bet the shooter didnt know for sure either (at least he hasnt admitted what he did wrong if he does know). A double charge was the first thought I had when I saw the pictures.  GUN POWDER IS DANGEROUS ! !

[hotglue #43]

I hunted with a 50 cal muzzle loader for YEARS.... took 50 plus deer with one.  One rainy day had a shot not go right,, had to run a ram with a screw to pull the ball and clear the barrel to reload.  Sure don't want 2, 150 gr balls in the barrel at 1 time....

[Jess Tolbirt]

Some of the old bolt action .303's - think they were Ross'  ??? - were famous (infamous??) for blowing their bolts back and ripping guys faces apart.  You fellows down South may not have seen many of them but 303's were standard issue in Commonwealth countries.  Guy that I know in the Rangers here told me they got the last 3500 of them from Pakistan in new

the one i think you are thinking of are the italian carcano 6.5mm rifles,,, they would file the boltstop round and leave the rifle for the enemy to pick up and when they fired the bolt would rip thier heads half into,,,

[valkyriemc]

Any thing can be destroyed. Muzzle loading IS hand loading,there was no "factory load" in that rifle. We dont know what the load was and I bet the shooter didnt know for sure either (at least he hasnt admitted what he did wrong if he does know). A double charge was the first thought I had when I saw the pictures.  GUN POWDER IS DANGEROUS ! !

I dont buy the story. I read about a lot of testing of black powder barrels (I know that this gun shoots smokeless-I've shot one) but the point of the story was barrels will take a lot of abuse with over charges (using BP-at least), shooting a single bullet. But the minute there's a barrel obstruction-read a bullet, round ball, mini, maxie, sabot, etc., and the barrel goes south fast. I have personaly held a bulged barrel on a formally very nice Belgium 30.06 BAR, that didnt like snow packed in the muzzle when it was fired. Re the story, I think his hand was on the forearm. Chambers (IMO) can blow on multiple loads of powder, or most likely the wrong powder, and revolvers like to grenade on too much Bullseye. This blow up was a ways from the chamber. One mistake is all it takes.

[Varmintmist]

I have been interested is one of those muzzleloaders, because you can shoot smokeless gunpowder in them. I love blackpowder hunting, but hate cleaning the gun. I guesss I might pass on one now.

Search Randy Wakeman, this has been around a while.

If you have to shoot a girly gun (inline ), these are OK. Just FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.

Smokeless is weighed per grain (1/7000 of a pound), black powder and substitutes are volumetric as in fill up a certain volume. They are 2 different things, and if you don't follow the rules, you will lose.

If you swap the measuring of the two, you will blow your rifle up. If you dont mark your rod and double charge, you can blow your rifle up. If you shoot your ramrod by forgetting to take it out of the bbl, you MIGHT blow up your rifle, you will ring the bbl.

That rifle will take 46 gr of IMR powder OR 150 gr of BP substitute pellets, in this case pyrodex. http://www.tjgeneralstore.com/savage_loads.htm

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

A buddy of mine has one of these which I’ve shot. It’s well made and shoots well without much recoil with his loads.

My guess is, it wasn’t a gun problem, it was an operator problem. You’ve got lots of room to play when using black powder or a black powder substitute in a modern muzzleloader. My encore will easily handle 150 grains of triple seven or other black powder substitutes. I doubt that it would blow up with 250 grains although I’m not going to try it.

However with the savage using smokeless powder you are into the realm of high power rifle reloading, with an endless variety of powders and powder weights and no room for mistakes or uneducated experimentation. My bud’s gun needs one particular smokeless powder, if it’s not available and you try something different based on a “seat of the pants” guess then “fiery death or dismemberment” is the probable outcome.

I don’t really like the idea of these guns. Not because there is anything wrong with them but because people who have been spoiled by the forgiving nature of black powder shooting will get bit if they don’t step up to a higher level for these rifles.

My guess is wrong powder, barrel obstruction, far too heavy a projectile for the powder charge or the bullet/sabot was not seated on the powder. If you’re going to use one of these guns, do your homework, be precise and follow the listed powder/bullet/load to the letter. Mistakes will no longer be something to giggle about.  With smokeless powder mistakes mean pain.

[Ratdog]

That's double coyote ugly !  I'm sorry... when I shoot modern, I like my modern equipment.  When I shoot black powder... I like my OLD school equipment and such.  To me... the whole point of smoke poles is to have the more relaxed experience... I just don't get the whole melding of the two that these "modern" BP rifles bring to the mix.  I don't want a smoke pole that looks like my Remington 700 rifle.  I don't want something that "will" shoot smokeless powder.  Not to mention that there's a methodical rythm to shooting BP.  Inattention can make bad things happen in a huge hurry.  

A good dosage of common sense is also needed.  I'll never forget my "first gun".  I bought (used) a "like new" .30-06 bolt action rifle.  I doubt the gun had ever even been fired.  I was 18yrs. old and spent a few days just drooling on my newest "toy", studying it, taking it down, cleaning it, anticipating that first shot with it.  The more I looked at it... the more curious I got about it.  The bolt didn't drop down into the "cut out" (for the stock) all the way, and I wondered why.  I took it to a gun retailer and when I pointed it out to the shop owner... he asked if I'd fired the gun.  I hadn't... and, a good thing.  He indicated that there was a 50/50 chance that the first time this gun would be fired, the bolt would come back into the shooter's eye as quickly as the bullet exited the barrel.  The reason?  Whoever mounted the scope to the rifle had mistakenly used screws (for the mount) which were just too long.  The screw was protruding down far enough to hinder the bolt's ability to fully engage the "locked" mode.  My guess is, that since the rifle came with a scope that had "Kmart" printed onto the tube, it was probably purchased there, and some kid behind the counter was probably enlisted to mount the scope for the new owner... and, an honet/ignorant mistake was made.  The good Lord was watching over the first owner... and me too.  Anyhow...  the shop owner pulled the mounting screws for me... filed 'em down a little and remounted the scope, even bore sighted it for me before leaving the shop.  As soon as the correct length screws were securing the scope... the bolt nestled down as it was designed to do.  It's a fine rifle to this day (32 yrs later), and I've taken a LOT of game with it.  I learned a good lesson that day... listen to that gnawing little voice when something doesn't seem quite right... don't be afraid to admit that you don't know it all... seek the advice of someone who has more experience... give a firearm the respect it deserves... ignorance can be fixed, unlike stupidity.

[solo1]

I agree with Ratdog.  I don't hunt anymore but I still have a Lyman Great Plains .54 caliber with buckhorn sights.  One in 66 twist barrel made for round ball. If you're hunting with black powder, that's' the way, IMO.

If you are not experienced with smokeless powder from Bullseye (fastest) to the slowest, one mistake with wrong powder, wrong load, wrong projectile, etc, and you're GONE! no forgiving as with BP.

That's probably what happened here. However, I think that Savage might share the blame as they're leaving themselves wide open to misinformed and ignorant cusses who want only to dispense with cleaning and think that smokeless and black powder are similiar.