Dutchman
03-20-2011, 09:16 PM
These photos below are the only ones I have for this incident. The receiver ring wasn't blown off but was bulged. There is a disturbing similarity between these two rifle accidents.
Hornady 3rd edition: 160 gr round nose using IMR4064: 31.6 grs minimum. 35.2 grs maximum.
In both these incidents the load level was nominal and in no way "hot".
Let us accept the owner statements as fact and work within the parameters reported and not speculate outside with unknown factors. I feel the answer is within what has been reported with both these rifle failures.
********************************************
* Kimber sporterized M96 , 1915 vintage.
* Hornady 160 grn interlock over 32 grn IMR4064, Federal primer, and remington brass on their 4th cycle.
* I did not notice any bolt stickiness or extraction issues.
* The stock broke at the wrist, under the floorplate, and just in front of that area, The trigger guard was slighty blown out and the receiver, even though it held, was misaligned. The extractor flew off in two peices, the ejector went, the floorplacete blew out.
* I am not sure if the problem was detonation due to a very light load ( hodgdon said it couldn't happen ) or a problem with the brass ( remington looked at it and said it looked like a failure caused by an overcharge). My other rounds of 160 were not overloaded after I broke them down.
* The case blew at the head and lost about 1/4 of it. The bolt head lost a portion of the raised radius that aligns the case. That part actually looked like an old fracture.
* I check each filled case with a flashlight on the loading block
* (a full case of the powder)....it would have been about 42 grains or so. Hogdons rep didn't think that would have created this much damage.
* I am leaning toward a too light load causing detonation, even though Hodgdon was emphatic that this powder would not cause this.
Other thoughts are too much neck tension caused by me not annealing or dirty case necks..though this is a stretch. But, the other 160 grain bullets did not come apart easily at all. It took quite a few vigorous whack with the intertia puller. I don't crimp the necks.
The other confesstion, is that my loading log book showed 34 grsn for that batch. My cartridge box sticker showed 32 grains. That discrepancy is haunting as well.
* 1.The receiver WAS damaged, but it was intact. It is very slightly bowed on the right side, just enough to prevent a replacement bolt from being inserted more than about 1 third of the way. I will put a caliper on that receiver and one of my others when I get a minute.
The trigger guard was similarly bowed out a little on the same side.
* Funny you ask about that batch of brass. In the same bag, there was a malformed case where the brass had a melted look. It was obviously un-usable.I sent that one along with the blown case to remington, suggesting that there may be a quality problem.
They said it was " not related", and sent me $10 as a consolation prize.
http://images27.fotki.com/v966/photos/2/28344/1676633/DSC_0301e-vi.jpg
http://images54.fotki.com/v1616/photos/2/28344/1676633/DSC_Bolt21-vi.jpg
Hornady 3rd edition: 160 gr round nose using IMR4064: 31.6 grs minimum. 35.2 grs maximum.
In both these incidents the load level was nominal and in no way "hot".
Let us accept the owner statements as fact and work within the parameters reported and not speculate outside with unknown factors. I feel the answer is within what has been reported with both these rifle failures.
********************************************
* Kimber sporterized M96 , 1915 vintage.
* Hornady 160 grn interlock over 32 grn IMR4064, Federal primer, and remington brass on their 4th cycle.
* I did not notice any bolt stickiness or extraction issues.
* The stock broke at the wrist, under the floorplate, and just in front of that area, The trigger guard was slighty blown out and the receiver, even though it held, was misaligned. The extractor flew off in two peices, the ejector went, the floorplacete blew out.
* I am not sure if the problem was detonation due to a very light load ( hodgdon said it couldn't happen ) or a problem with the brass ( remington looked at it and said it looked like a failure caused by an overcharge). My other rounds of 160 were not overloaded after I broke them down.
* The case blew at the head and lost about 1/4 of it. The bolt head lost a portion of the raised radius that aligns the case. That part actually looked like an old fracture.
* I check each filled case with a flashlight on the loading block
* (a full case of the powder)....it would have been about 42 grains or so. Hogdons rep didn't think that would have created this much damage.
* I am leaning toward a too light load causing detonation, even though Hodgdon was emphatic that this powder would not cause this.
Other thoughts are too much neck tension caused by me not annealing or dirty case necks..though this is a stretch. But, the other 160 grain bullets did not come apart easily at all. It took quite a few vigorous whack with the intertia puller. I don't crimp the necks.
The other confesstion, is that my loading log book showed 34 grsn for that batch. My cartridge box sticker showed 32 grains. That discrepancy is haunting as well.
* 1.The receiver WAS damaged, but it was intact. It is very slightly bowed on the right side, just enough to prevent a replacement bolt from being inserted more than about 1 third of the way. I will put a caliper on that receiver and one of my others when I get a minute.
The trigger guard was similarly bowed out a little on the same side.
* Funny you ask about that batch of brass. In the same bag, there was a malformed case where the brass had a melted look. It was obviously un-usable.I sent that one along with the blown case to remington, suggesting that there may be a quality problem.
They said it was " not related", and sent me $10 as a consolation prize.
http://images27.fotki.com/v966/photos/2/28344/1676633/DSC_0301e-vi.jpg
http://images54.fotki.com/v1616/photos/2/28344/1676633/DSC_Bolt21-vi.jpg