Savage Model 10MLSS .50 caliber Muzzleloader Rifle Blown Up

[Marshal'ette Halloway]

Got this from a friend:

Caution: The last few pictures are pretty graphic...but they show the magnitude of the mishap

 A very good shooting friend of mine from Winnipeg , MB Canada sent me a link to these photos in a web album.  A Winnipeg area shooter by the name of Trent Procter who works for Manitoba Hydro was sighting in his Savage muzzleloader rifle and nearly lost his hand.  Luckily, he had his hand  on the scope instead of the forearm when this happened.  (Incidentally, the Savage is the only muzzleloader that is supposed to withstand the high pressures of smokeless powder.)

I don't know if this failure happened due to a defect in the rifle itself or if the shooter perhaps didn't properly seat the projectile against the powder firmly.  This is VERY important with any muzzleloader, especially when shooting black powder.

Doc Martin

Webmaster Coon 'n Crockett Muzzleloaders Club
Grand Forks, ND - USA
www.coon-n-crockett.org

This is what the rifle looks like:



This is a page I took from the manual that mentions the smokeless loads:



This is the note that was sent with the email I received:
If you guys know of anyone who is shooting a Savage like this let them know that there are many recorded cases of them failing such as Proc's did. Savage is the only muzzle loader that claims it can handle smokeless powder loads. Cabelas won't even carry this product anymore. This email has gone to the CEO of Savage Arms via another hunter who has contacted Trent . The same thing happened to him awhile back, he was lucky as his forend hand was on his scope as he was sighting in. Forward as you feel fit.

























 

[Jackel]

ouch, he's gonna have a scar

and Savage a lawsuit

[garand4life]

Bore obstruction maybe?

[CJS3]

Bore obstruction maybe?

Yeah, the bullet!

Never, ever, use smokeless powder in a muzzle loader.

[twyacht]

If his hand was on the scope, and the scope is still intact,  the severity of his hand injury, the wound is in the web, thumb and top,....

those would be to the rear facing the shooter, as he was adjusting windage, elevation,... His main injury's are more consistent with a traditional cradling of the foregrip. Left side of palm on the thumb side and across the palm from the pointer finger toward the wrist. Especially the pictures of the stitched wound. Blood blisters from the detonation, and his finger tips (blackened and injured), which would have been curled up toward the barrel in a traditional shooting position.

Seems his hand was more on the foregrip based on the injury, and the way the barrel split...

Either way, he's got a long recovery with that hand ahead of him... Geez, that's a bad one...

[m25operator]

Ouch, I would like to know more about the load used, but God bless these injuries, I have been lucky and only had 1 revolver blow up, I was only the shooter, not the loader or owner of the firearm, wish I had pictures, single action army, cylinder in 3 pieces, and the top strap through the ceiling. The barrel does look thin compared to most muzzle loaders.

Best healing to those involved, looks wicked, and I want them to shoot again.

[garand4life]

I didn't think muzzleloaders had bolt handles? <Maybe I just am really unfamiliar with the type of rifle.

[Fuzdaddy]

If his hand was on the scope, and the scope is still intact,  the severity of his hand injury, the wound is in the web, thumb and top,....

those would be to the rear facing the shooter, as he was adjusting windage, elevation,... His main injury's are more consistent with a traditional cradling of the foregrip. Left side of palm on the thumb side and across the palm from the pointer finger toward the wrist. Especially the pictures of the stitched wound. Blood blisters from the detonation, and his finger tips (blackened and injured), which would have been curled up toward the barrel in a traditional shooting position.

Seems his hand was more on the foregrip based on the injury, and the way the barrel split...

Either way, he's got a long recovery with that hand ahead of him... Geez, that's a bad one...

I think what was being said was that another friend who had a similar blowup was lucky to have had his hand on the scope. Not this poor guy.

[tombogan03884]

 The way the barrel is split looks wrong. something is not right about this story.
There is more to this than a dumb azz using Smokeless powder in a muzzle loader, and I DO NOT think it is a problem with the gun.

[philw]

Dam,   

one very lucky bloke....