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CoyoteJoe

70 Cal.
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If I am successful in posting this it is an email I received from another site. I know nothing about the fellow who sent this and do not in any way vouch for his credentials. I find it interesting that he claims to have seen so many blown up guns, I'm 66 years old, have been a serious gun buff since childhood and have yet to see even one blow-up, but I post this for your consideration.

Dear CoyoteJoe,

markkw has just replied to a thread you have subscribed to entitled - Bore conditioning/Seasoning - in the Muzzleloaders forum of Shooters Forum.

Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************
Joe, Yes, it has been identified as being from India and no, it is not the only one I have seen turn loose. The information I have on this particular one is that it burst with a 100gr paper cartridge blank charge (no ball). How correct that info is, I do not know, as it is third party. What I have seen is several others, not only from India but Pakistan, Turkey and China - all sold as reenactment pieces by reenactment supply shops (all at incredible profit margins too) and all have suffered catastophic failures. Ball seated over 70gr of 2F in a Brown Bess similar to the one shown and the barrel peeled open like a zipper down the top from the breech almost to the muzzle. The failure happened with the second round fired from the brand new out of the box gun. Other than some minor powder burns, the shooter was not seriously injured. Another "made in India" victim wasn't so lucky, he has a nice scar on the side of his head and lost 50% vision in his right eye because the breechplug that was only soldered into the barrel turned loose and came back through the stock hitting him in the face - yes, from only a 70gr blank charge. A made in china pistol sold as a "firing replica" by a reenactment supply fell off a table onto a concrete floor and the barrel shattered like glass since it was made from brittle junk cast iron and not even steel. Another pistol made in pakistan chunk of the barrel blew out the lock and part of the stock the first time it was fired with a 30gr blank charge and a card wad. SxS 12ga perc. made in turkey left barrel split from the breechplug about 8" forward. Zouave made in india 6" split opened down the right side of the barrel from a rather light charge under a mini.

It would be interesting to know if the lab tested only the alloy or if they tested the structural intergrity following the mfg process - the alloy may test good but if it's tubing, therein lies the failure and that strait split tells a lot. I've seen plenty of split hyrdaulic, water and steam lines from various causes and every split import barrel I've seen has the tell-tale indications of being made from tubing because those strait-line splits follow the seam/draw points every time. There was absolutely no excuse for anyone selling a gun with a breechplug that was simply soldered to the back of the barrel. The Zouave was quite interesting too since within the opening of the split, you could clearly see the cold weld line where the two sides of the joint were not even melted together.

Nothing is idiot proof, the best quality drilled barrel made from the best alloy available can be made to blow-up if loaded improperly but inviting disaster with junk that doesn't even rate high enough to be called "sub-standard" just doesn't make sense. Not being ugly here but is risking your safety and that of those around you worth saving a couple bucks?
***************
 
Like Col. Potter said "bull puckey", with as small of a community as this is nationwide we would ALL know at least one person this happened to if this guys numbers are correct. So, I ask, if so many of these guns have 'sploded, where are all the witnesses and "victims"?
 
Go back and read the HP White Lab. report. It clearly indicates what tests and examinations were done, and what was found. This barrel blew from operator error. As to other stories, they are just " stories " until you see first hand, or have reports from reliable testing facilities. Since the H.P. White Lab is the only independent Ballistic's Lab in this Country, That is where guns should be sent for examination.

IF-- and I do say IF-- these other guns failed as quickly, and for the causes mentioned, they will be quickly identified by this Lab. and the victims of this junk will have big lawsuits against the sellers, and the chain of sale, at least to the point where someone drilled a touch hole into a barrel that was shipped to this country without one.

I have seen many burst barrels, and in only one case was there a manufacturing error as a cause of the bursting. Then, in addition, there are the couple of MLers pictured in the old Buckskin Reports that failed because dovetails were cut into the barrels, or so close that they failed after a few shots. In addition, I have seen several burst cylinders in old revolvers, again due to operator errors. ( Mostly, mistaken use of the wrong powder in reloading cartridges for the guns.)
 
Exactly right,
I have been shooting and reenacting for over 35 years, in that time i have seen 1 blown ML barrel and that was a shotgun that had a mud plug in the end of the barrel, from the owner falling in the swamp and not checking the barrel before shooting.
I read all this about India and pakestan made guns.I have not ever seen one. I have seen the ads and web sites but how long have they been on the market? I have handled replicas made in india but they were wall hangers with cheap cast parts, some of them looked very nice but I would never even consider shooting them. Maybe the real problem is people who have no clue what a real gun looks like are buying these cheap replicas and thinking they can shoot them. I would have to call on all experienced shooters and reennactors to set these people straight. If you see a potential junker out there inspect the gun and if its junk dont let it be around the rest of the shooters. The only way to police this problem is to act. I for one would not let anyone shoot a wall hanger around me.
 
Ditto. No eyewitnesses, no photos, equals no facts.
:nono:

I got plenty of faith, but I reserve it for higher matters. Not :bull:

Thanks for posting, but I don't buy it. :wink:
 
I have been reading .. and reading .. and rereading this topic. I refrained to post a reply, but Saturday decided to speak personally to the discussed Indians by phone.
It seems this has challenged them to REALLY give attention to their quality control and lift their quality a notch or two. So I, for one, will closely watch the future quality.
 
Over the years I've seen a number of blown centerfire barrels, but have yet to see a blown muzzleloader.

The lab report on the gun in question proved that the material and workmanship were of adequate quality and that it was a user caused issue.

Like most things on the internet, after it gets circled around a few times, it gets embellished until it's blown out of proportion.
 
Plink: The "funniest" involving a products liability claim I was consulted on by another attorney involved one of those 4-barrel, .22 caliber, Italian Made Replica Derringers, that has a revolving firing pin, but a 4-point, star extractor, that opens when the barrel latch is released and the barrels are opened on their hinge. This " Plaintiff" claimed he shot all 4 barrels into the palm of his hand because of a DEFECT in the product, when he closed the barrels on the gun.

Now, the only way all 4 barrels could be fired would be if the moron put the rimfire casing under and behind that star extractor, and then the extractor would have had to been slammed so hard that all 4 barrels fired at the same time. I don't know how strong you would have to be to fire 4 rimfire cartridges at one time, and I can't imagine someone trying to do that with a short barreled gun that by its very design will have the muzzles of the barrels pointing at some part of your hand when you close the action. But, there is no way a rotating firing pin could fire all 4 barrels at one time, as the Plaintiff claimed.

After consulting me about the gun, the lawyer refused to take the case. I can only wonder what kind of stories were spread about that incident to make it look like it was the gun's fault, and not the shooter's fault for his injuries.
 
John Tice said:
I think Col Potter also used to say "Horse Hockey !" :haha:
You might have me there! I get PBS and on a good day one broadcast channel....I was going off of memory!@
 
these stories are like the tales of tourists going to the PRC and being mugged and having a kidney surgically removed... lots of tales, no documented cases. sorta like honest politicians.

what's the difference between an honest politician and big foot? there's been sightings of the bigfoot...
 
Hey! That happened to me! I was mugged in the PRC by an honest politician who then removed one of my kidneys. I woulda shot him, but my musket barrel blew up. It was made in India by Bigfoot... :redface:
 
Let's all get our clubs so we can beat this dead horse some more. :shake: :barf: :youcrazy: :cursing:
 
Sounds like fun to me!!! :applause: I've got a nifty club! :thumbsup: It was made out of teak in India by Bigfoot. I know it's a good one 'cuz I bought from an honest politician. :rotf: Now where's that dead horse you were talkin' about :stir:
 
Pichou said:
Ditto. No eyewitnesses, no photos, equals no facts.
:nono:

I got plenty of faith, but I reserve it for higher matters. Not :bull:

Thanks for posting, but I don't buy it. :wink:

Can't say it better than that.
 
Found it. My turn first!

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