[wildcard]

The Rifle:


PICTURE OF THE BOLT HANDLE ADDED ON POST #233

The Ammo:


The tool allegedly used to close the bolt at some point: (Edited to add that the shooter used his palm when this incident occurred)


The End Results:



THIS PART IS A LITTLE GRAPHIC!

The Consequence:



I didn't take pictures of the shooter out of respect for their privacy.. but his hands/arms were injured pretty badly. He was obviously in tremendous pain as he and his buddies waited quite a while for paramedics. Are paramedics/EMTs supposed to take their sweet time when walking onsite?

Anyhow.. I was told that the shooter(s) often times used a hammer to close the bolt. Feel sorry for the pain and damage the shooter had to endure.. but that's the potential consequence of improper reloading and firearm use.

[Jwood562]

HOLY *****

that is all I can say right now

[Vtec44]

Originally Posted by wildcard

Anyhow.. I was told that the shooter(s) often times used a hammer to close the bolt.

Say what???

[Guns R Tools]

Wow, that is bad but could have been worse.

[BroncoBob]

Hope all works out OK for him.

[1919_4_ME]

Wow! Hope he recovers quickly...

[SlushPup]

ohh boy...

a hammer?

[diegodog2]

My uncle was 25 feet away and said the shooter did some major damage to his right hand

[thefinger]

omfg

he had to use a hammer to close the bolt!? thats something i'd never do, but we all do dumb stuff sometimes without thinking it through. hate to see a fellow shooter get injured like that.

[Linus]

a hammer for what!?

[1919_4_ME]

Whoa is that the firing pin piercing out the side of that buffer tube?

[WokMaster1]

Look at the buffer tube on the ACE stock. I hope the guy is OK.

[pacrimguru]

i hope the shooter is okay. OP, just to clarify, did this happen when he hammered the bolt closed or when he was firing?

[sumdood]

I wonder what those numbers on the shell casings represent? The powder charge?

[1919_4_ME]

Originally Posted by sumdood

I wonder what those numbers on the shell casings represent? The powder charge?

Yea that looks like the grains in each round. He may have been doing some testing and working up some load tests.

[EBR Works]

Originally Posted by sumdood

I wonder what those numbers on the shell casings represent? The powder charge?

Looks like .50 DTC. Those numbers would be consistent with powder charges for this round. Looks like he was working up a load.

This is an example of absolutely what NOT to do with any weapon, especially .50 since it has enough energy to kill the shooter and anyone in close proximity. Just plain dumb!

I hope he recovers, but someone needs to have a serious conversation with this guy.



As to the item protruding from the tube, that is the firing pin. I have seen someone break the tiny little E clip that holds the BOHICA firing pin in place. A completely inadequate design, IMO.

Oh...and then he used duct tape to try to fix it, locking up the bolt when he fired it. Looks like Darwin is alive and well in the BOHICA owner's community.

[Sick Boy]

Ok, so what exactly happened?

Did a round cook off half into the chamber? Or was it over pressure?

[CSACANNONEER]

50 shooters often times have a hammer ready in case they need it to OPEN the bolt AFTER a round has FIRED. In this case, the shooter obviously did not know what he was doing. In any event, I hope and pray that he'll make a full recovery.

Originally Posted by Sick Boy

Ok, so what exactly happened?

Did a round cook off half into the chamber? Or was it over pressure?

It appears that it was an OOBD. It could have been caused by any one of several reasons such as a high primer, a stuck firing pin, etc. Let's not speculate too much. It won't do anyone any good.

[1919_4_ME]

Sometimes if you your bolt is hard to close with a round in the chamber you can use the "palm" of your hand to give it a light tap and that usually is enough to close the bolt all the way. If you cannot close it using your palm then the round needs to come out. Usually if this occurs the shoulder of the case in not formed correctly to your chamber or your round is not the correct length which will cause the bolt not close all the way...

[NSR500]

Hopefully the guy is alright, but let it be a lesson to everyone not to use a BFH on your guns.
That reminds me of the AR15 kaboom where the guy kept slamming on the forward assist to chamber the rounds. If you have to use the FA like that on an AR, something is wrong.

[BamBam-31]

Round fired w/o the bolt being 100% closed. Him hammering the bolt caused an out of battery explosion of considerable magnitude.

I hope he isn't too badly hurt. Prayers for his full and speedy recovery.

[B Strong]

I don't even know how to respond - the guy was using a hammer to get the bolt closed?

I hope the guy isn't hurt too badly, and finds another hobby.

[bombadillo]

Where'd the bolt handle end up? What exactly got hurt? face, hands, arms or what??!!??

[EBR Works]

Originally Posted by bombadillo

Where'd the bolt handle end up?

The bolt handle is on the bench in the lower right of the 4th photo. It's pure luck that the handle or the extractor wasn't launched into an adjacent shooter.

[bigcalidave]

Originally Posted by B Strong

I hope the guy isn't hurt too badly, and finds another hobby.

+100

If you lose common sense, shooting sports aren't the best choice.

[killshot44]

Jeebus Fiest......

I can only imagine what his right hand must look like (and feel).

Dumb or not, you hate to see that happen to somebody.

Makes me think of the signature line someone on here has. It goes something like: "Reloading, think of it like a math test where if you get the answer wrong you lose a hand"

[Gio]

That is just wow! I hope this guy picks up a new hobby and that he recovers soon.

-Gio

[pacrimguru]

Originally Posted by killshot44

Makes me think of the signature line someone on here has. It goes something like: "Reloading, think of it like a math test where if you get the answer wrong you lose a hand"

i'm horrible at math. i'm never going to pick up reloading.

[jrau13]

Yikes!

[caduckgunner]

I'll wait to pass judgment until either the shooter post up what happened (if he is a member here), but I do hope he has a speedy recovery.

[CSACANNONEER]

Originally Posted by killshot44

Jeebus Fiest......

I can only imagine what his right hand must look like (and feel).

Dumb or not, you hate to see that happen to somebody.

Makes me think of the signature line someone on here has. It goes something like: "Reloading, think of it like a math test where if you get the answer wrong you lose a hand"

It probably wasn't his math skills that caused the OOBD. More than likely, it was his lack of knowledge about how to use his firearm safely. Even "factory" 50BMG ammo can be hard to chamber. So, there is a small possibility that his reloading practices were completely proper and safe.

[wilit]

Originally Posted by wildcard

I didn't take pictures of the shooter out of respect for their privacy.. but his hands/arms were injured pretty badly. He was obviously in tremendous pain as he and his buddies waited quite a while for paramedics. Are paramedics/EMTs supposed to take their sweet time when walking onsite?

Yes, EMT's are trained to WALK while on scene. If you take a CPR class they will teach you this too. The last thing you want is a first responder running into a situation they have no idea what they will encounter. You most certainly don't want the EMT to slip in a pool of blood while running and breaking an arm. Now if you're the guy bleeding, you're SOL.

[Josh3239]

That is what I was going to post. If you need to use a little something extra to close the bolt whether it is a hammer or a forward assist then there is something wrong. The fact that the round won't chamber is a clear warning that something is wrong.

Originally Posted by NSR500

Hopefully the guy is alright, but let it be a lesson to everyone not to use a BFH on your guns.
That reminds me of the AR15 kaboom where the guy kept slamming on the forward assist to chamber the rounds. If you have to use the FA like that on an AR, something is wrong.

[tdaughg]

and this is why i need to learn to shoot my rifles right handed. its better to lose a non-dominant hand than my head...

[nitrofc]

Originally Posted by 1919_4_ME

Whoa is that the firing pin piercing out the side of that buffer tube?

Things ya don't see everyday...

Hope the guy has a fast recovery.

[Mstnpete]

They have case gauges for .50 calibers. If he had one of these it would have helped him. A case gauge is a very important tool to have when reloading!
I have case gauges for all the ammo I reload. Simple way to test the ammo if it fits. That was a major mistake trying to fit a non fitting bullet.
The easiest way for him to test is by opening his rifle in half and testing the reloaded ammo by dropping it in the barrel for fitting test. At least no firing pin to deal with.

Here's a case gauge for the .50 : Case gages allow you to check your Rifle & Pistol ammunition to ensure it will fit a minimum sized chamber

http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/...eadspace-Tools






Just my 2 cents. It is very sad to learn the dangerous way!
I hope he recovers quick.

[killshot44]

Originally Posted by CSACANNONEER

It probably wasn't his math skills that caused the OOBD. More than likely, it was his lack of knowledge about how to use his firearm safely.

I didn't say it was his reloading that got him into trouble......just that the event reminded me of someones tag-line. Big difference.

[pingpong]

Damn, that's insane. What exactly happened to the shooter?

[Sydwaiz]

Your supposed to "fire form" .50 DTC. NOT HAMMER FORGE.

But this comes to mind. Anyone remember this Bugs Bunny cartoon?


"You have to hit it just right"

[Stormfeather]

Pic 5 shows the base of the 50 cal case hidden behind the bolt, where it blew out of battery. I had this happen to one of my soldiers over in Iraq. It was literally like a laser cut the brass case in half. The remaining portion of it was left in the chamber. Looks same here. Man, stupid does hurt.