Savage Model 10MLSS .50 caliber Muzzleloader Rifle Blown Up

[rmorri42]

Hi, I'm Rick.  New to this fourm stuff.  A friend of mine told me to check out this site and thread because I own one of these Savages. 
I have seen this kind of damage before and it is "almost" always opperator error.  (Bad steel being one exception, but rare)
I know 2 others personaly who own said rifle, and not one of the three of us have ever had any safty issues that we know of.
As stated above, WEIGH EACH CHARGE, AND KNOW YOUR POWDER AND SABOT/BULLETT COMBINATION!  This gun was designed for smokeless with a saboted bullett.  The sabot acts as a preasure relief valve.  Any charge listed by Savage would blow by the sabot long before blowing the barrel. 
The pictures indicate (at least to me) that there was a barrel obstruction, or the ramrod was left in the gun, OR an unsaboted and /or unapproved bullet/powder combo was used.(Maybe even two bullets)one stuck half way down, which looks to be more likely.
I have fired my Savage with recomended loads several hundred times, and never had any issues.  I would be slow to blame Savage untill we have more real facts.
No matter what the reason, it was a terible accident.  We Pray for a fast recovery.
Thanks,
Rick

[Hazcat]

Thanks for the first hand report and WELCOME to the mad house!

[billt]

Actually, I had a conversation with Randy Wakeman on another board a couple of years back. It turns out we used to frequent the same gun shop back when I lived in Illinois. Anyway, I was seriously considering getting a Savage 10-ML because of it's ability to use smokeless powder, not in spite of it. A lot of false information was being spread all over the Internet about this rifle being "dangerous", and Randy is one of the most knowledgeable guys out there on the subject of the Savage 10-ML.

But there were a lot of other guns that I wanted, and the 10-ML got put on the back burner. Savage has ceased production because they just couldn't sell enough of them to turn a profit. I liked the idea of smokeless in a muzzle loader because it wasn't so damn dirty and messy. And with the 10-ML you always had the option to use black powder with it if you so desired. It also was avaliable in .50 caliber and packed a hefty wallop. The fact it came in a Stainless Steel, Laminated Stock model was an even bigger plus. It's too bad Savage couldn't make a go of it. Like many nice weapons out there in gun land, that rifle had a lot of appeal, just not enough sales to go with it to remain on the market.  Bill T.

[MAUSERMAN]

Dang that had to f-ing hurt. It reminds me of the servicemen using 50cal rounds like hammers.

[rmorri42]

Hi Ya'll,
Thanks for the welcome.  Actually a few years back, I resurched and read everything I could find about the Savage.  Randy was one of the writers I couldn't get enough of.  I read everything I could find posted by him, on any web site or article I could find.
Never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I sure would have liked to.  He had no BS, just striaght facts.  There were a few others back then too, that worked with preasure measureing barrels and posted graphs and such.  I learned alot from these guys, and I really appriciate all the work they put into all that data.  Randy's work on the vent liners was remarkable!
The only thing I changed on my gun was the stock.  I built a laminated thumbhole target stock fitted with a stainless action block, and added a third 1/4-28 action screw so the action stays tight in the stock when I remove the bolt etc for cleaning.  Glass bedded and floating barrel with air vent slots in the forearm.  I've been told that was a little over kill, but hey, it's my rifle, right?
Anyway, as soon as I figure out more on this computer stuff, I'll put a picture on here like you guys have. (won't be as nice as your's, Bill) Maybe the gun or a target.
Again, Thanks for everything.
Rick

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

Many of us use Photobucket.
It's point and click simple and its free.

I have no technical reasons for it, but I would never mix smokeless and muzzle loaders.
It probably isn't "just me", but it is my prejudice and I'm keeping it !    
Edited to add That you could get yourself hurt if you grabbed the wrong flask for another BP arm.

[mobile_bob]

i know this is an old topic, but i just came across it and your forum today.

this incident is clearly the result of a double load

primer/powder/sabot/bullet/powder/sabot/bullet =  kaboom!

if one looks at where the widest spread of the fracture is located it soon becomes apparent that it centers very closely to the middle of the second charge.

ignition of the first charge radically compresses the second load and it spontaneously and violently explode, with a ruptured barrel the result.

this guy did not have his had on the scope either.
any explosion of this nature would have removed the scope had his hand been on it and suffered this injury.

had this been the result of a single load, we would expect the center of the failure to be located back toward the breech  and the scope would have been gone!

btw,  neat forum!

mobile_bob