Zambia Hunt

[BCHunterFSJ]

Well I'm back from Zambia with both good news and bad news. The good news is that I did bag a very fine sable antelope (42 inch). Here is a photo; http://i41.tinypic.com/2ci77md.jpg

[Rhyno]

and the bad news is....

[Ambush]

and the bad news is....

Probably booked another hunt and he'll be too broke for taxidermist fees. :-D :mrgreen:

Awesome animal! Gott'a love RSA.

[BCHunterFSJ]

The bad news is that while shooting at a cape buffalo, my rifle blew up! http://i42.tinypic.com/ml5hjd.jpg This is me at the mission hospital I got air-lifted to by helicopter. And here is a photo of the rifle... http://i44.tinypic.com/2qajrde.jpg

[shadowhunter]

Holy crap! Thats brutul, i wish you a speedy recovery and nice antelope.

[The Dawg]

Holy deuce!

Hope you're ok!

Was it your rifle or a supplied ?

[Rhyno]

Holy crap! You are lucky to be alive. Wish you a full and speedy recovery! Any idea of the cause?

[Philcott]

Holy Crap........Banged up pretty good but you must be OK for the most part or you wouldn't be typing on here. Any idea what happened to cause the gun to blow up? That must have scared the crap out of you.

That 1st pic is real nice with the last glow of the day illuminating the trees in the background.

[frenchbar]

ouch ..were u wearing your glasses ..could of been a lot worse .get well soon !

[fuzzybiscuit]

Holy Crap about sums it up!

That could ended up much worse! Here's wishing you a speedy recovery.

[Mr. Dean]

owie..........

[IronNoggin]

Hell of a Fine Sable! :mrgreen:

And a SERIOUS OUCH on the rifle!! WTF Happened! :confused:
Hope you are recovering well...

Cheers,
Nog

[paw325]

sorry about the poor luck.... that's gonna be a tough flinch to get over

[adriaticum]

Wowsers, speedy recovery!
Whatever happened? Why?

[kennyj]

OUCH!!! Looks like you were lucky. Get well soon. Beauty Sable.
kenny

[1/2 slam]

Man am I happy that you are OK. That could have turned out so much worse.

[BiG Boar]

Other than a Cape buffalo on top of you, this is a worst case scenario hunting. Did you end up getting the buffalo? Can you give us any more details on what not to do?

[ydouask]

Great Sable ! Great good fortune to still have fingers, eyes, head... Trust all will heal and you'll get another chance at that Buff.

[Bear Chaser]

Congratulations on the sable.

Hope you have a speedy recovery. That's definitely some bad luck that could have been a lot worse.

[just hunt]

Holy chet glad to see your ok.

[pronghorn]

Well glad to see that your ok hope the healing is quick.

[pnbrock]

what the heck caused this?glad you still have eyes.

[Brez]

Wow, OUCH! wish you a speedy recovery.

[BCHunterFSJ]

Thanks for all the comments! Does anyone have any theories about what caused this? As far as I am concerned there was no barrel obstruction. The rifle was a Sako .375 H&H Mag (brand new - rented from outfitter) and the ammo was Norma 300 grain Swift A-frame. Should anyone be held liable??? I was very lucky - could have been maimed/crippled, blinded, or killed...Thanks!

[The Dawg]

Was it hand loads?

[gbear]

Holy crap Vic, sorry to hear. Looking at the picture of the rifle gives me shivers. Hope you gain a full and speedy recovery.

[BiG Boar]

Thanks for all the comments! Does anyone have any theories about what caused this? As far as I am concerned there was no barrel obstruction. The rifle was a Sako .375 H&H Mag (brand new - rented from outfitter) and the ammo was Norma 300 grain Swift A-frame. Should anyone be held liable??? I was very lucky - could have been maimed/crippled, blinded, or killed...Thanks!

Stoppages in the barrel, reduced loads (something many outfitters do in Africa to save powder (expensive) as it shoots better through the bush, plugged barrel end (but that usually blows the barrel), wrong ammo 35 wheelan in 30/06, borrowed reloads that worked in his last gun, wrong powder, and over pressure being the most common issue. No one ever admits to making mistakes reloading, but I would bet with 97% certainty that if they were hand loads, it was a simple mistake. Less likely it was a barrel obstruction, but would be Likley if they were factory ammo from a sealed box.

Was it your first shot through the gun or did you target shoot first?

[Rocky7]

Given where/how it blew up, I strongly suspect:

1. Wrong ammo entirely if it was a factory load, e.g., a bigger bullet than .375 but same size brass; or

2. Wrong powder if it was a reload (e.g., pistol powder mixed up with rifle powder).

Hang onto those rounds that were in the magazine. IF the chambered round was the same load, they'll tell the story. Get someone to examine them to see if they were a factory load, pull one apart and weigh the powder charge and send sample of powder for analysis. That should be done with a process that preserves the evidence trail for a Court.

[BCHunterFSJ]

The ammo was factory loaded. I fired the rifle before the hunt and at my sable. Pretty darn sure that I did not plug the barrel. Some people have suggested that a wasp built a nest inside the barrel (but the barrel did NOT blow). Thanks for your comments!

[Elkhound]

Holy crap.......glad you are ok. Makes us really think about eye protection. In my business I have seen some horrific eye accidents

[sheephunterab]

It screams wrong cartridge in the chamber to me but regardless, just glad you are okay. We could just as easily be reading about this in the obituaries.

[whitetailsheds]

Glad you are OK Vic.......very nice sable!!! Keep us updated......

[Blainer]

That is a frickin scary scenario.
I'm glad your able to share such an experience, I imagine it could have been worse.
Beautiful Sable! none the less

[tuffteddyb]

Is it possible one of the cartridges in the magazine blew?

Nice antlope!!!
Owie,,,,owie,,owie.....

[rem338win]

Freakish. Ammo going off in a magazine would not to that.
You had something in the barrel back near the chamber (lotsa bugs there) or the wrong powder in the ammo.

The rifle being a Sako means you didn't get hurt by the explosion, so the injuries must've come from the ensuing fist fight and choke out you latex down on the buff right? :)

[Kudu]

Wasps don't build nests that strong in rifle barrels - not unless they are shitting pure Tungsten - and no - they don't do that in Africa!

since the barrel is intact - and the action is smashed one has to believe that a round either exploded in the breech or on the way to the breech - did you manage to look at the bolt / bolt head?

Beautiful SwartWitPens by the way ..:mrgreen:

[rem338win]

Wow Kudu, you have no idea what your talking about on the subject do you? And then to tell people they are wrong is hilarious. First, modern ammunition has accelerants not explosives in them, so they cannot "explode" in a magazine like you implied. And yes there are mud wasps in Africa, Zambia assuredly, that have in the past created blockages in large bore barrels that cause catastrophic damage to firearms; I have has the opportunity to talk about such a thing with a Zambian PH that lost a classic .500 Jeffrey when a wasp did such a thing to one of the barrels. Such damage to a rifle only happens one way: a closed breech with incredibly excessive pressure. That leaves us with three simple answers (there could be a not simple answer) to the question here: the wrong powder was dropped in that cartridge at the factory, a blockage was in the barrel (like an insect or a muddy mess), or there was a metellurgical failure. The last is a long shot.

[Kudu]

Wow Kudu, you have no idea what your talking about on the subject do you? And then to tell people they are wrong is hilarious. First, modern ammunition has accelerants not explosives in them, so they cannot "explode" in a magazine like you implied. And yes there are mud wasps in Africa, Zambia assuredly, that have in the past created blockages in large bore barrels that cause catastrophic damage to firearms; I have has the opportunity to talk about such a thing with a Zambian PH that lost a classic .500 Jeffrey when a wasp did such a thing to one of the barrels. Such damage to a rifle only happens one way: a closed breech with incredibly excessive pressure. That leaves us with three simple answers (there could be a not simple answer) to the question here: the wrong powder was dropped in that cartridge at the factory, a blockage was in the barrel (like an insect or a muddy mess), or there was a metellurgical failure. The last is a long shot.

And you have seen these mud wasps block rifle barrels overnight or even in a couple of days? Mwa hahahahaha Sorry - cant help laughing - I lived there way too long to know better!

The chances of poor metallurgy, or piss poor powder scales far outway wasps and mud-nests - I hate to tell you!

Most, if not all the rifles I have seen or heard of - firing - with Mud in the barrels - have damaged barrels - not only the action - but hey ho - you're the expert!

By the way - modern ammunition still uses gunpowder the last time I looked - and that shit explodes when ignited.

[Amphibious]

Did Tikka/Sako not have some metal issues a few years back? The barrel looks perfect, right down the threads. I'd say that a barrel blockage is unlikely, but rather ammo or metal defects in the action. (but I'm far from knowledgeable on such matters)

Lots of people go to Africa on safari, very few will ever have a story as good as yours! Glad you're on the mend.

[BCHunterFSJ]

Thanks for all the interesting replies guys! An investigation of the incident was carried out in Zambia; the final report stated that barrel blockage was the cause. I still maintain that I did not plug the barrel with soil... However, I do not have the necessary funds to hire lawyers to fight corporations such as Sako. Right now I just want to forget the whole incident and get on with my life. Looking forward to getting those sables back to Canada (hopefully without too much hassle from Canadian authorities).

[rem338win]

No I haven't but do know enough people that have (ie. the bugs).
A blockage close to the chamber does blow back into the connection (bolt face/action/and barrel) and cause the damage there. Reread my post, and it looks like what I said jives with the OP's response.
And modern gunpowder burns, it does not explode, it burns genius. Black powder explodes. Don't believe me? Call western powders and ask an expert. Or for our entertainments sake video yourself touching off 500gr of black powder and 500gr of 4350. One burns, the other goes boom.
I do have a lot of experience with this, enough so that my pictures make the OP's look like he went a round with Betty White while I got lit up by flame thrower. Funny story, my fault, and it caused me to learn a whole lot more about this than you've expressed you know.
So you lived somewhere, glad it made you an expert on everything. I happen to have a few friends in Zambia as well, and they all tape tape their and their client's bores.
A can of beans in a fire is far more dangerous than a 12ga with #6, and I do not suggest either.

[rem338win]

Unless you stuffed it in near the chamber, it wasn't you. Was that a first or second firing at the animal? If your first was a squib, I could see this happening as well.

I am still sorry to hear about the terrible ending.