I just came back from Zambia. I was successful on a beautiful sable and was now hunting buffalo. After 2 days of tracking and stalking, I finally got my chance. Rifle on the sticks, buffalo turned broadside, I fired, and the whole world exploded in my face. The rifle had literally "blown up" in my face! I sustained facial injuries and mouth damage from "shrapnel". Prolonged bleeding occurred as a result of warfarin (blood thinner) use. Eyeglasses were cracked in a number of places. I was air lifted by helicopter to a mission hospital where vitamin K and antibiotics were administered. Further treatment and INR blood testing in Lusaka... The PH was also injured by shrapnel and one of the lenses on his binoculars was completely shattered!

Possible consequences of this incident could have been blindness, severe hand injuries and death...

The rifle was a brand new Sako .375 H&H Magnum (supplied by outfitter) and the ammo was Norma 300 grain Swift A-Frame.

I believe this forum has some of the most experienced hunters. I would appreciate some feedback: 1. What do you think the cause of this "blowback" could be? Note: I sincerely believe that I did NOT jam the rifle muzzle into the ground!
2. Is anyone legally liable for this accident?
And can I reasonably take this to court with a lawyer? What are my options? What would YOU do under the same circumstances??

Thank you.

Sorry to hear or this.
My first guess, if you are sure it was not buried in the ground at some point, would be potter wasps.
They can close a barrel up in 3 minutes.

Had you fired the gun before?

Was the ammo factory or reloaded?

Sorry to hear of your accident. What a horrible way to end a safari. I had the exactly same thought as Hunting the Box H. During lunch a few years ago I saw wasps deposit mud in the muzzle of the PH's rifle. I mentioned it after lunch to the PH and upon inspection he found the bore to be nearly blocked. I would think this was more likely your cause than a problem with the rifle, ammo or some negligence by the PH.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Hunting the Box H:
Sorry to hear or this.
My first guess, if you are sure it was not buried in the ground at some point, would be potter wasps.
They can close a barrel up in 3 minutes.

Had you fired the gun before?

I'd agree completely.

ALWAYS a good idea to run a rod through the barrel on arrival & then put a piece of insulation tape over the muzzle & replace it asap after the rifle has been used.

Could the outfitter be responsible?

I guess it's not impossible because he should have checked the rifle before he gave it to you but equally, you should have also checked it.

Also is there a safari contract and/or indemnity & if so, what do they say?

As for prosecution & compo?......... don't hold your breath on that one because if nothing else, reason & responsibility would have to be proven.

All that said, I'm not a lawyer......

As others indicate, the most probable cause would be some kind of barrel blockage. No cause of action in that case.

I am always surprised that the majority of hunters do not tape the muzzle end of the barrel(s) on their rifles. I always carry finger-cots in my cleaning bag as they are easier to carry and replace after a shot than a roll of electrical tape - BTW non-lubricated condoms work on double rifles. Having said that, I admit to doing it faithfully only when hunting in snow or rain conditions.

quote:

Originally posted by BCHunterfsj:
I just came back from Zambia. I was successful on a beautiful sable and was now hunting buffalo. After 2 days of tracking and stalking, I finally got my chance. Rifle on the sticks, buffalo turned broadside, I fired, and the whole world exploded in my face. The rifle had literally "blown up" in my face! I sustained facial injuries and mouth damage from "shrapnel". Prolonged bleeding occurred as a result of warfarin (blood thinner) use. Eyeglasses were cracked in a number of places. I was air lifted by helicopter to a mission hospital where vitamin K and antibiotics were administered. Further treatment and INR blood testing in Lusaka... The PH was also injured by shrapnel and one of the lenses on his binoculars was completely shattered!

Possible consequences of this incident could have been blindness, severe hand injuries and death...

The rifle was a brand new Sako .375 H&H Magnum (supplied by outfitter) and the ammo was Norma 300 grain Swift A-Frame.

I believe this forum has some of the most experienced hunters. I would appreciate some feedback: 1. What do you think the cause of this "blowback" could be? Note: I sincerely believe that I did NOT jam the rifle muzzle into the ground!
2. Is anyone legally liable for this accident? And can I reasonably take this to court with a lawyer? What are my options? What would YOU do under the same circumstances??

Thank you.

A good example of today's society. Don't even know what happened and ready to sue.

I am sorry for your accident but dam...accept some responsibility for your own safety and well being. It's hunting...things can happen...doesn't mean someone is liable.

Could be many things.

An obstruction at the muzzle can cause a "blowup" but it usually takes a pretty good obstruction and the brunt of the damage is along the barrel.

Here are some examples of rifles fired with 100% obstruction at the muzzle:



Another possibility not mentioned is a bullet lodged just forward of the chamber. This can happen several ways. For example, it is possible to get the bullet of an unfired cartridge stuck in the throat and subsequently extract the cartridge without noting that it was a loaded and it is now minus the bullet. Firing a cartridge immediately behind a stuck bullet is more likely to cause an action "blowup" than an obstructed muzzle.

However, we don't have any further description of the damage and, even if we did, a close examination would be needed to ascertain plausible causes. I bet Sako would like to see the rifle.

Those wasps are the best reason I can see for a bore snake. Every evening I would remove the tape I had placed over the muzzle, and would pull the bore snake partially into the barrel. That way the chamber was blocked, and when I pulled it the rest of the way through in the morning I know the barrel was clear before I taped it over for the day.

It sounds like someone might have put or forgot something in the barrel accidentally or negligent...Maybe while cleaning the bore?

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
Could be many things.

An obstruction at the muzzle can cause a "blowup" but it usually takes a pretty good obstruction and the brunt of the damage is along the barrel. Here are some examples of rifles fired with 100% obstruction at the muzzle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4AqMl1A4aQ

Another possibility not mentioned is a bullet lodged just forward of the chamber. This can happen several ways. For example, it is possible to get the bullet of an unfired cartridge stuck in the throat and subsequently extract the cartridge without noting that it was a loaded and it is now minus the bullet. Firing a cartridge immediately behind a stuck bullet is more likely to cause an action "blowup" than an obstructed muzzle.

However, we don't have any further description of the damage and, even if we did, a close examination would be needed to ascertain plausible causes. I bet Sako would like to see the rifle.

I dont think another round would chamber if there was a bullet stuck in the throat or chamber.A bullet would have to be fired with a primer alone and go down the barrel to some extent before stopping and blocking the barrel.

A good example of today's society. Don't even know what happened and ready to sue.

I am sorry for your accident but dam...accept some responsibility for your own safety and well being. It's hunting...things can happen...doesn't mean someone is liable.[/QUOTE]

+1

Sorry to hear about your accident. I hope you have a full recovery.

This is a good lesson for me. I know I should check the bore every morning, but many times I don't. Last year after we crawled up on a Buff I did check the muzzel. I also know about tape on the muzzel but I seldom use it. Mabey I'll start.

Thanks for letting us know. Perhaps this will help to prevent one of us from a similar fate.

Bob

+2 my exact first thought when i read the post.

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
I dont think another round would chamber if there was a bullet stuck in the throat or chamber.A bullet would have to be fired with a primer alone and go down the barrel to some extent before stopping and blocking the barrel.

Firing of a bad cartridge with bad powder or no powder can cause the bullet to go into the bore and get lodged. That is an example of the notorious "pop - no kick" anyone who has fired military arms is warned of and many target shooters refer to these as "squib" rounds.

As I mentioned, there are several ways it can happen and, yes, it can also happen just as I described it. Loading a cartridge behind a stuck bullet isn't necessarily all that difficult. The front bullet can get pushed in tighter while the bullet of the new cartridge gets pushed back into into the case.

People who fire many, many rounds, encounter such things on occasion. The casual shooter is less likely to see such things but they can and do happen nonetheless.

The original poster didn't really mention whether the action itself blew or whether it was just the barrel. All we can do is speculate.

quote:

Originally posted by mustbhuntn:
A good example of today's society. Don't even know what happened and ready to sue.

I am sorry for your accident but dam...accept some responsibility for your own safety and well being. It's hunting...things can happen...doesn't mean someone is liable.

+1[/QUOTE]

Let's assume, hypothetically, that it was not a barrel obstruction or a reloading problem, would I be looking for someone to sue . . . you are damn right I would. Call me a corrupted product of the American society if you want, but guns and ammunition are manufactured not to explode. If there was a problem with the gun or the ammunition, I was injured and had my hunt ruined, those are exactly the types of situations that the courts are intended to address.

Should follow your own advice and not be so quick to pass judgment. No one here knows anything more about the situation than the original poster posted and some are prepared to attribute it to a lack of personal responsibility. Gimme a break.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:

quote:

Originally posted by mustbhuntn:
A good example of today's society. Don't even know what happened and ready to sue.

I am sorry for your accident but dam...accept some responsibility for your own safety and well being. It's hunting...things can happen...doesn't mean someone is liable.

+1

Let's assume, hypothetically, that it was not a barrel obstruction or a reloading problem, would I be looking for someone to sue . . . you are damn right I would. Call me a corrupted product of the American society if you want, but guns and ammunition are manufactured not to explode. If there was a problem with the gun or the ammunition, I was injured and had my hunt ruined, those are exactly the types of situations that the courts are intended to address.

Should follow your own advice and not be so quick to pass judgment. No one here knows anything more about the situation than the original poster posted and some are prepared to attribute it to a lack of personal responsibility. Gimme a break.[/QUOTE]

Give me a break! The chances of a Sako loaded with factory Norma ammo exploding without a barrel obstruction are exquisitively slim.

How about figure out beyond a shadow o a doubt what happened and if it was manufacturer negligence/error...by all means have at your suit!

But dam...just saying...

quote:

Originally posted by mustbhuntn:
A good example of today's society. Don't even know what happened and ready to sue.

I am sorry for your accident but dam...accept some responsibility for your own safety and well being. It's hunting...things can happen...doesn't mean someone is liable.

+1[/QUOTE]


+ 10

It's up to you to check the bore is clear,
you are the one using the rifle.


Question re which part of the gun blew up ?
Action, chamber, barrel in from of chamber,
was it a barrel burs half way along ?

Might shed some light as to the cause.

MJHines

Re your last post, coming from America, the land of dodgy gun smiths because you don't have proof to pass, that is funny.

At least Sakos are proofed before they leave the factory.

quote:

Originally posted by cow-trader:

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:

quote:

Originally posted by mustbhuntn:
A good example of today's society. Don't even know what happened and ready to sue.

I am sorry for your accident but dam...accept some responsibility for your own safety and well being. It's hunting...things can happen...doesn't mean someone is liable.

+1

Let's assume, hypothetically, that it was not a barrel obstruction or a reloading problem, would I be looking for someone to sue . . . you are damn right I would. Call me a corrupted product of the American society if you want, but guns and ammunition are manufactured not to explode. If there was a problem with the gun or the ammunition, I was injured and had my hunt ruined, those are exactly the types of situations that the courts are intended to address.

Should follow your own advice and not be so quick to pass judgment. No one here knows anything more about the situation than the original poster posted and some are prepared to attribute it to a lack of personal responsibility. Gimme a break.

Give me a break! The chances of a Sako loaded with factory Norma ammo exploding without a barrel obstruction are exquisitively slim.

How about figure out beyond a shadow o a doubt what happened and if it was manufacturer negligence/error...by all means have at your suit!

But dam...just saying...[/QUOTE]

I presume you mean exceedingly slim, but in any event this is from less than ten years ago:

Finnish gun manufacturer recalls faulty hunting weapons
American man injured when Sako rifle explodes


The Finnish hunting rifle manufacturer Sako has recalled nearly 3,000 of its guns with a potential defect that could cause it to break apart when fired. In October, Mark Almeida, a 45-year-old American living in University Place, Washington, suffered injuries to his hand when his new Sako 300 Winchester Short Mag Finnlight model rifle exploded while he was shooting at a firing range.
"The target was 200 yards away when I pulled the trigger. The gun let out a powerful explosive sound that I had never heard before, and it broke up in my hands", he explains. He was rushed to hospital with four broken bones in his hand. He was in surgery for four hours.
After the incident, Sako ordered a recall of its series of 2,700 weapons.
Sako CEO Henry Paasikivi says that a total of six guns are known to have malfunctioned in the same way - one of them in Finland. In one case, a Swedish boy lost the tip of his thumb.
The barrels would break up lengthwise into several fragments, and in some cases, other parts of the gun also broke. The problem was attributed to a weakness in the stainless steel used in the manufacture. Guns of the series in question were sold to several countries, from the United States to New Zealand, before the defect was noticed.
All buyers have been notified, and most of the guns have been returned to the factory for repairs or replacement, except for a few in the United States. The faulty rifles were manufactured at the company's factory in Riihimäki last year. They include Sako and Tikka models.
When the problems arose, Sako immediately discontinued production and deliveries of the models, and began to recall them from retailers, and contacted individual buyers.
However, the company did not make any public statements at the time. "We did not consider that necessary, because we were able to reach all owners of the weapons in other ways", he said.
"We have got all of the guns back, except in the United States, and 90 percent of the weapons we sold there have been located. All consumers have been contacted a long time ago."
Paasikivi says that the weapons will be repaired, if necessary, and sent back to the owners.

Amazing, folks act like it is impossible that a Sako rifle would have problem, yet that is exactly what happened less than ten years ago. I guess their "proofing" is not fool proof.

MJines,
Send a courier for the pieces and a PM to the OP...maybe a case to be had!

Any chance you chambered another caliber shell. I don't know if a 416 Rem would chamber but I bet a 300 H&H would.

Great, more exploding Sakos.

BC: Truly a hugely disappointing turn of events. Sorry your hunt (and nearly your face) was ruined.

Grenadier is correct that an obstruction near the muzzle end of the barrel such as jammed mud or wasp deposits would NOT result in a catastrophic failure. The much more likely cause is an obstruction near the chamber, such as a jammed bullet from a squib load. A manufacturing defect in either the rifle or the ammunition is a very distant possibility.

"Liability" and "responsibility" are two different things, the first being a legal question and the second a moral one.

Normally, the venue for pursuing a liability claim is the jurisdiction in which the incident occurred. Not knowing anything of Zambian jurisprudence I can only speculate that recovery of any kind through the legal system is highly unlikely (look up the verb "hometown" in legal jargon). Besides, I have to assume that the remains of the rifle are in the possession of the PH, your potential legal adversary, so effectively getting your hands on the evidence necessary to proceed with some legal action is also virtually impossible.

Responsibility is quite another matter. The rifle and the ammunition were furnished directly to you by the PH. He was responsible for seeing that they were in good working order. It is almost a certainty that, whatever the cause of the blow up, it was not due to your act or omission -- after all, all you did was load and fire the gun as instructed by the PH. I'm not saying that the PH was flagrantly negligent, just that as when lending an item to anyone there is a duty to assure that the item will perform as designed. In moral terms, the PH owes it to you to compensate you. How that compensation should be made (in-kind, monetary, etc.) is between you and the PH. Perhaps a rescheduled hunt at some time in the future for no additional charge?

If I were you, I would ask the PH to at least have the rifle examined by someone with experience and expertise to see if some determination can be made about the proximate cause of the failure.

By the way, what became of the buffalo?

quote:

Possible consequences of this incident could have been blindness, severe hand injuries and death...

I am also sorry to hear of your great misfortune.

But, let's not go down the road of "possible consenquences" rather what actually happened.

Haven't seen a photo yet of the rifle, or the trigger puller after the ensuing shot; so .....

A barrel obstruction normally occurs either at the action/barrel (chamber) juncture or at the muzzle; not alot in between, the results from completely differet causes and display clear root cause(s).

From what you are describing, an obstruction in the barrel directly ahead of the chamber; an "action explosion". If not, you'd have had experienced the normal "Banana Split" at the muzzle ..... which is the result of a muzzle obstruction vice a chamber obstruction similar to issues with the ammunition; like a .416 Remington cartridge attempted to be chambered into a 375H&H rifle although that takes more caming effort than I can imagine - or an obstruction from an other bullet - pure conjecture, as you've offered. Jamming the muzzle into the ground as you have eluded to, does not result in an "action explosion". Net, Wasps usually build their nests (waddle) directly below the muzzle, not traversing 24" or 26 " of rifle barrel to build a nest in front of the chamber (why not in the chamber?).

Before even getting to query #2 and #1 remains unexplained to me; I ask; did you take ownership for the "rented" rifle, sight-it in? Take it to your bunglow every evening, chamber a coupla rounds, try the trigger, carry your own ammo, bring it with you to the hunt every morning, load, unload, notice anything untoward(s)) ..... let's hear the rest of the story ..... for Christ's Sake I'm really peculiar (you could describe it as Anal) about my own rifles, let alone a rifle & ammo that someone shoves in my hands & says, it's your's for the duration?

Personlly, unless there are alot of other unsuing circumstances, because right now it's real fuzzy to me, please take me to Court so we can hear what really transpired.

As some of the other posters mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised if wasps were the cause. On my last trip to the Caprivi a previous hunter had left his rifle with the PH. The hunter was returning later in the season. So no one had used the rifle recently. If I recall correctly it was a 375 Ultra Mag. One evening the PH got the rifle out and discovered wasps had completely plugged the muzzle about a half inch below the crown. It looked like cement.

After that I was constantly checking my barrel.

BChunter,

I just returned from a hunt in the Gache Gache Campfire area of Zim and Corris, my Zim PH and owner of the Safari company specifically warned me about that wasp that can block the barrel in just a few minutes. He said it had happened to his rifle and told me to periodically check my barrel to make sure it wasn't blocked.

This was my eighth hunting trip to Zim at it was the first time any PH has mentioned it that I can remember.

Were you warned ahead of time about this wasp?

Wasps were the first thing I thought of too.

My only point is...don't be so quick to lay blame (or threaten suit) with out knowing exactly what happened.

Where was the explosion barrel forward or at the chamber end of rifle? A terrible accident glad you came away with out losing your sight.

Mike

No matter what gun it is, materials can fail and so can we in observations. Odds are that these thing will happen from time to time. I think it's called wrong place wrong time or right place right time.
I'd say you handle the gun, take some responsibility. I absolutely disagree with suing other people less it is literally on purpose

What a terrible thing to happen!

Glad you have not suffered more.

As usual, there is a lot of sense in the posts so far, but you really need to give us more details before a better judgment might be had.

1. Was this the first round you have fired in this rifle?

2. What damage occurred to the rifle?

Agree with many posts above, first things first: what happened to the gun, i.e.

- Did the barrel explode?
(Would tend to indicate a barrel obstruction, and/or a defective barrel)

- Did the action fail, most especially did the bolt lugs shear?
(unlikely, and you'd probably have suffered more serious injuries)

- Did the magazine well, part of the stock, and possibly the rear of the action (bolt shroud, bolt retainer, etc.) blow up?
(this would explain your hand and face injuries, gun failure caused by escaping gases from ruptured case, obstructed barrel/chamber, or other - AND poor gas venting design)

Please give us details.

The outfitter has written me as follows:
Possible Causes:
From Outfitter:
We await cause of blow back from designated gun agent .I am told they will do a cross section of barrel to see what caused the blow back . We will fwd you the report to see for yourselves .It seems to have happened in other countries with a variety of rifles according to one SCi gunsmith i contacted .Primary cause is small amounts of dirt get into the muzzle end of barrel then when the weapon is shouldered the dust falls down to the breach around the chambered round .If this is repeated one or two times a catastrophic blow back is caused ! if the blockage is muzzle end then the barrel splits .definetly in this case it was a breach block ! When they cut the barrel at the bullet point we will see what is surrounding the bullet that still remains firmly in the barrel minus the soft lead core .

Here are some answers to your questions:

Yes, I did fire the rifle before.

The ammo was factory loaded.

The barrel was not damaged (so I presume that a wasp is not responsible). It was the action that blew up, destroying the stock, blowing off the scope and sending the bolt flying some 20 meters posterior to the rifle.

I do have photos but cannot figure out how to post them...
Thanks for all your comments!

BCH

That reads like dirt in barrel caused blockage of bullet which caused blow back which caused action to break / explode.

Which if that is the case, wouldn't any action
have a blow back if the bullet lodged in the barrel ?

Have seen a few from various causes that
caused the gases to come back and the action and / or stock to break up.

BCH, thanks.

- Did the receiver ring blow up?

- Was the rear bridge broken/blown?

- Was the bolt in one piece or did the lugs shear?

- How did the bolt end up 20m away without hitting you in the face?

Of course pictures would be worth a thousand words... If you can't upload them through Photobucket or such, PM me, I'll give you my email and I'll upload them for you.

quote:

Originally posted by BCHunterfsj:
The outfitter has written me as follows:
Possible Causes:
From Outfitter:
We await cause of blow back from designated gun agent .I am told they will do a cross section of barrel to see what caused the blow back . We will fwd you the report to see for yourselves .It seems to have happened in other countries with a variety of rifles according to one SCi gunsmith i contacted .Primary cause is small amounts of dirt get into the muzzle end of barrel then when the weapon is shouldered the dust falls down to the breach around the chambered round .If this is repeated one or two times a catastrophic blow back is caused ! if the blockage is muzzle end then the barrel splits .definetly in this case it was a breach block ! When they cut the barrel at the bullet point we will see what is surrounding the bullet that still remains firmly in the barrel minus the soft lead core .

Here are some answers to your questions:

Yes, I did fire the rifle before.

The ammo was factory loaded.

The barrel was not damaged (so I presume that a wasp is not responsible). It was the action that blew up, destroying the stock, blowing off the scope and sending the bolt flying some 20 meters posterior to the rifle.

I do have photos but cannot figure out how to post them...
Thanks for all your comments!

If you email me the photos I will be happy to post them for you.

saeed@eim.ae

Did you check how many rounds were left after the explosion. Is it possible that one of the rounds in the mag went off at the shot.
That would be the only feasible way you did not die with the bolt flying 20m back as it would then have gone up, not back. This would suggest a possible upward explosion rather than rearward.

Some pictures are really what is needed to get a better idea.