OK, time to fess up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRKP1OkR1fA

I know nothing about Tikkas, but I wonder if that was one? They had a recall on some of their stainless rifles a couple of years ago because of precisely that problem.

Nope that was a good old Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker. I love those guns and have never heard of that happening. That wasn't me but I probably would have crapped my pants if it was.
Ben

Having been a partner in a gunshop a I have seen many of this type of barrel split primarily due to distal bore obstruction.

That is not to say it could not have been a faulty weapon, just more likely, user error.

Did see a Rem 7 mag with a splintered stock and a blown out magwell due to firing a .270 in the 7mag.

Prior to that It would have bee hard for me to believe a smaller case and bullet could do the damage it produced to a good design.

Could be real....could be fake...

Could be mud/crud/barrel blockage...

I've never seen/experienced anything like that!

A guy had a Blaser peel open like that on a tip to Alaska.
Possibly frost or ice build up in barrel was the thought.

It seems obvious to me that with the freezing rain and the hunter carrying his rifle on a sling that there was ice/water/snow in the muzzel and that created an obstruction. That is why I like to put a stip of tape or something to keep the rain snow mud dust out of the end. Just good practice. Hope he got the elk too.
It could happen to any gun and th make and model have zero nothing to do with it. IMHO

They do split when you put stuff in the barrel that doesn't belong.

oh DIRTYWORD

I always tape up my rifle barrels.

However, in long steady, or heavy rains I take the tape off.

WHY???

Because no matter what kind of rifle, lever, bolt, single shot or double, water will get into the barrel from the chamber. Even if a round is chambered. The tape will allow the water to collect in the barrel.

In such conditions it is a good idea to UNLOAD the rifle and blow out as much water as possible.

I dry out the barrel in camp every night as well.

As you all know I collect lots of data on gun Kabooms. This is a classic. Note the buldge about 3 inches from the muzzel. Thats where the obstruction occurred. This is a combo of muzzel obstruction and thin barrel resulting in peel back . Glad no one was injured. I've seen this before.-Rob

Have you noticed that they are two different rifles in the photos, one is left handed on the top and the other is right handed.

Good catch. The bottom is a Savage, not a Browning. It also lacks the secondary split on the one "peel".