irv: the case wasn't full. i checked that when i pulled a bullet after the blow up. as i said, it looked like a ball powder similar to h414. it weighed 42 grains. i looked in the manuals and it was in range for most powders. this is speculation since we do not know which powder it is. the way the case collapsed at the back end seems odd. i know too much pressure is bad but what about to little? as to the other posts here, we did not know that the loads was the culprit the first go round due to the old bolt face failing and what the metal specialist said about how it was hardened. he felt like any thing mid to high pressure would have made the old bolt blow. the bolt was completely rebuilt in the last gun. this time the bolt face stayed intact and the blow back from the case caused all the damage. we felt strongly that the load was the problem this time and was the cause last time. too late though. he was lucky.

What a crock of shit. Snider, the only I can say is that you are truly gifted (although totally unbelievable) in creative writing. Maybe you could get your pal a slot on Oprah and he could talk to Dr. Phil about his troubles. He may have overcome a lot, but I think he needs to address the stupidity factor. Last time I checked there IS a difference between ignorance and stupidity.

He doesn't sound like the type of person that I would want watching my 6 for me. If he is so stubborn and bullheaded that he can't recognize that he is putting himself and possibly innocent bystanders in needless danger, he is not someone I would trust. Many of us came from broken homes, poverty and physical disabilites (I myself meet all of that criteria) that doesn't give him any higher right to do something stupid.