Anatomy of a Gun Failure.... - Page 2

Wingwiper · 02-24-2008, 06:37 AM

OK! Chris thanks for your added comment in my post, I read it and I understand.

I had the M14 in the Marines and we fired a lot of ammo in little time an there is no doubt those weapons got real hot. OK! we did not have an off brand replacement barrel, but our barrels were made by the LOWEST BIDDER. Springfield Armory builds to Military Spec. I would like to think all testing is done. I know, that does not include an after market barrel from who knows where. Understood and I can understand the splitting of the barrel as everyone has explained. I still can not fathom how the receiver itself split completely in half. I am not a Physics major but those sides are also supported, somewhat by the stock. That receiver section should NOT have been anywhere near as hot as the barrel. Out of the hundreds of thousands of rounds I have seen fired by M14s and M1As, I have never heard of such damage to one rifle.
I have seen Military Issue M14s fired countless tens of thousands of rounds, I have seen from Composite Matches prior to M16A2 taking over, another countless tens of thousands of rounds fired in Military Issue and Springfield Armory firearms with no such damage. I am simply amazed that this is all from a single round fired. If the barrel had weak spots, then I that is fully understandable about the splitting, I would think that the round fired just before the final round, the barrel would have already started to crack further open to initiate the tear or split which would have allowed some pressure to escape with the final round, which would tell me, it would still be impossible for the receiver to receive the damage that it did. I would tend to believe that the owner misused the reciever section at some point and that may be where the rest of the story lays.

No problem guys, I understand faulty steel and your explanations were excellent and easy to understand, it is the reciever damage and the lack of damage to the bolt that confuses me. I don't want the manufacturer to be getting bad pub when it may NOT be their fault. I do not want to worry about my M1A as being inferior either, I think there is a chapter that has been left out.

02-24-2008, 06:37 AM	#21
Wingwiper Banned Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 789	OK! Chris thanks for your added comment in my post, I read it and I understand. I had the M14 in the Marines and we fired a lot of ammo in little time an there is no doubt those weapons got real hot. OK! we did not have an off brand replacement barrel, but our barrels were made by the LOWEST BIDDER. Springfield Armory builds to Military Spec. I would like to think all testing is done. I know, that does not include an after market barrel from who knows where. Understood and I can understand the splitting of the barrel as everyone has explained. I still can not fathom how the receiver itself split completely in half. I am not a Physics major but those sides are also supported, somewhat by the stock. That receiver section should NOT have been anywhere near as hot as the barrel. Out of the hundreds of thousands of rounds I have seen fired by M14s and M1As, I have never heard of such damage to one rifle. I have seen Military Issue M14s fired countless tens of thousands of rounds, I have seen from Composite Matches prior to M16A2 taking over, another countless tens of thousands of rounds fired in Military Issue and Springfield Armory firearms with no such damage. I am simply amazed that this is all from a single round fired. If the barrel had weak spots, then I that is fully understandable about the splitting, I would think that the round fired just before the final round, the barrel would have already started to crack further open to initiate the tear or split which would have allowed some pressure to escape with the final round, which would tell me, it would still be impossible for the receiver to receive the damage that it did. I would tend to believe that the owner misused the reciever section at some point and that may be where the rest of the story lays. No problem guys, I understand faulty steel and your explanations were excellent and easy to understand, it is the reciever damage and the lack of damage to the bolt that confuses me. I don't want the manufacturer to be getting bad pub when it may NOT be their fault. I do not want to worry about my M1A as being inferior either, I think there is a chapter that has been left out.