Range Report

[Dragonscript]

This last Saturday, May 30th, I went to the firing range for the first time in several years. I was firing a Mosin-Nagat I bought last december, a nice rifle that was in great shape. Well, it's not anymore. The first thirty or so rounds i put through fired just fine until the "final" round jammed. Without thinking, i slammed the bolt forward and that was when the round exploded. It's completely my fault and i know i should have been more careful so i consider myself lucky. The rifle is a lost cause, i think. The stock is cracked in half and the bolt won't close into the breech anymore. I have some powder burns on my forearm, not that serious, some more burns on my fingers and nuckles and two peices of metal in my nuckles. I'm having surgury tomorrow to get those removed and the doctor thinks there shoudn't be any permanent damage so overall i consider myself very lucky.

Remember everybody, have a first-aid kit with you always. You never know when you will need it.

[James]

You destroyed a Moisin Nagant?

Wow.

I'm glad you're alright.

[Hippo]

holy shiite i thought moist nuggets were indestructible

were you shooting surplus ammo? What kind?

[Mark Sman]

So did a squib load lodge a bullet in the barrel and the next round fired caused destruction?

Or did a round fail to fully chamber and slamming the bolt in an effort to force the matter cause detonation of the round before it fully chambered?

This isn't just morbid curiosity. I shoot these on occasion but have no knowledge of this type of failure.

I'd just like to know as a little safety note to myself and others.

Also curious about the type of ammo. Especially if it was case two. If it was case two I'd have to suspect the primer.

[SGMGSG9]

Glad to hear your o.k., sorry to hear about you rifle. Remember stuff can be fixed when it breaks but your eye's can't. Count your blessings brother.

[USMC29]

so the truth is out...
Mosin<AK47>M16

[a_very_ex_STAB]

Glad to hear you're ok.
Note to self - buy some ballistic eyewear before my next range day.

[-[Crosshair]-]

A really unfortunate accident, I'm glad you're okay. :hug: It could have been worse.

My Mosin-Nagant M44 shoots great (I think it was an unissued one so it stayed brand new in its box until I bought it), it is one of the most fun rifles to shoot and I feel quite safe with mine... I'm going to watch myself more from now on though.

[Dragonscript]

Here was the ammo i was using:

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Czech_7.62x54R_Light_Ball.html


I don't think it was the fault of the ammo, but i did find one casing that is split along a seam. The rest of the spent casings show nothing irregular, but one is a a little split along the side.
I've been looking at the bolt and i can see the firing pin sticking out the front of it so right now i'm thinking that is the culprit. I think the pin may have stuck forward and when i shoved that bolt forward it hit the primer and then boom. So most likely it was my fault for not keeping the bolt clean.

The glasses i wear are rated as safety glasses, but like i told the wife, it could have been alot worse so i'm not complaining. The hand doctor took a look at it yesterday and it doesn't look like there is any nerve damage, so i'ts basicly just a flesh wound. So today they are going to cut my hand open, remove the metal and sew it back up. Long term there shouldn't be anyting worse than a couple scars. Like i said, it could have been much worse.

[Geezah]

Here was the ammo i was using:

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Czech_7.62x54R_Light_Ball.html


I don't think it was the fault of the ammo, but i did find one casing that is split along a seam. The rest of the spent casings show nothing irregular, but one is a a little split along the side.
I've been looking at the bolt and i can see the firing pin sticking out the front of it so right now i'm thinking that is the culprit. I think the pin may have stuck forward and when i shoved that bolt forward it hit the primer and then boom. So most likely it was my fault for not keeping the bolt clean.

The glasses i wear are rated as safety glasses, but like i told the wife, it could have been alot worse so i'm not complaining. The hand doctor took a look at it yesterday and it doesn't look like there is any nerve damage, so i'ts basicly just a flesh wound. So today they are going to cut my hand open, remove the metal and sew it back up. Long term there shouldn't be anyting worse than a couple scars. Like i said, it could have been much worse.


Have you got in contact with AIM to let them know?

[akd]

Never heard any complaints about Czech light ball. Does the bolt match the rifle? Did you disassemble and clean the bolt and check firing pin protrusion? They are typically full of cosmoline and crud, and most importers/retailers only clean the bore and visible surfaces. They do not check the firing pin protrusion (which is extremely easy to do with a $5 tool).

Note to all: do not fire surplus firearms without having them cleaned and inspected.

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/td59.JPG

[Dragonscript]

Have you got in contact with AIM to let them know?

I sent them an e-mail today to just let me know.


Never heard any complaints about Czech light ball. Does the bolt match the rifle? Did you disassemble and clean the bolt and check firing pin protrusion? They are typically full of cosmoline and crud, and most importers/retailers only clean the bore and visible surfaces. They do not check the firing pin protrusion (which is extremely easy to do with a $5 tool).

Note to all: do not fire surplus firearms without having them cleaned and inspected.

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/td59.JPG

All the parts match. I cleaned the rifle but i never took the bolt group apart so i bet the firing pin got stuck.

[Geezah]

I sent them an e-mail today to just let me know.

They're good people, hope it all works out.

[Dragonscript]

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/album.php?albumid=1125

I uploaded a few pictures if anyone is interested.

Pic 1 are the fragments they took out of my hand.
Pic 2 is blurry but it is a pic of the breech. The discoloration in the center is casing from the round that exploded.
Pic 3 shows the cracked stock.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/album.php?albumid=1125&pictureid=13764
Pic 4 shows the cracks along the side of some spent rounds. None of the 17 other spent rounds i have show any signs of damage.


I took the rifle all apart and i saw able to fix the bolt, but it now looks like the breech is a lost cause. I can't even insert a spent round into it. So as of right now this is what i think happened:

First, a round had a side crack when it was fired and fouled the breech. When i went to load the next round it caught on that breech damage from the previous round and jammed before it could be fully seated into the breech. When the round jammed, i slammed the bolt back, which must have caused the firing pin to spring forward out of the front of the bolt. Not seeing any cause for the jam, which should have been a big red flag there, i slammed the bolt forward again, which caused the now exposed firing pin to hit the primer and for the round to exploded.

[Geezah]

Wow...............

[rhino]

any reason to belive the chamber has been damaged before?
the brass should stretch, just a bit but if there was too much room in the chamber, the pressure could cause the rapture of the casing

just a tought

[Dragonscript]

any reason to belive the chamber has been damaged before?
the brass should stretch, just a bit but if there was too much room in the chamber, the pressure could cause the rapture of the casing

just a tought

Maybe, but i don't think so. All the rounds chambered smoothly till the "last" one.