Brand new 700
First round through it
Gun show bought hand loads - in bulk - supposedly loaded to match a factory hornady round

Split the chamber wide open, shot the barrel and threads out the front, blew the entire trigger and guard out the bottom, bolt who knows where, shattered/splintered the composite stock from the front grip all the back to the trigger grip

Honestly, i didnt know a .308 could even be loaded that hot no matter how bad the loader screwed the pooch

Damn near miracle no one seriously hurt

(No optics yet, first round test at arms length into the dirt)

Any ideas/recommendations?

Contact the idiot that loaded those rounds.

And post pics of what's left of the rifle?

Glad to hear that no one was injured and sorry to hear about the new-to-you rifle.

I'd never shoot handloads that aren't from someone I know and trust.

SanAntoneAg said:

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Glad to hear that no one was injured and sorry to hear about the new-to-you rifle.

I'd never shoot handloads that aren't from someone I know and trust.

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truth

cbr said:

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Brand new 700
First round through it
Gun show bought hand loads - in bulk - supposedly loaded to match a factory hornady round

Split the chamber wide open, shot the barrel and threads out the front, blew the entire trigger and guard out the bottom, bolt who knows where, shattered/splintered the composite stock from the front grip all the back to the trigger grip

Honestly, i didnt know a .308 could even be loaded that hot no matter how bad the loader screwed the pooch

Damn near miracle no one seriously hurt

(No optics yet, first round test at arms length into the dirt)

Any ideas/recommendations?

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Question…. Did you take a peek down the barrel before the shot, I have seen some crud in brand new barrels.

Always check for barrel obstructions!

Question…. Did you take a peek down the barrel before the shot, I have seen some crud in brand new barrels.

OP never stated he was the one it happened to.

Couldn't find bolt? Shot the barrel and threads out the front??? How the **** do you shoot the barrel and threads out of the front of the barrel???? Blew trigger and guard out the bottom???

My bet would be there was an obstruction in the barrel.

If that's not it, then it would have been loaded with a neat full case of pistol powder.

If it's the later, That is why I never have or ever will shoot someone else's reloads.

This is a good example of a couple things:

1. Don't shoot someone else's handloads in your gun. Unless they were done according to #2...

2. Work up to maximum loads in your gun with the specific components you will be using. Do not switch components without going back to a safe starting load.

3. Check for barrel obstructions.

4. Wear eye pro.

5. Don't combine a failure to follow 1, 2, 3, and 4.

I don't think you can pack enough powder into a .308 case to cause that kind of catastrophic failure. Maybe if it's pistol powder or something.

I'd go with too hot of a load paired with a barrel obstruction or chamber/throat issue

I have no problem shooting handloads from somebody I know and trust.....but under zero circumstances would I shoot handloads bought from some rando at a gun show that I know nothing about and have no idea as to what their competency level is. Absolutly fuggin not on that.

On any new gun, always inspect it and if you can run a patch down the barrel to remove any rust inhibitor grease/cosmoline that is often used for transportation and storage. That stuff can gum up the works or potentially cause a blockage.

Sucks for the gun, OP (or whomever) was lucky that there isn't some surgery to repair arms and hands and eyes in the future.

Handloads from a gun show?????

Oh hell no

Why, when there are soo many good and cheap 308 loads on the shelf??

pics??

damage sounds like ammo has pistol powder. pull some of the bullets and look at the powder.
Glad nobody was hurt.

Reason number one to only shoot your own reloads and to not let anyone else shoot them.
If anyone was injured the lawyers would have a jury of probably not firearm educated people deciding the cause.

Possibly excessive grease obstructing barrel since it was first round on a new gun.

SanAntoneAg said:

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Glad to hear that no one was injured and sorry to hear about the new-to-you rifle.

I'd never shoot handloads that aren't from someone I know and trust my own.

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FIFM

oklaunion said:

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How the **** do you shoot the barrel and threads out of the front of the barrel???? Blew trigger and guard out the bottom???

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By shooting a gun with an obstructed barrel? Not saying that's what happened, just suggesting a possibility.

No idea where OP is or why there are no pictures.

Hatcher's Notebook is a great resource for determining cause of failure. OP really should find the bolt.

If I remember correctly (and I may not), during Hatcher's experiments with bore obstructions, the bolt would remain locked and intact while the barrel split.

cbr said:

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(No optics yet, first round test at arms length into the dirt)

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This part doesn't pass the smell test. WTF would you shoot a 700 in .308 at arms length unless you new something was fishy?

Depends on the location of the obstruction.

If the neck/throat is obstructed the barrel never sees pressure.

If a forcing cone is obstructed a live round wouldn't chamber. I need to re-read the Notebook, but I believe he had some tests with the obstruction 1" from the chamber.

Depends on the COL and crimp of the handloads.

Could the mechanical advantage of the bolt have shortened the round by pressing the projectile farther?

Deats99 said:

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cbr said:

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(No optics yet, first round test at arms length into the dirt)

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This part doesn't pass the smell test. WTF would you shoot a 700 in .308 at arms length unless you new something was fishy?

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Agreed. This just seems strange…

tsuag10 said:

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Deats99 said:

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cbr said:

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(No optics yet, first round test at arms length into the dirt)

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This part doesn't pass the smell test. WTF would you shoot a 700 in .308 at arms length unless you new something was fishy?

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Agreed. This just seems strange…

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x3

Sounds like they were expecting something to go wrong.

OP has disappeared since his initial post. Something seems fishy. Drop a bombshell like this and then disappear.

drred4 said:

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tsuag10 said:

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Deats99 said:

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cbr said:

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(No optics yet, first round test at arms length into the dirt)

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This part doesn't pass the smell test. WTF would you shoot a 700 in .308 at arms length unless you new something was fishy?

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Agreed. This just seems strange…

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x3

Sounds like they were expecting something to go wrong.

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And with the damage as described… how is it even physically possible there wasn't an injury if someone was holding the gun, even at arms length?

This don't hold water for me. Not without picture evidence. And Op is crickets…

Bought .308 "metal piercing in incendiary rounds" in a ten pack for 50.00 15 yrs ago b4 I knew better. Last yr I decided to shoot 'em just to see what they were. By then I could tell they were tip dipped in silver paint.

Had on eye pro, .308 bolt rifle, barrel cleared, had same explosion. Gun destroyed. I should have taken those other rounds apart to see what was inside but just discarded them.

What the he ll is going on up in here? We need PICS people!

OP is too busy posting about star wars spinoffs.

I tend to shoot my load into my hand…..wait what?!

Mr. McGibblets said:

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I tend to shoot my load into my hand…..wait what?!

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Windage and elevation sir and that would not happen. Unless your barrel is short.

It's double stamped

Sounds like pistol powder in a rifle case. Go watch Mark Serbu's video on the RN-50/ Kentucky ballistics accident, it is INCREDIBLE the amount of pressure they achieved with pistol powder in a rifle case.