Pichou said:
....... re: cleaning, yeah, the ramrod bounces on the breech, or the person gets pulled out of the firing line. NO exceptions. :nono: :shake: :youcrazy: :nono:
Absolutely, if the bore is not squeaky clean, at least at the beginning of the event, then the shooter does NOT go on the field - no exceptions! And on multi day events, it should be cleaned at the end of the day after firing. Reenactors need to remember that they are using a device that can kill or maim at both ends and treat it accordingly - with respect. The gun appeared to be externally clean, why wasn't the bore?
Now, being one of those that has been stating a concern about the safety of these "Made in India" specials, let me say that I am glad to hear that at least this one has been shown to have been safe as made and that it appears to have been the reenactor who was at fault. This is not unusual, too many reenactors know nothing about firearms and they look for price as their guideline when purchasing this important piece of gear. It is a part of their impression and nothing else. They will spend money having their wool "uniforms" dry cleaned (what a waste!) but will use a gun for years and NEVER clean the bore. Paul has offered the thought that maybe the fellow used petroleum oil and this may have been the cause of the explosion since petroleum oils gum up the works when mixed with BP fouling. I very seriously doubt this. The guy had probably never even attempted to clean the bore. "The residue in this barrel was gray and rather hard" is the quote. Dr. Bruchey seems to think this is not normal black powder fouling and in a way he is right, however this is the sign of a poorly maintained BP firearm that has been left alone and allowed to cake up - the fouling will turn gray when moisture dries out of the fouling and it will get hard as a rock. As it builds up over time it can get quite thick and the bore decreases in diameter until the rod will not go down the bore. At this point, nothing but a prolonged soaking in water and scraping using a bore scraper will remove it. It would be interesting to know how thick the fouling was at the point where the rupture occurred - in other words, what was the effective bore diameter? Also, could it be possible that a chunk of fouling near the muzzle broke loose and acted as a bore obstruction? And how many misfires did the guy have before the rupture, possibly leading to an over-size charge? We'll never know, but at least one seller will not be unnecessarily hauled into court.
One other thing, and not to pick on Paul, his was a well reasoned post and I mean no offense, but the steel often used in custom barrels is not 11L14 but 12L14. Others with more knowledge on the subject will have to talk on that.
DonR, thanks for posting the link, this makes a lot more sense now - an acknowledged expert making examinations and doing tests and giving his considered, unbiased opinion. I do wish that he had stated his opinion of the breeching of the gun though, I still have concerns about that but if he had seen a problem maybe he would have said something was amiss even though it was not in his purview.
