Well that didn't go as planned - Kentucky Ballistics went Kaboom!

[waltermitty]

.....I agree with the "inexpensive" part of this rifle. I'd be curious if Mark Serbu changes the design moving forward.

Mark's background is in mechanical engineering. I'm intrigued that he felt the breach design of the rifle was sufficiently overbuilt to withstand reasonable over pressures. I'll bet he modifies the design out of an abundance of caution (and potential liability).

 

[tac]

Thread stripping? On a threaded-breach design?

Overcoming the shear-strength of high-grade steel like that is indicative of the use, or equivalence of high explosive.

Not knowing the grade of material, I can't add anything to what has already been posited, but that had to be around 80 - 100K psi.

Scott is VERY lucky to be here at all, let alone with a number of unwanted modifications.

 

[aljames]

Popular misconception is that the 50 bmg is running at massive pressures. Big components and ft lbs yes, but your 22-250, 270 win, etc are running at higher pressures.

 

[RVTECH]

Big components and ft lbs yes, but your 22-250, 270 win, etc are running at higher pressures.

This is true however the breech of the Serbu does not look proportionally larger to the .50 BMG round as say a typical rifle does to it's rounds.

I am only basing this on looking at pictures of the rifle but it seems a little 'thin' in relation to the size of the round but I am on the 'outside' looking 'in'.

 

[CLT65]

Popular misconception is that the 50 bmg is running at massive pressures. Big components and ft lbs yes, but your 22-250, 270 win, etc are running at higher pressures.

Very true. A lot of people also don't realize that the cartridge design is over a hundred years old.

The thing about the big guns like this is that while the pressure may be the same or less in "pounds per square inch", the big fifty has a lot more square inches, and therefore one heck of a lot more pounds!

 

[Dinglenutz]

Popular misconception is that the 50 bmg is running at massive pressures. Big components and ft lbs yes, but your 22-250, 270 win, etc are running at higher pressures.

Nah, it shoots about like a 30-06 and that's no accident.

 

[The Heretic]

The doctors did a damn good job stitching me up. They also said that glass cuts cleaner than other stuff. So the flaps healed together pretty well. I have a small noticeable chunk of my nose missing that healed surprisingly well. The more noticeable parts of the scars are from the powder burns, which the doctor says is more like a tattoo.

Yes, but did you die?

 

[Flopsweat]

Yes, but did you die?

He died inside a little.

 

[titsonritz]

 

[titsonritz]

Nah, it shoots about like a 30-06 and that's no accident.

Probably because it is literally scaled up 30-06.

 

[Member 34319]

Yes, but did you die?

He died inside a little.

True story!

 

[powermad]

One of the reasons I don't go shooting alone.
You never know what could happen.

On a lighter note.

 

[Knebel]

Ian means, the pressure peaked to explosive levels when the projectile was still going down the barrel. Thats the barrel obstruction because the pressure cant escape forward through the barrel fast enough. So it was "easier" to shear off the cap than to push the bullet out.

 

[Hueco]

Yes, but did you die?

Please tell me you wrote that with this voice in your head:

 

[saxon]

Ian at forgotten weapons said it was a barrel obstruction. What obstructed it?

the sabot sticking in the muzzle brake, is one warning for shooting sabot ammo in guns.
in fact Barret warns against using SLAP rounds in its 50 BMG for this reason and that the slap round was made for firing in a M2

 

[powermad]

Rex offers his opinion on Slap rounds with a muzzle device.

 

[Certaindeaf]

the sabot sticking in the muzzle brake, is one warning for shooting sabot ammo in guns.
in fact Barret warns against using SLAP rounds in its 50 BMG for this reason and that the slap round was made for firing in a M2

Yea, I hear you, it might not bee too good for the brake, in this case it was an over pressure round.

 

[saxon]

Yea, I hear you, it might not bee too good for the brake, in this case it was an over pressure round.

IE sabot gets stuck in brake causing a pressure spike regardless of round

 

[Certaindeaf]

IE sabot gets stuck in brake causing a pressure spike regardless of round

Yea and it might banana peel a few inches off the muzzle, not grenade the breech.

 

[Flopsweat]

Yea and it might banana peel a few inches off the muzzle, not grenade the breech.

I'm good with Ian's explanation.