http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=347038&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=14&fpart=1&vc=1&PHPSESSID=http://www.bpcr.net/site_photos/Sako-KA-BOOM/index.htmi think it is fishy personally.
"I have posted ten relatively high quality images of a brand new SAKO bolt action rifle in .300 Winchester Magnum caliber, with synthetic stock, and fluted barrel. On the 15th shot out of the box, it went KA-BOOM! The first 14 shots were from a box of Hornady factory ammunition. The fifteenth shot was from a new box of Federal factory ammunition.
The barrel is now in three totally separate, longitudinal pieces, the receiver is split down the middle, with left and right halves, and the forestock is a black plastic memory. The cartridge case is split from mouth to case head, and looks like a three-petaled flower.
With the limited number of images available - here are my thoughts on the event:
To my non-professional (since I don't get paid for my opinions,) eye this is a failure caused by included flaw(s) in the barrel steel. Once the barrel started to fail, the fractures continued forward, generally along the edge where the flutes join the major diameter of the barrel. Note, in the image of the cartridge case, there does not appear to be any significant swelling, or deformation, of the case head, itself, and I can not see any melted brass, or brass flow. I cannot see any brass flow in the shattered area of the split barrel, either. To my mind, that precludes the possibility that it was a high pressure round causing the failure. (Unfortunately, I do not yet have any images of the case head, itself, or of the bolt face, which might add additional credence to my point.)
The shooter was NOT seriously harmed because he was shooting from the bench, apparently wore proper protective gear, and had his arms cradled under the butt - in the rear sand bag area."
