RG-During the past 47 years that I have been handloading and shooting P-64s, I have had about four case head separations. All of these, except one, happened in P-64 actions, one a custom .280 Rem. using a No. 3 SGW tube, a rifle that shot .5" at 200 yds. with 160 NPs consistently, were .300H&H rifles.
I had a .243Win. let go in a Dumoulin FN "H-ring" action, supposedly superior to Mod. 70s and THAT sent more gas back than ANY of the incidents in P-64s. Soooo, my wish to install Ed's safety is based on my innate caution, a character trait that a lot of the real bushmen I used to work with shared....when alone 100 air miles from any road and in "no fly" weather, in BC's mountains, only an idiot takes chances.....
So, my experience was like yours, I extracted the cases and then found the problem....the H&H chambered P-64s seem very prone to this and I suspect that their chambers were deliberately cut large to cope with 1950s ammo and African weather.
There is a LOT of ignorant and self-serving bullsh*t written in gunrags and posted on forums about various gun issues and many seem to need to attempt to "defend" their preconceived notions about rifles, etc. This, has always been the case with P-64s and such cr*pola is best ignored.
That said, for a "working" bush rifle, there is NO "better" choice as they came from the factory than a P-64; look at all the Alaskan guides and many African ones who chose these.
