Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ganyana on Rifle Power

Three Rings of Steel (bolt nose) and no extractor cut does its job! I've never owned a 700 but might add one in the near future.

What do you think about the RAR for gas handling? The fat bolt seems like one big baffle. IIRC there is a slot in the bolt body (for bolt stop?) but this is oriented at ~12 o'clock with the bolt closed. Any gas going down the cut would(should) vent into the ejection port.

Any stainless Mauser 98 action makers?

Hate to run contrary to conventional wisdom, but I saw results of a case letting go in a Rem 700(badly blown primer and wrong chambering resulting in excess headspace) last year.

The guy got a face full of gas and particles and, like John, good thing he was wearing glasses as his face was peppered and bleeding near the eye.My wife and daughter gave first aid...I have a picture of this somewhere.

Apparently it seems that one caveat to all this (seldom mentioned)is that the case had better help seal off the chamber and hold the gases back, or the three rings don't do a guy any good.It was apparent hat that escaping gas found its way back through the bolt or down the outside of the loading port an into the shooters face.

One thing it taught me is that you don't want to be standing behind any of them when a case lets go...you never know what's gonna happen and there are different degrees of "bad stuff".

Good point Bob.

Salvage seems tough to beat in terms of baffles and venting.

I had a case go on my while shooting my Savage 10FP in .308. Other than sounding kind of odd and then seeing smoke rising from the bolt nothing happened to me. Guess I should not take that protection for granted.

I've 'popped' a couple 358 Winchesters in a 375 cal 350 Rem Mag wildcat; this rifle a Ruger MK II M77. It's not a high pressure deal when it's happened but the smoke seems to rise from the mag well after the fact.

Rick,

Hope you have been ok.

Ganyana translates to "wild dog" as I understand.

Keep in mind Don probably has about as much experience in New Mexico as you do in Zimbabwe. (He is a PH from Zim) Most of the good PHs in Zim will get you as close as possible which for the most part is close, I do not recall taking any shots in Africa further than 125 yards, except for one on a hartebeest. Hell, I know hunters that feel it is unethical to shoot a buffalo further than 50 yards. I am sure he writes from his perspective of being a Zim PH for most of his career.

Bob,

Yeah, you can cause gas "leaks" in about any action with the wrong ammo.

When I was living in Lander, Wyoming in the 1970's, the then-governor of the state blew up a Weatherby Mark V, which is pretty tough to do. He was taking part in the annual One-Shot Antelope Hunt with a .270 Weatherby Magnum, and chambered a .270 Winchester round. It blew the rifle apart in several ways, and injured him some. I don't think any action will stand up to a dumb-ass combination like that. The correct head-size at least minimizes gas leaks, but there's virtually nothing stopping the hot gas when it can go around a smaller case.

I count my lucky stars that I haven't had any rifles blow up or send hot, particle laded gasses into my face considering the hundreds of thousands of rounds I have fired over the years. My general opinion is that one should NEVER fire a gun unless wearing glasses- even hunting. Eyes really can't be repaired nor replaced.

LOL! It's hard to get good help. Even when your the Governor

Twice I've had .270's blow out at the web in a Ruger 77. That while shooting a right handed bolt left handed. Both times I was very thankful for my eyeglasses. They took the brunt.

My wife was shooting a Remington 700 7mm08 with Remington factory ammo when one of the rounds blew the primer. Odd for a factory round but it can happen. Makes you wonder what happened at the factory. There was a loud noise and some smoke but she didn't feel a thing other than some increased recoil. No gases in the face or anything like that. It took some beating with a hammer to get the bolt open and the bolt face was slightly dinged but we're still using the rifle after having it checked by a gunsmith. Perhaps we were just lucky. I've never had any problems with the dozen or so Rem 700's I've used over the years.

Thanks Mike. Hope all is well in your world as well. Say hello to our friend in New Iberia. Remind him that his man crush on Jack Bauer is fine.

Interesting about the Ganyana. I thought a Ganyana may need penicillin to cure.

JB,

I saw a .270 win fired in a 7MM Rem Mag. Rifle was a 700.

Shooter got plenty of gas and a few particles that drew a little blood. Rifle was fine and is still in use.

Had a chrono set up and the bullet was going 1900 fps if my memory is correct. Probably a very good thing that the bullet was .007 smaller than the bore and that kept pressures lower than might have happened if the bullet fit the barrel.

A kid and his dad learned to keep ammo separate and only one type on the bench.

John;
I trust this finds you well this calm Sunday evening sir.

Personally I've been holding onto a Browning BBR when a primer blew - old RWS primers that we stopped using forthwith - and then an eventful day when I had cases break on both a Ruger No 1 and Ruger 77 tang model.

The bulk powder I'd purchased had gone "off" in a fashion I've yet to see repeated and the result deteriorated the brass cases.

This is repeat photo pair John, but even a robust action such as a B78 can't take the wrong ammunition fed into it sometimes.

.250 shot in a .22-250.



Anyway John I've got to go grill some deer meat for supper so need to go, but all the best to you in the upcoming week and may all our ammo be the correct stuff from here on in.

Dwayne

That's true John. My guy was lucky it was only a blown primer....270 in a 280 chamber.

Bro. Dwayne,

Greetings from God's Greatest Effort in Creation, the Yukon! Trust this finds you and yours enjoying the deer steaks.

Clearly it is not without some particular effort that one manages to chamber a 250 in a 22-250. I for one would be interested, as I have had experience in trying to chamber a 280 Rem. into a 270 Win.

Best,
Ted

Good point John.Cardinal Rule.... Too easy for us to get sloppy with multiple rifles going.

I have learned the same lesson, but in much easier and safer fashion: Many years ago I was range-testing a .338 Winchester Magnum and a .416 Remington Magnum at the same time. Was braced firmly while shooting the .416 when it went off with a tiny "pop" and the bullet kicked up dust about 15-20 yards downrange. Turned out a .338 doesn't produce much pressure or velocity in a .416 chamber!

Hey it happens to us all at one point or another!