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6CM Case separation new brass (near fatal).

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That sucks dave. Sorry to hear of your injuries. I wish there was a better way to notify people of recalls. I have 16lbs of that powder and had no idea
I agree as I had a few cans 4007 SSC that is under recall. Well if you really want to go down this rabbit hole of the best way to notify persons of smokeless powder recalls, there is a better way, it’s called tracking. Each can of power gets a unique ID number and each time it’s transferred, that container of smokeless powder gets registered to the new owner just like a vehicle. Thus, the manufacturer can reach out to the owner directly. Otherwise; it’s no different that many other non-registered consumer products that gets recalled, whether it’s a child‘s car seat, playpen, Instant Pot or lawnmower. Many times the end-user finds out via news articles or ambulance chasing commercials. Point being, unless you register the product directly with the manufacturer when you take ownership, they have no clue who owns the product. FYI, I’m not promoting tracking BTW.
 
It would be great if the powder & primer companies got together to develop a vendor neutral website for consumer alerts.

Ideally, you could signup for notifications for specific powders, manufacturers, powders common for certain calibers, etc. You could modify your subscriptions as needed, and you don't get bombarded with stuff for powders you don't use ... which would develop a habit to not read emails if they were too frequent.

Overall, it doesn't need to be very complex.
 
That sucks dave. Sorry to hear of your injuries. I wish there was a better way to notify people of recalls. I have 16lbs of that powder and had no idea
Dusty, you’re probably one of the best qualified here to judge by examining it whether the powder that’s in those bottles of yours is even rifle powder, or something else.

If a recall is because of potential overpressure for any reason such as misidentification, a skipped step, wrong materials, etc., as opposed to just poor quality, mistaken origin dates of contents, weak packaging, contamination, or premature deterioration, it absolutely should specifically alert the public to overpressure.

Yes, catastrophic over pressure is an irrecoverable error to admit to as far as many buyers are concerned. Doesn’t matter, they don’t deserve that business anymore.
 
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Over 20 years ago, I had a case separation no fault of my own. ( not my reloads) It is literally a bomb going off in your hands. Sako extractor surgically removed from my face. The things that helped me get back in the saddle. 1) start with rimfire and a lot of it. 2) get a suppressor 3) lite trigger- any anticipation will cause a flinch. 4) shoot a live game the adrenaline will help you over come a bunch. And FYI for the rest of you I fucking HATE muzzle brakes.
In Soviet Russia, muzzle brake hate you.
 
Against the wishes of my Attorney.
I hope you recover quickly mentally and physically from this experience.

It is the attached line that got my attention. If you hire an attorney why would you do something he advices against? If you think he is incompetent then fire him and get another.
If there is a pending law suit none of this should have been a post other than alerting others of a powder recall.
 
While the pressure certainly appears to have been way high, it also looks a bit like case protrusion might have been a little much and/or the case web too thin. I've seen numerous blow ups and have examined the results but I have not seen a case sheared off like that unless the solid head was outside the chamber. Saw it happen on some 700's which had been chambered for the PPC with too much protrusion, too much bevel at the chamber mouth, and using the old Sako 220 Russian brass. I have seen rifles which had actually swelled at the receiver ring but the brass did not shear like that.
Do not take this to mean that this was the cause of the blow up or that the powder was not at fault. I can't make that determination; certainly not from a couple of pics on the internet. Just making an observation. WH
 
Very glad to hear that the OP survived this near total catastrophe . I also use both A-4350 and A-4064 and went through the recall issue without knowing the proper procedures for taking care of it .

I had 7 lbs. of A-4350 ; from what became the recall Lot # ; and it turned a very pretty rose color in the bottle and it went on the back yard as fertilizer . This happened about a month before the recall notice . Ironically ; One of the bottles from that group did not "turn" , and I shot the entire amount , with no ill effect . The next batch of six - 1lb'ers came from a different lot , but I was , to say the least , very hesitant when pulling the trigger on a 53.4gr load out of a M-N Open rifle for a few rounds .

Had a identical issue with 8 lbs. of A-4064 , at the same period . And again ; not knowing the "how-to", dumped it , and ate the loss . But being on this site has "Learned me" what to do to get reimbursed if it happens in the future . Both powders are still primary use powders for me , along with others of the "H" variety , but I am a little more careful about keeping track of my inventory . Just cause it's NEW , don't make it GOOD .
 
In doing a "search" on this site there are a number of threads and posts about powder recalls, including this one.


I have an email and the photos sent to Western Powders per the recall instructions.

Would it be good to have these powder recalls made into a "sticky" top page item?

UPDATE.....I got a quick response from Hodgdon Powder just now. I was assigned a recall ID number, was asked for photos of cans showing lot number with my ID number attached. Was given a check off sheet asking about powder conditions, etc. Signed a release agreement. All easily done by email.

I will be refunded $35.00 per can. They are unable to replace powder at this time.


ANOTHER UPDATE....I was instructed to fill the containers with water and dispose of properly.....what ever that meant. I chose fire over water. One pound at a time up in smoke. Dropped a flaming alcohol soaked cotton ball in the metal container. I hated to do this but, better safe that sorry. Small powder make big fire.
Dam, After my accident I decided for water. It is supposed to be good for the yard. I retained part of my container as possible evidence. I thank all the responses and I feel for all that have experienced that moment.
Dave
 
Just a thought or maybe just me. I seems this company has an awful lot of recalls.
I have an outstanding attorney, small firm, sharp and a go getter. It has been1 year now and I am getting impatient. Not a day goes by that I don't think about this accident.
I want to thank all who have responded or have just read this thread. It will make you think Be safe!!!
I would one day to let you all know the end of this thread.
Thanks
Dave
 
Just found a few lbs. of 4077 SSC, that I was going to load for my B-inlaws .308, thank God I didn't run out of BLC 2 !
I agree as I had a few cans 4007 SSC that is under recall. Well if you really want to go down this rabbit hole of the best way to notify persons of smokeless powder recalls, there is a better way, it’s called tracking. Each can of power gets a unique ID number and each time it’s transferred, that container of smokeless powder gets registered to the new owner just like a vehicle. Thus, the manufacturer can reach out to the owner directly. Otherwise; it’s no different that many other non-registered consumer products that gets recalled, whether it’s a child‘s car seat, playpen, Instant Pot or lawnmower. Many times the end-user finds out via news articles or ambulance chasing commercials. Point being, unless you register the product directly with the manufacturer when you take ownership, they have no clue who owns the product. FYI, I’m not promoting tracking BTW.
I knew about the 4007SSC recall, but didn't think I had any. When I moved, as I was packing up, to my surprise I found a can of 4007. When I opened it up to dispose of it, I got a whiff of the sweet, sweet smell (it's actually horrible) of NO2, and the powder had a very slightly orange sheen.
 
Element is a worldwide group of material testing labs. They have places all over the country. Call the main number explain what needs to be tested and they will tell you the best lab to send it to. You will need to deal with chain of custody forms in a scenario like this. Your attorney and the lab can help with that. The metallurgist assigned will need to know this may be used as evidence. I have no idea if the lab will even look at it from a legal perspective at this point since it's already been cut open. You will have to ask. If this is just for curiouisity, I'm sure they will do any test you are willing to pay for.

 
Element is a worldwide group of material testing labs. They have places all over the country. Call the main number explain what needs to be tested and they will tell you the best lab to send it to. You will need to deal with chain of custody forms in a scenario like this. Your attorney and the lab can help with that. The metallurgist assigned will need to know this may be used as evidence. I have no idea if the lab will even look at it from a legal perspective at this point since it's already been cut open. You will have to ask. If this is just for curiouisity, I'm sure they will do any test you are willing to pay for.

I think the legal part of it is out the window by now. No leg to stand on once its been cut up.
 
Dave, I am awfully sorry this happened. If you are at the 1-year mark and still do not know what the cause was, it does not seem that your legal case is being developed very well. If I were your attorney the FIRST thing I w/h done w/h/b to hire a gunsmith to buy an identical rifle (in .243), chamber it in 6CM, and then load an identical piece of brass with the precise charge, primer and seat-depth you used, then load the rifle, strap it to a tire or Lead Sled, pull the trigger with a cord from 100' back, and see what happened.

If no signs of over-pressure, I would say you could scratch Accurate off your list of possible culprits. And of course, just because they had a recall does not mean their powder was dangerous.

I also w/h had the smith take bore-scope photos of the bore before it was cut apart.

Did you clean the bore before firing that one and only round? Did you look down it? I wish I could see your case lying beside another of those cases, to see how far up that "scapel cut" occured. That primer blown down into the bolt tells an incredible story. I would not think you could develop that kind of pressure merely from a case separation. I would think there had to be an obstruction ahead of the bullet.

Wow, I wish you luck, bud.
 
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So very sorry to read of your tragic and near death experience and hope you're able to recover and continue to enjoy this sport. I don't know if I could do the same, having already left one sport I loved dearly but also one that killed too many of my friends. You have more guts than I do, that's for sure.

I'm thinking you what experienced may have been a Secondary Explosion Event, but since a SEE is very difficult to repeat in a lab, you may never know exactly what happened. I don't think you could see that kind of damage through a simple over charging error, even if you filled the case. But a too light charge has the potential of triggering a SEE and I see that 36.8 grs is the starting load for Accurate 4350, 6mmCM and the 115VLD according to Western powders load data.

http://www.ramshot.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WesternPowdersHandloadingGuide8.0_WEB.pdf

Anyone know exactly why that powder lot was recalled?
 
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