Originally Posted by
Hermitage
I purchased an Omark action with the Neilson adaptor from Din Collings back in the day. Got Steve Blencarne on the North Shore to fit a heavy No 5 26" barrel in .220 Swift to it.
I was very interested to see how it would shoot, so prepared 20 rounds with increasing powder charge of what was marked on the plastic milk bottle as Vihtavuori N140 (I was given this powder by a friend).
First shot of the lowest powder charge, and the Shooting Crony read as an error. I noticed a stiff bolt release, and the primer was a bit flattened but not too bad. Second shot read 4200fps. I thought it must be another error, as that speed was far too high for a 55-grain bullet, and again, a difficult bolt release with slightly flattened primer. So I put another round in the chamber with the same powder charge and pulled the trigger.
Ka-boom... the rifle exploded.
Had bits of metal in my face and right eye. Had to go to Auckland Hospital on a Sunday, and an eye surgeon was called in from his weekend off. He did his best, but there is still some metal in my eye, so if I ever need a head MRI in the future, I can't due to the magnets in the machine possibly pulling the small pieces of metal out.
I took the rifle to Steve Blencarne, but he couldn't salvage the action. He did free the bolt though, and reckoned I was really lucky as the bolt lugs had moved forward due to the pressure. Turns out the powder was not N140 but the faster Vihtavuori N130 that my friend had mislabeled.