ORIGINAL: cayugad
A Pro Hunter is a Thompson Center, unless someone else makes one. Now I did see a Knight that was blown up on the Internet. The person used smokeless powder to try and shoot. That's operator error. I do wonder how many of the BPI incidents could be attributed to that same operator error. And of course were shown a couple BPI rifles with barrels split like a banana peel.
It takes a remarkable amount of pressure to split a rifle so evenly. Were it a flaw in the barrel (defect of construction or material), the rupure could only have occurred along the flaw as the type of pressures required could not be developed just becausethe flaw wouldfail before all other parts of the barrel and at lowerpressure.
But totally off the subject of CVA, T/C, knight, etc. I think alot of people never consider the relative safety of the load itself. The operating pressure of any allowed load is well below the bursting limits of all barrel designs. No one is riding the edgeof bursting pressure with an approved load when the rifle is loaded properly and discharges properly. Also, we all know that the operating pressure of unapproved loads of smokeless can burst a barrel. But if one is loading approved loads, the questionis, "will the barrel become obstructed? Creating, in essence, a pipe bomb"
If something happens to obstruct the barrel, allowing pressures to climb well above operating pressures of the load, then I think how much yield one has in the breech makes the difference between a bursting barrel and one that weathers the storm.Take for example. Say I load 70 grains 777 and a 500 BS conical. I'm gonna get somewhere in the neigborhood of 2100 ft-lbs at the muzzle. I can get similar muzzle energy by loading 100 grains of 777 and a 300 grain saboted projectile. Of interest these two loads will have peak pressures which are remarkably similar.
But which is the safer load? I would contend that the conical load is much safer even though its operating pressure is in the neighborhood of the other, perhaps even higher. I'm not particularly concerned about operating pressure, I will limit my inlines, even the sidekick which I no longer have, to no more than 2100 ft lbs at the muzzle. What concerns me, is what happens when and if I make an error in loading. By having 30 percent less powder in the breech, I think I allow myself more safety. This is my opinion and I haven't backed it up by discharging obstructedbarrels and such, but it makes perfect sense that an obstructed barrel with 100 grains of powder in the breechis more hazardous than one with 70 grains of powder, all other things equal.
As for newbies bearing the brunt of exploding barrels, the only evidence i can offer is the way I load today, which is much more concientious, involvinga regimenof safety checks to ensure the loading is correct and safe. I am more concerned and concientious as I grow older and learn more.I am of the opinion thatI am not the exceptionwhich is why I proferred the theory. I really do think that being experienced and being safe are related.