I really do think this is a myth. Save for the bad bridge plug design on the Apollo, pressure hasn't been a problem. One thing to consider. He recommended 150 grains of pellets with the 348 PB. This is not shying away from pressure. Just ask Leymoyne what his strain guage says about 110 grains 777 and 150 grains of pellets. I haven't a clue what the the limit of 2f RS is in an Encore Hank, but if it is 120 grains, then comparable quantity of 2f 777 is 100 grains. All magnum rated BPI products are rated for 100 grains of 777 2f. Cayugad has confirmed this. This isn't a "pressure problem" issue. No more than 100 grains of any 2f granulation powder to include 777, lets not read into that things which are not there.

Again the maximum load is 3 pellet/348 PB, not a wuss of a load, very, very, stout and they ain't shying frompressure. The real risk is loadingerrors guys.The difference between a spanish barrel an american barrel as compared by the ratio of burst pressure to maximum load operating pressure is small, if there actually any difference, we literally have no proof there is any difference.

In any event, it is wise tothink long and hard about how much yieldone put down the barrel. Make a mistake with 70 grains, you might not know the error was ever made. Make a grevious mistake with 150 grains of pellets, and you could have a serious accident.

Current manuals show 150 gr of Pyrodex RS (loose) is allowed. The max load in the current manual is 150 Gr FFG and a 400 Gr bullet in a mag express sabot. Heaviest conical load is 370 gr Maxiball and 150 gr. of FFG. They also show 3 pellet loadings with those bullets. The last I knew they still prohibited more than 100 gr of loose Triple Seven in their rifles, but 3 pellets were allowed.

Knight max is 3 pellets or 150 gr of loose. Triple Seven, Pyrodex doesn't matter. This is in their current production magnum rated rifles. There is no max bullet weight listed. The heaviest bullet shown in the ballistic table for 50 calis 310, in .52 it's 375.

Here is what I think would be interesting to find out. Take an encore, a Knight, and say a Kodiak Pro. Load a maximum loose powder load for the Kodiak Pro this would be 100 grains 777 2f, for the Knight 150 grains of 777 2f (or would 3f be allowed?), and for the Encore 150 grains of RS. Then load a 295 PB on it and then double ball a second where the bottom of the second projectile is 1/2 " above the top of the first. In safe, controlled conditions discharge the rifles to see what damage they incur.

The other thing is to load a max 3 -50gr pellets loads in an example of each. In the Encore, double ball in the same fashion a 400 grain saboted projectile, in the Knight double ballin the same fashion a 310 grain saboted bullet, and in the Kodiak pro double ball in the same fashion a 348 PB. Again in safe, controlled conditions discharge each rifle an see what damage they incur.

What a shame it would be to destroy three rifles or maybe 6 . But I think it would clarify just how safe each rifle is when max loaded with charge and separated double balled projectiles.

that would be fun to do but after today im so broke i cant see straight.

Plasgow, maybe you could do that test and sell the results back to the manufactures to pay for the guns. I think you'd have 6 intact guns. A friend and I were shooting one day years ago in a field with sidelocks. His was using a .45 TC and 70 grians RS. We reloaded, and when he shot, there was a strange sound and his gun kicked the crap out of him. We went down to look at the target, and there was only one hole; mine (50 cal). We went to reload, and he couldn't find his ramrod. I said "you don't suppose that weird sound was your ramrod firing out of the gun do you? We searched down range and sure enough, there it was, burried half its length in the ground with his roundball screwed into the end. And this was no ordinary ramrod. It was a 34" solid brass rod of 7/16" stock. I bet it weighed 1/4 to 1/2 lb and that's 2000-3000 grains! To this day I'm amazed that gun didn't blow.

All it would do is show what happens when your careless. I'm not advocating those loads just telling you what the max is. You did ask.

Wolfhound, I know you weren't advocating them and for the record, neither am I. I suspect that all of the max loads are extremely dangerous, in all the rifles,whenimproperly loadedas I described.

Yoeman, if that ramrod had space between it and the bullet, it may have made a difference in the outcome of that mistake. The physics are that the very heavy ramrod is capable of bringing the projectile momentarily to a stop. Which is why I suggested double balling with space between the projectiles (makes the mistake of double balling a much, much bigger mistake). They may, as you said, all survive, but I figure this kind a error stands about the best chance of bursting a barrel.

One other thing I've been considering. As a barrel expands in with elastic deformation, it allows breech gas to spill around (i suspect anyway to some degree) the PRB or all lead projectile. Add a plastic skirt (like a Powerbelt) or use a sabot, and it may allow more pressure to build as the plastic can easily expand with the barrel as the pressure increases.

See there Pglasgow, you're already writing the text for the article!

While I can't go as far as testing the 3 rifles you suggest (I'm broke too), I could at some point in the future run some similar tests using the test gun I have. I was also planning to do some more tests using an inline but got distracted reading this thread and the gun I was going to buy off an auction site sold while I was reading. OOPs [:@]. Guess I should have been watching the time closer.

Based on my earlier tests I don't think a half inch gap is large enough to be a big problem, but I could be wrong. I would think a couple of inches would be more likely to cause damage as the pressure would have more time to develop before encountering the obstruction (bullet).

I'm willing to do the experiment if someonewants to send me their rifles.

i shot my aluminumramrod out of the x-150 and it didnt do anything to my stock or barrel. just hurt like a SOB and gave me a horrible headache. The bullet i had in the rifle when this happened was a 385 grain great plains bullet. But all this BPI barrel exploding is just a scare that randy wakeman is trying to throw out at you. theres a lawyer that takes cases against "cva" and... this is how stupid he is or i should say, how smart he is. He takes all the suits against cva " or used to" and trys telling the court how cva is Sheet and putting them down on other forums and guess what? HE OWNS AND SHOOTS CVA'S!.. Hmmm a smart lawyer shooting something that hes trying to make look bad? Did i miss something?? Its just a scare trying to turn people away and to send them to HIS PAYERS.
CVA/BPI Is the #1 selling brand muzzleloader and i believe it always will be.
But the worse i can see happening to any of these guns is a bulged barrel on 1 or maybe on them all. I think the omega would be the first to break down with its known weak barrel lug area. As for the encore or knigh, im not sure which would break first.