Old vent-liners, barrels with 7500 miles on them & slight overstrain over a period of time due to 1 or 2 grain overloads played a role in this rupture. So did the possibility that Toby wanted to expand his horizons into the Savage Co. itself... beyond it's ML offering of smokeless MLs.

None of us know exactly why he left -- all we can do is try to believe his reasonings (or) try to accept that Toby can't say why at this particular time due to personal reasons. There's also the possibility that Toby has reached the pinnacle with the Savage UNTIL modifications that he wanted Savage to make are realized & accomplished. It may have come time where NO NEW FINDINGS/DISCOVERIES were forthcoming. With "regular' muzzleloading season fast approaching, now's a good time for a ML author to "change gears"... so-to-speak.

Didn't someone here boast on another forum that the Savage would take pressures in the range of 140,000 p.s.i or some stupid unbelievable figure.
Most centerfires are held to 60,000 p.s.i. or LESS.

Most inlines will handle pressures like that too. For a while at least. I don't think anyone said that the savage is made to handle pressures like that regularly. I think they were saying that its made like a centerfire where it can be proof tested to 140KPSI.

Barrels are proofed to 129,000psi by the factory.

Remember that a proof pressure is not the pressure that the barrel will tolerate continuously. Proof pressure and working pressures are different. All CF smokeless guns are proofed to much higher pressures than the working pressures they will tolerate indefinately as a margin for safety. With gross overloads of smokeless powder, it is very possible that Bridges gun experienced pressures over the 129,000psi proof pressure. It's also possible that repeated exposure to overloads weakened the steel and created stress fractures that eventually yielded to continued over pressure loads.

Mike

Explanations are changing as the days pass with this unfortunate incident. Now the barrel and/or the powder supposedly wasn't the culprit? Instead of questioning Toby's powder math -- we now should be questioning Savage Arms about ML-10 components. I think Toby mentioned that the magic word here is 'breechplug".... not barrel ... not powder. Had it not been inward-designed at the bullet-face (snout) with a few more wraps of threading.... all would be well with that ruptured barrel today.

Maybe in two more days the discussion-blame may shift again.... who knows?

I just saw the pics and wow, that guy is very lucky to be alive.If you want to read about it and see the photos go here www.hpmuzzleloading.com

I guess I fail to see how the threads on the breach plug, or lack thereof, could have caused this to happen. If you notice in the pictures, the breach plug has NOT even moved. It is still present and intact. The rupture started well in front of the breachplug and moved forward and back. The breechplug was not what gaveway in this case, and apparently isn't too much of a problem considering that literally 10's of thousands of 10ML-II's all over the country have been fired many times without incident, including Bridge's 35,000+ rounds out of his 10ML's. I would also like to see Bridge's engineering credentials before I just take his word for it.

Regardless, the FACT remains that Bridges did WILLINGLY AND REPEATEDLY GROSSLY EXCEED THE FACTORY RECOMMENDED LOADS. The Savage engineers designed and tested the 10ML in what was sure to be a state-of-the-art ballistics and engineering lab. Bridges just took the gun to the range and stuffed overloads down the barrel to see what the rifle could handle. As it turned out he discovered exactly what he was looking for, whether he realizes it or not.

Mike

Oops sorry, I meant to say most CF's. Not sure why I put inlines. I doubt a inline would handle those pressures for one shot.

Other Savage barrels have swelled... this is the first that I know of that ruptured. It's obvious that the swell with Toby's rifle occurred in front of the breechplug, but it was the breechplug that caused the rupture to occur... beginning at the muzzle & running backwards to the breechplug.

Pressures have different movements depending on the cause. Too much powder ... too much bullet... short-starting & the rupture starts at/near the breechplug... but not in this case.

I can't better explain it because that's the way I read Toby's explanation. If I'm wrong with Toby's analysis... then please someone correct me on Toby's analysis "only". No... I'm not interested in your 'reverse theory" that Toby is full of crap.... I'm just here to offer a reply to Driftrider on how I think Toby would of answered this thread... BUT ALOT BETTER/WITH MORE DETAIL.

T7, you might just be on the right track - this is a message that a Savage owner wrote:

Could this be the problem Toby ran up against?

The breech plug design of the savage is truly different than other that I use or have seen.