Blow-Up Pics after leaving Jag in 17VHA Contender

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Look, guys, the jag was in the bore, yep, it was a 17VHA. The load was 9.0gr Alliant 300MP with a 20gr .172" hp.

The photo of the exploded T.C. is not mine, that was a 300WM. The only thing that happened was the barrel was ruined, and I became well acquainted with a very good plastic surgeon, and the total bill was zero for me, except for a round trip shipping fee for barrel work. I did not even have a headache, though my hat was ruined.

So, the shooter, myself, is just fine, no hearing loss, not visibly scared, and as lucky as ever, as is the rifle, even the scope was fine. The TC involved is a switch barrel set up allowing swapping a barrel without removal of the scope, so, I just asked for another barrel, and I was good to go after it was chambered.

The carbine shoots just beautifully, much better than I ever expected. The two barrels are matched very well for essentially the same zero without messing with the scope much. Two piece cleaning rods are now a thing of the past.

The carbine was to be a squirrel rifle, but turned into a rifle with much more effective range thanks to the barrel in the bottom of the image set at 18.75". It can hit coke cans all day long at 450 yards using the 17gr HNDY VMAX with 9.8gr of Alliant 300MP at about 3900fps, or the 30gr Kindle Golds with their high BC and a muzzle velocity of 2910fps pushed by 9.7gr of H4198. The case capacity is 12.75gr H2O, which is higher than the standard 17VHA that maintains the original 4.6x30mm shoulder angle. Mine is a minimum taper case with a 40° shoulder giving about 0.25gr more H2O capacity than the standard shoulder.

The thin composite barrel is 16.125" never gets fed full power ammunition, just reduced loads for quiet squirrel, or rabbit hunting. It typically groups like this at 100 yards.



DO NOT CREATE one of these composite barrels based on this idea or the photograph for yourself without assuming all responsibility for any possible results. The barrel is made from a Redman liner sleeved into an 8.5" breech section and is NOT CAPABLE of being used safely with any loads generating pressure curves with peak pressures over 24,000 P.S.I. which do not drop in pressure to below 8,000 P.S.I. before the projectile passes 7 inches down the bore from the breech end of the rifle. If you make one of these, you do so assuming any and all risk of physical injury or worse to yourself and others.

I hate disclaimers but in this case it is absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your comments wishing that the shooter was okay. I will say this, that was the first and last time I have ever cleaned a bore without checking it out to see if it was clear afterwards.