OOPS! Exploding Enfield !!!

[Southron Sr.]

As the Re-enactment community is gearing up for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Bull Run, event organizers have banned replica P-53 Enfields made in India. This is because at least one (or maybe more) of those Indian Enfields have blown up while being fired with blanks at earlier re-enactments! The Indian made arms have smooth bore barrels that are made out of steel tubing, and apparently low quality steel tubing at that.

[Terry Schultz, 10057]

Here is a photo of the burst Enfield
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z11/major146/BurstEnfield.jpg
Terry

What the heck kind of blank was that? 75 grains of Unique??

[John Holland]

Glenn -

Unfortunately, the example shown is far from the only catastrophic failure known to have happened with the assortment of arms coming in from India. You have to remember that these arms are exported from India as "Decorative Items" and are unable to be fired because they all lack any form of venting in flint lock arms, and the nipple holes in the percussion arms are drilled and tapped blind. The barrels are obviously not gun barrel grade steel because of the shattering shown in the photo. You will note there are large sections of barrel missing completely. The chances of instant death to an innocent bystander are frightening.

JDH

[Southron Sr.]

Dear John:

There was a somewhat similar case here in Georgia a few years back where a hunter who wanted to participate in his first Muzzleloader Hunting Season purchased one of the replica Hawken Rifles. Because the barrel was marked "Black Powder Only" he innocently but ignorantly purchased a can of modern smokeless powder at another gun shop. The powder, when poured out was indeed black in color.

He went back home to "Sight In" his Hawken by shooting it from over the hood of his truck. Several friends came by to watch him shoot his new gun. When he fired the first shot, the Hawken blew up sending shrapnel from the burst barrel flying in several directions. One bystander was killed, another severely injured. The shooter was also badly injured.

Although I am fairly sure that the re-enactor that had the misfortune of having his India made Enfield blow up was using black powder, my point is that you are right: flying shrapnel from a burst barrel can be very deadly to innocent bystanders.