Has any one ever seen the catastrophic failure of a Remington Rolling Block Action? Or a picture of same?

Thanks I agree 100%. Having worked in a engineering lab doing failure analysis I am curious to the mode of failure. I have several RRB's and never had a problem even with some hot loads fired remotely (tire and string)

The gun we have been fireing the hot loads in is a no.1 black powder action with a Numrich barrel. So far no signs of fatigue. Its had to see how the hammer could hit the firing pin and not lock the block?

About 10 years ago, there was a RB failure at Bisley.
The barrel / breach interface blew out and the sides of the action opened out like rabbits ears, in plan view.
The shooter was not injured. He was a very experienced reloader who had somehow managed to mistake Bullseye for 2400.
He loaded 30 grains of bullseye.
The pivot pins did not shear and the breech block and hammer were still locked together.
I only use proper gunpowder in mine.
Be warned!
Fred.

A few years ago a shooter had a roller let go on him. It was written up in the Journal. As I remember it was a faulty rebarreling that was to blame. The action split down the middle with the hammer staying on one side and the block on the other. 

40 Rod

I looked at two of my Rollers one a 11.7 Danish and the other a #5 Remington in 7mm. The Danish has about .700 of the hammer under the block in the fired position and the 7mm about .600. No way that block is going to open with out something breaking.

Wow! That's what I have been looking for. Sure would like to get a piece of that with the fracture surface intact. I have accesses to a lab that does failure analysis.

I don't know the process that produced that receiver.  At best, it was Bessemer, at worst it was soft cast.   I agree, that rust stain is interesting.  I wonder if the metal had failed some time ago and went unnoticed.  I wonder if a more careful hardening process would have prevented the failure.

Would love to see a complete workup not only of the failure, but of the steel itself.  I would heed Norma's advice.  

Thank you for posting those pictures.

Pete

Working on the Remington rollers I've found that the metal progressed from start to finish. This probably is due to knowledge of metal working increasing with time. The early rollers with Remingtons on tang are the worst. I have had cracked receivers of this particular group and metal has a lot of voids. Some E. Remington marked ones are like this but not often. The later E. Rem. actions and Rem. Arms actions the metal was much improved. I am baseing this on my laymans experience in machining them. One can tell good metal when it is being machined. Haven't machined any Huskys so can't comment. Jerry

  Notice the chamber. It looks like it was for a belted case. Which might explain the failure. MD

Swede's post #11 states it was re barreled to 458x1 1/2

Look carefully at the breech of the barrel.  It has two scallops on the bottom, what looks to be about 1/6 turn out of sync.  As though the barrel was fitted, the sight holes drilled to match, and then the barrel was set back about 1/6 turn...to correct headspace?  If the .458-1 1/2" is based on the .375 H&H case, the deep recess is for the belt to affect headspacing.   

David 
Montezuma, IA

Interesting. 

Esp. the lack of finish work on the barrel and the setback of it, without extractor. 

Dunno.

Would have to find the first guy to post those pictures and get the full story, to know the truth of it.

Test mule, and destructive testing, both seem to fit better than Joe Average having a range day with a ill-advised conversion.

Cheers
  Trev

On the Yahoo groups for rolling blocks, some pictures were posted a while back of one in which the bulk of the breech blew back into the shooter's head, killing him. It was likely an overload. It appeared to me the breech's ring (about its pin) failed in front; then the breech rolled back over the hammer nose; this ripped it away from the rear of the breech's ring; and finally it flew rearward.

I believe he said it was chambered for the .458 x 1.5

this is my "roller resto project" rifle I just bought... it's a #1 Black powder action, that was converted to 225 Winchester ( probably in the 60's ), when it was redone as a bench rest rifle

both my builder ( a retired tool & die guy that has been building guns his whole life ) & I, think the 225 Winchester is too hot a cartridge for the black powder action, so... since the barrel is about 3/4 shot out, we'll be rebarreling it in 32-40... interestingly, while the barrel is nearly shot out, the action is still solid & tight... we won't know untill fully disassembled, what if any parts were changed or modified, but I suspect some of the action parts may have been changed out with smokeless parts ???

I found the pics interesting, as other forum members I've spoken with, have claimed that the breech block lock up was the weak link, but my buddy said he thought the frame between the pins was the weak link... he'll get a kick out of seeing the pics...

my "roller resto" project... "before" pics... ( I'm just begining to pull it apart, & should have it totally redone as a bench rest gun in 32-40, before winter is over )

Here is a link to a website showing a Danish Rolling Block failure that was discussed on the BPCR.net forum :

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Take a look at the detail of the end of the barrel. If you look the threads are turned down and it looks to be much deeper than just to go through the reciever ring. that would leave the barrel un supported at that point. This was the case when the Roller let loose that was written in the Journal a few years a go. 

40 Rod

Magnum Wheel, That is a Beatifull Rifle, I am sure you paid a prtty penny for it!
Thanks for showing it
ACE