It is Monday again, and this time I have at least one good update to give. I have been doing a bit of reading and wanted to share a book I came across that I think a lot of guys who enjoy reloading might get a kit out of. Ammunition Making was written by George E Frost, and published in 1990 with a second printing in 1992. This book covers pretty much everything to do with the manufacture of ammunition. Bullets, brass, primers, and even powder. It also goes in-depth into crosssections of tooling, some dimensional drawings, and testing procedures. I have not come across another book like it.
It was originally published by the NRA and is now out of print. Amazon has a copy for about $320 and the description says it is in so-so shape. If you miss out on this copy keep an eye out for copies at used book stores or on eBay. It is well worth the addition to your library. I have not finished reading it, when I do I will write a formal review of the book and post it to the website. This is one book, I would like to see a third printing on, and I think it would do well especially with the number of new ammunition companies and resurgence in interest in handloading. Lots of guys like to get into the details of how things are made and this book is not short on those details.
I’ve got several books on my shelf that I have been meaning to read. As I get through them I’ll write up more reviews. I have several of Brian Litz’s books that deserve a review, they are fairly dry reads so it might take a bit for me to get through.
It seems like the last few months have been busy ones for the 2A community. Just the last few weeks there have been ATF proposed rule changes, a favorable Supreme Court ruling that was announced today, and a no so favorable ruling on the NRA bankruptcy proceedings. Combined with the 50 BMG SLAP ammo, there is just plenty of stuff to talk about but it’s hard to figure out everyone has value in.
A few weeks ago I talked about the 50BMG SLAP incident that was made public by Kentucky Ballistics. There has been a lot of speculative videos made about what happened. In fact, it seems like everyone who had a YouTube channel remotely connected to firearms did a video on it. To me, most of that has been noise, what has interested me is the response that Mark Serbu has put up.
As a firearms manufacturer, he has been put in a difficult position. He has made thousands of these firearms without incident, and now this one, highly publicized incident, threatens the reputation of not only the RN-50 design but of his company. He has a fine line to walk and I do sympathize. In the most recent video he posted, he went through some of the math regarding chamber pressures required to shear the threads and the locking tabs. The pressures they estimated were in excess of 160,000psi. For reference, the service pressure for 50 BMG is 55,000 the TM 43-0001-27 lists the proof pressure as 65,000psi.
50 BMG is not a SAAMI Cartridge, so SAAMI does not publish load data for that round. Ammunition specs, mainly pressure velocity and other “at a glance” type information can be found in the Army Ammunition Data Sheets Small Caliber Ammunition TM 43-00001-27. It is an interesting reference for someone who is a bit of an ammo geek.
Now, it should be stated that manufacturing mistakes do happen. Stuff can get improperly heat-treated, but honestly, I think that is not the case here. The mounting evidence really is starting to suggest that it was an ammunition issue, and more likely than not, the ammunition was counterfeit. Mark Serbu points this out in his video here. As a community, this should pose some serious questions about military surplus rounds. Especially ammunition that is “Exotic” stuff that is sold for a premium due to the unique nature. Incendiary rounds, SLAP rounds, Black Tip, or Green Tip. All of this has limited practical use beyond the uniqueness and novelty of it but can command a price that is often far and above premium ammunition. We just do not know the source, and if someone is selling counterfeit rounds to make a quick buck, it means the people buying up this stuff are unknowing participants in a game of Russian roulette.
If you are into that sort of thing, the only thing I can tell you is to only buy pull-downs handload your own, or collect the loaded rounds but do not shoot them. Honestly, I would love to add a SLAP round, some Blacktip, and other so-called “Exotic” ammunition to my collection of cartridges. However at this point, I will not be shooting any of it, not unless I load it myself and I know for sure, what the powder and charge weight is.
The last thing I want to push back against Mr. Serbu a bit. My point of contention is how the rifle failed. No one is going to design a rifle to withstand 160,000psi. These pressures are well above the failure point of the brass cartridge itself. SAAMI lists the maximum service pressure for Brass Cartridge cases at 65,000psi, which means proof pressures are well into the high 70,000 range. For this reason, we will not see a brass cartridge case approved for a service pressure above 65,000psi. The SIG 277 Fury is a notable exception as it is a multipiece stainless steel cartridge case, and it can get away with the higher pressures.
However, if we stick our new product designer hat on for a minute and look at risk and liability, we want to make sure our product is safe, and should it fail, it will fail in a manner that will minimize risk to the shooter. Engineering teams often conduct a study called a Failure Mode Effect Analysis or FMEA. This is an in-depth look at what all could possibly go wrong, and should it go wrong what the failure mode would be and what the effects may be. Sometimes the results of these studies alter the designs so they fail-safe, meaning that there are designed weak points where a failure is designed to occur in order to prevent a much larger failure that could harm an individual. For example, if there was a bore obstruction and the shooter fired a round, perhaps the locking lugs will shear off and the bolt will open, but there is a third “safety” lug that will prevent the bolt from opening completely allowing the gas to vent.
I do not think the design of the RN-50 is a weak design. In fact, I think it is a very strong design. So strong, that in order for it to fail, the action had to literally come apart sending shrapnel back at the shooter. The FMEA process is hard to do, because you have to balance the design of an object, with the cost to produce, and the liability a company is willing to assume. You are constantly playing a game of “What if” and sometimes the scenarios that are proposed seem preposterous outlining a very specific set of events that have to happen in order for that particular failure to occur. However sometimes life is stranger than fiction, and things happen that no engineer could possibly dream up.
Point in case, the recent gas shortage, people were filling up Tupperware containers, trash bags, and other less than ideal containers full of gasoline. More than one car ended up on fire. Some people figured out that diesel and gasoline are not interchangeable fuels, and a Prius does not sport a true multifuel engine. I’m just saying, engineers try and protect people from their own stupidity but there are limits…
Bottom line, I sympathize with Mr. Serbu, he’s got his company’s reputation and the firearms reputation on the line. If he was to admit he made an unsafe firearm, he would open himself up to so many lawsuits that it would bankrupt him. He has no choice but to defend the design, and honestly, I think he’s been pretty open and honest about it. Maybe he’ll take a look at this and make some design changes that will make what is reportedly an excellent rifle into an even better one.
The last point I wanted to make was a follow-up to the conversation regarding ATF’s proposed rule change. 2021R-05 is in public comment. It is worth your time to go over and make a comment. Generally, it is best to write out your own comment. The form letters and emails you see are often glossed over, and they do not receive much attention. Taking the time to write out your thoughts and opinions in a calm and articulate way will have a greater effect. With that said, I do not think a letter campaign is going to change the final rule one bit. Read the rules, they are very specific on what can and cannot be said, as well as what information needs to be included in order for the comment to be accepted.
The forces at play here have to do the public comment by law, but at this point, it is a formality. They will go through the process because if they do not, the judge will rule that the rule change is invalid due to the process being ignored. Our time is better spent petitioning our Senators and our Representatives. We should also be throwing our support behind organizations like the 2nd Amendment Foundation. The only way we are likely to make a meaningful change, on the Federal level, over the next four years is through the judicial system.
I do not like this on principle, as the judicial system is often abused, making law from the bench which short circuits the legislative process. This is not how the founding fathers intended the judicial system to function. With that said, the laws that we are challenging go against individual Rights, and while there is a fine line between judicial activism and fair judicial judgment. I do feel that this falls in the realm of the latter, but I am not wholly insensitive to counterarguments, and I would rather see action taken through the legislative process.
As always if you are looking to get in touch, the best way is to send me an email at jay@theballisticassistant.com. You may check us out on Parler, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. If you’d like to submit a load to our load database, the instructions are here.
As always, shoot straight and stay safe!
The Ballistic Assistant