30 replies to this topic

[timmy]

Today my son had a Kent Fasteel shotshell blow up in the breech. No injuries, thank God, but the trigger assembly is damaged.I have never had a problem with ANY shotshell, but we have heard stories about Kent. Does anyone have a similar story?Here is the shell, a Kent Fasteel 3" #3  1.jpg   24.37K   26 downloadsHere is the gun, a Benelli Nova pump in 12ga supermag  2.jpg   23.66K   27 downloadsI spoke to Kent and they were very receptive. They will send out a shipping label, and we will send them the gun, the incident shell, and several other unspent shells. They would examine the gun and see if it can be repaired. If so, they will send it on to Benelli.Personally, I don't think it can be repaired. The explosion caused the reciever to bow out, but we'll see. I will post an update when I have one.

[clampdaddy]

But what about your sons sprained trigger finger? That should warrant a new Super Black Eagle II.

[timmy]

I'm grateful he wasn't hurt. He's worried he won't have it for duck season, and will have to use his 870. Of course, I only have ONE duck gun. That spoiled brat gets everything.

[ShooterJohn]

Maybe you better take him to the doctor to have that sprained finger and wrist checked out after the gun explosion. You never know when it might flare up. And don't forget to mention post traumatic stress disorder that is causing your son to stutter now or is that a nervous tic caused by something like that happening.

[Gunorea]

Any update on this yet?

[timmy]

I spoke with Kent yesterday. They will not accept liability because there was a small amount of debris on one of the usnpent primers, suggesting corrosion. They did offer some shells as a good-will measure.I know it's hard to keep ammo dry during duck season, but we will need to try harder. I might just chalk this up to a lesson for both of us. Kent will send the gun to Benelli to see if it is repairable. Again, I don't think it is.

[ratassassin]

Bummer. Glad your son wasn't seriously hurt.

[clampdaddy]

That sux. I've shot some pretty badly rusted shells before and never had a problem like that. I just don't see how a rusty primer can cause an exploded gun.

[timmy]

Like I said, I've NEVER had that happen. The shells looked good to me, just a tinge around the primer area. But it sure leaves me in a weak position to argue.I need a better system for keeping ammo dry on a wet boat. I need to purchase a few dry boxes before next season. I'm going to go with the plastic ones because they don't rust. I might screw them into the floor so they don't move, and put a sealer around the holes.Oh, and I'll need to get another scattergun. Now we only have two 870s. Patrick likes the Nova pump, but I want to try out the Remington 887.

[nitis]

thats a bogus answer I have shot some stuff that according to them should be thrown away never had an issue never would have thought twice. How does that explain what happened?And why would you want to shoot any more of their ammo if it blew up your gun thats kind of a slap in the face!

[fishandhunt4ever]

I had something similiar happen to me at Wister last season with Remington Hi-speed steel. Luckily my gun was A-OK. When I fired it sounded like a fart and I was able to see the load fly out to about ten yards. The wad didn't even leave my barrel, and when I pumped it the shell was hard to come out. I had to jam a stick down to get the wad out. It was definitely cause water. For the last few trips I put my shells into a zip-lock bag in my jacket pocket. Keeps them try, and a little tedious to try and quickly reload, but it helps. I shoot a Mossberg 500A

[Yodel Dog]

Corrosion indicates that moisture was present for a period of time. If moisture penetrates the shell, it can affect the powder and change the burn rate. Debris could cause a "high primer" situation and allow an out of battery firing.

[timmy]

Yeah, I think it's cheap of them, but again - I'm not in a good position to argue it.

[clampdaddy]

......but I want to try out the Remington 887.

Did you already buy one? They've had a tidal wave of bad reviews come in after last duck season.

[nitis]

Ok I am no expert here but I still do not see how moisture can cause and explosion like this. The only thing I could see is if the moisture caused a misfire and there was a wad or obstruction in the chamber/barrelIf things get wet how does it make a bigger bang? I would have pushed the issue a 350 dollar shotgun is nothing to them

[fishandhunt4ever]

To elaborate on my experience mention above, with the shell being wet it caused to be be an extremely low-velocity round. I saw the shot flicker out. I fart louder than what I heard come from the shotgun. I would definitely contest their decision. Let them know that you talked to a few people on a couple internet forums, and that you don't agree with their opinion. If I was in your position I would call shenanigans. To me it sounds like a corrupt load for it to cause your damage like that and to seperate the shell the way it did. Call them back.

[Braz]

" Let them know that you talked to a few people on a couple internet forums..."I'm sure that will scare the pants off them.

[Yodel Dog]

Ammunition is made using a recipe, with a specific goal. The primer must ignite the gunpowder which pushes the shot out of the barrel. But there are other factors to consider. The shot must reach a certain velocity and the pressures must still be safe for the intended gun. As powder burns it creates gases which are trying to expand. The gas can't go backwards because the bolt is locked to the barrel. It can't go sideways because the barrel is there. The gases can go forward, but there are obstacles in the way. The wad is blocking the gases and shot is blocking the wad and a crimped case is blocking the shot. These obstacles allow the pressure to build up so that a desired velocity can be reached. If the gunpowder expanded all of the gases too fast, it would be an explosion much like a bomb. If the gases expand too slow, it cannot overcome the obstacles fast enough to let the pressure out, again a bomb. Each powder has a different burn rate, (how fast it is consumed). The burn rate is controlled by the surface area of each kernel, which is regulated by the powders size and shape.When gunpowder gets wet, it cannot burn at it's intended burn rate. When wet powder dries out, the powder can clump together which affects it's burn rate. It's this too fast or too slow expansion of gases that causes the described problems.

[clampdaddy]

Every company that makes waterfowl ammo takes special precautions to make their ammo damn near waterproof. I think they messed up. Even if the shell was corroded the gun should've been able to contain the blast. The hull is just a container that holds everything together. I'm thinking that was an overweight powder charge.

[ShooterJohn]

I'm thinking a better attorney.

[timmy]

Well, by now the shotgun is at the Benelli factory. Tomorrow I will call them and talk to Kent. I'll let you know. As for the 887, I'll look into it. We'll definitly need another duck gun this season, and I can't afford semi-autos. Patrick really loved his Nova. I did not. Maybe I'll get another. Maybe not. Depends on what Kent and Nova say. I'm pretty sure I'm done with Kent. I'll tell them that tomorrow.

[clampdaddy]

Yeah, check out the reviews on the 887 before you buy one. It got the biggest clunker of 2010 award. You might want to get an 870 super mag or a BPS instead.

[fishandhunt4ever]

" Let them know that you talked to a few people on a couple internet forums..."I'm sure that will scare the pants off them.

You will be surprised how fast stuff spreads on the internet. Its definitely a lot better to say that one got another/more opinion(s) that is/are contrary to what Kent's opinion is. Versus calling them up and asking for the choice of KY or Vaseline when Kent sticks it to them. Just my opinion...Question everything...

[timmy]

Well,It took a long time but I finally got an answer on this issue. Kent Cartridges told me that since there was evidence of corrosion on the primer, they assumed no responsibility. They sent the gun to the Benelli factory, which was a few hours away. Benelli had the gun several weeks, and I had trouble finding someone to talk to about it. This morning I talked to the man who inspected the gun. First off, the gun is finished. Junk. It will never fire again. Second, he explained to me how evidence that it fired out of battery does not conflict with my son's insisting that it exploded as he pulled the trigger.Pump gunners get used to pulling the slide as they pull the trigger. So when the primer did not ignite, Patrick was already pulling the slide. The primer then ignited, causing the "instantaneous out of battery" firing. From Patrick's point of view, it DID happen as he pulled the trigger. But actually, it occurred a few hundredths of a second later. He said he's seen it with EVERY type of shell from EVERY manufacturer. I have heard several stories about Kent shells, but he said this was because Kent is the primary brand used in this area. It would be different in other parts of the country, depending on which brand is most popular. The good news is that Benelli is going to replace the gun with a factory re-conditioned one. It will be used, but quite serviceable. (And duck guns never stay pretty anyways.) Since it is a factory replacement, they will not need to send it through a dealer.So, this whole affair ended happily, and we will take extra precautions about keeping shotshells dry in the future.

[BullsEye]

Sounds like things have been resolved well. Kudos to Benelli for replacing your firearm and I'm glad no ones was hurt.

[clampdaddy]

Yes, that was some good customer service on benellis part. Most other companies would've tried to pin it back on the ammo maker.

[nitis]

thats great news and a great explanation!I still think Kent should have stepped up though.

[rude robert]

my next shotgun will be from them

[Dutchman]

Wow. I have the Super Nova as my duck gun. Good to hear nobody was hurt and that Benelli made good on the whole ordeal.

[mac]

I have the same gun