Ruger Hawkeye catastrophic failure......

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Can't blame Ruger at all for what happened, didn't mean to come across like I was mad at Ruger.
I have nothing but good to say about them and their products.

Talked to Hodgdon today as well and I am extremely happy to say they are going to replace my rifle.:D
The contamination appears to have happened after it left the factory.
It was definitely mixed with w296 or h110 which would explain the massive overpressure.
It's really nice to know that there are still some companies around that value long time customers.
 
That's great news for you and reaffirms my on-going, general admiration for the firearms industry. It should be a cautionary note for powder manufacturers to start making their containers tamper-resistant.
 
I've followed this thread with interest. Glad to learn things have worked out well.

I agree with those who have praised Hodgdon and Ruger. I also think the original poster, "cornbush", handled the entire issue honorably and responsibly from the start. A gentleman in my book.
 
Wow, a new rifle, plus one for 20% off, can't beat that :-)
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Thought about that......but I'm happy just to get a gun back.
I'll have the other one sent back and hang it on the wall as a reminder to pay attention, possibly use it in a hunter education course for the same reason.
 
Pretty impressive response from both companies given that they could both tell you it wasn't their fault with a clear conscience.

Glad it worked out well for you.

By the way, this isn't the first time I've heard of Ruger responding like this. I was at the range one time and got to talking with a shooter. He mentioned he had blown up a Redhawk with a reloading error. He came clean with Ruger that it was his mistake and they offered to sell him a new Redhawk at factory cost anyway.
 
I've had a problem with the title of this thread since it started ! The one thing here that didn't fail , was your Ruger Rifle ! It performed exactly as it was designed to , and saved your bacon Cornbush ! It's awful big of both Ruger and Hogdon to pony up when neither really had any cuplability in this accident . I find it equally difficult to believe that a person would contaminate Powder in the store , can't buy it sorry !
 
I find it equally difficult to believe that a person would contaminate Powder in the store , can't buy it sorry!
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Well, you would be surprised how many people screw with crap on the powder shelves. I have seen it myself. I think some new reloaders open containers to see what the powder looks like. It also think that there are really mean and horrible people that do bad things because they think its fun.

Now, you can bet your bacon that I will be opening up containers of powder before I buy them just to make sure that it isn't mixed.

Pretty impressive response from both companies given that they could both tell you it wasn't their fault with a clear conscience.
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I personally believe that Hodgdon is doing the right thing because it really IS their fault. A proper seal on the powder can would have prevented such a scenario. Luckily the only thing permanantly damaged was his rifle. Hodgdon would have had a little harder time replacing an eye or a hand. I really wish that they would just put a decent seal on the cans so that this doesn't happen again.
 
Where I buy powder now locally it is kept in the store room. Only empty canisters are on the shelf for display. Before that the other store kept it on a shelf behind a counter, you asked for powder but you were not allowed to open it in the store. I rarely find a store with gun powder sitting on the shelf where anyone can handle it.
 
OTOH, at my local Cabelas, and at at least one other store I frequent, the powder jars are out where anyone can handle them.

At Cabelas, that's a new thing. They used to store powder behund the firearms shelf. Now thye have a rack out in the open.

The good news, is, that's because it was on sale.

What I've learned from this--always visually check your powder before starting a reloading session. I know what the powders I use look like. An easy check.
 
Cornbush, Hogdon, and Ruger all acted in a honorable and fair manner. These days that doesn't often occur.

As I mentioned I bought two cans of IMR 4895 at a gunshow and one can was mixed with pistol powder of some kind. From know on I won't touch any powder that is not sealed, then look it over well. Mistakes can happen.

I have two sporterized Springfields, an 03, and a 03A3. I shudder to think what my face would look like if that occured with one of those guns. I have to be really careful, and triple check everything, and keep pressures reasonable.

I'm really happy this turned out well for Coarnbush. It shows that folks in the " Gun Culture " are generally of excellant character. Just think if Cornbush had contacted the Media. I was handled "in house" and ended well.
 
Great news, and good to hear both companies are concerned and willing to make things right, though it just makes sense, the cost of a new rifle is pocket change compared to a lawsuit.

If some malcontent mixed purposely mixed these powders in the store, he/she had to open two cans, I wonder if there is another accident waiting to happen lurking out there somewhere....
 
What surprised us, was that Hodgdon was able to separate the powder enough to determine a lot number for the contaminant, and definitively say it was W296. I found that mildly interesting, since H110 and W296 are the same powder. I'm guessing, now, that they package under only one brand name for any given lot number.

That provides a little insight into why certain reloading guides list differing data for the two powders. Lot-to-lot variations can account for most of the differences I have seen in direct comparisons. The remaining differences could be accounted for with other variables in reloading (case variations, primer variations, bullet variations, tolerances of test equipment, tolerances of reloading equipment, tolerances of the ballistics technician's eyes ;), etc.).

It would have been nice to get the actual lot number of the W296 from them, but it's not a big deal. And who ever has the H335-contaminated W296 will have low pressure loads, rather than over-pressure loads.
 
And who ever has the H335-contaminated W296 will have low pressure loads, rather than over-pressure loads.
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That may not be true. If you remember correctly, w296 is a powder that has a very small variance between the minimum load and the maximum load. And going below the minimum load is not recommended. I can see a handgun blowing up in somebody's face.
 
I called the store I bought it from today, said I bought the wrong powder and asked if I could exchange it for the right stuff.
Guess what "sure bring it on down", I informed them what had happened and was hung up on.
This is not the only time there has been powder tampering in a store either.
I wont say where or when but in "the south" there were a couple instances of someone mixing powder on the shelves just in the last couple years.
One was traced back to a store employee that thought guns were evil and the people that used them deserved it.
The other was never determined who did it.
Like a couple posters have said, a better anti-tamper seal would be of great help.
When yogurt has a better seal its kind of pathetic.
I'm not just talking one manufacturer, but pretty much across the board.
I have two sporterized Springfields, an 03, and a 03A3. I shudder to think what my face would look like if that occured with one of those guns.
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I was toying with the idea of turning my 03 into a 300 win mag, not now, they don't handle gas very well.
 
"When yogurt has a better seal its kind of pathetic."

I wonder how many emails or phone calls from the gun community it would take to get this changed. Or at least for them to pay attention. I have personally never had a canister that wasn't sealed pretty well, but from the sounds of it I've been lucky. Glad things are working out for you, you have acted as a good rep for the rest of us. Cool heads always prevail.
 
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