Short Neck 7x57 Cartridges causing Rifle blow-ups

[303Guy]

Does anyone know of this? This was supposed to have happened during the Boer War. There was a write up on it many years ago but with no conclusion.

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[WarPig1976]

No,,303Guy but I have heard if you put a light to a fart it will blow the back of your pants out. Do you think this is possible? I could see if one eats say, beans or Taco Bell but can this happen if all you ate was a PB&J? I know I sound TROLLISH but I really want to know...

[jonnyc]

Oddly enough, I believe there is more truth to WarPig's story than .303Guy's.
Short 7mm rounds, called the Kortnek, did come out of the Boer War, but they were commonly used and I've never heard of them causing any damage to rifles then or now.

[villiers]

No, not true. Tried often enough by many ... during my school days, National Service etc. Hardly a flame or a spark from even the greatest effort.

[WarPig1976]

I agree villiers,, I tried earlier today to reproduce this myth and was unsuccessful. No matter how I positioned myself or how hard I pushed my pants stayed intact though I did catch a whiff of burnt hair which leads me to believe I did have flameage. Anyway, I heard it from my brother who heard it from his friend that knew a guy who was in the Corp with a guy from West Virginia that said he did it.

[303Guy]

It's not myth. I witnessed it! Lighting farts can burn holes in nylon underpants and can burn the butt! I witnessed both - it burns with a blue flame. Others who tried it got no results so it's not a given that it will burn. It may be a myth that a fart can burn inside the butt but I have heard that one. I'm not so sure. There needs to be oxygen present. Apparently it has been documented that dropping a lighted match into a portaloo can burn your eyebrows! That came out on a safety course.

Back on topic.

.. they were commonly used and I've never heard of them causing any damage to rifles then or now.

Some researches looked into it and found that while there were rifle blow-ups there was no substantiated proof that it was caused by the kortnek although the kortnek got the blame. That part seems to be a myth. I knew the kortnek was used but not whether it was common or not. Do you know the origin of the kortnek? I believe the kortnek was obtained from across the northern borders from Mozambique from the Portuguese.

The research was undertaken some seventy years after the event so although the records existed (and there were several dating from that conflict), there were no surviving witnesses. It was speculated if I recall, that whatever ammunition caused it could have been a case of heat damaged ammunition which could coincidentally have been kortnek. It may simply have been isolated incidents of heat damaged ammo if it was that at all. It could have simply been hot rifles firing hot ammo. Don't underestimate the heat of the hot African sun in the Transvaal and Northern Natal where the Boer war was being fought (and Mozambique). One can fry eggs on a rock (or even on a car bonnet in the sun). During the bush war there was a report of heat exposed ammo blowing out the magazine of an R4 rifle causing forearm injury (the R4 rifle is a Galil clone). There have also been reports of hunters having magazines blown out possibly from the same cause. Hot rifle with hot ammo. The South African army was known to destroy expired ammunition. Anyway, the validity of the reports themselves were not under question, just the actual cause of the blow-ups.

[villiers]

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[WarPig1976]

Who Knows why those rifles blew up,, Did you watch Villiers video,,,,LMAO!!

[jonnyc]

It must depend on your diet. I worked with a guy who could do it at will/on command. You knew that if Ed turned the lights off he was going to perform his "party trick". Funny, yet very disturbing.

[303Guy]

Well, thanks. I guess that remains mystery.

On colon blow-ups, the theory is if one has been swallowing air then there will be oxygen to burn back. I don't know if it's really ever happened.