Rob,

Sorry to see this, I hope you didn't suffer any injury. If you managed to find all the parts, large and small, save them. There are talented stockers out there that can put it back together so well that you will need to look hard to find any repair.

Rob, first the good news. Your stock looks like it can be repaired and you won't even see the repair. You mentioned that the hull is expanded a bit more than the others. What recipe were you loading? A pierced primer coupled with high pressure could certainly cause that damage.

I have had a couple of punctured primers with a hammer gun of mine. I just worked the pins some until it stopped happening. But other than a little black on the primer from the puncture, I never noticed any gasses blowing out of the firing pin bushings or no damage. Hard to imagine that just a blown out primer would damage the head of a stock like that.

To the other extreme, I had a few misfires with Fiocchi primers the other day. Been using them a lot and not had these issues before with light hits or misfires. One of the guns it happened on was my 1874 lifter. The pin imprint was like an impact crater and the shell didn't go off! It did the second time though.

Depends a lot on the brand of primer, too: this morning shooting SCs, one of my pals' Gastine Rennett gave him trouble the whole course. He was using Fiocchi factory ammo and the firing pins 'bit' enough into the primers that he had trouble opening the gun almost every station. Apparently the primer compound & resultant goo after detonation holds the firing pins like thick taffy and won't allow them to fully rebound. Said he never has this problem with other factory loads like Win AA, Remington, Federal., etc. Also, excellent advice from the Robin and Daryl - find and keep ALL the wood fragments - your gunstock can be repaired!

A sad result to say the least. But stock repair can be done. What you need to do is TOSS those Cheddite primers. I've had a LOT of pierced primers with them, and the lot I have has VERY oversize battery cups. I only bought a brick, but won't fire any more.

I have my own opinions of the French...

Fiocchis are fine. Even if you have to hit a few twice. They don't pierce.

As for the pressure that destroyed you stock, I'd look at the load. A double charge? Heavier than normal charge? Either, along with a pierced primer made by Cheddite would allow the disaster.

I'd be glad your hand and eyes were safe.

A pierced primer is sign that some thing is wrong stop shooting until you know whats not right

Rob, all is not lost. That stock head can be easily repaired. Send it to a pro. and you'll never see the evidence of the break.

I would be suspicious that the Cheddite Primers may be the problem. I have never had a pierced Primer with a CCI or a Winchester 209 reload. This could be dangerous.

Does anyone know if Cheddite primers are used in any of the cheaper Factory loaded shells --- Rio, Estate, or others?

I know that RST and RIO use Cheddite hulls. Don't know about primers.