I experienced a blowback through the firing pin hole from a pierced primer in my G
HE 16 gauge about 10 years ago, which I sent to Turnbull for repair afterwards and let him talk me into a complete metal restoration as well. I have posted pictures of the gun on this site several years ago. The shell was a friend's handload, one of those red all plastic hulls, and it felt a little hot when fired, both by noise and by increased recoil, and the case mouth was ragged when extracted (Turnbull did it--I could not open the gun more than a crack after firing) as if cut by the shot charge entering the forcing cone. Chambers had been lengthened to 2 3/4 by a prior owner and the shell was 2 3/4, but it was about 1/8 inch longer when fired than other fired cases from remington and winchester. Bottom line is I think the shell was hot to begin with, and think that the excess pressure must have pushed the primer back on ignition so as to cause it to pierce. Anyway, the gas blew back through the firing pin hole and knocked a 1" long by 1/2 inch deep chunk out of the stock head on the upper left side, which for some reason didnt strike me as it passed by my cheek and eye on the way out. I was wearing glasses, and felt the gas pressure, but no wood. Turnbull patched in a new piece and finished it so it was almost invisible. Thats all I know, but I don't shoot anybody's reloads any more, and have not experienced another hot shell or pierced primer since that one. I think I recall someone else posting a picture of a repaired stock with just the same sort of chunk knocked out of it. Looks like it may be a relatively rare occurrence, but with a consistent mode of failure when it occurs. Be careful out there.
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