Which has since blown up in his face (NO PUN intended). He's become a punchline for all those who wanted to blame old ammo or improperly stored ammo, citing the dangers of powder breakdown over time + increase in pressure.
yeah, well look at how honesty can go wrong in case of CD Project Red. They made an apology video , where the leader (forgot his name) explains that they were unable to finish the game properly, and this caused the problems. Ok so I value honesty above all so I thought this was a brave honest thing to do, this is nice. Now when I looked at the comments I was blown away at how angry people still were, I mean I know how a product lifecycle works and it's sometimes hard to finish something and meet expectations. We have a saying that goes like: If you don't work you don't make mistakes. But yeah this is a different case with Mark Serbu, most probably the slap rounds are the cause of the issue.
"I'm a human being first and a shooter and a gun designer, and a company owner way on down the line" - You're also a legend. Not a lot of people would be half as accountable as you have been. The world needs more HUMANS like you, Mark.
Scott is the real Captain America. The fact that he contacted you before making his video and made it clear and provided evidence that it wasn't the rifle is testament to his character. The fact that you made this video instead of going silent is testament to yours. 🇺🇲
I mean. Technical it wasn't the rilfes fault but it also was there is no fail safe if a. Hot load is put into it no vent holes no stronger end cap no way to keep the end cap from shooting off into the shooters face and shrapnel most guns have a safety bolt lug or a reciver cover and vent holes. To prevent major injury if a hot load gets into the gun again it will be unsafe and crap happens. Just like with scott he had no way to know he had a hot load
@@alkestos those lil tabs aren't safety measures 2 keep that cap from blowing off! They are only to make sure the pipe bomb cap is screwed all the way closed. Thoseclil tabs only let it go into battery if the cap is all the way on. This gun has Zero fail safes and any one that shoots it is retarded. I said that the first time I saw this pipe bomb Years Ago. Lol u couldn't pay me enough to shoot it
@@Daniel-ko3zp it’s not easy to just be like, “it wasn’t my fault lmao.” he was not at fault, but something he made almost caused someone to die. again, mark is totally innocent in this, but i’d still totally understand feeling remorseful over this
@@floo1465 yeah it doesn't have to be your fault, the guilt still comes. Its what my dad said about one of his old army friends. Sadly he committed suicide. My dad felt guilty for a long time even though it wasn't even close to his fault. And even now he feels bad because they were good friends
He is afraid of 14 000 guns with high risk of failure and guess who is legal responsible. recall on 14 000 guns or escape to Cuba, hes probably not sleeping
@@francobarrientos4862 the risk is virtually zero when used with in-spec .50 BMG. Any gun will blow up with ammo that generates almost twice the normal pressure it’s designed for.
@@francobarrientos4862 would you shut up and learn some reading comprehension/audible listening skills before you even think to chime in? He said 1,400 not 14,000. There’s a huge difference. And I won’t even go into the fact that the rifle isn’t to blame so GTFO
There's always small print on all guns any specialty or hand loads are not warranted. It's not his fault someone used ammunition wayy out of its designed range.
For any gun manufacturer on RUclips or not to comment on something like this shows how good of a guy Mark is. Much respect. Seriously. Also, I’m so glad he’s ok.
Scott’s Dad is a freakin’ Man too, bro. Not only is he like super yoked, but he took charge and didn’t panic, and got his son taken care of during a crazy event. Thank God Scott survived.
When your son's life is on the line or any life for that matter the best thing is to stay calm and address the worst problem first his dad addressed the bleeding by sticking his thumb in his neck then having Scott do it so he could drive. Scott keeping calm and breathing slowly saved his life a tension Pneumothorax could have killed him as easily as a severed jugular vein. It basically crushes your lungs from the inside when your chest fills with air. Sorry for the long explanation but yes his father Scott should be commended for keeping his cool and taking action it could have been much worse it would have been a different video if his father wasn't there that day.
Matt roulston I do and I saw the video but that explosion could have been a lot worse but I am sure you know a hell of a lot more than everyone else including the guy who designed the gun
I say this with all seriousness, when Scott said he stuck his thumb in his chest to stop the bleeding it reminded me of the Rambo movies when he gets injured and fixes himself up in the field. First blood, Rambo falls out of tree and sews his arm. Rambo III pushes a huge wood spike shrapnel out of his side, puts gun power in his torso and burns the wound shut. Hardcore!
And even pointed out that the previous rounds had a crazy muzzle blast....all it takes it one hot load. Thank God Scott had his guardian angel watching out.
@@jamesd4923 I assume you didn't watch Kentucky Balistic's video detailing what happened. He was shooting at an old fire hydrant. The previous round was poking out of the back of the hydrant. He said that there's no way that there was an obstruction
@@jamesd4923 The round that Scott previously had fired before the rifle blew up didn't get stuck in the barrel, it actually hit the fire hydrant he was shooting at. This is definitely a case of faulty ammunition. Based on the calculations that were done, it would have taken 85,000psi minimum to blow the cap off the threads. This is a case of ammunition being massively over pressured for whatever reason.
@David Joyce That's what I'm thinking, the cartridge was either improperly loaded or improperly stored, and as the sabot and bullet engaged the bore, the pressure decided it wasn't gonna wait for that and took the opposite route, so to say.
It takes a strong man to make a video like this. It wasn't your fault by any means. Bigger companies wouldn't even investigate like you are doing. You are a good man.
@@oranguman8606 I would say it is a cost effective design. A flying buttress thread would have been a little stronger against an overpressure, but would have increased cost significantly. Even at this low entry level price, I can't afford one, but would love to have one!
Regardless of why it happened, this is a real person, he made the rifle, and that rifle exploded on a customer, and that customer (scott) barely survived. He is showing that he actually cares about his customers. Scott has little doubt that it wasn't the ammo he was shooting and not the gun. (Otherwise you wouldn't send the maker the rilfe for inspection) but hopefully this incident leads to that whole section being stronger, so that it is harder for such a malfunction to occur. Unfortunately the single shot form does suffer from a lack of chamber based recoil dampening, so the chamber takes alot of stress, the ammo MIGHT be safer in a semi auto.
@@sirmckain The Gun In question has been through numerous rounds and videos on Scott's Channel, to say it has a bad failure point is like saying scott didnt put the cap on all the way, the round he unknowingly loaded was BEYOND the guns rated (and tested) Stress load, which caused the gun to explode like it did, this isnt the first instance of SLAP rounds causing guns to explode, namely due to SLAPs not being Federally manufactured anymore, which leads to alot of Hand loaded rounds.
Bro, unlike the "bottom line" major companies who only see risk and reward, you addressed the incident publically. You have shown more humanity in yourself and your company than the bigger companies ever will. Thank you
What major company doesnt adress 9 mil views-worth of crappy PR because of risk/reward? Mark says he wants to prove to future customers that the gun is safe, you better believe he's thinking of the "bottom line" on some level, he'd be foolish not to. Nothing wrong with that tho, just sayin this take makes little sense to me
Scott was plenty bad ass himself. "There's a hole in my throat, hmmm, wrap my thumb in a tshirt and stuff it in there..." Holy crap, that's gold level cajones.
@@frenchroast1355 and he was blind in his right eye at the time! Dude had near superhuman wherewithal to react calmly and effectively like that to literally save his own life.
Alot dont because it could cause legal liability for the company or even the CEO. With everyone so litigious these days the only reason the gun companies survive is because of the special protections they have.
Serbu is also a smaller company so making a RUclips video is much closer to the realm of possibility than a large manufacturer. Not sure why this video is getting so much praise. Most companies would release a statement after having a catastrophic failure happen to a big name RUclipsr.
@@codyjewell1460 a statement doesn't attach a face to it just the name of the company he said that he doesn't know what happened to the gun but he will check plus you are half right this kind of public address to concerned clients about a product should be normal but it's not that is why people seem shocked at the means he took to respond to people concerns
Didn't know you had a channel Mark, sorry under these circumstances but this is how real human beings should handle these situations. No fan service, no bullshit, just straight to the point with open and honest dialogue
This is part of the reason why i respect you so much Mark. Even though Scots RN50 blowing up was no ones fault, you still stood up and addressed it, because it was your product. You truly have a kind heart.
He should address it by all means. There are most likely ways the severity of this incident could have been lessened with some changes to the design. It was a catastrophic failure that started with a bad round and showcased the fatal flaws in the design of the firearm.
@@codyjewell1460 if I put a bullet with the explosive impact of a stick of dynamite in a gun and pull the trigger does the make or model of the gun even matter? Yeah obviously the cap ripping themselves off of the threads is terrible but serbu sait it would have taken 80000LBs or pressure while the threads are rated at like 50k, im not saying the gun should stay the same but its just like the people driving teslas with autopilot while not in the driver seat, the car/gun were only designed to do so much you cant push the limits and expect to be fine 100% of the time
@@jdemeter4357 the rounds Scott was firing he believes to have been counterfeit. They were designed to be SUPER hot armor piercing rounds that haven’t been produced in over 40 years (older ammo) and they cost around 100$ a round because you really can’t find them too much. Whoever made the ammo must how spiced that bullet up a tooo much is my guess.
Sad fact of life... no matter what you do to prevent it.. shite happens. It is how people respond on such occasions that determines who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Mark and Scott seem to be a couple of really good guys IMHO.
My take is everyone should be talking IFAK...where was the IFAK....going to a RANGE and shoot a GUN....take an IFAK. Shit is going to happen...be PREPARED....and don't use discontinued military rounds from a company who went out of business
@@gojoe36 perhaps they had one? It crossed my mind at first, but the critical injury was the jugular. There’s not much you can do other than pack and pressurize it ASAP. I think speed was key in this case.
@@platty9237 I think your missing his point. There’s a point where a blowout kit or ifak isn’t going to do shit but you should always have one. It’s like wearing a seatbelt.
@2Afreedom 4life TibosaurusRex did an explanation video. His opinion was that SABOT rounds aren't supposed to be shot out of certain muzzles. Go watch the video he explains it greatly
I would never buy a gun where the safety of the weapon depends on how tight you screw on a crucial component. This was an accident waiting to happen and the manufacturer accepts zero accountability.
I heard an argument that if it were a semi auto then it likely would have blown open the bolt and discharged much of the energy out the side instead of straight back. I don't consider the rn-50 a bad design, or even an unsafe design. Some rifles just fail in safer ways than others. This was 100% the fault of the bad ammo but it can still be a learning experience to improve the rn-50 to fail in a safer manner. Bad ammo is going to happen, it's just a matter of when.
I am a teacher on break for lunch in the Summer in Tampa. I see a guy wearing a Serbu shorty t shirt. I say sick shirt badass gun. Guy goes I make it. I am a gun nut. I talk to Mark for a couple minutes he says come by see the shop. I call next week and go and Mark personally shows me the shop and all his toys for about 2 hours. This is a very humble man who absolutely made my day . I watched the video from Kentucky ballistics and had a slight panic attack watching it. I am so glad KB is ok. Mark thanks for treating me so well that day I am glad the gun was not the problem. Stomp Strong !
@@tomasteply1956 He made his first mark in jet simulators. He built them They are there yes it was an insane day. He has things for the US Navy that would make you shit. These things are for testing and way bigger than .50 cal. Yes unreal day !
I had to laugh when I first read this--I thought you were saying that Mark was wearing a "shorty-t shirt" that said "Serbu" on it. Like one of those sexy football jerseys that hot girls wear, showing just a bit of underboob. Haha!
@@skimask5049 no it wasn't the guns fault. if you really need an in depth explanation ruclips.net/video/bBNHI1_urWs/видео.html this guy is an engineer and a gun crimes and accidents investigator and reviewed this.
@@skimask5049 The gun wasn't rated for that pressure of the SLAP round that was fired. The gun would never be able to realistically withstand the massive overpressure, so the fault isn't on the gun. It isn't user error either, as Kentucky Ballistics had got the gun into battery and had fired the same type of round multiple times successfully before. What happened is best described as an act of God, as there was no predicting that it could have happened beforehand.
@@skimask5049 how do you know it was the gun? How can you be sure the ammo was not designed for a recoil operated weapon? Are you certain it wasn't USER error?
@@skimask5049 What part about the design is bad? The safety tabs that can resist 15,000 psi? The fact that the particular round that caused the explosion had 150% the pressure of the average .50 BMG, and the safety standard is 125% pressure?
Honestly, I don't believe this accident is his fault. Scott had talked about the sketchy rounds, and how it was old too. I work on a Marine Corps rifle range, and one of our most important rules is to not attempt to fire any dirty, damaged, or modified ammunition. I'm just glad Scott is doing better and should fully heal
Great comment let’s hope that that comes true but we know better there’s always someone out there who’s got to make stupid comments thank god Scott’s going to get better god was definitely there with him that day
as a business owner myself... his tone was so sincere you can tell that even tho he knew it wasn't his fault, he was gutted and felt absolutely horrible. I know this feeling and this proves to me beyond a doubt that Mark cares about his customers... each and every one.
@@NobodyPlayzYT hows it his fault for getting sold some dodgy slap rounds as untampered "Military surplus", which have now obviously had something happen to them, such as being reloaded much hotter than intended before they were sold to scott, they could have even been someones homemade rounds that were sold as military surplus to get someone to buy them, there was no way scott could have known that the round was loaded way to hot, and the gun he was using was designed to be able to fire slap rounds.
@@conorstewart2214 these can be searched in wikipedia, so it is his fault for checking if the gun could handle those rounds and it is worth mentioning that it is also his fault for not checking what he is buying
@@NobodyPlayzYT the gun could handle those rounds though just not the dodgy ones he bought, and how is he going to check the ammo short of reloading them all.
I understand your perspective, but at the end of the day a powerful product with enough force to kill should always be designed to handle a catastrophic situation with least amount of damage to the user. If you look into car test companies, you can see in their crash tests... even though they now that a hard crash will most likely be fatal for the driver, they still create crumple zones in the car to act like a spring even if you put a maniac behind the driverseat(that faulty 50cal round) he would still experience the least amount of possible damage... In this case, using a 50BMG rifle that can't handle an obstructed barrel(most of the guns will explode) it is important to take this into consideration, what if an old cartridge piece got stuck in the barrel. The gun will explode... thats a given, but the important design choice here is how it will explode. The answer to that is the weakest link goes first, in this case this is the cap thats pointing at you. I would personally not ever trust to fire this weapon ever, and i can assure you none other youtubers will be shoulder firing this gun ever again. But the important part here is that the designer of the gun actually cares, and learns from the mistakes, which makes his future weapons much more trustworthy than other companies in my eyes.
@@Gabriel-us7gi You are actually backwards. Things can be designed with every safety measure in mind until a freak accident happens like this and the SLAP-T being an overloaded cartridge was the freak accident. Plenty of youtubers will continue using the gun, they should and will be more picky about how hot the ammo they are putting through it is. Scott was given what he thought was a genuine SLAP-T but it was actually some shit heads reload
It was the definition of a "freak accident", yet both guys have been honest, humble and most importantly, non-judgmental about it. Either one of these guys could have easily started a nasty fight blaming each other for the accident, but they approached the situation like level headed adults.
@@mottom2033 thing is, not everyone knows that the sabot can bind in the break. in fact, i wasn't aware that it was something that happened let alone that often until this incident. not to mention we don't know if the sabot actually bound. powder charge for sure was fucky though with those muzzle blasts.
@@mottom2033Maybe it wasn't a freak accident in the sense that, yes it could have been prevented had there been additional safety features, or if Scott had investigated the unusual behaviours of the rounds at the time, but it was still a freak accident in the sense that if any one thing had been different, the accident likely would not have happened. It was a chain of minor errors that would not have caused problems on their own. Hindsight is 20/20. Other than not questioning the weird behaviour of the rounds, Scott and his father followed all of the standard safety procedures that you should have while shooting. Their error was assuming that the weird behaviour of the rounds was just due to either human error (e.g. sight misalignment or dodgy aim) or slightly hot ammo. They weren't expecting the round to be THAT hot - hot enough to blow the entire back of the gun off. As for Mark Serbu, he designed his gun to be safe in all reasonable circumstances and tested the gun extensively, but it just so happened that they hadn't anticipated a round like this that could not only completely strip the threads off the cap, but had enough energy to shear through the metal of the stock and launch the rest of the gun several feet into the air. THAT is the definition of a freak accident.
@@mottom2033 then thing is, before he shot the round that exploded, he shot another round before it that did not have a sabot. If a sabot on one of the previous slap rounds had caused a barrel obstruction, the gun would've exploded one round sooner. The fact the round before the explosion went off without a problem proves there was no barrel obstruction. So in this case, shooting sabots through a muzzle break did not cause the explosion.
Mark seems like such a great guy, he doesn’t even have to say anything considering the issue was ammo, but he’s still going above and beyond with his customer support.
@@fredbloggs5902 and he blamed counterfeit ammo when the ammo is army surplus. Why is this gun not designed to mitigate damage upon failure? A mauser could have handled that hot round (even with a muzzle break)
@@fredbloggs5902, around the time Mark made this video, he has yet to see the gun in question. This means that it is too early to say that this was caused by a gun defect.
Last year I had a brand name pistol explode in my hand this company didn't even say we're sorry for your trouble,I own a RN50 and even after Scott's accident I don't worry about my rifle,and my hat is off to you Mark for addressing this
@@skimask5049 Nah men... The bullet was really old and unreliabe. Theres a quote in Hungary: Öreg mint a postaút. Old like the asphalt way. They made it pretty long time and just repair it every 10 years and its got a feet big holes in it.
@@AllanWorks and how do you propose to make it safer? If a gun explodes, the pressures involved will very quickly turn anything into a deadly projectile. Besides having a ballistic blast shield between the shooter and the gun, there's no way to protect the shooter should the gun blow apart...
@@AllanWorks There were safety features... The issue is that what happened is unlike anything they could have possibly imagined. If I remember correctly Scott said that the barrel gets up to 5,500 PSI during normal use but it went to at least 80,000 PSI with the round he used.
Can’t imagine how much pressure was inside that chamber .... wheewww Also can’t imagine how sick it made you to see this happen, thank you for everything you do Mr Serbu
At an estimate probably something in the region of 100k psi. The failure pressure for that design is in excess of 85k psi and it failed explosively. You can tell from the previous SLAP rounds he fired that there was something 'not right' about them. SLAP is something that can cause huge issues (shooting through a brake the sabot can block the vents in the brake causing gas pressure issues.) The rounds Scott fired looked off (shape of the sabot, the penetrator itself) makes me wonder if these things were home built/loaded fakes given the price of SLAP there is a market for it. (100$ each).
@@jediknight1294 I’ve never been brave enough to try any of the “specialty” ammo for any of my rifles or pistols. I want the peace of mind knowing my cartridges were loaded and checked multiple times by weight throughout the manufacturing process. I understand even machinery can make mistakes, but the percentage chances is substantially less than some obscure cartridges from decades ago .....
@@stephen_crumley iv shot a fair few but only when I KNOW what I'm looking at. SLAP is a BASTARD to load yourself its so easy to crush or misalign the sabot however. I do have a fondness for APIET but that I always loaded myself fr pulldoen projos
I seem to recall reading that smokeless propellant lit in a sealed chamber (like a powder manufacturer's "ordnance bomb" as used in the laboratory) peaks out at around 250,000 psi.
@@jediknight1294 I wouldn't be surprised. If you can sell a fake SLAP for $100 a pop, that's enough motivation for someone to take the time to make a a batch of fake rounds and sell them.
This man went from getting affordable and dependable .50BMG rifles in the hands of the American people to directly making sincere amends for a mistake that really isn't even his fault. What a guy.
I'm scratching my head after watching Scott's video. Was the ammo a bit sketchy? He said it was very old ammo. I admit to having taking risks like this when I bought an OLD box of .45 ammo from the gun shop that I also got my USP from. I was surprised by the color of the box and he assured me it was the SAME type. This was a few years ago when the country was first going through severe ammo shortages. The dealer said the brand was raiding its emergency stash to keep up with demand and stumbled across some boxes that were so old they had different color boxes. They tested a few boxes and everything worked just fine. I bought two boxes. They were both as good as new. I regret forgetting about the age of the boxes because I realized I may never see that kind of box again. Too late now, it's certainly in a recycling plant and probably turned into a moving or storage box!
@@largol33t1 the previous owner put more gunpowder in the round then there should have been which caused it to release to much pressure and explode the gun
@@TheOMGWTFBBQ777 Honestly, if those pressures are what they say they were, that's not going to do jack for the safety of the firearm in that situation.
@@brahtrumpwonbigly7309 honestly yeah the pressure was ridiculous something like 85000 psi because the round was overloaded with gunpowder and was very hot and the gun itself was made to withstand 75000 psi so it was definitely the rounds fault.
Nobody could have anticipated some nut would make such a ridiculous hot load, Scott didn't fault the rifle at all, I think any normal person understands that it was a horrible accident and blame rests solely on the head of the guy who over loaded that ammo. Thanks to the doctors Scott will recover and have a heck of a story to tell his grandkids.
In Gun Jesus's sermon on this, he mentioned that old ammo can become more sensitive and detonate like this instead of deflagrating, so there may not be anyone at fault at all.
@Jonathan Spier - Honestly, my opinion on the subject is worthless so I'll just wait until the people who do know what they're talking about come up with an answer. I've seen bloopers from old military ammo, but I had no idea detonation was even a possibility. Someone else here mentioned that the rounds might have been corroded and the seller tumbled them to make them shiny and in the process broke up the powder way too fine. That makes sense, too. If he has any of those rounds left, pulling the bullet and taking a look would be informative. There are just too many odd things going on in this incident (old ammo of a rare type, oddly designed gun) for any experience I have to apply.
@@thecloneguyz - A double charge would sure cause what we've seen, and it sounds like those rounds went through a few sets of hands. I'd expect a reloader to use regular hardball bullets instead of the AP ones, but who knows what's for sale out there?
Addressing the issue is NOT deflection it on speculation about bad ammo. Addressing the issue is doing what superior gun manufacturers do and making their design safer. To anyone who knows a lot about rifles, this response really just shows how big of a loser serbu is. Its sad
@@fettmaneiii4439 bro how tweaked are you that you’re on multiple comments just to talk shit about this guy? What do you think, that he’s got a time machine? I mean hell
Dude, serious respect for you. Brazilian RUclipsr here. Even Scott KNOWS it was NOT your fault. Praying so that you can find your peace of mind again. 🇧🇷👊🏻
@@s.gilbertdyer8683 Eu tenho que expressar o mesmo sentimento. Sou Americano que apaixonou por a cultura Brasileira e aprendeu a idioma por causa dos amigos Brasileiros. Eles tem o mesmo paixão por armas que eu tenho, e esto muito feliz que eles tem vozes Brasileiras representadas na comunidade de armas na internet.
@@skimask5049 Uh, no. It was a hot round. Scott even said the manufacturing procedures and background of all the discontinued rounds he was shooting made them suspect. The rifle wasn't made to shoot hot rounds with too much powder in them. The cap that sealed the .50 in weighed close to 5 lbs and even sheared the metal locking tabs that let the rifle close when you screw the cap on the whole way. The rifle wasn't defective, it was the fucking bullet he shot. Using weird ammo from an unknown origin tends to lead to wild shit like what Scott had happen to him.
We need 100 more people like Mark and Scott, both stand up guys, even when things go bad, professional positive down to earth human beings. Very rare in 2021.
yep! be extra cautious with supposedly surplus unused, no longer manufactured ammunition. those were clearly some questionable rounds he was firing aside from the very first shot. they all just got sketchier and sketchier.
It's amazing how fast he recovered. Couple weeks and he made a video kinda laughing it off. I think he practically already has made a full recovery other than his hand and maybe the face bones that were damaged. Injuries like his are insanely hard to recover from.
Honestly that SLAP round just detonated, it was a freaking mini pipe bomb. Not only stripping the threads but also sheering the ears off the lower is a astronomical volume of pressure. Scott is SUPER lucky, so glad he kept his cool and survived!
No it did its job fine. Your just not suppose to use them with muzzle breaks. Thats why modern tank barrels don’t have muzzle breaks when firing sabot rounds.
@@kylebradley3 hotter round meant to be used in a belt fed, recoil operated heavy machine gun also. That round was designed for the M2. Unfortunate for Scott, it was mostly user error and he should most definitely NOT had the muzzle device installed at all @Fighter Pilot is absolutely correct on that
I hope you never feel any guilt about this event. He's shooting those crazy slap rounds, he had no idea how hot they were loaded, you certainly had no idea about them... You made this rifle to handle specific powder loads, and it's the most accessible .50 on the market. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. I'm just glad he lived to tell the tale. Keep up the good work Mr. Serbu...
You can design and build something to be as safe and tough enough to take anything out there, but accidents happen. What happened to Scott was horrible, but the fact he is alive, well and laughing this whole thing off is nothing short of incredible.
My Navy buddy went into the Army. He was almost killed by a untamed m- 2 .50 cal. It happens . Learn from it and prevent it from happening again! Scott and you are what the rest of us are inspired to be! God bless you both! Thank you for your honesty and integrity!
This is the side of the shooting community that I wish non-shooters could see and understand. The good people who act like responsible adults and not only try to learn from accidents for themselves but also to spread that knowledge to improve the entire community and keep everybody safe. Well done, all, and thank you!
I am not seeing what you are talking about. I see a ton of people reflexively defending their beloved firearm manufacturer and refusing to even admit the possibility that the design of the firearm could have been better.
@@rstoertz I don’t own a serbu but even I know don’t shoot slaps out of muzzle brakes it’s one of the first things it’s says when you look up slap rounds
@@rstoertz It's being talked about on many of the main RUclips gun channels. Ian @ Forgotten Weapons, for example, did a video on why guns explode and how to be aware of the common causes.
@@kraigynblemle613 Yes. Even Scott knew that, and said it in a video he posted 5 months ago. He also said that Serbu sent him a special barrel that was suitable for SLAP. I don't know why this important fact isn't being commented on. I think he even mentions the special barrel in the last video. Seems to me that this fundamentally changes the whole story.
@@jeu3942 No Tac T-Rex and him are a reluctant team up like any good buddy cop movie. They've already had the I don't like you and the we're stuck with each other beats of the story. And I'll bet Anything Tactical T-Rex was at Kentucky's bedside the whole time saying "You get through this man I NEED YOU!" But now he's back he's on the mend and Kentucky, Tac, and their plucky weapons guy Mark will solve this while chewing bubblegum and kicking arse!
If he had been using any other 50 cal, he would have walked away most likely without a scratch, instead of nearly dying. If Scott's dad hadn't been there and been well trained, Scott would be dead right now.
@@MAGAMAN man you talk some shit. Let's wait and see what these rounds were loaded with before making uneducated statements like that. You watch a couple videos and become a expert on this without even knowing what was in that cartridge? Mark is a great engineer and machinists, hes proven that time and time again. Dont drag his name through the mud without all the facts.
Doubt most people would even consider you remotely responsible. But you making this video direct, unscripted, and personal gives me, and I'm sure many others, even more confidence in your products.
I'm a shooting enthusiast. I consider Mark responsible for building a gun that WILL blow up. Not MIGHT blow up, WILL blow up. Every RN-50 that sees usage will experience wear on the breech cap threads. That will alter the headspace. That will increase chamber pressures. More RN-50s will blow up. It's a bad design for a 50BMG! And some blame should fall on Scott at Kentucky Ballistics...he bought a cheap 50BMG and didn't recognize the design flaws.
Like that video of the AK blowing up. Likely a round designed to detonate. That was my first reaction when I watched his video given that he said they were old rounds.
There ARE very extenuating circumstances surrounding this incident, all will come out into the light. Mark, the gun had been vetted by previous use by both yourself and scott. No one should be able to doubt you or your fabulous firearms.
Whether he designed it or not, I got say youtube pussifying itself to the point Royal Nonesuch had to stop making videos is one of the saddest things to ever happen on the internet
Personally I hated the dude, he made a video and I made comment on a unnecessary and extreme safety hazzard and instead of addresses it like a normal person, he insulted me and my father because he claimed I had no idea how firearms work
@@MAILER-DAEMON 0.1% failure rate, 1500+ sold and 1 failure. It's not an issue with the gun It's simple logic, if you have a 12.7 mm barrel that's 20 inches long and a chamber that 3 inches and 18.5 wide trying to withstand a 85k+ over pressure it's gonna travel the shortest distance and that just happened to be the cap. The ammo was to blame not design it was trying to withstand a shell that was loaded past what a 20mm would've put out in PSI. A barret would've failed too.
We're behind you Mark. Anyone who understands even a little about this industry, knows that you're one of the good guys. Shit happens, unfortunately, just keep us updated. And to Scott, godspeed on your recovery, you're an example for us all.
This is why you're loved Mark! You exemplify humility and hard work! I think anyone and everyone in the gun community know that this accident wasn't your fault! Scott knows it and the ones that really understand know! Keep on keeping on my man!
@@StarHunter28 I watched the TRex Arms opinion on the blow up. He had a manual that warned that SLAP rounds should not be fired through a muzzle break. Apparently SLAP rounds have some sort of polymer layer that can be shaved off by the break and overtime it can cause a tiny obstruction. Add in a round that is over loaded and a small obstruction can turn into massive back pressure. I also heard that screw caps don’t meet their maximum strength until 10 turns and his only had 6. This is all hear-say though.
@@mrwiskers101 Yes, and the ears insure the cap is screwed in all the way. I’m talking about the number of threadings. The Serbu only has 6 threads and 10 is needed to achieve max strength.
@@psychedelictrooper2754 it was the guns fault. Even with a round detonating in the chamber, if it happened in a gun with a magazine and ejection port, it would not have done that to Scott. The ONLY reason Scott almost died is because of a FAILURE in gun design and there is NO DEBATE there. The fact that Serbu does not say "you know what...having a threaded on cap holding in a .50 cal was a bad idea, we are going to go back to the drawing board and add features which make this impossible in the future." is shameful and slimeball trash.
@@fettmaneiii4439 I disagree with that. Scott is a smart man. Could’ve bought anything he wanted. Serbu’s gun was engineered for circumstances both reasonable and not. This was beyond both of those. There IS such thing as a fluke deal. and there is NOT such thing as 100% guarantees. But hell, something about opinions and assholes right?
@@fettmaneiii4439 Trying to Scream "NO DEBATE" in your statement doesn't make you right. It only makes you look like a self-important asshole. All types of firearms can have catastrophic malfunctions and any firearm can explode for any number of reasons. Kentucky's case was a freak accident caused by Hot/Tampered Ammunition. I bet it's real easy to judge a gun's design in retrospect after an accident right?
Retired military, Engineer for 24 years. No gun on the market could have withstood that much pressure. It blew the cap off shearing the threads and cutting off the safety post from the frame. Do the math! The max CUP on the 50 has not changed in 60+ years from 62,000.... But it took over 100,000 to blow those threads not counting the pressure to shear off 2 steel post with the back of a cap. If I was guessing, and I am, Powder can wear and become finer and more explosive, but I do not think just handling that round could have caused an explosion like this. I am thinking someone reloaded them using some ball powder like Unique and had three or four charges in that case. Anyone has any more of these, pull the bullets, with a bullet puller not pliers, and replace the powder with H50. Check the loading manual, but your gonna want somewhere around 210 grains.
Lesson to learn here. If your gun is all of a sudden innacurate, stop what you're doing and check it out, firing big fireballs? Check it out. Have a crazy hot round? Do some research to make sure it's safe and pull with a string first if needed. I'm glad Scott is ok and I'm glad Mark addressed it the way he did.
Also a lesson about shooting old ammo of questionable age/storage/provenance. We hear it said, but seeing is believing and that's one hell of a scary video.
@@forthencholordofadmirals2763 That’s not always true, there’s some really good ammo that isn’t made anymore, I think PMC isn’t being manufactured anymore but it’s great ammo, just read up on what you’re firing first. He just sounds like he had an accidental issue with stuff that he wasn’t fully sure either what it was or what was in it.
@@aspecttnd PMC is manufactured still. They did go out of business for a few years in the mid 2000's but were back up and running. I do believe most of there ammo is still made in South Korea.
Mark I never doubted you or your design. This was a freak accident that would have happened to just about anyone with the resources to shoot such an exotic round. I am super excited to see the in-depth analysis of the accident and to see if you find anything weird with the ammo Scott sends you. Keep up the good work!!!
It's refreshing to see a business owner who stands behind his product. Most business owners would try to sweep this under the rug or blame the user. I salute your integrity.
Integrity seems to be scarce supply now a days. It’s very refreshing to find a business owner with integrity who is willing to be out front and not run away from an unfortunate accident. You’ve earned my business.
I really appreciate the human centric tone of your response. "we were all innocent once" I appreciate the self-awareness and empathy here. Serbu wasn't on my radar before. It is now.
the story is crazy just showed my parents Scott's video and we were shocked to see he was as full of energy as he was.thank you for clearing the air about the situation it takes a man with a great head on his shoulders to do something like this
Stand up guy to personally address this to the public. Thank you. All the best to you and your family. Glad Scott survived, all the best to him and his family
All of us out here with a real brain, "especially us from Tennessee" that blow shit up know you make a great firearm man! It was a freak accident. That being said, anytime a man plays with fire it is possible he might get burnt. This is what we do and we love it... shout to the military
Scott has my absolute favorite attitude on all of youtube, and probably the whole internet Youre a great guy too mark, and i would guess that this probably was a lot to take in. I cant even imagine what youre feeling after seeing that
Never be ashamed to put your humanity on display. I'm glad you're ahead of this along with Scott and not hiding behind anything. I'm excited to see the data that comes from the analysis.
You wouldn't get this response from anyone else. Certain remington 700's have a habit of just going off without people pulling the trigger but they never once had the owner sit down and respond to it
I have a deposit down on an RN-50, supposed to be done later this year and shipped out. Glad you made this video, I knew when I watched Scott’s video that the fault was all on that ammo. I have no plans to cancel, and I’m still just as excited to finally get mine after a year long build time!
Scott is serious a t-2000 in real life. That skit he did with demo ranch was funny, but no joke!! Knock him down and he gets right back up! Plus his ambidextrous gun handling is amazing!! Mark, you are an amazing gunmaker, gunsmith, firearm wizard!!! Love your genius and ingenuity!!!!!
I'm happy to see you here standing behind it. I knew you would, everything I have seen makes me feel like you were going to let us know what happened. I'll be watching the analysis video.
Former Nat Guard here, specialized in munitions transportation and can tell you first hand, hot loads happen more than what's admitted, granted its out of MILLIONS of rounds fired every year, but one or two always end up sneaking by. Thanks for the video!
I'm really curious to see the analysis video. I've been trying to calculate pressures from a 'simple' mistake, ie loading a pistol powder instead of rifle. I've never reloaded .50BMG, but comparing N310 at 4100J/g with N568 at 4000J/g, I'm struggling to figure out how it developed enough pressure to blow the back plug off, especially if the barrel was clear. I know there can be problems with crimps on SLAP rounds, but most powders should be insensitive to anything leaking in, eg moisture. I'm (very) rusty on ballistics, but remember enough to know this failure was due to the ammunition, not the rifle. And if these were counterfeit rounds, the ATF should probably prosecute the maker given they very nearly killed Scott.
@@brolohalflemming7042 .50BMG fires very slow burning powder due to mass of projectile and barrel length compared to pistol powder, PP burns much more quickly due to shorter barrels and lighter projectiles. In Scotts case, if the round had been improperly stored in moisture then dry then moisture then dry, it can change the chemical composition of the powder and cause it to burn at a much quicker rate and thusly cause a FAR higher chamber pressure than what it was engineered to withstand, that big tungsten SLAPP round has to get out of the way faster than the powder can burn... otherwise catastrophic failure is the result. I'm so glad Scott is doing well and how the entire gun community is coming together over this accident. I don't think there was any foul play whatsoever, just a shitty lottery ticket of 1 in a million
@@Elyon113 Thanks for the answer. N568 is a fairly 'hot' rifle powder intended for .338 Lapua and close to pistol powders in energy density. I know there's a way to calculate pressure based on J/g, case volume, and bullet weight, but can't find it. Also had experience with using old stock with some interesting results. I've also heard of cases where rough handling or vibration's kinda milled the powder much finer and caused high pressure spikes.
@@brolohalflemming7042 Ian from Forgotten Weapons seems to think that a bore obstruction may have played a part in this catastrophic failure, it certainly could cause this, it also could have been improper or poorly stored powder, it could have been an overcharge load. The numbers you're looking for might never add up because you can never know all the variables. Also, SLAP rounds should never be fired with a muzzle break installed, but I doubt that had anything to do with this issue.
That incident with Scott was definitely a tragic and freak accident which we all are glad he is alright and recovering quickly. I for one can't wait for my RN-50 to be ready and never once felt the quality, durability or design of the rifle to be at fault for the accident that took place.
The fact that you addressed it personally and just just brush it off as user error, actually working to get the gun from scott to look it over to make sure it wasn't any quality issue with your firearm speaks volumes about how much you care about your customers and your quality. I wasn't a huge fan of the idea of q break action 50 but now after watching this I'm looking at dipping my feet into the 50bmg realm with an rn-50.
I am glad u made this and addressed it. Most companies won’t do this. Ur a good guy as well
Hello Edwin!
*Mark, Edwin would like another BFG-50A for his support.* 😆 Haha.
@@CarolinaGunGuy it has to get that same "piece of art" engraved in the muzzle break.
@@uriahturd9695 😆😆😆
He is scare and confused because of 14 000 guns with high risk of failure, and guess who is legal responsible
Love that you did this. Scott never once blamed your gun. He blamed the ammo.
Which has since blown up in his face (NO PUN intended). He's become a punchline for all those who wanted to blame old ammo or improperly stored ammo, citing the dangers of powder breakdown over time + increase in pressure.
@@MrSniperdude01 he definitely isn't a punchline
@@Lq32332 you definitely haven't scanned through enough of RUclips then.
Mark sent Scott a barrel specifically for SLAP rounds! Why didn't either of them mention this?
ruclips.net/video/AFLNljlOqVo/видео.html
@@MrSniperdude01 post a link i want to see a video ive scanned and could t find anything about making fun of him or making him the punchline
Companies spend a fortune in media training, PR and crisis management and this honest man and CEO did better...
yeah, well look at how honesty can go wrong in case of CD Project Red. They made an apology video , where the leader (forgot his name) explains that they were unable to finish the game properly, and this caused the problems. Ok so I value honesty above all so I thought this was a brave honest thing to do, this is nice. Now when I looked at the comments I was blown away at how angry people still were, I mean I know how a product lifecycle works and it's sometimes hard to finish something and meet expectations. We have a saying that goes like: If you don't work you don't make mistakes.
But yeah this is a different case with Mark Serbu, most probably the slap rounds are the cause of the issue.
Spot on
Cause he has 2 things humility and humanity most CEOS don't. wish all of them where like him.
@@amoeb81 I'm not sure if cd project red were actually honest
@@amoeb81 A shame and disapointment in the form of bugs, unfinished and unpolished game brought us all by that company.
"I'm a human being first and a shooter and a gun designer, and a company owner way on down the line" - You're also a legend. Not a lot of people would be half as accountable as you have been. The world needs more HUMANS like you, Mark.
Takes a real man to put out a statement after an accident like this. Thank you sir
Scott is the real Captain America. The fact that he contacted you before making his video and made it clear and provided evidence that it wasn't the rifle is testament to his character. The fact that you made this video instead of going silent is testament to yours. 🇺🇲
I mean. Technical it wasn't the rilfes fault but it also was there is no fail safe if a. Hot load is put into it no vent holes no stronger end cap no way to keep the end cap from shooting off into the shooters face and shrapnel most guns have a safety bolt lug or a reciver cover and vent holes. To prevent major injury if a hot load gets into the gun again it will be unsafe and crap happens. Just like with scott he had no way to know he had a hot load
He only did that because gun lobby would point the finger.
@@missouripatriot6926 There were safety measures to stop the cap from shooting backwards, but the pressure was so insane even they blew off.
@@alkestos those lil tabs aren't safety measures 2 keep that cap from blowing off! They are only to make sure the pipe bomb cap is screwed all the way closed. Thoseclil tabs only let it go into battery if the cap is all the way on. This gun has Zero fail safes and any one that shoots it is retarded. I said that the first time I saw this pipe bomb Years Ago. Lol u couldn't pay me enough to shoot it
@@YELLTELL good for you
Dude, I didn’t even know you had a channel.
Same
same
i wouldve subbed sooner if i knew
Seriously?!? Lol. Everything now can be found on the Internet...no surprise there.
Welcome to some uniqueness!
@@7150285 Really weird/smug reply. Yeah, you can find anything on the internet but you have to know that something exists before you can look it up.
Let's be honest with out selves for a minute. This is a man who feels heavy remorse for one of his customers. He feels sympathy and pain for Scott.
He isnt even to blame. It was the bullet that made the gun blow up. He shouldnt feel remorseful
@@Daniel-ko3zp it’s not easy to just be like, “it wasn’t my fault lmao.” he was not at fault, but something he made almost caused someone to die. again, mark is totally innocent in this, but i’d still totally understand feeling remorseful over this
@@floo1465 yeah it doesn't have to be your fault, the guilt still comes. Its what my dad said about one of his old army friends. Sadly he committed suicide. My dad felt guilty for a long time even though it wasn't even close to his fault. And even now he feels bad because they were good friends
@@casematecardinal 👍😢👍 Yep!
@@Daniel-ko3zpit wasn't his fault but the gun definitely could have been safer
I can't imagine the weight of knowing this happened. You're a good man for acknowledging it. So many other companies wouldn't have the balls.
He is afraid of 14 000 guns with high risk of failure and guess who is legal responsible. recall on 14 000 guns or escape to Cuba, hes probably not sleeping
@@francobarrientos4862 the risk is virtually zero when used with in-spec .50 BMG. Any gun will blow up with ammo that generates almost twice the normal pressure it’s designed for.
@@francobarrientos4862 would you shut up and learn some reading comprehension/audible listening skills before you even think to chime in? He said 1,400 not 14,000. There’s a huge difference. And I won’t even go into the fact that the rifle isn’t to blame so GTFO
@@francobarrientos4862 seeing as u failed to listen for the correct # of rifles....
There's always small print on all guns any specialty or hand loads are not warranted. It's not his fault someone used ammunition wayy out of its designed range.
For any gun manufacturer on RUclips or not to comment on something like this shows how good of a guy Mark is. Much respect. Seriously. Also, I’m so glad he’s ok.
Scott’s Dad is a freakin’ Man too, bro. Not only is he like super yoked, but he took charge and didn’t panic, and got his son taken care of during a crazy event. Thank God Scott survived.
When I saw Scott’s dad my thought was wow he makes Scott look a bit soft haha
@@jochenheiden best thing anyone can do in an emergency situation is stay calm.
@@taylorbokshowan5713 i know he looked like a tough SOB
When your son's life is on the line or any life for that matter the best thing is to stay calm and address the worst problem first his dad addressed the bleeding by sticking his thumb in his neck then having Scott do it so he could drive. Scott keeping calm and breathing slowly saved his life a tension Pneumothorax could have killed him as easily as a severed jugular vein. It basically crushes your lungs from the inside when your chest fills with air. Sorry for the long explanation but yes his father Scott should be commended for keeping his cool and taking action it could have been much worse it would have been a different video if his father wasn't there that day.
Yoked? Lmao. That's an insult
To be honest the fact the thing didn't turn into a total bomb shows the strength of your design and scott is alive because of that
shows the importance of chamber strength.
You do realize he almost died right lol
Matt roulston I do and I saw the video but that explosion could have been a lot worse but I am sure you know a hell of a lot more than everyone else including the guy who designed the gun
@@madchild2389 Because the round was way too hot
@@madchild2389 😂
Scott is an Uber Warrior. Anyone who can be their own first responder and keep themselves from bleeding out has my utmost respect.
Scott already has "Stick a thumb in it" tee-shirts out that are pretty cool
His dad was kinda his first responder, and saved his life. But Scott is still a major badass, even without having done it alone
I say this with all seriousness, when Scott said he stuck his thumb in his chest to stop the bleeding it reminded me of the Rambo movies when he gets injured and fixes himself up in the field. First blood, Rambo falls out of tree and sews his arm. Rambo III pushes a huge wood spike shrapnel out of his side, puts gun power in his torso and burns the wound shut. Hardcore!
@Aj pot calling the kettle black.
bitch
@Aj how so???
Scott said several times it’s not a design flaw that round was crazy hot!
And even pointed out that the previous rounds had a crazy muzzle blast....all it takes it one hot load. Thank God Scott had his guardian angel watching out.
I think he had way more than 1 hot round based on those slo-mo replays.
@@jamesd4923 I assume you didn't watch Kentucky Balistic's video detailing what happened. He was shooting at an old fire hydrant. The previous round was poking out of the back of the hydrant. He said that there's no way that there was an obstruction
@@jamesd4923 The round that Scott previously had fired before the rifle blew up didn't get stuck in the barrel, it actually hit the fire hydrant he was shooting at. This is definitely a case of faulty ammunition. Based on the calculations that were done, it would have taken 85,000psi minimum to blow the cap off the threads. This is a case of ammunition being massively over pressured for whatever reason.
@David Joyce That's what I'm thinking, the cartridge was either improperly loaded or improperly stored, and as the sabot and bullet engaged the bore, the pressure decided it wasn't gonna wait for that and took the opposite route, so to say.
It takes a strong man to make a video like this. It wasn't your fault by any means. Bigger companies wouldn't even investigate like you are doing. You are a good man.
My thoughts exactly!
Real American heroe.
Well said sir👍🏻👏
It is kinda a bad design
@@oranguman8606
I would say it is a cost effective design.
A flying buttress thread would have been a little stronger against an overpressure, but would have increased cost significantly. Even at this low entry level price, I can't afford one, but would love to have one!
You look really disturbed and stressed, all over this one incident? As horrible as it is, I'm pretty sure it isn't your fault. Take care of yourself
He knows it wasn't his fault, but it did happen with HIS gun. you got my support Mark.
Regardless of why it happened, this is a real person, he made the rifle, and that rifle exploded on a customer, and that customer (scott) barely survived. He is showing that he actually cares about his customers. Scott has little doubt that it wasn't the ammo he was shooting and not the gun. (Otherwise you wouldn't send the maker the rilfe for inspection) but hopefully this incident leads to that whole section being stronger, so that it is harder for such a malfunction to occur.
Unfortunately the single shot form does suffer from a lack of chamber based recoil dampening, so the chamber takes alot of stress, the ammo MIGHT be safer in a semi auto.
@@unitedstatesirie7431 It wasn't a design flaw in the gun, the slap rounds he used were too powerful to explode.
@@unitedstatesirie7431 nah, you're just a dumbass
@@sirmckain The Gun In question has been through numerous rounds and videos on Scott's Channel, to say it has a bad failure point is like saying scott didnt put the cap on all the way, the round he unknowingly loaded was BEYOND the guns rated (and tested) Stress load, which caused the gun to explode like it did, this isnt the first instance of SLAP rounds causing guns to explode, namely due to SLAPs not being Federally manufactured anymore, which leads to alot of Hand loaded rounds.
Bro, unlike the "bottom line" major companies who only see risk and reward, you addressed the incident publically. You have shown more humanity in yourself and your company than the bigger companies ever will. Thank you
What major company doesnt adress 9 mil views-worth of crappy PR because of risk/reward? Mark says he wants to prove to future customers that the gun is safe, you better believe he's thinking of the "bottom line" on some level, he'd be foolish not to. Nothing wrong with that tho, just sayin this take makes little sense to me
@@Mcskillyou’re an idiot lol
What bad ass Dad he had with him. Swift response saved him some blood. Happy to hear the story for the man himself
Yeah most dads prolly won't even be behind the camera helping and just disappear after going to the gas station to get milk XD
Scott was plenty bad ass himself. "There's a hole in my throat, hmmm, wrap my thumb in a tshirt and stuff it in there..." Holy crap, that's gold level cajones.
@@frenchroast1355 and he was blind in his right eye at the time! Dude had near superhuman wherewithal to react calmly and effectively like that to literally save his own life.
@Michael Reed Scott was a cop
@@chiefro7 God spared his life
I love how you as a CEO personally address the problem and clear the air. How everyone should do it. I have so much respect for you Mark.
Alot dont because it could cause legal liability for the company or even the CEO. With everyone so litigious these days the only reason the gun companies survive is because of the special protections they have.
Serbu is also a smaller company so making a RUclips video is much closer to the realm of possibility than a large manufacturer. Not sure why this video is getting so much praise. Most companies would release a statement after having a catastrophic failure happen to a big name RUclipsr.
Me too...
@@codyjewell1460 a statement doesn't attach a face to it just the name of the company he said that he doesn't know what happened to the gun but he will check plus you are half right this kind of public address to concerned clients about a product should be normal but it's not that is why people seem shocked at the means he took to respond to people concerns
Nick Young of Desert Tech is another... Addressing a situation directly, not hiding behind a faceless statement or PR people.
Didn't know you had a channel Mark, sorry under these circumstances but this is how real human beings should handle these situations. No fan service, no bullshit, just straight to the point with open and honest dialogue
This is part of the reason why i respect you so much Mark. Even though Scots RN50 blowing up was no ones fault, you still stood up and addressed it, because it was your product. You truly have a kind heart.
He should address it by all means. There are most likely ways the severity of this incident could have been lessened with some changes to the design. It was a catastrophic failure that started with a bad round and showcased the fatal flaws in the design of the firearm.
@@codyjewell1460 if I put a bullet with the explosive impact of a stick of dynamite in a gun and pull the trigger does the make or model of the gun even matter? Yeah obviously the cap ripping themselves off of the threads is terrible but serbu sait it would have taken 80000LBs or pressure while the threads are rated at like 50k, im not saying the gun should stay the same but its just like the people driving teslas with autopilot while not in the driver seat, the car/gun were only designed to do so much you cant push the limits and expect to be fine 100% of the time
@@codyjewell1460 was it a bad round or did it come from a war zone. A trap for the enemy to find and take out their sniper?
I thought the ammo was “Hot loaded”
@@jdemeter4357 the rounds Scott was firing he believes to have been counterfeit. They were designed to be SUPER hot armor piercing rounds that haven’t been produced in over 40 years (older ammo) and they cost around 100$ a round because you really can’t find them too much. Whoever made the ammo must how spiced that bullet up a tooo much is my guess.
Sad fact of life... no matter what you do to prevent it.. shite happens. It is how people respond on such occasions that determines who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Mark and Scott seem to be a couple of really good guys IMHO.
My take is everyone should be talking IFAK...where was the IFAK....going to a RANGE and shoot a GUN....take an IFAK. Shit is going to happen...be PREPARED....and don't use discontinued military rounds from a company who went out of business
@@gojoe36 perhaps they had one? It crossed my mind at first, but the critical injury was the jugular. There’s not much you can do other than pack and pressurize it ASAP.
I think speed was key in this case.
@@platty9237 I think your missing his point. There’s a point where a blowout kit or ifak isn’t going to do shit but you should always have one. It’s like wearing a seatbelt.
@@gojoe36 Good job, Captain Hindsight.
Bruce is a firearms guy too? Awesome!
Mad respect for you mark, you’ve shown you care more about people than a company
@The Trashman while you are laughing dude, put yourself to work and do something similar, since it is so effin easy :) basically
@The Trashman theres other ways you can use home depo parts to make a gun either take up the mans challenge or stop pretending
I've never heard of a company so willing to face something so awful head on with class and character. Very impressive.
This is the best manufacturer response to a gun accident I’ve ever seen, and it probably didn’t even have much to do with the gun.
@2Afreedom 4life SLAP 50s are.. scary to say the least
@2Afreedom 4life TibosaurusRex did an explanation video. His opinion was that SABOT rounds aren't supposed to be shot out of certain muzzles. Go watch the video he explains it greatly
@@secondpath5148 I'd bet if it was an M82 that thing still would've exploded.
I would never buy a gun where the safety of the weapon depends on how tight you screw on a crucial component. This was an accident waiting to happen and the manufacturer accepts zero accountability.
@@candle_eatist pretty sure also rounds are not made for barrets or this gun.
You're taking this personally. We can tell. You're dealing with it professionally. We'd expect no less. You're a good man, Mark.
Yeah. I just want to reach out, put my hand on his shoulder and say "It's ok bro. Accidents happen. You did nothing wrong. It's ok."
I think he will do a promo now on the RN_50, buy one get one free.
There is no way that RN-50 can be blamed for that. Those rounds were compromised. Thank God Scott survived and thank you for what you do Mark.
My thoughts too, that's 100% a bad batch of SLAP rounds.
I heard an argument that if it were a semi auto then it likely would have blown open the bolt and discharged much of the energy out the side instead of straight back.
I don't consider the rn-50 a bad design, or even an unsafe design. Some rifles just fail in safer ways than others. This was 100% the fault of the bad ammo but it can still be a learning experience to improve the rn-50 to fail in a safer manner. Bad ammo is going to happen, it's just a matter of when.
@@billtheunjust I agree, personally I'll go with 50 cal ar uppers. they are semi auto too!
@@billtheunjust Yup, like Arisaka rifles, with the gas vent port near the rear sight.
I read that Scott thinks the rounds were counterfeit. Haven't heard it from Scott himself though.
Wow. Been in the industry for 39 years. Never heard anything so honest and up front from a firearms company. Amazing.
I know that must’ve freaked you out, but I’m really glad he’s fine!
I am a teacher on break for lunch in the Summer in Tampa. I see a guy wearing a Serbu shorty t shirt. I say sick shirt badass gun. Guy goes I make it. I am a gun nut. I talk to Mark for a couple minutes he says come by see the shop. I call next week and go and Mark personally shows me the shop and all his toys for about 2 hours. This is a very humble man who absolutely made my day . I watched the video from Kentucky ballistics and had a slight panic attack watching it. I am so glad KB is ok. Mark thanks for treating me so well that day I am glad the gun was not the problem. Stomp Strong !
wow awesome guy
Wow. One of the best days ever, wasn't it?
@@tomasteply1956 He made his first mark in jet simulators. He built them
They are there yes it was an insane day. He has things for the US Navy that would make you shit. These things are for testing and way bigger than .50 cal. Yes unreal day !
I had to laugh when I first read this--I thought you were saying that Mark was wearing a "shorty-t shirt" that said "Serbu" on it. Like one of those sexy football jerseys that hot girls wear, showing just a bit of underboob. Haha!
@Pat Riot super kind guy
All CEO’s should take not of you’re humility and how you personally addressed this situation. Bravo!
@@skimask5049 Then there is quite a few out there. Because rouge ammo has blown up a few.
@@skimask5049 no it wasn't the guns fault. if you really need an in depth explanation ruclips.net/video/bBNHI1_urWs/видео.html this guy is an engineer and a gun crimes and accidents investigator and reviewed this.
@@skimask5049 The gun wasn't rated for that pressure of the SLAP round that was fired. The gun would never be able to realistically withstand the massive overpressure, so the fault isn't on the gun. It isn't user error either, as Kentucky Ballistics had got the gun into battery and had fired the same type of round multiple times successfully before. What happened is best described as an act of God, as there was no predicting that it could have happened beforehand.
@@skimask5049 how do you know it was the gun? How can you be sure the ammo was not designed for a recoil operated weapon? Are you certain it wasn't USER error?
@@skimask5049 What part about the design is bad? The safety tabs that can resist 15,000 psi? The fact that the particular round that caused the explosion had 150% the pressure of the average .50 BMG, and the safety standard is 125% pressure?
Honestly, I don't believe this accident is his fault. Scott had talked about the sketchy rounds, and how it was old too. I work on a Marine Corps rifle range, and one of our most important rules is to not attempt to fire any dirty, damaged, or modified ammunition. I'm just glad Scott is doing better and should fully heal
There should be a law or something that unless the manufacturing company cant be held to account for bad rounds, they should be destroyed.
@@sidarist you don't always need daddy government to step in. We don't even know who made the ammo.
If everyone in the World acted like Mark and Scott the world would be a better place!
We wouldn't need lawyer billboards lining our highways!
FACTS
If we all did we wouldn’t need caution signs in pools
Great comment let’s hope that that comes true but we know better there’s always someone out there who’s got to make stupid comments thank god Scott’s going to get better god was definitely there with him that day
@@I.LOVECRYSTALCASTLES What? Caution signs IN pools!? "Swim or you're gonna drown!" :P :DDED
as a business owner myself... his tone was so sincere you can tell that even tho he knew it wasn't his fault, he was gutted and felt absolutely horrible. I know this feeling and this proves to me beyond a doubt that Mark cares about his customers... each and every one.
its his fault for putting saboted light armor penetrator
@@NobodyPlayzYT hows it his fault for getting sold some dodgy slap rounds as untampered "Military surplus", which have now obviously had something happen to them, such as being reloaded much hotter than intended before they were sold to scott, they could have even been someones homemade rounds that were sold as military surplus to get someone to buy them, there was no way scott could have known that the round was loaded way to hot, and the gun he was using was designed to be able to fire slap rounds.
Honestly his approach to this situation has made me want one of his firearms.
@@conorstewart2214 these can be searched in wikipedia, so it is his fault for checking if the gun could handle those rounds and it is worth mentioning that it is also his fault for not checking what he is buying
@@NobodyPlayzYT the gun could handle those rounds though just not the dodgy ones he bought, and how is he going to check the ammo short of reloading them all.
I think 99.9% of us all know the ammo was the issue, NOT your 50cal design. You’re a stand up guy, Mark! Good video.
I understand your perspective, but at the end of the day a powerful product with enough force to kill should always be designed to handle a catastrophic situation with least amount of damage to the user.
If you look into car test companies, you can see in their crash tests... even though they now that a hard crash will most likely be fatal for the driver, they still create crumple zones in the car to act like a spring even if you put a maniac behind the driverseat(that faulty 50cal round) he would still experience the least amount of possible damage...
In this case, using a 50BMG rifle that can't handle an obstructed barrel(most of the guns will explode) it is important to take this into consideration, what if an old cartridge piece got stuck in the barrel. The gun will explode... thats a given, but the important design choice here is how it will explode. The answer to that is the weakest link goes first, in this case this is the cap thats pointing at you.
I would personally not ever trust to fire this weapon ever, and i can assure you none other youtubers will be shoulder firing this gun ever again. But the important part here is that the designer of the gun actually cares, and learns from the mistakes, which makes his future weapons much more trustworthy than other companies in my eyes.
I think @TiborasaurusRex had the best video on this. Using polymer rounds through a muzzle brake can clog the muzzle brake.
Scott never blamed the gun ,it was the round. Don't worry
@@Gabriel-us7gi You are actually backwards. Things can be designed with every safety measure in mind until a freak accident happens like this and the SLAP-T being an overloaded cartridge was the freak accident. Plenty of youtubers will continue using the gun, they should and will be more picky about how hot the ammo they are putting through it is. Scott was given what he thought was a genuine SLAP-T but it was actually some shit heads reload
Yeah as a guy who had 2 guns blow up on me. One was an ar build from Remington. The other was a 9mm bad ammo
If the gun hadn’t been well built and designed then this accident would have been much worse. Great to see your response to this incident
It was the definition of a "freak accident", yet both guys have been honest, humble and most importantly, non-judgmental about it. Either one of these guys could have easily started a nasty fight blaming each other for the accident, but they approached the situation like level headed adults.
Agreed. Good show of decency from both of them, they're handling it like men instead of hiding behind lawyers fighting over who's to blame.
Wasn’t a freak accident. Don’t shoot sabots through a muzzlebreak. Do the research.
@@mottom2033 thing is, not everyone knows that the sabot can bind in the break. in fact, i wasn't aware that it was something that happened let alone that often until this incident. not to mention we don't know if the sabot actually bound. powder charge for sure was fucky though with those muzzle blasts.
@@mottom2033Maybe it wasn't a freak accident in the sense that, yes it could have been prevented had there been additional safety features, or if Scott had investigated the unusual behaviours of the rounds at the time, but it was still a freak accident in the sense that if any one thing had been different, the accident likely would not have happened. It was a chain of minor errors that would not have caused problems on their own. Hindsight is 20/20.
Other than not questioning the weird behaviour of the rounds, Scott and his father followed all of the standard safety procedures that you should have while shooting. Their error was assuming that the weird behaviour of the rounds was just due to either human error (e.g. sight misalignment or dodgy aim) or slightly hot ammo. They weren't expecting the round to be THAT hot - hot enough to blow the entire back of the gun off.
As for Mark Serbu, he designed his gun to be safe in all reasonable circumstances and tested the gun extensively, but it just so happened that they hadn't anticipated a round like this that could not only completely strip the threads off the cap, but had enough energy to shear through the metal of the stock and launch the rest of the gun several feet into the air. THAT is the definition of a freak accident.
@@mottom2033 then thing is, before he shot the round that exploded, he shot another round before it that did not have a sabot. If a sabot on one of the previous slap rounds had caused a barrel obstruction, the gun would've exploded one round sooner. The fact the round before the explosion went off without a problem proves there was no barrel obstruction. So in this case, shooting sabots through a muzzle break did not cause the explosion.
Mark seems like such a great guy, he doesn’t even have to say anything considering the issue was ammo, but he’s still going above and beyond with his customer support.
This is how you do PR. Take notes everyone.
Don’t sweep it under the rug. Address it.
Kudos to Serbu.
@@fredbloggs5902 and he blamed counterfeit ammo when the ammo is army surplus.
Why is this gun not designed to mitigate damage upon failure?
A mauser could have handled that hot round (even with a muzzle break)
@@fredbloggs5902, around the time Mark made this video, he has yet to see the gun in question. This means that it is too early to say that this was caused by a gun defect.
Last year I had a brand name pistol explode in my hand this company didn't even say we're sorry for your trouble,I own a RN50 and even after Scott's accident I don't worry about my rifle,and my hat is off to you Mark for addressing this
freak circumstances, Scott even said that in his own way , im just glad it didn't kill him
He in the video said its not your fault. The ammo is unstable. Its noone's fault.Thankfully he's alright and healing. You are a good man .
@@skimask5049 LOL still trolling and avoiding a logical debate
@@skimask5049 Nah men... The bullet was really old and unreliabe. Theres a quote in Hungary: Öreg mint a postaút. Old like the asphalt way. They made it pretty long time and just repair it every 10 years and its got a feet big holes in it.
@@zoltanszantosi4285 the round is at fault, but the way the gun failed is unacceptable. there were no safety features to protect the user.
@@AllanWorks and how do you propose to make it safer? If a gun explodes, the pressures involved will very quickly turn anything into a deadly projectile. Besides having a ballistic blast shield between the shooter and the gun, there's no way to protect the shooter should the gun blow apart...
@@AllanWorks There were safety features... The issue is that what happened is unlike anything they could have possibly imagined. If I remember correctly Scott said that the barrel gets up to 5,500 PSI during normal use but it went to at least 80,000 PSI with the round he used.
Can’t imagine how much pressure was inside that chamber .... wheewww
Also can’t imagine how sick it made you to see this happen, thank you for everything you do Mr Serbu
At an estimate probably something in the region of 100k psi. The failure pressure for that design is in excess of 85k psi and it failed explosively.
You can tell from the previous SLAP rounds he fired that there was something 'not right' about them. SLAP is something that can cause huge issues (shooting through a brake the sabot can block the vents in the brake causing gas pressure issues.)
The rounds Scott fired looked off (shape of the sabot, the penetrator itself) makes me wonder if these things were home built/loaded fakes given the price of SLAP there is a market for it. (100$ each).
@@jediknight1294 I’ve never been brave enough to try any of the “specialty” ammo for any of my rifles or pistols.
I want the peace of mind knowing my cartridges were loaded and checked multiple times by weight throughout the manufacturing process. I understand even machinery can make mistakes, but the percentage chances is substantially less than some obscure cartridges from decades ago .....
@@stephen_crumley iv shot a fair few but only when I KNOW what I'm looking at. SLAP is a BASTARD to load yourself its so easy to crush or misalign the sabot however.
I do have a fondness for APIET but that I always loaded myself fr pulldoen projos
I seem to recall reading that smokeless propellant lit in a sealed chamber (like a powder manufacturer's "ordnance bomb" as used in the laboratory) peaks out at around 250,000 psi.
@@jediknight1294 I wouldn't be surprised. If you can sell a fake SLAP for $100 a pop, that's enough motivation for someone to take the time to make a a batch of fake rounds and sell them.
Most gun failures are ammo problems, not gun problems. Even cheap ass Hi-Points are perfectly safe with "normal" ammo.
The gun doesn't blow up, the gunpowder in the ammo does
Bro I would wear hi points as body armor.I'm not worried about them exploding.
@@UnknownGamer40464 🤔😳🤣
From what I’ve seen from Demo Ranch I’d have to say that Hi-Points are surprisingly reliable
@@ChaS4m They are cheap and ugly, BUT they go "bang" reliably, and put holes where you want holes.
This man went from getting affordable and dependable .50BMG rifles in the hands of the American people to directly making sincere amends for a mistake that really isn't even his fault. What a guy.
Scott *himself* still trusts your gun. He told us that he is aware of the fact it was all that strange ammos fault.
I'm scratching my head after watching Scott's video. Was the ammo a bit sketchy? He said it was very old ammo. I admit to having taking risks like this when I bought an OLD box of .45 ammo from the gun shop that I also got my USP from. I was surprised by the color of the box and he assured me it was the SAME type. This was a few years ago when the country was first going through severe ammo shortages. The dealer said the brand was raiding its emergency stash to keep up with demand and stumbled across some boxes that were so old they had different color boxes. They tested a few boxes and everything worked just fine. I bought two boxes. They were both as good as new. I regret forgetting about the age of the boxes because I realized I may never see that kind of box again. Too late now, it's certainly in a recycling plant and probably turned into a moving or storage box!
@@largol33t1 the previous owner put more gunpowder in the round then there should have been which caused it to release to much pressure and explode the gun
still think it wouldnt hurt to make the gun heavier and add some steel on that locking lug backup
@@TheOMGWTFBBQ777 Honestly, if those pressures are what they say they were, that's not going to do jack for the safety of the firearm in that situation.
@@brahtrumpwonbigly7309 honestly yeah the pressure was ridiculous something like 85000 psi because the round was overloaded with gunpowder and was very hot and the gun itself was made to withstand 75000 psi so it was definitely the rounds fault.
Nobody could have anticipated some nut would make such a ridiculous hot load, Scott didn't fault the rifle at all, I think any normal person understands that it was a horrible accident and blame rests solely on the head of the guy who over loaded that ammo. Thanks to the doctors Scott will recover and have a heck of a story to tell his grandkids.
In Gun Jesus's sermon on this, he mentioned that old ammo can become more sensitive and detonate like this instead of deflagrating, so there may not be anyone at fault at all.
@Jonathan Spier Muzzle device??? Are you an idiot???
@Jonathan Spier - Honestly, my opinion on the subject is worthless so I'll just wait until the people who do know what they're talking about come up with an answer. I've seen bloopers from old military ammo, but I had no idea detonation was even a possibility. Someone else here mentioned that the rounds might have been corroded and the seller tumbled them to make them shiny and in the process broke up the powder way too fine. That makes sense, too. If he has any of those rounds left, pulling the bullet and taking a look would be informative. There are just too many odd things going on in this incident (old ammo of a rare type, oddly designed gun) for any experience I have to apply.
I don't understand why nobody weighs them to see if there's a variation that's noticeable
@@thecloneguyz - A double charge would sure cause what we've seen, and it sounds like those rounds went through a few sets of hands. I'd expect a reloader to use regular hardball bullets instead of the AP ones, but who knows what's for sale out there?
Let me add to those who appreciate you as a business owner having the integrity to address this issue.
Addressing the issue is NOT deflection it on speculation about bad ammo. Addressing the issue is doing what superior gun manufacturers do and making their design safer. To anyone who knows a lot about rifles, this response really just shows how big of a loser serbu is. Its sad
@@fettmaneiii4439 bro how tweaked are you that you’re on multiple comments just to talk shit about this guy? What do you think, that he’s got a time machine? I mean hell
Dude, serious respect for you. Brazilian RUclipsr here. Even Scott KNOWS it was NOT your fault. Praying so that you can find your peace of mind again. 🇧🇷👊🏻
Eu também, amigo.
E a gente tem que dar crédito pra ele vir botar a cara... Imagina se a moda pega...
sem relação com o que você diz, fico feliz que haja youtuber brasileiro de armas. Tenho alguns amigos no Brasil e minha esposa também.
@@s.gilbertdyer8683 Eu tenho que expressar o mesmo sentimento. Sou Americano que apaixonou por a cultura Brasileira e aprendeu a idioma por causa dos amigos Brasileiros. Eles tem o mesmo paixão por armas que eu tenho, e esto muito feliz que eles tem vozes Brasileiras representadas na comunidade de armas na internet.
Mark Serbu 👍👍
Foz do Iguaçu aki 🇧🇷👊
The main thing is nobody died And we have two honest humble men A much needed thing
@@skimask5049 what???
@@skimask5049 I will post the same question here. How will you know unless you are testing these accusations?
@@skimask5049 defend your opinion, sir
@@skimask5049 Uh, no. It was a hot round. Scott even said the manufacturing procedures and background of all the discontinued rounds he was shooting made them suspect. The rifle wasn't made to shoot hot rounds with too much powder in them. The cap that sealed the .50 in weighed close to 5 lbs and even sheared the metal locking tabs that let the rifle close when you screw the cap on the whole way.
The rifle wasn't defective, it was the fucking bullet he shot. Using weird ammo from an unknown origin tends to lead to wild shit like what Scott had happen to him.
Yup, 2 Uber hot rounds had to slowly strip those threads and the final third one just put it to sleep.
We need 100 more people like Mark and Scott, both stand up guys, even when things go bad, professional positive down to earth human beings. Very rare in 2021.
100 more? Try infinite more. This world is horrible. It seems like the only true good communities are gamers and gun nerds. Glad I'm a part of both
@@cptsparklfingerz9210 Rise up gamer 👍
@@razormonkey5000 one can only raise so high
I’m glad neither one of them are hiding behind lawyers - both are stand up men
Man you can just feel the heartbreak in his voice.
On a positive note, he survived and will make a full recovery and the rest of us can learn something
yep! be extra cautious with supposedly surplus unused, no longer manufactured ammunition. those were clearly some questionable rounds he was firing aside from the very first shot. they all just got sketchier and sketchier.
It's amazing how fast he recovered. Couple weeks and he made a video kinda laughing it off. I think he practically already has made a full recovery other than his hand and maybe the face bones that were damaged. Injuries like his are insanely hard to recover from.
Honestly that SLAP round just detonated, it was a freaking mini pipe bomb. Not only stripping the threads but also sheering the ears off the lower is a astronomical volume of pressure. Scott is SUPER lucky, so glad he kept his cool and survived!
No it did its job fine. Your just not suppose to use them with muzzle breaks. Thats why modern tank barrels don’t have muzzle breaks when firing sabot rounds.
@@fighterpilot4059 Not to mention its a hotter round.
@@kylebradley3 hotter round meant to be used in a belt fed, recoil operated heavy machine gun also. That round was designed for the M2. Unfortunate for Scott, it was mostly user error and he should most definitely NOT had the muzzle device installed at all @Fighter Pilot is absolutely correct on that
@@fighterpilot4059 holy hell, i actually learned something from a RUclips comment lmao
@@zero1898 M2s also had a tendency to explode with SLAP rounds.
I hope you never feel any guilt about this event. He's shooting those crazy slap rounds, he had no idea how hot they were loaded, you certainly had no idea about them... You made this rifle to handle specific powder loads, and it's the most accessible .50 on the market. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. I'm just glad he lived to tell the tale. Keep up the good work Mr. Serbu...
You can design and build something to be as safe and tough enough to take anything out there, but accidents happen. What happened to Scott was horrible, but the fact he is alive, well and laughing this whole thing off is nothing short of incredible.
My Navy buddy went into the Army. He was almost killed by a untamed m- 2 .50 cal. It happens . Learn from it and prevent it from happening again! Scott and you are what the rest of us are inspired to be! God bless you both! Thank you for your honesty and integrity!
Absolute class act here, as a company owner and as a gun enthusiast. Love seeing people like you leading the community
This is the side of the shooting community that I wish non-shooters could see and understand. The good people who act like responsible adults and not only try to learn from accidents for themselves but also to spread that knowledge to improve the entire community and keep everybody safe. Well done, all, and thank you!
I am not seeing what you are talking about. I see a ton of people reflexively defending their beloved firearm manufacturer and refusing to even admit the possibility that the design of the firearm could have been better.
I've definitely learned that 50 year old .50 SLAP rounds aren't my thing.
@@rstoertz I don’t own a serbu but even I know don’t shoot slaps out of muzzle brakes it’s one of the first things it’s says when you look up slap rounds
@@rstoertz It's being talked about on many of the main RUclips gun channels. Ian @ Forgotten Weapons, for example, did a video on why guns explode and how to be aware of the common causes.
@@kraigynblemle613 Yes. Even Scott knew that, and said it in a video he posted 5 months ago. He also said that Serbu sent him a special barrel that was suitable for SLAP. I don't know why this important fact isn't being commented on. I think he even mentions the special barrel in the last video. Seems to me that this fundamentally changes the whole story.
Well done Mark. You are a stand up guy who makes great products...and you literally stand behind them!
Legend has it Kentucky Ballistics, is a robot sent from the future to save mankind from its own destruction.
Showed up in a really bright light nekid.
"Are you Sarah Connor?"
So its the tactical t-rex the enemy he's is supposed to save us from?
@@jeu3942 No Tac T-Rex and him are a reluctant team up like any good buddy cop movie. They've already had the I don't like you and the we're stuck with each other beats of the story. And I'll bet Anything Tactical T-Rex was at Kentucky's bedside the whole time saying "You get through this man I NEED YOU!" But now he's back he's on the mend and Kentucky, Tac, and their plucky weapons guy Mark will solve this while chewing bubblegum and kicking arse!
ruclips.net/video/wp7PrVl26bE/видео.html
I give you the upmost respect for standing up and making this video. Scott was very lucky.
If he had been using any other 50 cal, he would have walked away most likely without a scratch, instead of nearly dying. If Scott's dad hadn't been there and been well trained, Scott would be dead right now.
@@MAGAMAN man you talk some shit. Let's wait and see what these rounds were loaded with before making uneducated statements like that. You watch a couple videos and become a expert on this without even knowing what was in that cartridge? Mark is a great engineer and machinists, hes proven that time and time again. Dont drag his name through the mud without all the facts.
Doubt most people would even consider you remotely responsible. But you making this video direct, unscripted, and personal gives me, and I'm sure many others, even more confidence in your products.
I'm a shooting enthusiast. I consider Mark responsible for building a gun that WILL blow up. Not MIGHT blow up, WILL blow up. Every RN-50 that sees usage will experience wear on the breech cap threads. That will alter the headspace. That will increase chamber pressures. More RN-50s will blow up. It's a bad design for a 50BMG! And some blame should fall on Scott at Kentucky Ballistics...he bought a cheap 50BMG and didn't recognize the design flaws.
There is such a thing as “hot loading ammo” as a war tactic way back in the day and leaving it for the enemy.....just makes me wonder!
That's interesting......that is an interesting possibility.
Like that video of the AK blowing up. Likely a round designed to detonate. That was my first reaction when I watched his video given that he said they were old rounds.
@@cfl4286 Shells have been sabotaged to blow up in mortars before. left in the ammo stash to make them not trust own ammo, but bullets... unkowm
I believe both sides sabotaged ammo on a rather significant scale in 'nam, remember reading something about that in a couple of books on that conflict
I didn't realize this ammo was produced 80,90's
There ARE very extenuating circumstances surrounding this incident, all will come out into the light. Mark, the gun had been vetted by previous use by both yourself and scott. No one should be able to doubt you or your fabulous firearms.
"No one should be able to doubt"? Therein lies the problem.
Whether he designed it or not, I got say youtube pussifying itself to the point Royal Nonesuch had to stop making videos is one of the saddest things to ever happen on the internet
Why did he stop again?
@@redswift31 you cant make video of how to make guns on you tube anymore.
Personally I hated the dude, he made a video and I made comment on a unnecessary and extreme safety hazzard and instead of addresses it like a normal person, he insulted me and my father because he claimed I had no idea how firearms work
@@evoxis1058 lmao rekt
@@MAILER-DAEMON 0.1% failure rate, 1500+ sold and 1 failure. It's not an issue with the gun It's simple logic, if you have a 12.7 mm barrel that's 20 inches long and a chamber that 3 inches and 18.5 wide trying to withstand a 85k+ over pressure it's gonna travel the shortest distance and that just happened to be the cap. The ammo was to blame not design it was trying to withstand a shell that was loaded past what a 20mm would've put out in PSI. A barret would've failed too.
The fact that you acknowledged this unfortunate incident speaks highly of your character. Best wishes to you.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Look at it this way, you've got a better safety record than the space shuttle.
We're behind you Mark. Anyone who understands even a little about this industry, knows that you're one of the good guys. Shit happens, unfortunately, just keep us updated. And to Scott, godspeed on your recovery, you're an example for us all.
This is why you're loved Mark! You exemplify humility and hard work! I think anyone and everyone in the gun community know that this accident wasn't your fault! Scott knows it and the ones that really understand know! Keep on keeping on my man!
He HEALED like a friggin MANIAC!! SO glad he’s ok and you’re addressing it even tho he admits it wasn’t the gun!
Good job actually confronting an issue. Huge respect for that. Shows your priorities are 100% in the right order
This man has a heart. You can tell in his ramblings.
You can tell he blames himself and his firearm, I bet the next generation has longer ears
@@StarHunter28
I watched the TRex Arms opinion on the blow up. He had a manual that warned that SLAP rounds should not be fired through a muzzle break. Apparently SLAP rounds have some sort of polymer layer that can be shaved off by the break and overtime it can cause a tiny obstruction. Add in a round that is over loaded and a small obstruction can turn into massive back pressure. I also heard that screw caps don’t meet their maximum strength until 10 turns and his only had 6.
This is all hear-say though.
@@Aurelius00 In the video you can clearly see Kentucky Ballistics tighten the cap until it will not tighten any more.
@@mrwiskers101
Yes, and the ears insure the cap is screwed in all the way. I’m talking about the number of threadings. The Serbu only has 6 threads and 10 is needed to achieve max strength.
@@Aurelius00 Ah. Thanks for clarifying.
Takes a real man to stand up and own it. What a guy . Mad respect
He dosent even have to own anything. Its the bad ammo fault. Hes adresing to anyone who thinks its the guns fault. Thats the extra mile
@@psychedelictrooper2754 it was the guns fault. Even with a round detonating in the chamber, if it happened in a gun with a magazine and ejection port, it would not have done that to Scott. The ONLY reason Scott almost died is because of a FAILURE in gun design and there is NO DEBATE there. The fact that Serbu does not say "you know what...having a threaded on cap holding in a .50 cal was a bad idea, we are going to go back to the drawing board and add features which make this impossible in the future." is shameful and slimeball trash.
@@fettmaneiii4439 I disagree with that. Scott is a smart man. Could’ve bought anything he wanted. Serbu’s gun was engineered for circumstances both reasonable and not. This was beyond both of those. There IS such thing as a fluke deal. and there is NOT such thing as 100% guarantees. But hell, something about opinions and assholes right?
@@fettmaneiii4439 Trying to Scream "NO DEBATE" in your statement doesn't make you right. It only makes you look like a self-important asshole. All types of firearms can have catastrophic malfunctions and any firearm can explode for any number of reasons. Kentucky's case was a freak accident caused by Hot/Tampered Ammunition. I bet it's real easy to judge a gun's design in retrospect after an accident right?
@@fettmaneiii4439 No debate that you're a certified idiot.
Respect to this man, not only does he address the accident but does it personally. Hope nobody actually blames him sense it was out of his hands
Blame Scott, he was the one willing use a saboted round with a muzzle break.
@@_Mr.Pinky_ Exactly
@@_Mr.Pinky_ Fresh from CRS' video I see
@@alexiscoutinho8078 So everyone is to blame for this. Including the US government for making the round.
Retired military, Engineer for 24 years. No gun on the market could have withstood that much pressure. It blew the cap off shearing the threads and cutting off the safety post from the frame. Do the math! The max CUP on the 50 has not changed in 60+ years from 62,000.... But it took over 100,000 to blow those threads not counting the pressure to shear off 2 steel post with the back of a cap. If I was guessing, and I am, Powder can wear and become finer and more explosive, but I do not think just handling that round could have caused an explosion like this. I am thinking someone reloaded them using some ball powder like Unique and had three or four charges in that case. Anyone has any more of these, pull the bullets, with a bullet puller not pliers, and replace the powder with H50. Check the loading manual, but your gonna want somewhere around 210 grains.
youtube algorithm working correctly showing me this video, i would love to see a technical breakdown of what happened
Lesson to learn here. If your gun is all of a sudden innacurate, stop what you're doing and check it out, firing big fireballs? Check it out. Have a crazy hot round? Do some research to make sure it's safe and pull with a string first if needed. I'm glad Scott is ok and I'm glad Mark addressed it the way he did.
Also a lesson about shooting old ammo of questionable age/storage/provenance. We hear it said, but seeing is believing and that's one hell of a scary video.
Another lesson. Don't shoot a ammo type that's no longer manufactured by anyone
@@forthencholordofadmirals2763 or make it yourself.
@@forthencholordofadmirals2763 That’s not always true, there’s some really good ammo that isn’t made anymore, I think PMC isn’t being manufactured anymore but it’s great ammo, just read up on what you’re firing first. He just sounds like he had an accidental issue with stuff that he wasn’t fully sure either what it was or what was in it.
@@aspecttnd PMC is manufactured still. They did go out of business for a few years in the mid 2000's but were back up and running. I do believe most of there ammo is still made in South Korea.
Mark I never doubted you or your design. This was a freak accident that would have happened to just about anyone with the resources to shoot such an exotic round. I am super excited to see the in-depth analysis of the accident and to see if you find anything weird with the ammo Scott sends you. Keep up the good work!!!
‘Thank God for Scott, he’s super-human.’
I’m almost convinced he’s the son of Thor.
It's refreshing to see a business owner who stands behind his product. Most business owners would try to sweep this under the rug or blame the user. I salute your integrity.
Integrity seems to be scarce supply now a days. It’s very refreshing to find a business owner with integrity who is willing to be out front and not run away from an unfortunate accident. You’ve earned my business.
I really appreciate the human centric tone of your response. "we were all innocent once" I appreciate the self-awareness and empathy here. Serbu wasn't on my radar before. It is now.
Serbu has been on my radar but my wallet is a little too slim for them
the story is crazy just showed my parents Scott's video and we were shocked to see he was as full of energy as he was.thank you for clearing the air about the situation it takes a man with a great head on his shoulders to do something like this
@markserbu Im from South Africa you are the first Manufacturer I see that does a FMEA Failure mode equipment analysis GOOD JOB 👍🏻
Due to the amount of blood required for having such massive balls, Scott didn't bleed to death...
Blood is stored in the balls.
@@spzm3665 my mommy said your testicles hold pee
@@spzm3665 in almost every part of you, without blood stuff dies... so bigger balls technically more blood, but yea lol
@@kittyprince3459 blue cheese has mold in it
Scott did a good job explaining what happened . But I'm sure everyone appreciates this .
Stand up guy to personally address this to the public. Thank you. All the best to you and your family. Glad Scott survived, all the best to him and his family
All of us out here with a real brain, "especially us from Tennessee" that blow shit up know you make a great firearm man! It was a freak accident. That being said, anytime a man plays with fire it is possible he might get burnt. This is what we do and we love it... shout to the military
Never give up Mark, we all know that you stand by your products, and we stand by you! Thank god for saving Scott!
Scott has my absolute favorite attitude on all of youtube, and probably the whole internet
Youre a great guy too mark, and i would guess that this probably was a lot to take in. I cant even imagine what youre feeling after seeing that
Never be ashamed to put your humanity on display. I'm glad you're ahead of this along with Scott and not hiding behind anything. I'm excited to see the data that comes from the analysis.
You wouldn't get this response from anyone else. Certain remington 700's have a habit of just going off without people pulling the trigger but they never once had the owner sit down and respond to it
I have a deposit down on an RN-50, supposed to be done later this year and shipped out. Glad you made this video, I knew when I watched Scott’s video that the fault was all on that ammo. I have no plans to cancel, and I’m still just as excited to finally get mine after a year long build time!
I am very curious to see what you find in your analysis video. I’ll be watching for it. Glad to see that you are working with Scott on this.
Best part is he looks genuinely concerned goes to show how much he cares about the situation
Scott is serious a t-2000 in real life. That skit he did with demo ranch was funny, but no joke!! Knock him down and he gets right back up! Plus his ambidextrous gun handling is amazing!! Mark, you are an amazing gunmaker, gunsmith, firearm wizard!!! Love your genius and ingenuity!!!!!
You have my respect for addressing this head on, and freak accidents happen, glad he made it out alive.
I'm happy to see you here standing behind it. I knew you would, everything I have seen makes me feel like you were going to let us know what happened. I'll be watching the analysis video.
Former Nat Guard here, specialized in munitions transportation and can tell you first hand, hot loads happen more than what's admitted, granted its out of MILLIONS of rounds fired every year, but one or two always end up sneaking by. Thanks for the video!
does it make sense to add helmet and plates to eyes and ears when shooting novelty/suspect old ammo? thank you for your service
I'm really curious to see the analysis video. I've been trying to calculate pressures from a 'simple' mistake, ie loading a pistol powder instead of rifle. I've never reloaded .50BMG, but comparing N310 at 4100J/g with N568 at 4000J/g, I'm struggling to figure out how it developed enough pressure to blow the back plug off, especially if the barrel was clear. I know there can be problems with crimps on SLAP rounds, but most powders should be insensitive to anything leaking in, eg moisture. I'm (very) rusty on ballistics, but remember enough to know this failure was due to the ammunition, not the rifle. And if these were counterfeit rounds, the ATF should probably prosecute the maker given they very nearly killed Scott.
@@brolohalflemming7042 .50BMG fires very slow burning powder due to mass of projectile and barrel length compared to pistol powder, PP burns much more quickly due to shorter barrels and lighter projectiles.
In Scotts case, if the round had been improperly stored in moisture then dry then moisture then dry, it can change the chemical composition of the powder and cause it to burn at a much quicker rate and thusly cause a FAR higher chamber pressure than what it was engineered to withstand, that big tungsten SLAPP round has to get out of the way faster than the powder can burn... otherwise catastrophic failure is the result. I'm so glad Scott is doing well and how the entire gun community is coming together over this accident. I don't think there was any foul play whatsoever, just a shitty lottery ticket of 1 in a million
@@Elyon113 Thanks for the answer. N568 is a fairly 'hot' rifle powder intended for .338 Lapua and close to pistol powders in energy density. I know there's a way to calculate pressure based on J/g, case volume, and bullet weight, but can't find it. Also had experience with using old stock with some interesting results. I've also heard of cases where rough handling or vibration's kinda milled the powder much finer and caused high pressure spikes.
@@brolohalflemming7042 Ian from Forgotten Weapons seems to think that a bore obstruction may have played a part in this catastrophic failure, it certainly could cause this, it also could have been improper or poorly stored powder, it could have been an overcharge load.
The numbers you're looking for might never add up because you can never know all the variables.
Also, SLAP rounds should never be fired with a muzzle break installed, but I doubt that had anything to do with this issue.
That incident with Scott was definitely a tragic and freak accident which we all are glad he is alright and recovering quickly.
I for one can't wait for my RN-50 to be ready and never once felt the quality, durability or design of the rifle to be at fault for the accident that took place.
The fact that you addressed it personally and just just brush it off as user error, actually working to get the gun from scott to look it over to make sure it wasn't any quality issue with your firearm speaks volumes about how much you care about your customers and your quality. I wasn't a huge fan of the idea of q break action 50 but now after watching this I'm looking at dipping my feet into the 50bmg realm with an rn-50.