Savage Arms Under Fire For Exploding Barrels

By Tom Knighton

This was the last thing Vista Outdoors, owners of brands like Savage Arms and Federal Premium Ammunition, needed right about now. It seems that some of the guns the company made are having some issues. Serious issues.

Like exploding barrels level serious.

It was the opening day of deer hunting season, and Ronald Hansen says he loaded his rifle the same way he had countless times before, aimed at a target and fired a shot.

This time, the gun barrel exploded, knocking the farmer from Hampton, Iowa, backward, severely damaging his right hand and ear and burning his face.

Unknown to Hansen, the manufacturer of the rifle that injured him in 2014 had received other complaints of explosions and injuries over the prior decade. Customers repeatedly reported that the barrel of the stainless steel 10 ML-II muzzleloader exploded, burst, split or cracked, according to thousands of court documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Lawyers for the company, Westfield, Massachusetts-based Savage Arms, were expected to appear Wednesday in federal court in Iowa to defend against a lawsuit filed by Hansen. He is seeking damages for his injuries, alleging the company failed to warn customers about the defect.

It’s one of several lawsuits that have …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms