Kentucky Ballistics' near-death firearms experience was terrifying.
One can never be too careful when using firearms. Being safety-oriented is the best way to avoid accidents when out at the gun range. However, sometimes things happen that are simply beyond the user's control. These types of freak accidents are extremely rare, but when they do happen, they can result in some truly horrific injuries.
Scott, also known as Kentucky Ballistics on YouTube, was recently shooting a video using .50 caliber saboted light armor penetrator (SLAP) rounds for his channel.
What he did not realize was one of the rounds was over-pressurized to a dangerous extent. The round and his Serbu RN 50 both blew up in his face, resulting in a hasty trip to the hospital where he very nearly died. After an absence to recover, Scott came back and posted a video to his followers where he recants what happened, why it happened, and how his life was saved. It is a lengthy video, but one that is worth watching for any firearms enthusiast as a cautionary tale if nothing else.
At the end of the day, we do not think Scott did anything wrong here to cause this accident. In fact, in a previous video on his channel, Scott noted that the SLAP rounds are not built for a standard .50 BMG-style rifle and that they require a much heavier barrel because of the extra power of this round. He was using said heavy barrel on the Serbu when the accident happened. It seems like Scott was simply a victim of a bit of bad luck with a round that was defective.
Since Scott released this explanation, several other YouTube channels have analyzed the accident and most seem to agree that it was not the gun that was at fault, but rather an overly hot and defective round. As for how the round became dangerous, that is anyone's guess. Scott notes, these rounds are surplus and were later discontinued, so everything he was using was extremely old. These types of rounds were originally designed to penetrate light armor, and as you saw here, they did a number on that heavy fire hydrant.
Scott was extremely lucky to walk away from this accident. It is amazing he managed to stay awake and keep his thumb in the injury long enough to save his life. We also cannot imagine how traumatic this incident was for his father to see this happen to his son.
We suppose there a few good lessons to learn here. Number one, it probably does not hurt to be cautious about older ammunition. Two, always make sure you have someone with you while shooting to help in case there is an accent. Three, we are betting Scott's shooting glasses probably saved his eye. Always wear protective eyewear!
Glad you are still with us Scott, hang in there and take your time in recovery. We look forward to seeing you hit the shooting range again soon.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
NEXT: THE 5 BEST HOME DEFENSE SHOTGUNS
WATCH
https://rumble.com/embed/u7gve.v5tww3/
