Adam K. is a U.S. Army veteran, and one day he was shooting a rocket launcher while doing some weapons testing with friends.
He wanted to demonstrate the effects of shooting a rocket launcher and the release of the hot gasses.
So, Adam lifted the RPG-7 onto his shoulder as his friends set up a ballistic dummy behind him.
But when Adam tried to fire the launcher, it blew up in his hands.
The blast ripped his helmet and goggles off, knocked him unconscious, and engulfed him in flames.
Thankfully, Adam survived – but barely.
He suffered a fractured skull, brain bleed, broken jaw, and third-degree burns over 10% of his body.
In addition, he had cuts all over his face and chest and long-term nerve damage.
He endured multiple surgeries and skin grafts for his burns.
Adam said he had no recollection of the explosion or what happened after.
“I remember counting down to one, and the next thing I knew I was on the ground and my arms were entirely black,” Adam said.
Despite his near-death experience, Adam went back to weapons testing as soon as he was physically able to do so.
Now, because I didn’t witness the incident, I can’t say exactly what went wrong.
But it sounds like there was a lot of gas and pressure in the rocket launcher, and when it fired, the launcher tube detonated like a stick of dynamite.
Now, because of the potential for gas build-up, some military weapons have an open-bolt design.
There have long been comparisons of open-bolt and closed-bolt weapons, and there are debates about which one is better.
What is an open-bolt firing system?:
Open-bolt systems are usually seen with fully automatic weapons.
With an open-bolt system, after firing a round, the bolt is forced to the rear.
It ejects the empty casing, and the bolt sits ready at the rear.
When the next round is fired the bolt is released and pushes another round into the chamber, and the firing pin hits the primer with the bolt moving forward.
Open-bolt pros and cons:
Open bolt systems were popular in World War II-era firearms.
The reason is that open-bolts are easy to use and inexpensive to manufacture.
One benefit of the design is that the firing pin is usually part of the bolt.
Which means there are fewer parts to break, such as springs.
Another good thing about an open bolt is that it allows the chamber to cool faster.
The faster you fire a weapon the hotter it gets, which is why open bolts are seen in full auto firearms.
One drawback to an open bolt design is that it’s possible for an open bolt weapon to fire if it’s dropped.
Another concern is that there can be reliability issues with open-bolts.
The design has a greater likelihood of failing on the first shot.
What is a closed-bolt firing system?:
In a closed-bolt firing system, after the weapon is fired, the bolt is forced to the rear by direct blowback or gas operation.
It then ejects the casing and returns to the forward, closed position.
As it returns forward, it pushes a new round into the chamber, and is ready to fire again.
The next round fires when the trigger is pulled, and the hammer hits the firing pin.
Closed bolt pros and cons:
Closed bolt firing systems tend to have fewer issues or malfunctions since the round is in place before the trigger is pulled.
Also, since the bolt isn’t moving forward when you pull the trigger a closed bolt is often more accurate.
Finally, a closed-bolt system is usually quieter than an open-bolt.
The drawback to closed bolt designs is that if you are firing hundreds of rounds in a short amount of time, they can get very hot.
Which one is better?:
These days most modern weapons are made with a closed-bolt design.
Open-bolt systems are seen on belt-fed weapons and machine guns.
In the civilian world, weapons like rifles and handguns are pretty much all closed-bolt.
But there are open-bolt options if you want one.
A closed-bolt system has dominated for good reasons.
They’re more reliable and less likely to cause accidental discharges.
So, unless you need a fully automatic, stick with closed-bolt firing systems.
