Negative! That picture was sent out as an alert from the Department of the Army, it was a .50 BMG round that exploded in a soldier's hand in Iraq...not in a chamber!
As far as Mythbusters is concerned...you keep getting your data from goobers on tv and doing things your way. I'll get my scientific data from the rest of the know it alls on the internet.
Interesting.
Incidentially, I just had the third batch of 150 loaded 223's in the tumbler for the finall clean/polish before boxing. That is almost 1500 rounds this time, not counting the close to 5,000 I have already put away for my shooting at the club.
Far as the government goes, I believe about 10% of what they say is gospel and disregard the rest as propaganda... and I'm not buying into your carnage picture, in fact, it's highly unlikely.
Sort of like the supposed decapping live primers and the resultant carnage..... Done that too, many times. I'm still here. Have all my digits too.
Don't get me wrong, there are always a couple different ways to approach any issue. The way I do it works just fine for me though it may not work for you.
Far as Mythbusters goes, it's simple physics actually. The only resistance to the expanding gases as the powder oxidizes, is the seated projectile, which. we all know is seated in the neck at a resistance value that allows the powder charge to unseat it (projectile) with a minimum amount of expansive effort (one reason for crimping projectiles in semi-automatic or magazine fed rifles/pistols, where recoil can move the projectiles in the magazine.
That resistance is designed to be minimal, consequently, as the powder oxidizes, the projectile is pushed from the neck and the powder essentially flashes with no appreciable force expended because there is no restraint.
Put another way, throw an aersol can in a fire. the propellant inside reaches a critical expansion value from the heat of the fire, but, the plastic nozzle melts first and the can simply goes woooosh. So long as the contained volume can escape unimpeded, there is no explosion or abrupt discharge.
Thas how it works, always has worked and will work forever or until your government removes firearms from the citizens.
That picture of the hand, if caused by a 50BMG round going off, there were mitigating circumstances involved, where the round was constrained and the projectile was not allowed free movement. I'm not saying that you won't get injured, you'd probably get burned, but, the amount of damage to the hand isn't comensurate with the detonation of an unrestrained shell in the size of a .50BMG, which, is similar to the 338 Lapua's I also tumble prior to putting away.
Furthermore, this whole scenario (tumbling loaded cartridges) has been discussed on thie site before, with, I might add, the same sort of concerns. I was tumbling my reloads then as I am now. I like 'em clean. I like 'em free from fingerprints and the oil on your skin that causes oxidation of the brass. I pull them from the media with cotton gloves on and box 'em and will continue to do so.
My personal feeling is that you are more at risk driving your car in traffic than tumbling loaded shells.
