Lawsuit Says – Defect Causes Savage Muzzleloader To Explode

An Indiana man claims a defect in a Savage Arms muzzleloading rifle could cause the barrel to explode, according to a complaint filed in a southern Indiana federal court last month.

Ronald Owens suffered unspecified injuries when the barrel of his Savage 10MLII blew up when he was out shooting in November 2013, according to the lawsuit for $75,000 in damages plus court costs. He says he bought the muzzleloader three years earlier.

The lawsuit alleges the accident was due to a defect in the construction of the barrel, specifical issues with the metallurgical properties of the alloy used to manufacture the barrel. Weak construction of metal could lead to cracked surfaces and exploding gun barrels, the lawsuit says.

Owens contacted Savage about the incident and shipped the rifle to the company, which still has possession of it, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit alleges Savage knew about the defect when the model was available, between the years 2006 to 2013, and that an incident that would result in injury could occur, but chose not to issue a recall or warn the public.

Savage is based out of Westfield, Massachusetts, and owns by gun and outdoor conglomerate Vista Outdoor.