Investigation Continues Into Shotgun Explosion

On November 4th, the barrel of an NPS-owned Remington 870 12-gauge shotgun exploded during firearms training at Colonial NHP, causing a laceration to the hand of the ranger firing the shotgun (click on “More Information” below for the initial report on the incident).

That shotgun and ammunition from the same lot number used that day are now at FLETC, where the investigation is continuing in an effort to determine if the accident was related to the shotgun, the ammunition, or a combination of the two.

A summary of what is currently known about the accident and recommended actions, including barrel replacement on some shotguns, has been emailed to all regional chief rangers, park chief rangers and firearm instructors, and will be posted on the green ammo webpage on InsideNPS, found at http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=811&id=6533