The crack on mine is like the one pictured. I seriously doubt the ammo is at fault. I load thousands of trap and skeet rounds...It had never done this before and I had shot it several times over the summer since it was refinished without a problem....
I questioned the seller about the fox pictured. He claimed it let go while shooting factory #4 hunting loads. A short time later, another one showed up on eBay. Same crack on the opposite side of the frame. That seller never responded to my questions.
Interesting that yours cracked the same way. I am very glad you were not injured.
I've had 1 gun re-cased. John Griffin at Classic Guns was very though in questioning me regarding the gun's history. In particular he wanted to know if the gun had ever been re-cased since it left the factory. I am not sure every one with a furnace and quenching tank asks that question. He warned me that a gun can only be subjected to this process so many times before damage is done. Either the metal will warp or become brittle. It is very difficult to know the full history of a 70-90 year old gun.
Interesting that you say the gun was refinished. Was it re-cased? Who did the job? Not that they are to blame in any way.
Pete
