Humbling experiance the other day. Maybe someone else can learn from this!

Michael Eichele · #1 12-11-2008, 01:31 PM

No matter how many loads you have made and shot, rifles you have owned, developed loads for and tested, how old you are, and how much experiance you have, once in a while you just miss the boat and then something comes along that seems so bizzare and unexplanable. I had a potentially dangerous experiance the other day and figured out the source. Yes I felt stupid and humbled, but I wish to share this beacuse A: I have no shame and B: I hope someone else can learn from this and not find themselves in a dangerous situation.

In all the years I have been reloading and shooting and testing various rifle types and calibers, I have always re developed a load when I changes lots of powders, cases and primers. The one thing I never thought to re develop for was bullets. I always just assumed manufacturing procedures lended themselves to making concistent bullets from lot to lot unlike chemically based components.

The last couple of weeks I have been developing loads for my new barrel on my 300 RUM. I worked up slowly to find the max charges for 3 powders. All yeilded decent to good accuracy. I ran out of bullets and bought some new ones. Went home, loaded them up to the max charge, went to the range and the pressure and velocity went through the roof. 95 grains of RL-25 originally offered 3377 FPS (avg). The new velocity was 3485 with a 180 AB. It took a bit of sweat to get the bolt back. I had to reduce all my loads by 2 grains. I was scratching my head trying to figure out what happend. Finally I figured it out. I was seating my bullets .020" off the lands. The new bullets at the same OACL measument (3.740") was now .002" off the lands.

Granted, I didnt damage my rifle or myself, it could have been ugly. The lesson here is always check a new lot of bullets to see if they will be closer to the lands. Personaly, I may be seating ALL my bullets long and just shove them into the lands during chambering to avoid this problem and just work up loads with them into the lands. Not sure if I will do this or just reset my die for new bullets. More experiments are in order.

Later

eddybo · #2 12-11-2008, 02:05 PM

Thanks for reminding me of that important tid bit. I am preparing to load up for a PD trip and just bought 500 52gr 22cal bergers. I was just going to load them up using my same brass and powders and primers. I hadnt even thought to check my load with the new bullets. It would have been sad to get 1/2 way across the country and have my primary short gun popping primers. I will make sure I give them a try before I load tem all. You may have saved me a lot of wear and tear on my bullet puller. Thanks for sharing.

trueblue · #3 12-11-2008, 07:48 PM

Meichele,

Were these bullets of a different brand, or the same brand & weight, just out of a different box ?

Forester · #4 12-11-2008, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trueblue

Meichele,

Were these bullets of a different brand, or the same brand & weight, just out of a different box ?

Same question. That much variation seems like an awful lot from one lot of bullets to the next.?

Michael Eichele · #5 12-13-2008, 01:02 AM

Same brand, model, weight.

gbp · #6 12-13-2008, 09:37 AM

was there a difference in ambiant temperature? or was the cartridge allowed to rest in a hot chamber for an extended time?

4xforfun · #7 12-13-2008, 12:05 PM

WOW!!!!!

I had a similer experiance. I do the loading for a guy....7mm Rem Mag/H1000/ 150 NBT (MOLY) at XXXX. Ya, they were up there neer the edge. He needed me to load another batch for the upcoming season, but doesn't show up untill the night before season.....not with Balistic tips (which I usaly moly for him), but with precoated Balistic Silver Tips. They were new at the time, and I hadn't even herd of them. I gave him that puzzled look....Told him I need to do some load development with them, because I KNOW that when you are on the edge.......!!!!!?????..... He absolutly refused....said that the guy at Cabellas that sold them to him said that they were EXATLY the same. I wonderd (to myself) if this salesman came in from the Camping department to fill in for the day!!! "LOAD EM UP...THEY WILL BE FINE" he told me!!! He shot it 4 times....all four blew the primers and left HUGE extractor marks with some of the brass flowing into the ejector hole. He comes back to me...........and gave ME that puzzled look......If I remember right he had an "upside down smile" above his right eye.

Since he still had all of his fingers , toes, and , more importantly, A FACE, I made fun of him, and his newest, bestist buddy at Cabellas.

OK.....So I am an ASS H*LE