Compressed Loads?

[antelopedundee]

I once had a "very" compressed load, using a powder that I knew was too slow while waiting for my chosen powder to come available!

The first couple of cartridges I loaded "swelled" the cases as I seated the bullet too rapidly. I ended up using a long drop tube, while gently tapping the case with a small screwdriver. Even then the powder was just (maybe 1/16") below the case rim…..I then seated a 270 grain Barnes bullet very slowly to prevent swelling (expanding) the case as done with the first few!

But…..once seated, the bullet remained at the proper seating depth! memtb

Were you able to chamber the swelled cases? My second time out with the gun [last fall 2022 was the first time] was when I had difficulty. Powder fill was slightly below the neck IIRC. Some cases chambered with difficulty which I decided later was likely due to a short throat. Unknowingly I was jamming the copper bullets. Fortunately no harm came of it other than some excess pressure signs. I made up some dummy rounds using some old cases FL sized and neck expanded with a .262 mandrel. I seated the bullets with the seater die such that the bullet could be seated to final depth with just a smidgen of effort and extracted without pulling the bullet. These are my to touch dummies. All 3 that I made had the bullet seated deeper than I would have like suggesting that the chamber has little or no freebore. I might need to find me one of those long drop tubes.

 

[Rifleman97]

I compress all of my 30-06 loads pretty heavily. I have some I loaded 3 years ago. After this I took my caliper to 10 of them, all of them measured within .005 of 3.340 (my COAL)

30-06 has a pretty long neck though, might want to crimp heavily compressed loads with very short necks, but I doubt by very much unless you have almost no neck length

 

[memtb]

Were you able to chamber the swelled cases? My second time out with the gun [last fall 2022 was the first time] was when I had difficulty. Powder fill was slightly below the neck IIRC. Some cases chambered with difficulty which I decided later was likely due to a short throat. Unknowingly I was jamming the copper bullets. Fortunately no harm came of it other than some excess pressure signs. I made up some dummy rounds using some old cases FL sized and neck expanded with a .262 mandrel. I seated the bullets with the seater die such that the bullet could be seated to final depth with just a smidgen of effort and extracted without pulling the bullet. These are my to touch dummies. All 3 that I made had the bullet seated deeper than I would have like suggesting that the chamber has little or no freebore. I might need to find me one of those long drop tubes.

Nope….not even close. You could visually see the bulging! Pulled the bullet, and started over. I was much slower as described earlier.

I had used the same powder charge with a 270 grain Hornady SP was also quite compressed….but not nearly as much as the much longer Barnes!

I had failed to mention, along with the use of the drop tube….
I was gently tapping the case side as the powder flowed through the drop tube, possibly helping the powder settle even more!

I don't recommend that much compression, but it was the powder that I had and was actually quite accurate! Desperate people do desperate things! memtb

 

[Calvin45]

I once had a "very" compressed load, using a powder that I knew was too slow while waiting for my chosen powder to come available!

The first couple of cartridges I loaded "swelled" the cases as I seated the bullet too rapidly. I ended up using a long drop tube, while gently tapping the case with a small screwdriver. Even then the powder was just (maybe 1/16") below the case rim…..I then seated a 270 grain Barnes bullet very slowly to prevent swelling (expanding) the case as done with the first few!

But…..once seated, the bullet remained at the proper seating depth! memtb

I've crushed h50bmg in a .300 win mag so hard it took some real elbow grease on the press handle haha.

Also h870 in a .270. Ridiculous in both cases but I had them kickin around and had no legitimate use for them. Made up some "gun goes boom" rounds.

No issues with swelling or projectiles creeping out for me.

While it was slow, the h50bmg was actually stupid accurate in my .300 win with 220 round nosers doing 2600 or so, in the vicinity of 80+ grains powder crushed under them.

 

[antelopedundee]

I bought some H870 many years ago, but it was much too slow to be of any use for me. Couldn't get enough powder into a .30-06 type case to matter and wasn't in to uber compressing it. It's been discontinued or eons. Gave what I had to a .300 Weatherby buff.

 

[Calvin45]

I bought some H870 many years ago, but it was much too slow to be of any use for me. Couldn't get enough powder into a .30-06 type case to matter and wasn't in to uber compressing it. It's been discontinued or eons. Gave what I had to a .300 Weatherby buff.

Us869 is supposed to be pretty similar to the old h870

 

[memtb]

Us869 is supposed to be pretty similar to the old h870

I've got a bunch of 50 BMG ball powder, I've used it to fire form brass for my AI. I just filled the case to the base of the neck, and seat a 270 Hornady SP, that I bought a thousand blems of years ago.

The velocity was only a bit over 1800 mv…..but 20 of them would just make a pretty small, ragged hole @ 100 yards. The hole was easily less than 2 inches! They would certainly make a good small game or small big game hunting load…..at close range! memtb