G
Guest
Guest
you're tired, or in a hurry, or both. I had an interesting range trip this week. One I'm not likely to soon forget. I got the chance to take a client shooting this week (which means I'm at the range, and yet, at work at the same time!). Well, it's Thanksgiving week, so I am a little busy, as you can imagine. To make it moreso, my mom needs her little pickup worked on becuase it's leaking coolant, so I spend all of Monday night replacing her heater control valve and refilling her radiator. Now, I'm trying to get ammo loaded for this range trip, and I go through several different rifles. I'm careful - only one set of dies, brass, etc. on the bench at a time, and only one open can of powder at a time, too. But I'm a little tired, and I am in a hurry, trying to get all this stuff ready to take my client to the range. So Wednesday I go out to the range to meet him. I get there first, set everything up, and get out some of my guns to start shooting. All is going along fine, though accuracy is not what I want - still acceptable at 1-1.5" for all my rifles with known loads, though. It's a little windy, and I'm anxious, so I'm not too irritated. Now to the good part, but first a little background.
I've been working with a couple of rifles for a friend of mine, one of which is a 7mmRemMag in a Remington 700 with a 26" barrel. Everything has been disamally slow in this rifle up to now - like 250-300fps slower than book values for 24" barrels. I know variation occurs, but this has been a real stumper. Oddly enough, it is pretty darn accurate at really low speed - like 175gr bullets at 2500fps or so. Now, my friend wants faster, and I can't say as I blame him. So he asked me what he ought to try for it, and I said I'd look at a good 160gr bullet over a nice, slow powder. Enter the 160AB, which has been accurate with other loadings we've tried in this rifle, only at low velocity, and IMR7828. I load up a workup straight out of the Nosler #5 on my bench, cross referenced with the Lyman #48 and Hornady #7 for good measure. I'm being safety conscious - even wearing my safety glasses. I go through loading, and right as I'm about to load the max charge group of rounds, my wife pops up and asks me a question. I walk down the hall and get some information off the computer and then head back to the load bench. I go to load the rounds, and I see that my scale is off - Somehow it is now reading 50, not 60gr on the 'big' weight. So I reset it, rezero it (again, safety first), and check the manual to be sure I'm loading the right charge. Three very consistent rounds later, and I'm done with the 7mmRemMag stuff. On to the 270Wby. I load up a bunch of these, using the same IMR7828 and some 130gr E-Tips at the max load I've already worked up to in a previous range session - that I recall being very accurate - 74gr.
Now, back at the range, I'm not getting great accuracy out of the 130gr E-Tips in the 270Wby, but not terrible, either - about 1.2" or so, in the wind. I hit the 7mmRemMag to let the Weatherby cool down a bit, and the first three loads are nice, accurate, and moving at 2600fps. I'm happy with the group (just under 1") but the velocity bites. So I go through the workup. Velocity increases a little along, until I get to the final three rounds. Everything has been going along fine, mind you, and I chamber the first of these three. Now, with what the velocities have been doing, I figure I'm going to get something like 2900-2950 out of this load, which is fast, but not as fast as I'd like. Well, I pull the trigger, and feel hot gases come back against my face, around my safety glasses (which I am highly thankful for at this point). I think to myself, "Crap, pierced a primer," and go to open the bolt to check it out. As I'm doing so, I glance at the chrono readout - 3420 is clearly displayed. And, the bolt is stuck. Now I'm starting to freak a bit. I've never done this before, in 15yrs of handloading, and I hate to start now. I apply some palm force to the bolt, and get it to open, after a lot of pushing. I get it slid back, and the case does not look good - lots of scratches on the brass. And it won't eject. I can't get it off the boltface with my fingertip, either, so I pull the bolt and case out through the back of the action. I'm easily able to pull the case free now, and the primer falls on the bench. It wasn't pierced. The case stretched so far it blew out the pocket! I'm sitting there staring at this, and wondering now if I have ruined my buddy's rifle. Now, not wanting to appear a fool when my client shows up to sight in his rifle, I tidy up my workspace and give this gun a cursory checkover and then put it back in the cab of my truck. I take a couple of minutes with my trusty 30-30 to get back in the groove of shooting, and then start in on a 300Wby that is owned by the same friend whose 7Mag I just had the issue with.
Incidentally, the rest of the day was uneventful save a couple of nice groups with the 30-30 and the 300Wby, and some fair groups with my 270Wby and my 8x57. Hornady LeverEvolution ammo for the 30-30 is very accurate, by the way, but nothing like the 2400fps Hornady claims - I got 2170fps from my 20" Winchester Model 94, but thee shots went into just over an inch, which I'll take. So, other than being a testament for wearing shooting glasses, and not being a dumb handloader, and not loading when you're in a hurry and tired, it was a good day.
After I got home, I did a post mortem on the two remaining rounds (that I did not fire) from that 'max charge' group and found them to be 10gr too heavy a charge. Very dangerous situation, indeed. To be sure, I don't believe the rifle develops pressure at the same rate as some, in as much as it won't achieve velocity like other 7Mags, and it also appears to have a slightly longer shoulder length after firing than other 7Mag brass I've looked at and compared to, so I think I am a tad insulated from the pressure spike based on chamber volume being somewhat large. But, on a final note, what are the chances I'm buying my buddy a new 7mmRemMag? I don't see anything wrong with the rifle, but I don't know if I would see it with the naked eye. The bolt doesn't appear, to the naked eye, to have any issues with the lugs or and stress cracks visible - just a lot of brass on the bolt face that I'll have to clean off. The gun didn't act funny other than the blowback, and it seems to be fine when I cycle it and look into the chamber from the breech. Would one load well over pressure ruin an action and chamber, or is it likely the gun withstood this one event and I should range test it with some standard rounds and see what I get?
It sure pays to be careful. Even if you've been loading for 15yrs, and you think you're being careful, check it again. And don't load tired and in a hurry. I won't, ever again.
I've been working with a couple of rifles for a friend of mine, one of which is a 7mmRemMag in a Remington 700 with a 26" barrel. Everything has been disamally slow in this rifle up to now - like 250-300fps slower than book values for 24" barrels. I know variation occurs, but this has been a real stumper. Oddly enough, it is pretty darn accurate at really low speed - like 175gr bullets at 2500fps or so. Now, my friend wants faster, and I can't say as I blame him. So he asked me what he ought to try for it, and I said I'd look at a good 160gr bullet over a nice, slow powder. Enter the 160AB, which has been accurate with other loadings we've tried in this rifle, only at low velocity, and IMR7828. I load up a workup straight out of the Nosler #5 on my bench, cross referenced with the Lyman #48 and Hornady #7 for good measure. I'm being safety conscious - even wearing my safety glasses. I go through loading, and right as I'm about to load the max charge group of rounds, my wife pops up and asks me a question. I walk down the hall and get some information off the computer and then head back to the load bench. I go to load the rounds, and I see that my scale is off - Somehow it is now reading 50, not 60gr on the 'big' weight. So I reset it, rezero it (again, safety first), and check the manual to be sure I'm loading the right charge. Three very consistent rounds later, and I'm done with the 7mmRemMag stuff. On to the 270Wby. I load up a bunch of these, using the same IMR7828 and some 130gr E-Tips at the max load I've already worked up to in a previous range session - that I recall being very accurate - 74gr.
Now, back at the range, I'm not getting great accuracy out of the 130gr E-Tips in the 270Wby, but not terrible, either - about 1.2" or so, in the wind. I hit the 7mmRemMag to let the Weatherby cool down a bit, and the first three loads are nice, accurate, and moving at 2600fps. I'm happy with the group (just under 1") but the velocity bites. So I go through the workup. Velocity increases a little along, until I get to the final three rounds. Everything has been going along fine, mind you, and I chamber the first of these three. Now, with what the velocities have been doing, I figure I'm going to get something like 2900-2950 out of this load, which is fast, but not as fast as I'd like. Well, I pull the trigger, and feel hot gases come back against my face, around my safety glasses (which I am highly thankful for at this point). I think to myself, "Crap, pierced a primer," and go to open the bolt to check it out. As I'm doing so, I glance at the chrono readout - 3420 is clearly displayed. And, the bolt is stuck. Now I'm starting to freak a bit. I've never done this before, in 15yrs of handloading, and I hate to start now. I apply some palm force to the bolt, and get it to open, after a lot of pushing. I get it slid back, and the case does not look good - lots of scratches on the brass. And it won't eject. I can't get it off the boltface with my fingertip, either, so I pull the bolt and case out through the back of the action. I'm easily able to pull the case free now, and the primer falls on the bench. It wasn't pierced. The case stretched so far it blew out the pocket! I'm sitting there staring at this, and wondering now if I have ruined my buddy's rifle. Now, not wanting to appear a fool when my client shows up to sight in his rifle, I tidy up my workspace and give this gun a cursory checkover and then put it back in the cab of my truck. I take a couple of minutes with my trusty 30-30 to get back in the groove of shooting, and then start in on a 300Wby that is owned by the same friend whose 7Mag I just had the issue with.
Incidentally, the rest of the day was uneventful save a couple of nice groups with the 30-30 and the 300Wby, and some fair groups with my 270Wby and my 8x57. Hornady LeverEvolution ammo for the 30-30 is very accurate, by the way, but nothing like the 2400fps Hornady claims - I got 2170fps from my 20" Winchester Model 94, but thee shots went into just over an inch, which I'll take. So, other than being a testament for wearing shooting glasses, and not being a dumb handloader, and not loading when you're in a hurry and tired, it was a good day.
After I got home, I did a post mortem on the two remaining rounds (that I did not fire) from that 'max charge' group and found them to be 10gr too heavy a charge. Very dangerous situation, indeed. To be sure, I don't believe the rifle develops pressure at the same rate as some, in as much as it won't achieve velocity like other 7Mags, and it also appears to have a slightly longer shoulder length after firing than other 7Mag brass I've looked at and compared to, so I think I am a tad insulated from the pressure spike based on chamber volume being somewhat large. But, on a final note, what are the chances I'm buying my buddy a new 7mmRemMag? I don't see anything wrong with the rifle, but I don't know if I would see it with the naked eye. The bolt doesn't appear, to the naked eye, to have any issues with the lugs or and stress cracks visible - just a lot of brass on the bolt face that I'll have to clean off. The gun didn't act funny other than the blowback, and it seems to be fine when I cycle it and look into the chamber from the breech. Would one load well over pressure ruin an action and chamber, or is it likely the gun withstood this one event and I should range test it with some standard rounds and see what I get?
It sure pays to be careful. Even if you've been loading for 15yrs, and you think you're being careful, check it again. And don't load tired and in a hurry. I won't, ever again.
