Quite often we hash out Reduced Loads

[sicero]

I want to tell you something more dangerous in my opinion. Loading an empty. When loading reduced loads I always weigh all loaded rounds after they are loaded. Looking for the obvious "double charge". I loaded a couple hundred rounds just before we left to go P Dogn and since the were full charge loads, I didn't weigh them. How it happened, I don't know but I seated a bullet with no powder charge. When we were seated at the bench PDs everywhere, a round in the chamber. I set the trigger and the trigger tripped but the round didn't go off. I opened the bolt and there was an empty in the action. Did I forget, in the heat of action to reload? That of course was the obvious answer. Just put a loaded round in and get back to business. WOAH now. Pull the bolt and look down the bore. Can't see thru the bore so I run the cleaning rod thru and knock a bullet out. The primer pushed the bullet out of the case and into the bore. I don't know if a loaded round would have gone in behind it or not. Use of the set trigger added to the problem, no doubt as did hearing protection. It couldn't happen to you of course. It also couldn't happen to me. It woun't be as likely to happen to me. Kenny

[Bayou City Boy]

Good post, Kenny...... Very timely for what we do.

Quite often we take for granted what we do every day and have maybe done for years. How could we ever make a mistake with all the years of experience we have.?

Yet just one slip-up could be very critical to health and limbs. As I get older, I find myself checking an re-checking some things I do simply because my memory of having done it a certain way is not as good as it used to be.

And I hope to live another 30 years at least. But I probably won't be shooting rifles and doing a lot of these things 30 years from now if I'm still around. Still, your message is just as timely for us "old dudes" as it is for the novice. Maybe more so for us...

"Stuff happens"....

-BCB

[Larry in VA]

You are absolutely correct there Kenny!
“BEEN THERE - DONE THAT – GAVE BACK THE T-SHIRT “

Early in my reloading career (mid 20’s) I reloaded for and helped a pard work up a hunting load for his 45 long Colt Virginia Dragoon. ...“Click = No Bang”... At 1st I dismissed it as just a miss fire, but before he could pull the trigger on the next round I had second thoughts and stopped him to check barrel for obstructions. Sure enough there was a 400gr hard cast slug about half way down his 8” barrel.
Ever since then I never let a CLICK – NO – BANG go buy with out a barrel obstruction check. And YES I have had other incidents all from my fault to no-fault of mine as far I can tell. And Like BCB I’m checking it even more now that I’m in my mid 60’s…..

[Easy_E]

I truly think shooting reloads your subconsciously aware of whats going on. Some friends and I do a defensive pistol and rifle shoot couple times a year. I was running from cover to cover shooting steel plates and paper targets when my .45 recoiled very light. I did the normal drop the mag clear and install another mag back on target when that chill went down my spine.
I had my finger on the trigger timer running range guy with his face 12" from my back when I stopped. I cleared my gun and pulled the barrel for a look. The was one 230gr fmj sitting in the barrel. I don't know what would happen but glad I diddn't find out that day.

[small]

It seems that is how bulged barrels happen. Not the one that didn't make it all the out of the barrel but the one that tried to follow.

[montdoug]

On very rare occasion I actually learn from others mistakes before I have to do it myself and this "VERY" important topic happens to be one of em . Read about someone doing this way back when and they ended up with a lot worse than bulged barrel . That article came complete with photos and it got through to me. "Any" weirdness in sound or no visible hit misses etc get the the whole "wait 30 seconds, check the barrel and cartridge" routine safety check.
Good and important topic!! Hope a lotta guys read it.

[jeffersonv]

A great reminder to make a part of my MO.

thank you.

[Tim Anderson]

Had this happen to a hunting buddy.. At the time he had a H&R 17-223, you know the fancey one with the sako action and a animal stained onto the stock.. Any way he hunts while wearing ear plugs and one day when hunting together he walked into a section to sneak up on a bedded coyote, he gets roughly 100 yds. out so he sets up for the shot.. He pulls the trigger on the rifle when the cross-hairs were centered on the coyotes shoulder and the gun did'nt fire, so he pulls the bolt back kicking out a empty, aah forgot to chamber a loaded round he thinks. So another round is chambered and he centers the cross-hairs on the coyote and fires the rifle again.. This time powder residue, metal particles and pieces of wood go flying along with alot of smoke. Buddy comes walking out of the woods with no coyote and his rifle in a half-dozen pieces..
The bolt face/extractor are damaged, the mag. area bent up or destroyed along with floor plate, stock broken in two places and scope damaged, and the case still stuck in the chamber.. Don't know if any of the bullets were still lodged in the barrel or not..
Other than some powder burns on his face I would say he came out of the deal pretty lucky..

[Alycidon]

I have also had exactly this happen to me using a 17AH caliber, even using fine powder like N120 the powder can hang up in the funnel.

Weighed all the loaded cases that I had and found another 3, never had the issue with 20 cals and up.

Timely warning to never load when tired.

A

[Alan in GA]

Blew up my Dad's 12 ga Seara bolt action shotgun about 1968 - old felt wads totally silenced the primer of the first round going off. Next round bulged the barrel at the choked section and the other wad (2 per shell) caused the barrel to rupture at the midpoint. I had removed the shot from the first shell wanting to 'shoot' into the air at midnite on New Years' Eve. Of course opening the crimp allowed the over powder wad to relieve pressure off the powder charge. Only the primer went off but I didn't realize it.
I was unscathed but learned THIS lesson as you have described!

Similar: I rebuilt/restored/repaired BB and Pellet rifles for about 8 years. Occasionally had rifles with a bore full of pellets. I forget how many the 'record' was but I do remember pulling 18 pellets out from a nice old Benjamin 312. Crosman made a special tool for this as it was a common repair at the repair centers....a steel rod with a tapered wood type screw on the end. You can't 'DRIVE' soft lead pellets out usually,...but it's pretty easy to disassemble the gun and pull them out one at at time from the rear. You'd think that after 2 or 4 pellets not coming out that....well......

Hey just remembered a Sheridan that had 29 or 30 pellets in the bore.....here's a picture of open heart airgun repair....lol~! If you hear some one saying "pump it more and try it again"......you may be observing this happening:

[IMG][/IMG]