Puffed out case
- Thread starter ccowboy
- Start date
I haven't been able to respond in a couple of days so I'll try to catch up.
noylj, I find the pressure spike idea interesting. I found some threads on other forums that mentioned the same thing. How frequently do these spikes occur? How close to the max load does it settle down? I've seen the titegroup spike thing mentioned in other threads.
LE-28, that line is from resizing for the first reload I fired from this box of 50 rounds. Should I fully resize my cases all the time? I have not resized or de-primed this case since firing, nor have I flared the mouth of the case.
I could not afford a big reloading rig. I've been doing it by hand with a Lyman 310 tool and dies, and I enjoy this process. I hope tol invest in something bigger when I am more comfortable with the process.
Mehavey, I have not compared the measurements of the case in question with the others from that load. The case in question looks and feels larger than any of the other cases I've shot up to this point.
Guffey, I had not considered forming to the chamber. The recoil indicated to me that it may have been heavy enough to cause this, but I don't know because I've not had a .38, a .357, or a .45 do this before. I had not thought about the round not being centered in the chamber. I measured the chambers and included that info above. All dimensions were within .001". All cases fell out mostly or completely except for the one with the "bulge" which came out with a little push from the ejector rod.
I have thought about what might have happened over and over again. If there is any chance I've lost track of the amount of powder I loaded I pour it back into my powder cup and weigh out the charge again. But the only thing I can think of is that some how, I allowed a heavier charge than I was loading to go in that particular cartridge, or the tite group charge was low enough that it allowed one of those pressure spikes to occur. The former cause is on me and reminds me to double check everything. I don't know what to do about the later possible cause other than to make sure I use a tite group charge closer to the top end of the allowable charges, or I quit using it with 200 gn bullets or quit using it for this altogether.
Can any of you give me some advice based on your experience in reloading? Is Tite group a good powder to use for mid range smokeless loads? Is there a better powder to use? I also have Trail Boss, Unique, Universal, and Bullseye powders available. Any advice about reusing that particular case? Thanks!
noylj, I find the pressure spike idea interesting. I found some threads on other forums that mentioned the same thing. How frequently do these spikes occur? How close to the max load does it settle down? I've seen the titegroup spike thing mentioned in other threads.
LE-28, that line is from resizing for the first reload I fired from this box of 50 rounds. Should I fully resize my cases all the time? I have not resized or de-primed this case since firing, nor have I flared the mouth of the case.
I could not afford a big reloading rig. I've been doing it by hand with a Lyman 310 tool and dies, and I enjoy this process. I hope tol invest in something bigger when I am more comfortable with the process.
Mehavey, I have not compared the measurements of the case in question with the others from that load. The case in question looks and feels larger than any of the other cases I've shot up to this point.
Guffey, I had not considered forming to the chamber. The recoil indicated to me that it may have been heavy enough to cause this, but I don't know because I've not had a .38, a .357, or a .45 do this before. I had not thought about the round not being centered in the chamber. I measured the chambers and included that info above. All dimensions were within .001". All cases fell out mostly or completely except for the one with the "bulge" which came out with a little push from the ejector rod.
I have thought about what might have happened over and over again. If there is any chance I've lost track of the amount of powder I loaded I pour it back into my powder cup and weigh out the charge again. But the only thing I can think of is that some how, I allowed a heavier charge than I was loading to go in that particular cartridge, or the tite group charge was low enough that it allowed one of those pressure spikes to occur. The former cause is on me and reminds me to double check everything. I don't know what to do about the later possible cause other than to make sure I use a tite group charge closer to the top end of the allowable charges, or I quit using it with 200 gn bullets or quit using it for this altogether.
Can any of you give me some advice based on your experience in reloading? Is Tite group a good powder to use for mid range smokeless loads? Is there a better powder to use? I also have Trail Boss, Unique, Universal, and Bullseye powders available. Any advice about reusing that particular case? Thanks!
Cowboy....
1. Mark the case with red nail polish and put it on the shelf.
2. Unique and Universal are two of the best mid-range 45 Colt powders there are -- for 255g bullets. Go with Bullseye for light bullets/lighter loads.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?62919-Bullseye-Load-for-45-Colt&
3. (and most important)
....a. Charge all the cases at once/put them in a loading block before any seating.
....b. Look at the powder levels in each line of cases at a slight angle in strong light. The edge of the powder should be at the same location against the case interior for each case.
1. Mark the case with red nail polish and put it on the shelf.
2. Unique and Universal are two of the best mid-range 45 Colt powders there are -- for 255g bullets. Go with Bullseye for light bullets/lighter loads.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?62919-Bullseye-Load-for-45-Colt&
3. (and most important)
....a. Charge all the cases at once/put them in a loading block before any seating.
....b. Look at the powder levels in each line of cases at a slight angle in strong light. The edge of the powder should be at the same location against the case interior for each case.
Most important?
The saddest words of verse or pen or typing at the key board is; “It must have been a double charge”. This happens after a reloader has followed all of the instructions. The last chance a reloader has to catch a mistake is before pulling the trigger.
I suggest a reloader know the weight of the components, when finished the reloader should know the total weight of the case, powder, bullet and primer. Before pulling the trigger any case that that exceeds the total weight of the components has too much powder.
F. Guffey
The saddest words of verse or pen or typing at the key board is; “It must have been a double charge”. This happens after a reloader has followed all of the instructions. The last chance a reloader has to catch a mistake is before pulling the trigger.
I suggest a reloader know the weight of the components, when finished the reloader should know the total weight of the case, powder, bullet and primer. Before pulling the trigger any case that that exceeds the total weight of the components has too much powder.
F. Guffey
I was checking random completed rounds for weight. Now, besides checking visually, I'll check weights on all rounds. If the heavier recoil wasn't due to a pressure spike, then I was over enough to make a substantial difference in recoil because I felt it. I've fired 200 gn and 250 gn LFN bullets out of it with full cases of black powder and it wasn't any worse than that. But it was heavier than it should have been with the amount of powder I was using in those 5 titegroup cartridges. I'm going to be more diligent and cautious while reloading. Thanks for the input. My next question is how often will tite group spike? Do I even need to be using titegroup?