How did we live through it?

[northwoodneil]

I just bought a box of books at an auction and in the bottom of the box was load data for the "O'conner steelhead " rifle casings. I have never seen or heard of them. Basically a steel cartridge case head with a screw on brass sleeve you would fire form. One load (30-06) called for a 147gr spitzer, CCI BR2 primer, and a duplex load of Herc. Hi-vel #2 (49.6gr) and Hodgdon H570 (5gr). Checks out like this 3,409 mv 81,700 psi. Same bullet and primer use 59gr Norma 202. Mv 3483 93,100 psi   That's 1 1/2 times sammi pressure.

[Land_Owner]

It is a testament to the strength of materials and Safety Factor!  Those pressures probably put their chambers and barrels into permanent deformation, or those guns weighed 39 pounds each and were "difficult" to shoulder.

It is a wonder that ANY of us made it through our formative years with the carp we tried, stunts we pulled, near misses we never saw.  Some didn't.  Natural Selection maybe?

[Bob Riebe]

I have heard of such cases in my readings.

The pressures used sixty - seventy years ago, were back when many -- what if -- loaders would go by what info they had and then try more.
I read often these gents looked for sign of excess pressure but even at that some common loads in hand loading manuals were near the edge.
It might not blow-out a firearm, but continual use of it would wear the firearm out at a greatly increased rate.

I have for loading my Smith & Wesson Model 25 that had loads of well, well over 1,000 fps.
I bought a bag of .45 Auto Rim handloads at a gunshow thirty years ago, with heavy bullets; the recoil equaled .44 Mag. hot loads.
I am sure if you search long enough you can find some of Casull's triplex loads, while early J. LInebaugh's five-shot .45 loads are very high pressure rounds.

[sr sawyer]

Early 1980"s O'Connor Rifle products,  Charleston, SC  Introduced the steelheads and I think they would have done well had the cost been more competitive  for the current time period.  I did a fair amount of research on this and the weakest part of the load is the case head
 
There was a lot of research on rifle actions and the and pressures they will with stand and all this info is probably on line  as it was in print when the Steel Head  was first introduced.

I currently have two five count boxes collecting dust for the magnum caliber.  Bought these for the 300 Weatherby only to discover I would need a
.35 or .75 die to begin the proper neck sizing so they sit for 35 or so years. 

So much for progress.

Ken

[northwoodneil]

I went and looked for loading data on the 300 Weatherby but only 30-06 listed on my sheets. This is most likely the caliber whoever had these purchased so thats what O'conner included. I'm still wondering how the primers didn't rupture? Would magnum primers take these kinds of pressures?

[orerancher]

I went and looked for loading data on the 300 Weatherby but only 30-06 listed on my sheets. This is most likely the caliber whoever had these purchased so thats what O'conner included. I'm still wondering how the primers didn't rupture? Would magnum primers take these kinds of pressures?

Magnum Primers will blow just as easy as Regular Primers....

Didn't PO Ackley say Load till Ya Blow a Primer...Then Back off a Grain?

[sr sawyer]

This subject caused me to look back thru all my data.  As you said the only free data available was for the 30-06.  At the time I bought this product you had to send additional money for loading other than 30-06.  I guess when I received the SteelHeads, that advertised I could size with a standard  die, then when I received the product recommended that I start with a larger die than the .308 to neck down just turned me off.
 
Also got me to thinking, I was already loading a nearly full case of Norma MRP behind a Nosler 165 Ballistic Tip for 3250 FPS over the chrono
how could I gain much over 60,000psi I was already loading

Ken