What follows is a post I copied from another discussion board. Since I'm inexperienced with reloading and have just begun reloading for my H&R 444marlin, I found it interesting reading. It points out the dangers of experimenting without having a firm grasp of what you're doing. It's lenghtly but well worth reading. A real eye opener!!!
From: "Charles J. Sharps Ph.D" sharps@mail.coos.or.us
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996
March 14, 1993
A RELOADING DEBACLE
by Charles J. Sharps Ph.D.
Websters defines debacle as a breakup, or a sudden great disaster. Yesterday, detonation, secondary explosions, or just plain stupid reloading, signaled the breakup of my once beautiful SSK 475 JD Jones. As Webster writes, "it was a disaster."
In my last story about the .475 I remarked on its being just plain brutal to shoot. So I went searching for less powerful loads that I could enjoy plinking with.
Reading everything I could find about 45-70 (not an error) for loads which might be used in the larger .475, I decided I would try some 300 grain Barnes jacketed round noses and some IMR 3031 which is considered safe in a trapdoor Springfield.
I ordered my bullets from some outfitter in Rhode Island, waited the usual nine days for UPS to deliver here in Oregon and sat down to reload. The 475 JD Jones uses 45-70 brass that is blown out into a straight case in order to utilize the .475 diameter bullets. There are two ways to fireform the 45-70 so that it fits the chamber of the .475. One way is to run the case up over the decapping rod far enough to seat a .475 bullet, use a mild load, and fire, but it is not very effective.
The problem with this, is the case mouths are apt to come out longer on one side than the other, needing to be trimmed, requiring yet another step in the reloading process.
The second way is to actually fireform. Looking around my reloading room I spied the thousands of rounds of 500 grain cast bullets in .458 diameter that have been cluttering up a corner, ever since I quit shooting cast bullets in my .450 Ackley Ruger Number 1.
My idea was to load the 45-70 cases with a mild load of 2400, recommended in the Lyman Manual for trapdoor Springfield's, use the way undersized bullets to develop just enough pressure to fireform the cases and they should come out perfectly.
No case mouths would need to squared or trimmed, thus eliminating another reloading step. Remember, I was looking for the easy way out. I was also being a bit of a tightwad, I did not want to send fancy (read as expensive) Barnes bullets I had just purchased, crashing downrange, just for fireforming, nor did I want to use my limited supply of .475 cast bullets.
I have lead by the hundred weight and a .458 mold, what could be easier? I decided to load ten rounds. I dumped the powder into my hopper, set the scales, used Federal 215 large rifle magnum primers and the already mentioned bullets, and proceeded to reload. It was while I was filling the cases, that I had this niggling thought, that I should be using some dacron or over the powder wad. The niggling thought was, somewhere, I had read that small amounts of 2400 when used in cases with large volumes can be extremely explosive.
But not this load after all it is recommended for Trapdoor Springfield's and they are not considered to be the worlds strongest actions.
Carefully reloading my ten cases I went out with my son, brother-in-law and hunting partner to fireform my cases and to do some general plinking. Arriving at our shooting spot I took aim at aclay pigeon set up in the sand about 10 yards away. I was going to try and hit it with a .458 bullet traveling down a .475 bore. My first three shots were close but the pigeon remained unbroken.
Examing the cases I was pleased to see my first three shots yielded three perfect cases. Just as I was set to fire my fourth round Jack hollered asking a question. Pointing the barrel straight down while releasing the hammer I turned to answer. I then raised my Contender and just knew that this time I was going to bust the pigeon.
Pulling the trigger my Contender exploded. Reeling and dazed by the violent explosion, I just stood there stupidly looking at what was left.
Swearing, not really understanding what had happened, I could see my barrel lodged into the ground just ahead of my feet. I tore my headphones of my ringing ears and yelled, "I just blew up my blankety-blank gun."
Jack Fearell, my brother-in-law and fellow Contender aficionado standing almost 100 yards to my rear said, "are you all right?" and came running. About that time there was a clink as the back half of my Leupold scope hit the ground near him. Neither one of us knew at the time what it was but it made such a distinctive sound Jack said, "What was that?"
We later discovered the scope piece and you can figure out how high it must have gone into the air before returning to earth.. Settling down, I started to take stock of what I had. The barrel, with its underlug missing, was at my feet. Its' breech a gaping maw of three fingers of bent and twisted Shilen steel. The 4x Leupold scope and TSOB were gone. The Pachmayr forend was still attached to the barrel and in my hand was the Contender frame, minus one side plate and the other badly distorted.
Jack came running, again asking, are you okay? Another shooting partner, Orvel Bird checked out my hand and said, "what do you think happened, a double load of powder, a lodged bullet or what?" No, I thought, I saw the last bullet hit the ground and I checked all the cases after charging, it must have been detonation.
Detonation is defined as a violent explosion caused by the powder igniting instantly or all at once, creating tremendous pressures. Remember all smokeless powders are designed to burn at a controlled rate. Looking at the barrel lying on the ground, I could tell there was something wrong with it but did not know what. Jack asked, "where is the scope and TSOB?" Realizing what was wrong with the barrel, the scope was missing. I, still in shock said, "well maybe we can find it and it will be okay."
The reality of what had happened, was starting to sink in. My entire Contender was destroyed. Not damaged, but destroyed. I was probably the luckiest man alive, I had my hand(s) my head, my eyes, everything. Lucky in many ways. For instance, for accuracy, I usually shoot two handed, sometimes with my left hand on the forend, today it was different. I had just wanted to bang off ten rounds to get them fireformed and all I was doing was shooting dirt and a clay pigeon, one handed.
Jack went back down the road where he and Orvel had heard something clink and found the back half of my scope. It looked like it had been run over by a tank. It was no longer round but flattened, but the eye glass was not broken. The TSOB had been torn in half with one ring still attached.
Orvel, after examining the barrel and as a retired engineer figured that the front half had to have gone an equal distance to the front. It had. Jack found it after just a few minutes of looking. The rings had held, the scope and TSOB had been ripped into two, but the front bell was still attached.
Remorse, started flooding my mind, what had I done to destroy a beautiful barrel and frame? Not only had it been owned by Joe Wright of TCA fame, but it was marked, barrel number two. Dollar signs kept flinging themselves about, as I loudly tallied up how much money I had invested and subsequently lost.
Orvel brought things back into proper perspective when he again reminded me I was not hurt, and that fingers, hands, and eyes are priceless.
We spent another half hour or so looking for missing parts. I found the 45-70 case, it had been ripped wide open and laid flat in the dirt. It had been a new nickeled case and powder discoloration demonstrated it had not been overloaded.
The barrel lug which had also been blown off was found complete with hinge pin and the pin moved easily. The missing side plate was not far away.
Examining the barrel and frame, I think what saved me from injury was the entire explosion went up, down, and sideways. There is nothing to demonstrate that it blew backward. The primer is still tight in the case and the case head shows no signs of pressure. The frame will still cock, and the trigger works, a tribute to the strength of Warren Center's design. With the exception of the scope, all missing parts were found within three feet to the front and sides of my feet.
My hand was starting to hurt and it was time to return home, where the first thing I did was pull and weigh all the remaining cartridges. Nothing was overloaded.
Sitting around later trying to figure out what I had done wrong, but still suspecting detonation, I decided I would call J. D. Jones of SSK Industries and ask what he thought had happened.
Calling JD, I told him this story and he said, "Fast burning pistol powder, when put into a large case with lots of air will detonate. I can't prove it, but I have heard too many stories like yours for it not to be true. Your pointing it at the ground just before firing probably put all the powder up against the bullet."
Talking with JD for quite some time put my mind at rest as to what had happened, but I was still at fault for not following my conscience.
I knew from years of reading and reloading that mixing 2400 with large cases was not the intelligent thing to do. You can and will find this particular combination of powder and cases in two of today's current reloading manuals, (Lyman and Sierra). Before you use them, I suggest you remember this story.
Remember the niggling I had in the back of my head at the beginning of this story? I should have listened. If I had, I would not be without my handloaders.
NEVER, NEVER, mix fast burning pistol powders like 2400 with large volume cases without some sort of overpowder wad, for if you do, you too could experience a debacle.
Charles J. Sharps Ph.D.
sharps@mail.coos.or.us
