Terrible Day at the Range - Advice Needed

[Sir Toast]

FIRST TEACHABLE MOMENT:

I was developing light loads, but not that light. I am positive there was powder in the case. I dropped the powder from a single stage press, then using a flashlight, checked every case to ensure no missing powder or double charges. I was very very careful loading these because they were going to be for the wife.

What am I missing?

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Any HELPFUL advice is appreciated. All other advice, well, . . . . fine. I dish it out. I can take it.

[Sir Toast]

SECOND TEACHABLE MOMENT: Since pistol shooting was done, I went to the rifle range. Busted out an AR-15 and shot some factory loads. I got one box in and the rifle was done. I have less than 300 rounds through the rifle. I thought the firing pin broke because there were no marks on the primers after the 20^th

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Hell, it even bent the firing pin retaining pin.
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[Avocado Toast]

Nice looking M10 or 13! It has character and personality. Those are a treasure when you have one.


What was you powder and how many grains, according to the reloading manual? That looks like a no-powder situation.

I did the same thing with a .45 Auto barrel. I loaded them, thought I'd been careful but I missed a case and bulged the barrel.

[Avocado Toast]

Are you some sort of doomsday machine?

That's Wolff and Tula skanky looking.

[Sir Toast]

Brass looked worse than the firing pin. Big gouges on the heads of the cases. Many blown out primers. Primers cratered. God knows what stuck in the primers. Maybe part of the firing pin?
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[Sir Toast]

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Crappy day at the range.??

[Sir Toast]

And what is this for and how do you use it?

It screws into the back of the upper where the charging handle goes.
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[Sir Toast]

More of the brass.
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[jimmykan]

FIRST TEACHABLE MOMENT:

I was developing light loads, but not that light. I am positive there was powder in the case. I dropped the powder from a single stage press, then using a flashlight, checked every case to ensure no missing powder or double charges. I was very very careful loading these because they were going to be for the wife.

What am I missing?

IMG_1336.jpg

IMG_1337.jpg



IMG_1338.jpg

Any HELPFUL advice is appreciated. All other advice, well, . . . . fine. I dish it out. I can take it.

What was the load you were testing? Bullet weight? Powder? Charge weight?

When there's a lot of empty space and not a lot of powder in the case, the flash from the primer does not always ignite the powder consistently.
It depends on where the pile of powder is sitting in the case: up against the flash hole / distributed along the bottom / up against the bullet.
Search for "38 special powder position sensitivity" and you will see there's a lot of discussion about this phenomenon.

[Sir Toast]

Nice looking M10 or 13! It has character and personality. Those are a treasure when you have one.


What was you powder and how many grains, according to the reloading manual? That looks like a no-powder situation.

I did the same thing with a .45 Auto barrel. I loaded them, thought I'd been careful but I missed a case and bulged the barrel.

I checked for bulge. None.
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[Sir Toast]

I will go pull a bullet, weigh it and weigh the powder and give you an accurate answer. BRB

Okay, so I just pulled two bullets.

Both bullets weighed 158 grains.
I had 3.2 grains of powder. I think it is Titegroup.

[stormvet]

[acaligunner]

[acaligunner]

SECOND TEACHABLE MOMENT: Since pistol shooting was done, I went to the rifle range. Busted out an AR-15 and shot some factory loads. I got one box in and the rifle was done. I have less than 300 rounds through the rifle. I thought the firing pin broke because there were no marks on the primers after the 20^th

IMG_1361.jpg
IMG_1366.jpg
IMG_1368.jpg
IMG_1369.jpg



Hell, it even bent the firing pin retaining pin.
IMG_3551.jpg

Maybe a BCM AR is calling your name. No offense ?

[Sir Toast]

Hmmmmm. Never even heard of 327 magnum. 22 Mag sounds very interesting. Now you got me thinking.