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  • 00foreman
    Member
    • Jan 2013
    • 104

    Ammo Failure

    Let me start off by saying I'm new to the reloading game. I know the mistake I made and I'm not looking for criticism on safety issues or or name calling.

    That being said here's what happened...

    I went to the range today with my recently purchased Kimber 8400 chambered in 300 Win Mag. I hand loaded 4 sets of 5 rounds with various powder charges to see which one my new rifle liked the most. My dad (who is a long time experienced reloader) went with me and also has a Kimber 8400 300 win mag. Prior to shooting any of my loads, I was going to use some of his rounds to get my rifle on paper. I put the first round in, attempted to close the bolt, and the round stuck in the chamber. I couldn't put the bolt into battery. I pulled the bolt out of the rifle, held the rifle verticle, and tapped on the butt with no success on removing the round. I then put the rifle back on the table and held the rifle in place while my dad put a cleaning rod through the bore in an attempt to push the round back out. after 3 taps... BOOM! the round fired and the brass came flying out smacking me in the face.

    After about 10 minutes to control the bleeding and another hour thoroughly inspecting the rifle and gathering our thoughts we went straight to my hand loads without a problem. 20 rounds in all.

    We concluded that his rounds wouldn't chamber in my rifle because the brass was once fired from his rifle and weren't full-length sized. I didn't think it would be an issue since they are the exact same rifle... my mistake. My question is, what would make the round fire from tapping it on the bullet tip? Could it have pushed the bullet into the brass far enough to ignite the primer?

    Ill post some pictures in a few
  • #2
    Divernhunter
    Calguns Addict
    • May 2010
    • 8753

    Well you both learned that every rifle is different even if same brand and cartridge. This is why you FL resize any ammo that may be used in multiple rifles.
    Not sure why it fired. Just tapping on the bullet end should not do so.
    What happened to the cleaning rod and the bullet? Did the bullet get stuck in the barrel? Even if the bullet is pushed into the case it should not fire.

    Glad that nobody was hurt bad.
    A 30cal will reach out and touch them. A 50cal will kick their butt.
    NRA Life Member, NRA certified RSO & Basic Pistol Instructor, Hunter, shooter, reloader
    SCI, Manteca Sportsmen Club, Coalinga Rifle Club, Escalon Sportsmans Club, Waterford Sportsman Club & NAHA Member, Madison Society member

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    • #3
    • #4
      00foreman
      Member
      • Jan 2013
      • 104

      The bullet was found on the ground just below the table. Not sure where it went. The charge blew the primer out of the brass too. Couldn't find the primer. But the cleaning rod was undamaged

      Comment

      • #5
        incredablehefey
        Senior Member
        • Feb 2010
        • 1853

        That round went bang outside of the chamber. Maybe when it dislodged it struck something on the bolt face that set the primer off?
        "The need in public and private life is common sense, decency, courage." - President Roosevelt

        Comment

        • #6
          bsumoba
          Veteran Member
          • Sep 2012
          • 4217

          ^ I tend to agree.

          If the case was still in the chamber, the case wouldn't mushroom like that. The case looks like an "out of battery" explosion. The gases will find the weakest part of the case to relieve pressure and that is typically in the neck/shoulderu junction area as well as the primer area. Your case looks exactly like that.

          My guess would also be that the cleaning rod or tapping dislodged the case and the primer hit something hard enough to ignite.
          Last edited by bsumoba; 04-05-2017, 5:52 PM.
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          • #7
            SkyHawk
            I need a LIFE!!
            • Sep 2012
            • 23471

            Originally posted by incredablehefey
            That round went bang outside of the chamber. Maybe when it dislodged it struck something on the bolt face that set the primer off?
            He said he pulled the bolt out of the rifle though. Could it have been a spark, maybe as the bullet was pushed into the case and exposed powder, the cleaning rod sparked off the bore? Was the cleaning rod non sparking (brass) or steel?

            Always use non sparking materials when working around explosives. Who knows, it also could have been static. Hard to say when the primer is long gone. Be careful around powder
            Last edited by SkyHawk; 04-05-2017, 5:57 PM.
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            • #8
              bsumoba
              Veteran Member
              • Sep 2012
              • 4217

              Originally posted by SkyHawk
              He said he pulled the bolt out of the rifle though. Could it have been a spark, maybe as the bullet was pushed into the case, the cleaning rod sparked off the bore? Was the cleaning rod non sparking (brass) or steel?
              Could have still hit an edge, like the edge of the ejection port or something.

              In order for the case to do what it did, the case had to be out of the chamber, at least partially out of the chamber at least.
              Last edited by bsumoba; 04-05-2017, 5:58 PM.
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              • #9
                rcslotcar
                Senior Member
                • Jul 2014
                • 1100

                Never heard of anything like that. Could have been much worse.

                Comment

                • #10
                  highpower790
                  Veteran Member
                  • Jun 2013
                  • 3481

                  The USS Iowa comes to mind.
                  Keep it simple!

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                  • #11
                    00foreman
                    Member
                    • Jan 2013
                    • 104

                    Ya I removed the bolt. My dad tapped it pretty hard on the third hit. The primer could have hit the side of the slide or something. Thats the only thing that makes sense

                    Comment

                    • #12
                      00foreman
                      Member
                      • Jan 2013
                      • 104

                      Thanks for the courteous replies. I feel like a complete idiot/noob.

                      Comment

                      • #13
                        csshih
                        Casual Plinker
                        CGN Contributor - Lifetime
                        • Nov 2009
                        • 670

                        we're glad you escaped relatively unscathed!

                        Comment

                        • #14
                          Sir Toast
                          Veteran Member
                          • Dec 2012
                          • 3106

                          Dude. We're so happy you or your pops didn't get seriously hurt. Awesome news there. Thanks for posting and sharing! We can always learn something new from others' incidents.

                          I had this issue with 140 grain factory Hornady 6.5 creedmoor. I couldn't get the bullet all the way into the chamber. When I pulled the bolt back, the bullet stayed stuck in the barrel and the case and powder came back spilling powder everywhere. I had to use the rod to poke it back out. If I wasn't able to get the case out with the bolt, it could have happened to me.

                          Glad you're okay. Keep us posted if you learn anything new.

                          Comment

                          • #15
                            JackEllis
                            Veteran Member
                            • Nov 2015
                            • 2731

                            Glad you and your dad are OK. Hopefully the bill to clean your shorts won't break you.

                            I have two rifles (Tikkas) that won't chamber factory ammunition made with once-fired cases. There are a couple hundred each of used .243 and .30-06 sitting on a shelf in my shop waiting to be full-length sized because I learned the hard way that it has to be done.

                            I'm sure the experienced hands roll their eyes when those of us who are new to this talk about some of the mistakes we make, but I write up my mistakes in the hope that others will read the post and either learn something new or be reminded.

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