[Cosmoline]

I was testing 7.65 Argentine loads today at the range, and when I fired one off I noticed that it made no sound. I figured it was a dud, and after waiting a good minute in case of hangfire, I brought the bolt back. What I found was that the bullet had been sent into the barrel, ALONG WITH MOST OF THE POWDER, which when pushed back out had been compacted and launched down the barrel, with no sign of ignition. THere were little grooves in the wad of powder where it had started to flow into the rifling!

Any idea what could have caused this?

[John G]

Sounds like maybe the primer ignited, but the powder didn't?

[coonan357]

Bad powder , or not hot enough primer . or the crimp could have been bad .

[Johnny Guest]

BADLY contaminated powder. Probably serious water or solvent seepage, likely during manufacture. How was the ammo packaged when you obtained it? Is this military ammo, or commercial?

As coonan357 suggested, the crimp might have been bad, allowing something to seep in after manufacture. If the powder wasn't contaminated, I'd think there would have been at least SOME ignition and burning.

You might want to pull bullets on a couple of other cartridges from the same batch--Same head stamp, etc. -- and see how the powder looks in those. If it is also caked, examine carefully and see if there is any greasy or oily residue.

If you find a couple more bad rounds, it probably isn't worth the hassle of trying to shoot this ammo. If you have more than just a few rounds, and the primers seem good . . . You know, it is strange that the powder would be contaminated to the point where it won't burn, but the primers are still good . . . But if they are, and if you are a handloader, you might consider pulling all the bullets, removing the bad powder and replacing it with a modest charge of current powder, then re-seating the bullets.

Lotta trouble, I know - - - -

Good luck,
Johnny

[Cosmoline]

It was a batch of 7.65 Argie using some pretty new 4064 that I've been using for a variety of loads. It's just been sitting on my bench, with the cap on, for a few months.

The one unusual thing about these loads was that I had to set the primer beyond flush. It's for an old Argie with a lot of firing pin exposure. Flush primers were getting pierced, indented ones weren't. The BALL ammo was all intended. SO I was was giving an extra push with my Lee pocket primer.

If I pushed too hard on a primer, is it possible it would get bent somehow and not give reliable spark?

These were in my car for a while, and since they're test loads I didn't seal them up at either the crimp or the primer end. Is it possible some moisture got in just by being in the cab of a pickup for a few weeks?

I'll see if it happens again. Obviously, this is a batch I'll be extra careful with! I'm not going to risk launching a new bullet into a jammed barrel. That would be bad.

[stans]

It is possible to crush the anvil in the primer and that can mess up ignition.

[winwun]

Johnny G's idea works. I have a friend I meet at the range on Thursdays, my regular shooting day, and he got a good deal on a bunch of milsurp for the M-1 rifle and didn't like the powder or the bullet, and he pulls them and loads his own recipe. He says its not that much trouble.

[mete]

Ive seen that happen with a batch of bad primers. Some people use a hand held primer tool to get a better feel. The primer should go to the bottom of the primer hole that pushes in the anvil and sensitizes the primer, excessive force can cause problems