Obturation
Member
Hey all,
Just checking in to remind hand loaders and new reloaders alike , don't get complacent as you gain confidence . things happen, even if we're careful.
Here's mine -
I'm a careful loader and generally trickle and throw every charge, load on a single stage , decap in an independent process before tumbling, clean primer pockets, size, prime on a benchprime tool (individually obviously) , I flare and charge in one step, seat, crimp. A lot of handling a single cartridge . I have some equipment to be able to combine steps and can make volume if I wanted to but I generally just load magnum handgun cartridges and 45-70 cartridges . some of those loads are at the ragged edge and must be handled this way and that's why I do it methodically and carefully. Works for me.
All that handling didn't save me from this one,
That's a once fired winchester factory loaded case, this is it's first "reload ". 255 grain .452" mbc Keith style , hi-tek coated bullet sitting on top of 15 grains of unique with a rem 7 1/2 primer- good for about 1275 fps from a 5" ruger. It's a nice moderate load that does a good job and is pleasant .
What's wrong with it?
In all my handling of this case I didn't notice the split case. Only on my final wipe down and boxing did I notice because the paper towel caught the edge. Split cases have been the norm for me in 454 casull, I'll have a few every couple hundred I load, under max/significantly below max, in two separate guns, under any and all situations and I can guess which ones will split when I size them- several are too hard and will give significant resistance to sizing - I'll put a mark on the case and after firing I'll find if any have split and every time it's a marked case. Something I'm aware of it but haven't had any issue extracting and tossing the bad cases, those have all been from a batch of starline I bought new (different long story).
This case was from a box of factory winchester 454 casull I got with a package deal I got about 1 year ago. I shot the factory ammo and this case has finally made it to the bench . it was deprimed , cleaned,sized, primed, flared , charged , loaded and crimped without detection.
My max type loads go in New cases that have been sized and trimmed if needed, if I'm making handloads for a serious task I sort by resistance to sizing of a new unfired cases too. Never split one of those cases or any of the 20 pieces of federal brass I have- they've been loaded 10+ times.
Point of this thread is to remind everyone that something you've done a million times can sneak up on you. This cartridge wouldn't have hurt my gun but it probably would have blown gas out and could have hurt me or someone else. You just don't know. So when you're cranking that press remember that there are serious consequences for what we do at the bench. Even the most careful handloaders go kaboom sometimes. I don't miss much but things do happen.
Good luck
Just checking in to remind hand loaders and new reloaders alike , don't get complacent as you gain confidence . things happen, even if we're careful.
Here's mine -
I'm a careful loader and generally trickle and throw every charge, load on a single stage , decap in an independent process before tumbling, clean primer pockets, size, prime on a benchprime tool (individually obviously) , I flare and charge in one step, seat, crimp. A lot of handling a single cartridge . I have some equipment to be able to combine steps and can make volume if I wanted to but I generally just load magnum handgun cartridges and 45-70 cartridges . some of those loads are at the ragged edge and must be handled this way and that's why I do it methodically and carefully. Works for me.
All that handling didn't save me from this one,
That's a once fired winchester factory loaded case, this is it's first "reload ". 255 grain .452" mbc Keith style , hi-tek coated bullet sitting on top of 15 grains of unique with a rem 7 1/2 primer- good for about 1275 fps from a 5" ruger. It's a nice moderate load that does a good job and is pleasant .
What's wrong with it?
In all my handling of this case I didn't notice the split case. Only on my final wipe down and boxing did I notice because the paper towel caught the edge. Split cases have been the norm for me in 454 casull, I'll have a few every couple hundred I load, under max/significantly below max, in two separate guns, under any and all situations and I can guess which ones will split when I size them- several are too hard and will give significant resistance to sizing - I'll put a mark on the case and after firing I'll find if any have split and every time it's a marked case. Something I'm aware of it but haven't had any issue extracting and tossing the bad cases, those have all been from a batch of starline I bought new (different long story).
This case was from a box of factory winchester 454 casull I got with a package deal I got about 1 year ago. I shot the factory ammo and this case has finally made it to the bench . it was deprimed , cleaned,sized, primed, flared , charged , loaded and crimped without detection.
My max type loads go in New cases that have been sized and trimmed if needed, if I'm making handloads for a serious task I sort by resistance to sizing of a new unfired cases too. Never split one of those cases or any of the 20 pieces of federal brass I have- they've been loaded 10+ times.
Point of this thread is to remind everyone that something you've done a million times can sneak up on you. This cartridge wouldn't have hurt my gun but it probably would have blown gas out and could have hurt me or someone else. You just don't know. So when you're cranking that press remember that there are serious consequences for what we do at the bench. Even the most careful handloaders go kaboom sometimes. I don't miss much but things do happen.
Good luck
