Contamined My Stash

[cheesebigot]

Thanks all for the helpful hints. I played it safe and bought a puller and spent the last two weeks pulling around 500 rounds. My wife is glad I'm finally done (impact puller).

While separating components, I couldn't help but notice that two types of powder emerged. I must have mixed in some commercial ammo with my reloads (ugh, I know, I'm bad). The commercial rounds, from the boxes I found in my recycling stash, indicate that the commercial rounds are remanufactured Freedom Munitions. The bullets are the same considering I only used Xtreme's plated (which is what is loaded in FM's 165 RNFP load).

Is there a way to tell what powder they used based on physical characteristics of the powder? I can identify the Power Pistol easily enough - and while I'm confessing having made some poor choices, I did NOT consolidate any powders or combine with their original containers - I'm mystified by this flaky, silvery powder that is not Power Pistol. It almost looks like a slightly larger Bullseye flake, but silver.

Any guesses?

 

[GLOOB]

You give a new definition to the term "plinking ammo!"

Just keep track of the power. Number of rounds pulled. Weigh it and divide by that number to figure out how much goes in each case. Then put that same amount back in when you remake that ammo, using the same bullets!

You could make an educated guess as to the powder type (it may not be cannister grade, even!) by the appearance, the density, the charge, and the resultant bullet velocity. But you will never know for sure.

Check your primers, carefully. There may be some reliable way to tell those rounds apart before you pull them? Put calipers on the case at at the case mouth and also at a few points below where the bullet seats and above the casehead. You might find some significant differences in any of these areas. For instance, your sizing die might be noticeably smaller/larger in diameter, causing more/less "coke bottle" behind the bullet. Or the OF'd cases might have a bulge at the top of the web. Or your taper crimp might be noticeably bigger/smaller than factory. If you're lucky, it will be a big enough difference to reliably measure with calipers. But you have to be confident that the differences are consistent as well as significant.

 

[B!ngoFuelUSN]

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B

 

[gamestalker]

If 10.4 grs. represents a significant over charge, I wouldn't even think twice about pulling them, and a few extra one's since you tossed them into a stash of 2K.

I would think it prudent to upgrade my process to include some type if fail safe from now on. Maybe you could visually inspect the charged cases prior to seating bullets, and also maybe throw every 4th onto a scale to verify the weight?

Sure beats the risk of a KB in your future.

GS