Five minute safety talk. Warning, do not duplicate.

[Pulp]

A safety lesson I wanted to share with the group.

Last week a co-worker brought me a little sample of APP. He wanted me to chronograph it out of my T/C Hawken. So I gathered up some Goex FFg, FFFg, Pryo RS and P, and Triple 7, FFg and FFFg to do a bit of experimenting.
I was using a .490 round ball for all shots, and a 4.3cc Lee dipper for powder charges.
I don't have my notes with me, so the velocities are kinda from memory. These are two shot averages.
Goex FFg 1400fps
APP 900fps
777 FFg 2010fps, one shot WHAT? Chrono must have misread.
Pyro RS 1400
Pryo P 1500
777 FFFg 1600.
I go back to the 777FFg, there's no way it could be that much faster than anything else. Next shot is 1990fps. Something is bad wrong.

Here's the warning signs that I ignored:
1. when pouring the powder into the dipper, I noticed it had some shiny flecks in it. "I don't remember that from the last time"
2. extreme velocity on the first shot.

Both of these should have rang a warning bell, especially after the first shot, but I ignored them and shot it again.

OK, here's what I think happened. Last year I was reloading some .44-40 with Hodgdon's Tite Group. When I finished, I apparently dumped the Tite-Group into the 777 container.

1. I violated one of the prime rules of reloading safety.
2. I ignored the odd appearance of the powder
3. I ignored the extreme velocity of the first shot, chalked it up to a bad chrono reading.

So I reckon God does look out for idiots, and I have a new respect for my T/C Hawken rifle. I'm sure glad I was using small charges.

 

[Aries-]

i am assuming what saved you from a big bad thing happening is that the particals of (im asuming smokeless) were spread out in the 777, so it exploding was padded by the 777, probably sounded diff, and kicked like a mule.

i cant say wether it would hurt or not.

glad it didnt end in something bad. you may need to replace the nipple if its not a platinum nipple.

 

[Seancass]

heck, if it didnt break it, maybe you have a new target load

 

[Mark whiz]

Glad things had a good ending.

BTW, the readings you got on APP pretty much parallels what I've found with APP (or the older version Clean Shot) - it's 10 to 20% weaker than Pyro RS or 2fg Triple Se7en.

 

[Gewehr98]

Now that's one hell of a duplex load!

I use 5.0gr of WW231 underneath the main charge of 65.0gr Goex Cartridge in my .45-70 Sharps. It gives me a hotter fire with less fouling, but still plenty of BP smoke and BP accuracy, as well as BP velocities.

Glad you figured out what happened before something worse transpired.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I certainly won't try that at home. Thankfully you had a modern steel barrel. If it had been damascus, your gun certainly would have gone KaBoom! You did a good service in sharing this with us. Thank you.

 

[Rachen]

So what was it anyway???

Did you find out what was the "specks" in the 777? Was it smokeless powder?
Just curious to know, because I admire Triple 7 for delivering super-velocity..........almost like modern smokeless. Velocity is directly proportional to muzzle energy and if you are after that great grizzly.................get the picture?

 

[Pulp]

I'm pretty sure it was TiteGroup.