My confidence in my loading ability is completely shot

[RON in PA]

Glad to hear that you and your Springfield are ok.

While a double charge seems a reasonable explanation, is it possible that you didn't double charge, but ran into a bad case that blew on firing?

 

[mtnbkr]

Ron,

I'm sure Mike wishes that were the case (no pun intended), but the case was trashed. Not only was the side blown out just above the web, but the case head was warped and egg shaped. The primer was blown out and the flashhole enlarged and egg shapped. I don't see how that much damage could occur from a simple brass failure. I could be wrong though...


Sludge,

NC boy here too. My family's from the Goldsboro area.

Chris

 

[Mike Irwin]

Ron,

MTNBKR's assessment of the situation is correct. There's simply NO way that it was a weakened case head.

In those situations, where the case simply ruptures, that's usually all that happens in a handgun as the gas vents fairly quickly. Normally no real fireworks to speak of.

In this case, the primer was completely and totally gone, the primer cup was egg shaped and a LOT bigger than normal, the flash hole had enlarged by about 75%, the case head had blown own and showed lots of evidence of brass flowing, and the head stamp is almost completely erased.

Thiswas, without a doubt, an overcharge.

 

[Sheldon]

Hey Mike I have had the same thing happen once before as well, with the same result as yours. I had it happen in a Colt Gold Cup with a Barsto barrel. Case blew out at the web and the magazine baseplate blew out. I was using Pachmayer (sp?) grips which have a steel liner in them so I had no harm done to my hands. When the shot went off I remember a cloud of gas hitting my face and immediately thought....Superface (named for "major" rated 38 Super loads that would sometimes blow the cases from the overpressure). The pistol locked up with the case just coming out of the chamber. I tapped the case out and everything else was fine. I still have the case.

I reloaded that round on a Dillon 550B and even remembered when it happened. It was a nickle plated 45 ACP casing and when I looked to verify the powder level I saw it looked high, but almost as fast attributed that to the illusion of the reflection in the very shiny case walls.....big mistake. Something must have happened that broke my rhythm in reloading and I must have double charged that case......so my 5.0 gr of so of Bullseye turned to 10.0 grains or so.....ouch.

 

[Mal H]

OK, everybody here who measured a double load of 231 into a .45 ACP case to see what it looked like, raise your hand.

I did and I was surprised to see that there was still plenty of room for the bullet. You have to look sharp to catch the double loads and even sharper to catch a load and a half. When I'm checking a tray of filled cases, I look at an angle so that the top of the powder is just visible and in line with the edge of the case. That way you have a good reference and can spot both overfills and underfills.

 

[Edward429451]

Sure did. My main powder for 45 is 231.

 

[Steve Smith]

While a lockout die will work, it seems almost silly on a press that requires a manual turn for every round when only one die is in use at a time. No offense to Mike at all, but a skipped step happens easily, and if you remember to use the lockout die, you might as well just look in the damned case. Alternatively...


Mike, I am NOT throwing this in your face...I am genuinely glad you're ok, and I just have a thought for you. If you are really concerned about this happening again, I would suggest that you consider a fully automated press such as a D650 and use the powder check die. This way there is a significantly smaller chance of a mistake during the loading process.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Mal,

Yep, I did the "what does 10 grains of 231 in a .45 case" look like, and was sorely surprised.


Steve,

I know you're not throwing it in my face (if anything, I'm surprised you're not throwing the fact that this happened with a Lee disk measure in my face ).

Truly, though, given that I've been reloading essentially the same way for 25 years, I don't think one double charge is all that bad. Yes, quite a shock, but I'm not sure if it really warrants a couple hundred for a Hornaday L&L or a Square Deal B, or even more for a 650.

 

[BrokenPaw]

Mike,

Have you reloaded any more rounds since the incident occured? Of not, go do some as soon as possible. Getting back in the saddle (so to speak) is an important thing.

I'm not a reloader (yet), so I don't speak from direct experience, but in any potentially-risky activity, if you have an accident or make a mistake, it's important to go back and do more of the activity, carefully, as soon as it's safe to do so, because that way the mishap is not the last memory you have of the activity.

The longer the mishap festers, the more damage it can do to your confidence.

Just my thoughts, worth what you've paid for them...

-BP

 

[Steve Smith]

I don't know if an SDB is auto-indexing, but yeah...what I was getting at is that an auto-indexing progressive with a powder check die is severl steps ahead when it comes to consistency and trust. Again, not throwing this at you...just a thought.

 

[Mal H]

" ... and was sorely surprised"

Mike - was that a Freudian slip?

 

[Mike Irwin]

Steve,

Yes, the SDB is fully automatic.


Mal, no.

I was sore, and I was surprised, not necessarily in that order.