amlevin
Member
The other day I was at the range shooting my AR. The load was 27.8 grains of AA2230 under a winchester bulk 55gr FMJ-BT. Sort of an M-193 pretender load.
While shooting, the rangemaster came in and stopped me. He asked what I was shooting as I was creating a shower of sparks from the bullet trap. He thought I had SS-109's and the steel was causing the sparking. The winchester projectiles, as far as I know, are lead that is swaged into a copper jacket.
Every shot was throwing a large spark back onto the floor, much like someone striking a zippo lighter and having the flint shower sparks.
The only thing I could think of was that there was a lot of buildup of unburned powder residue and carbon on the bullet traps. These traps are the type with verticle apetures, steel plates slanted to the apeture, knife edge blades separating each "section" and the bullets are directed into a vertical "scroll" that slows and traps the bullet. There is a lot of air that is drawn through the trap and if there is powder residue and carbon that has collected on the surface, that 3150 fps bullet may be igniting it and splashing it all over. Just my thoughts. Any other Ideas or answers out there?
Just curious.
While shooting, the rangemaster came in and stopped me. He asked what I was shooting as I was creating a shower of sparks from the bullet trap. He thought I had SS-109's and the steel was causing the sparking. The winchester projectiles, as far as I know, are lead that is swaged into a copper jacket.
Every shot was throwing a large spark back onto the floor, much like someone striking a zippo lighter and having the flint shower sparks.
The only thing I could think of was that there was a lot of buildup of unburned powder residue and carbon on the bullet traps. These traps are the type with verticle apetures, steel plates slanted to the apeture, knife edge blades separating each "section" and the bullets are directed into a vertical "scroll" that slows and traps the bullet. There is a lot of air that is drawn through the trap and if there is powder residue and carbon that has collected on the surface, that 3150 fps bullet may be igniting it and splashing it all over. Just my thoughts. Any other Ideas or answers out there?
Just curious.