I had a rifle, Win Mod 70, chambered for the 338Win Magnum, brought to me yesterday and the owner, a newbie to the sport, claimed there was something wrong with it because he couldn't close the bolt on a chambered round.
I asked him to leave it with me overnight and I would look at it this afternoon.
I was thinking maybe a bullet jammed into the leade as he was ballsy enough to begin handloading right from the start, using tools and press, left to him by his deceased granfather. I have lots of time for young folks like that.
He was loading very light bullets, because he doesn't like recoil and the 338 Win Mag does have substantial recoil, that gets worse with bullets 225 grain and over. He was loading Barnes 185 grn TTSX at close to maximum velocity.
He's afflicted with ''magnumitis, lazerlike velocities and trajectories" Many of us were at 20.
I was actually surprised that he brought the rifle to me for something so simple as he could have pushed out a jammed bullet with a cleaning rod all by himself.
Still, he's new to the game and this past spring bought his first rifle and fired his first shot. Being a man, he refused to ask for help to learn how to handle such a rifle on the bench and how to use it properly in the field.
But he wasn't completely self confident to the point he wanted to attempt hand loading by reading instructions out of books or online and we all know what happens when we don't know the meaning of nomenclature.
He came to me for handloading instructions during the early spring, about two weeks before Bear season opened and brought the dies his grandfather had used. His grandmother sold off the rifle as she needed the cash, before finding out her grandson was interested.
That's the reason he ended up buying the 338 Win Mag. He wanted to do it all and because he had the 338 Win Mag tooling and a couple of hundred new brass, along with several hundred bullets of varying weights/designs, felt it would be his cheapest option.
Now to the topic of the thread.
I have dipped rubber coated brass rods of different diameters, so the 1/4 in rod would be used to push from the muzzle end to the obsruction at the leade.
It didn't feel solid when I tapped it but it wasn't soft either and it came out alright but required a harder tap with a rubber mallet, which usually isn't necessary when a bullet is seated to long and jammed hard into the leade as the weight of the rod will almost always free it up.
Well, it wasn't a jammed bullet.
It was a piece of dry tree branch appx 3 inches (6cm) long.
He had been out on his Quad Saturday and had the rifle in a side scabbard, with the bolt open. Somehow, a bit of dead Pine branch had found its way into the breech and down into the chamber and he hadn't seen it happen. When he went to the range on Sunday morning, was when he was surprised that he couldn't chamber a cartridge.
I've seen all sorts of things jammed into chambers and down barrels but I've never seen something as unlikely as this.
Of course there wasn't any damage done. Just a very unusual coincidence.
I suggested to him to remember his CORE training and PAL training to check the bore before putting the rifle in the safe or upon taking it out of the safe. Then again at the range before chambering or when taking the rifle out of the case on a hunt, etc.
He was as surprised as I was and decided that he would no longer ride with the bolt open. Not sure why he did that, but ?????
I just thought this was interesting and unusual.
You just never know what's going to happen when you least need it to.
I asked him to leave it with me overnight and I would look at it this afternoon.
I was thinking maybe a bullet jammed into the leade as he was ballsy enough to begin handloading right from the start, using tools and press, left to him by his deceased granfather. I have lots of time for young folks like that.
He was loading very light bullets, because he doesn't like recoil and the 338 Win Mag does have substantial recoil, that gets worse with bullets 225 grain and over. He was loading Barnes 185 grn TTSX at close to maximum velocity.
He's afflicted with ''magnumitis, lazerlike velocities and trajectories" Many of us were at 20.
I was actually surprised that he brought the rifle to me for something so simple as he could have pushed out a jammed bullet with a cleaning rod all by himself.
Still, he's new to the game and this past spring bought his first rifle and fired his first shot. Being a man, he refused to ask for help to learn how to handle such a rifle on the bench and how to use it properly in the field.
But he wasn't completely self confident to the point he wanted to attempt hand loading by reading instructions out of books or online and we all know what happens when we don't know the meaning of nomenclature.
He came to me for handloading instructions during the early spring, about two weeks before Bear season opened and brought the dies his grandfather had used. His grandmother sold off the rifle as she needed the cash, before finding out her grandson was interested.
That's the reason he ended up buying the 338 Win Mag. He wanted to do it all and because he had the 338 Win Mag tooling and a couple of hundred new brass, along with several hundred bullets of varying weights/designs, felt it would be his cheapest option.
Now to the topic of the thread.
I have dipped rubber coated brass rods of different diameters, so the 1/4 in rod would be used to push from the muzzle end to the obsruction at the leade.
It didn't feel solid when I tapped it but it wasn't soft either and it came out alright but required a harder tap with a rubber mallet, which usually isn't necessary when a bullet is seated to long and jammed hard into the leade as the weight of the rod will almost always free it up.
Well, it wasn't a jammed bullet.
It was a piece of dry tree branch appx 3 inches (6cm) long.
He had been out on his Quad Saturday and had the rifle in a side scabbard, with the bolt open. Somehow, a bit of dead Pine branch had found its way into the breech and down into the chamber and he hadn't seen it happen. When he went to the range on Sunday morning, was when he was surprised that he couldn't chamber a cartridge.
I've seen all sorts of things jammed into chambers and down barrels but I've never seen something as unlikely as this.
Of course there wasn't any damage done. Just a very unusual coincidence.
I suggested to him to remember his CORE training and PAL training to check the bore before putting the rifle in the safe or upon taking it out of the safe. Then again at the range before chambering or when taking the rifle out of the case on a hunt, etc.
He was as surprised as I was and decided that he would no longer ride with the bolt open. Not sure why he did that, but ?????
I just thought this was interesting and unusual.
You just never know what's going to happen when you least need it to.
Good thing he’s Got you Bearhunter ! RJ
RJ
