Compressed loads

I pulled some 7 mm-08's the other day because I didn't know what they were. I suppose I could have just shot them but I wasn't going to be at the range for a bit and just wanted to get rid of them.
A few of them were compressed loads and the powder was stuck together and I had to use a nail to get the powder to dump. These may have been 10 years old or more.
 
billbmcleod said:
I pulled some 7 mm-08's the other day because I didn't know what they were. I suppose I could have just shot them but I wasn't going to be at the range for a bit and just wanted to get rid of them.
A few of them were compressed loads and the powder was stuck together and I had to use a nail to get the powder to dump. These may have been 10 years old or more.
Click to expand...

Do you know what kind of powder it was by any chance? Extruded or ball?
 
billbmcleod said:
I pulled some 7 mm-08's the other day because I didn't know what they were. I suppose I could have just shot them but I wasn't going to be at the range for a bit and just wanted to get rid of them.
A few of them were compressed loads and the powder was stuck together and I had to use a nail to get the powder to dump. These may have been 10 years old or more.
Click to expand...

I've had that, what a nightmare

I pulled apart one of Federal's discontinued "High Energy" 30-06 factory loads. It was a 165gr Bear Claw, the powder was 70 grains of a ball powder, it came out of the case in chunks. Had to scrape it out with a small screwdriver. Definitely very compressed!
 
Buckmastr said:
So the powder is so compressed it becomes a solid block of powder in the case, that somehow creates additional pressure when it hits the rifling? This is difficult to imagine.
Click to expand...

There is a point in the firing of a cartridge where the powder charge is a molten mass , and when the pressure builds high enough that blockage holds until a bore size plug blows out and down the barrel. Its a fairly interesting micro second.
 
My drop tube is 12" long and it helps make a heavily compressed load into a lightly compressed load. I only compress stick powders, not ball powder, and only with light compression. (Never loaded pistol flake powder no I have no opinion on compressing that.) Anything more than a little crunch at the bottom of the stroke is too much for my comfort. I've tried heavily compressed loads where the bullet won't stay seated even long enough to get a crimp on it with the Lee Factory Crimp die. This is no bueno. It was a slow powder and not over book max but I can't imagine it's good for accuracy or reliability. Especially if you're loading close to the lands or close to magazine length!
 
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