Did you know..................

oldrodder

oldrodder

CGN Regular
Rating - 99.6%
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Location
Sudbury, ON
..................that fired .22 cases contain enough residual priming compound to make things very interesting when they get into your molten lead pot? Yes, I know that!!! What I didn't know was that 2 of the little critters got into
a small can of scrap lead that I keep in the loading room to collect scrap swaging lead. I was in the garage this PM casting cores in preparation to making another run of .224 bullets. My can of scrap only had about 2 -3 lbs of scrap lead in it so after a quick visual, into the pot it goes.................bang........bang!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's amazing how fast my nearly 70 year old carcass can move when in fear of being baptised by the tinsel fairy! The only damage was a wounded pride and the necessity of an underwear change! Prudence, prudence, always prudence!
Mike
 
I remember when I first got into reloading I was using Lee Classic Loaders because I didn't have a press yet. Things went fine for the better part of a year until one night while seating primers I managed to set a total of three off. That was it. My nerves just couldn't hack it. I saved and bought a couple single stage presses! I'm much more relaxed now.
 
Watch out for old plated bullets too if you are melting range scrap. If there isn't a break in the plating somewhere, the pressure caused by it melting results in interesting molten fountains.

Auggie D.
 
handofzeus said:
I remember when I first got into reloading I was using Lee Classic Loaders because I didn't have a press yet. Things went fine for the better part of a year until one night while seating primers I managed to set a total of three off. That was it. My nerves just couldn't hack it. I saved and bought a couple single stage presses! I'm much more relaxed now.
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Had a very similar experience with a progressive with primer feeder years ago. Was wearing safety glasses, but hearing protection, and I'll tell you! My ears rang for a good couple of hours after that. Gave up reloading not too long after due to a couple of squibs (that very fortunately did not lead to KB's! :) )
 
Great news that you are ok. What are you shooting at using .22 lead bullets? Targets, small game, ??? How do they shoot, and what do you shoot them out of? What kind of loads do you use? Sorry, just a curious george, and haven't come across anyone loading .224" lead bullets before. Do they foul the barrel if you shoot them fast?
Thanks, and sorry for the partial hijack!!
 
oldrodder said:
..................that fired .22 cases contain enough residual priming compound to make things very interesting when they get into your molten lead pot? Yes, I know that!!! What I didn't know was that 2 of the little critters got into
a small can of scrap lead that I keep in the loading room to collect scrap swaging lead. I was in the garage this PM casting cores in preparation to making another run of .224 bullets. My can of scrap only had about 2 -3 lbs of scrap lead in it so after a quick visual, into the pot it goes.................bang........bang!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's amazing how fast my nearly 70 year old carcass can move when in fear of being baptised by the tinsel fairy! The only damage was a wounded pride and the necessity of an underwear change! Prudence, prudence, always prudence!
Mike
Click to expand...
Hahahahahaha ... busted a gut picturing a bunch of old guys running out of there exploding shop.
 
sgt.rock said:
Great news that you are ok. What are you shooting at using .22 lead bullets? Targets, small game, ??? How do they shoot, and what do you shoot them out of? What kind of loads do you use? Sorry, just a curious george, and haven't come across anyone loading .224" lead bullets before. Do they foul the barrel if you shoot them fast?
Thanks, and sorry for the partial hijack!!
Click to expand...
I use fired rimfire cases to make jackets that are swaged into .224 bullets. I use them in my .222, 5.56 and 22-250. Because the jackets are so light, it's best to keep them below 3000 fps. This is a new batch and I haven't shot any yet.
I bought the dies around 1970 or so and used sparingly. The bullets shot reasonably well as I recall, good enough for "minute of groundhog", for sure. I've been reading about swaging lately on different forums and I realized all the things I did wrong back then. I will post results as I test various bullets.
Pictured are a tub of cast cores and a tub of completed bullets.


 
legi0n said:
more likely there was moisture inside the cases.
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I spent my working life in a nickel smelter here in Sudbury and I'm VERY aware of the hazards of water/moisture around hot (molten) metal. There were two sharp cracks as I was dumping the scrap in. I've had "tinsel fairy" visits in the past and I know that sound. In retrospect, it might have been 2 live primers that found their way in the scrap can. In any case, it was a lively 2 seconds!!!!!
Thanks to all for your comments. Prudence, always prudence!!!
Mike
 
At our club's indoor range we sweep the cement floor after every session and collect all (22LR) brass for recycling. There's inevitably a small pile of grit together with the brass, and we once lit a match to it- WHOOSH! So definitely some of the powder and/ or primer remains behind after firing.
 
Metman2 said:
At our club's indoor range we sweep the cement floor after every session and collect all (22LR) brass for recycling. There's inevitably a small pile of grit together with the brass, and we once lit a match to it- WHOOSH! So definitely some of the powder and/ or primer remains behind after firing.
Click to expand...

I'll only believe this when I see it.
I tried to light up "unburned powder" residue collected from a shotgun barrel and that thing didn't burn.
I concluded at the time that the high pressure and temperature must have altered the chemical composition of the (unburned) powder.
 
i could see it happening with all the dust put together from a day's worth several shooters, but if it was 22lr only, i don't see it happening, or being alot. but stranger things have happened...
 
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