Rifle Myths and Mysteries

[Longwalker]

Sometimes, probably not often, mysterious overpressure handloads could be a result of components, not operator error.

I once found that a Hornady bullet stuck in my bullet seating die when reloading a batch or .308 Ammn inspection it actually turned out to be a .312" bullet, item # 3120 instead fo the expected .308 150 grain bullet item #3031. They are two bullets in the Hornady line that are identical except for diameter. It came from a sealed box, and I'd never purchased that style of .303 bullet in the past. I contacted Hornady with lot nos. and explanation, their response was basically - we make millions of bullets, occasionally "chit happens" .

I was loading a max. charge of powder in those .308 cases. Don't like to think how much stress I would have put on my rifle pushing an oversize bullet down its bore. Probably not good anyway.

 

[tokguy]

Good thread idea.

Like when bullets "go to sleep" and become more accurate at distances beyond 100 yards.

Yeah I recall reading of a great elephant hunter who used an 6.5 x 54...the writer claimed that the long bullets were unstable til past 200. Over thinking it most likely.

 

[Dogleg]

Bet you don't. There are some loads/bullets that will shoot smaller groups in terms of minute of angle at longer range than at shorter ranges, but there is no way any bullet from any gun can find its way back toward the line of sight after it has deviated from it. It's one of the more ridiculous myths that it could.

I’d take that bet. Its easily explained by a parallax issue.

 

[brybenn]

Biggest myth ive heard is "i know what im doing. Been doing it for 40 years"

Went to sight in a rifle with a buddy. He brought a guy he was going to go hunting with. After meeting this other older idiot he told me all his ammo is handloaded. Watching him miss a fridge several times at 100 paces my buddy asked him to let me try. First shot i took with this guys nice sako 270 felt like my 300wm. I went to open the bolt and it was very stiff. I said the loads are no good and i wouldnt shoot anymore. He #####ed and whined and said his line that he knows what hes doing. He grabbed more ammo and walked half way to the target on a fridge and i heard an awful pop and saw white smoke pour from his action. Once we got the action hammered open the bolt face was severely damaged and the wood on each side of the action was split. I noticed his loaded ammo when he set it down. I grabbed his last 10 rounds and told my buddy if he were to hunt with this guy to buy factory ammo for his next rifle and stay away from him

It looks like the loads were loaded with pliers. The bullets are misshaped and the poly tipped bullet is in tight way to deep. I keep these rounds in my safe as a reminder to not have faith in humanity

 

[pzkw108]

Bet you don't. There are some loads/bullets that will shoot smaller groups in terms of minute of angle at longer range than at shorter ranges, but there is no way any bullet from any gun can find its way back toward the line of sight after it has deviated from it. It's one of the more ridiculous myths that it could.

YES there is a way any bullet from any gun can find its way back toward the line of sight after it has deviated from it.

ANd it's cause by the pitch and the yaw angle of the not yet stabilized projectile.

I will let Brian Litz ( Ballistic engineer at Burger bullets ) explain it to you !!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH9SCbCBHaY

 

[pete dobinson]

I was told by an older guy that he was the best shot in the reserves. He went on about shooting a 2" group. I thought he had said 200 yds which to me sounded reasonable, then he said he shot it offhand. I replied , you shot a 2" group offhand at 200 yards, he then replied, 2000 yards. What do you say to someone like that, I just laughed. He obviously believed his own bs.

 

[Buckmastr]

I was told by an older guy that he was the best shot in the reserves. He went on about shooting a 2" group. I thought he had said 200 yds which to me sounded reasonable, then he said he shot it offhand. I replied , you shot a 2" group offhand at 200 yards, he then replied, 2000 yards. What do you say to someone like that, I just laughed. He obviously believed his own bs.

Haha!

 

[Gatehouse]

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Biggest myth ive heard is "i know what im doing. Been doing it for 40 years"

Went to sight in a rifle with a buddy. He brought a guy he was going to go hunting with. After meeting this other older idiot he told me all his ammo is handloaded. Watching him miss a fridge several times at 100 paces my buddy asked him to let me try. First shot i took with this guys nice sako 270 felt like my 300wm. I went to open the bolt and it was very stiff. I said the loads are no good and i wouldnt shoot anymore. He #####ed and whined and said his line that he knows what hes doing. He grabbed more ammo and walked half way to the target on a fridge and i heard an awful pop and saw white smoke pour from his action. Once we got the action hammered open the bolt face was severely damaged and the wood on each side of the action was split. I noticed his loaded ammo when he set it down. I grabbed his last 10 rounds and told my buddy if he were to hunt with this guy to buy factory ammo for his next rifle and stay away from him

It looks like the loads were loaded with pliers. The bullets are misshaped and the poly tipped bullet is in tight way to deep. I keep these rounds in my safe as a reminder to not have faith in humanity

Those are some sweet looking rounds!

 

[Sharps '74]

I was told by an older guy that he was the best shot in the reserves. He went on about shooting a 2" group. I thought he had said 200 yds which to me sounded reasonable, then he said he shot it offhand. I replied , you shot a 2" group offhand at 200 yards, he then replied, 2000 yards. What do you say to someone like that, I just laughed. He obviously believed his own bs.

Challenge him to prove it.

 

[Sharps '74]

I have heard more than a few people claim that a 30-30 won't kill a moose.

I knew a collector that had in his rack a '94 in 25-35. It belonged to a well known Chilcotin Cowboy. I asked "Why a 25-35?" Answer - "'Cause it was what the Red Stone General Store had on the shelf at the time.

The guy was reputed to have shot everything up to Grizzlies with it.

 

[Dave in Calgary]

"It looks like the loads were loaded with pliers. The bullets are misshaped and the poly tipped bullet is in tight way to deep. "

Actually, they look like they were pulled from something else with pliers, then jammed into these cases. No telling what the actual diameter would be, just that these are not the correct bullets.

 

[Ardent]

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Biggest myth ive heard is "i know what im doing. Been doing it for 40 years"

Went to sight in a rifle with a buddy. He brought a guy he was going to go hunting with. After meeting this other older idiot he told me all his ammo is handloaded. Watching him miss a fridge several times at 100 paces my buddy asked him to let me try. First shot i took with this guys nice sako 270 felt like my 300wm. I went to open the bolt and it was very stiff. I said the loads are no good and i wouldnt shoot anymore. He #####ed and whined and said his line that he knows what hes doing. He grabbed more ammo and walked half way to the target on a fridge and i heard an awful pop and saw white smoke pour from his action. Once we got the action hammered open the bolt face was severely damaged and the wood on each side of the action was split. I noticed his loaded ammo when he set it down. I grabbed his last 10 rounds and told my buddy if he were to hunt with this guy to buy factory ammo for his next rifle and stay away from him

It looks like the loads were loaded with pliers. The bullets are misshaped and the poly tipped bullet is in tight way to deep. I keep these rounds in my safe as a reminder to not have faith in humanity

Absolutely astounding.

 

[Sharps '74]

OK - here's a can of worms .....

Low serial numbered 1903 Springfields - safe to shoot or not ..... ?

 

[Pickles]

How about "brush bucking" bullets?
Shoot moose through trees!

 

[WereWeasel]

Give a Facebook page called NB hunters a read; I can barely breathe sometimes from the myths grown men still choose to believe after all we know today when it comes to firearms and ballistics.
I had a gentleman tell me to never shoot old (as in literally old not corroded) brass ammo because brass is bad for growing over time. Then another gentleman chimes in and says he throws out more ammo do to old age rather than risk firing it.
What is old age you may ask? According to those two 3-5 years.

Where do you even start to correct that logic?

 

[DOUGLAS D]

Wow!
I’m still shooting rounds I loaded back in the late 1980’s
Maybe if I wait a few more years the 300 win mags will grow into 300 H&H

 

[rral22]

YES there is a way any bullet from any gun can find its way back toward the line of sight after it has deviated from it.

ANd it's cause by the pitch and the yaw angle of the not yet stabilized projectile.

I will let Brian Litz ( Ballistic engineer at Burger bullets ) explain it to you !!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH9SCbCBHaY

Well, I stand corrected. Although it seems to me you are arguing is that it is possible that the random Yaw and Pitch gyrations of an unstabilized bullet can, by chance, make it wander back into the line of sight at some point in it's inaccurate and unrepeatable flight. Unstable bullets are not accurate bullets at any range, and a 2" group at 100 will never make a smaller group at long range except by weird fluke. A 2 minute of angle load may actually be able to shoot 1.5 minutes of angle at 300 yards, but a 2MOA group at 100 is about 2". A 1.5 minute of angle group at 300 yards is over 4 inches. The actual group size will not shrink as you get farther from the barrel.

 

[soltic]

Or being able to shoot into space.........
Rob

Almost, Bull’s HARP gun tried, great reading and no doubt he was assassinated over his Babylon project....

When I was a kid used to visit the HARP gun and the other stuff that was left that they used to test ballistics with, visited it again 2 years ago, great / interesting history that Barbados does not advertise.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_HARP

http://www.astronautix.com/a/abriefhistoheharpproject.html

 

[Tokay444]

YES there is a way any bullet from any gun can find its way back toward the line of sight after it has deviated from it.

ANd it's cause by the pitch and the yaw angle of the not yet stabilized projectile.

I will let Brian Litz ( Ballistic engineer at Burger bullets ) explain it to you !!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH9SCbCBHaY

That’s not what that is showing at all. In fact, Litz is so confident it’s impossible to shoot a smaller group at distance than at 100, he’s got money to give to anyone who can do it.
Shoot through a piece of paper at 100 yard increments from to 800, and the groups will only ever get bigger.
Notice how the bullet only ever gets further away from point of aim?
The cross hair on the left isn’t point of aim. It’s the bullet’s horizontal axis.

 

[Ardent]

How about "brush bucking" bullets?
Shoot moose through trees!

That’s a good one too. I remember an article that blew apart that myth for me, turns out in reality a .270 and a .45-70 do the same thing through brush and are equally deflected.