S&W 29-2 KaBoom Heavy Pic Warning

Highly unlikely as factories use powders that will fill the case and also have quality control that looks for any abberations, ie a cartridge that is to heavy or light. That being said I have had a couple of factory rounds that were sans powder so nothing is for sure.
 
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Not crimping in a wheel gun can cause a round to go off in an adjacent cylinder, especially mixed up, high milage casings. I use 231 in my .44 and its easy to double load.(most likely the reason) A stuck bullet can do it as well. Did the fourth round recoil?...Did your buddy hit the paper with the fifth shot.
I think about 18 plus grains of 231 will come close to or exceed 36 000 psi. Cast bullets at 240 grs should be loaded with 6 grs of 231 not 9.1. I've had two guns explode in my hands in 25 years. Funny, thing is both were revolvers and i was at fault, due to improper loads...maybe get another powder that you can't double charge. Oh, i quess you need another gun first.:redface:
If your not sure about a load...get your wife to try it first.:D
 
RePete said:
The problem is, the round that you need to see isn't there. It went the way of the topstrap.

I would say that there was a double charge.
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RIGHT!........I agree 100%.......The load was OK........the powder charge in that particular case (the one that went into orbit with the top strap) wasn't.......it was a multiple charge as a result of powder "hanging up" in the powder tube....one case will be empty & the other will have a double charge.

If the load itself was too HOT there'd likely be excess pressure signs apparent on the other fired cases.......evidence of gas leakage past primer....unduly flat primer faces....maybe "brass flow" on case face causing some obscuration of the embedded lettering & "brass flow" into the primer cavity.

All else being relatively equal.....I like using low density bulky powder loads that come close to filling the case for loading pistol cartridges on progressive presses because of the possibility of multiple charges with high density powders. Win 231 is a higher density Winchester ball powder. I would think that Win 231 would be a tad too "fast" for the .44 Mag. I like H-4227, Win 296, H-110, Hercules Blue Dot for the .44Mag.


Life Memberships: NRA, GOA, CSSA, NFA, OFAH
CCW Permits: Utah, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maine
 
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Glad your friend is okay. Firearms can be replaced even though it may hurt the pocket book. My primary pistol powder is Tightgroup which can easily be double charged and I used to check every round's powder charge but stopped lately to increase 'output' but I think I'm going back to checking every round. All it takes is one..........
 
jamiejaf said:
Not crimping in a wheel gun can cause a round to go off in an adjacent cylinder, especially mixed up, high milage casings. I use 231 in my .44 and its easy to double load.(most likely the reason) A stuck bullet can do it as well. Did the fourth round recoil?...Did your buddy hit the paper with the fifth shot.
I think about 18 plus grains of 231 will come close to or exceed 36 000 psi. Cast bullets at 240 grs should be loaded with 6 grs of 231 not 9.1. I've had two guns explode in my hands in 25 years. Funny, thing is both were revolvers and i was at fault, due to improper loads...maybe get another powder that you can't double charge. Oh, i quess you need another gun first.:redface:
If your not sure about a load...get your wife to try it first.:D
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You are giving out dangerous information, regarding a load of W231 in the 44 mag.
From Winchester's own little loading book:

240 grain cast bullet, 11 grains of 231, pressure, 38,000.

Also, I can't figure out how insufficient crimping can cause another round in the cylinder to fire. I have often had a round in the cylinder move the bullet forward, when the cartridge under the hammer is fired. The bullet usually comes out just enough to prevent the cylinder from turning.
Silhouette shooters using revolvers, always carry a short dowel and a light mallet in their kits, so they can quickly tap the bullet back in, and continue shooting within the time limit.
 
Paulinski said:
Nothing wrong with progressive press but I visually inspect each case after it was filled with powder. Slows the production a bit but I have my reassurance.
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If you're reloading for some of the shooting disciplines where you might shoot hundreds of rounds a day then a progressive is the only way.

I always liked the Dillon presses.

Reloading is no activity that a careless person should be engaging in. If you make a mistake & aren't as lucky as the poster of this thread the next thing you might be holding with a handle is a white cane.

I can't stress the importance of top quality shooting glasses with safety lenses enough..........saved my eyesight when an ancient Iver Johnson 12 gauge decided to catastrophically disintegrate in my hands. The doc hauled a couple of hunks of shrapnel out of my forehead........lucky thing my head is solid bone.

When developing loads you start with the manuals minimum load and work your way up..........don't just load a batch with the maximum load to save a little powder & a few primers & bullets like a couple of my friends do who I consider lucky to have all their body parts still attached to them.

Careful case inspection with a magnifying glass is essential.....I do it right after they come out of the tumbler when defects & splits will be more conspicuous. If you find a bad case IMMEDIATELY crunch the end with a pair of pliers so it doesn't find its way back into a batch of "good" cases.

Until replacement bionic eyes & other body parts are available I'll be super careful when I'm hand loading ammo.

Life Memberships: NRA, GOA, CSSA, NFA, OFAH
CCW Permits: Utah, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maine
 
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