Wow!
I just read all 4 pages of this. My bet is on cases not being properly prepped, as in too long, causing the chamber to bind on the neck of a load that was crimped. Add this to some idiot who thinks he can make bullets go faster by dumping in more powder than the loading manual says (They're just guidelines anyway ).The result is a lot of pressure which can't go down the barrel because the bullet/case/chamber are in an interference fit and KABOOM. This wreck like a lot of airplane crashes was caused by a lot of things that stacked up. Goes to show that pushing things to the limits sometimes means that you will end up beyond them.

I have read most of the comments.There is much talk about too much powder.

A few months ago a guy blew up his rifle at my Range. It turned out to be too little powder.He was trying to make light loads.

The powder had too little volume to fill the brass except for a layer on the 'bottom' of the brass when the rifle was held norizontally for firing.

This resulted in an "explosion" instead of a progresive burn.

berylh

quote:

... a guy blew up his rifle at my Range. It turned out to be too little powder.He was trying to make light loads.

Would you know what powder he was using? The actual load? Thanks.

303 Guy,

Sorry, I do not.
It has been about a year now and do not know how to get that info.

A side note.I usually used the Bench next to the one he used during the blew up. I usually set up at about Noon but for some reason I stopped and had lunch, by the time I arrived he was on his way to Emergency. He had some cuts,etc but ended up O K. Glad I was not next to him since pieces blew all over the place.

berylh

quote:

Originally posted by berylh:
I have read most of the comments.There is much talk about too much powder.

A few months ago a guy blew up his rifle at my Range. It turned out to be too little powder.He was trying to make light loads.

The powder had too little volume to fill the brass except for a layer on the 'bottom' of the brass when the rifle was held norizontally for firing.

This resulted in an "explosion" instead of a progresive burn.

berylh

IIRC there was an article about this in one of the shooting mags back in the last century. That's why reloading manuals have starting loads as well as max's. If you go below the starting loads, you run the risk of blowing things up. Something to do with too much oxygen in the case? Maybe one of our more learned bretheren can enlighten us?

If the barrel did not "blow up", but the reciever, stock etc. "scattered" then most likely the case let go.

One of the most common "blow" ups I have seen is when you fire a 270 Winchester cartridge in a 270 Weatherby rifle. Since the smaller case is not suported by the much larger Weatherby chamber the case "lets go", and the rifle "scatters".
The barrel is usually still intact.

The 270 Win has less ressure than the 270 WBY, but the uncontained excaping gas, wrecks the action, stock, etc.

I repaired Ruger 77 in 7mm mag the fellow shot a 270 Win round in it.It screwed upm the stock and the floorplate didn't hurt him,but it was put back in service it didn't blow the reciever.Good Luck

berylh,
That sounds to be a similar situation that many PPC pistol shooters report as being the cause of some of their .357Mag. revolvers blowing up while using Bullseye powder in very small quantities (like 2 grains) in their .38 target loads...
The theory is that since that small of a volume of powder is resting on the side of the case (with the gun held in the shooting position), well below the flash-hole, that the exposed top surface of the powder gets "too much" of the flash from primer detonation so the whole exposed surface of the powder lights all at once instead of being a progressive "burn" as the powder gets lit at one end of the powder column and pushed out of the case and down the bore...
Now, Alliant (the makers of Bullseye) says that they have never been able to reproduce these detonations in the lab. BUT, one thing about this pistol powder is that it is THE fastest burning smokeless powder available to reloaders, so who knows??? I highly doubt that a slower-rifle grade powder would be nearly as susceptible to a similar type of "detonation" problem. It IS kinda ironic on how Alliant makes Bullseye as well as Reloder 25 (which is what my KABOOM guy was using) isn't it?

In the case of the .300RUM that blew up next to me, I KNOW that the shooter had the powder to the "max" as he was trying to squeek EVERYTHING he could out of that caliber. Funny, Alliant now lists a suggested load of 88grains of powder behind 200g projos in .300RUM on their website....

All you guys seem to think that case preparation (or lack thereof) is a curprit behind this KABOOM I experienced... I am beginning to think that you are all 100% correct now... The other day, the guy that blew up this .300RUM ( I still talk with him; we are members of the same sports-car-club) posted a question to a bunch of shooters/reloaders in the car club about ".. do you need to lubricate .223 & .308 cases when reloading those calibers with carbide dies?"

I almost crapped my pants! Isn't the lubricating of bottle-necked cases for sizing just about Rule #1 for reloading, whether you are using carbide dies or not??? This REALLY makes me wonder WTF he did to these .300RUM rounds that he loaded!!! He may not have lubed them and that last one flew apart upon firing, just like you guys suggested may have happened!!!

Thanks again for the thoughts guys... The reasons behind this KABOOM have been bugging me ever since it happened... As if the 3 years of continual ear ringing isn't bad enough!!!

quote:

Originally posted by PJS50:
..".. do you need to lubricate .223 & .308 cases when reloading those calibers with carbide dies?"

I almost crapped my pants! Isn't the lubricating of bottle-necked cases for sizing just about Rule #1 for reloading, whether you are using carbide dies or not???

Actually, Yes and NO, with TiN or carbide dies you do not need to lubricate, according to some makers. Well, everyone but dillon, that is. Dillion says yes you should. I dont lube straight cases, do lube bottlenecks, but that's for ease of resizing more than anything else

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewp...productnumber=630528

quote:

All Lee straight sided pistol dies have carbide sizers. The solid carbide insert is ground to a special contour that does not leave the belt mark on the case. No case lubricant is needed and will actually burnish the case to improve the finish. Will never wear out.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewp...productnumber=664316

quote:

•Titanium nitride coated sizing ring eliminates the need for lubricating cases.

jeffeosso,

Respectfully, as I noted before, .223 and .308 are not straight-walled cases so they do require lubrication, (especially when full-length sizing) unless you want to do a lot of unnecessary case-stressing during the sizing process. This it true whether the dies are carbide or not...

On straight walled cases, like the 2 that you sent links to (.38/.357 & 45 Colt), with carbide dies (or minimally TiN coated dies), those do not require any lubrication, and personally, I myself have never lubricated any of those calibers as such. I reload .38/.357, 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP, .44Mag. and .454 Casull and none of those rounds get any case-lube for sizing because I only use carbide pistol dies...

On bottleneck cases, they always get lube, even if it's just at the neck, like when I neck size only on my match .50BMG rounds and my .300 Win.Mag. rounds. Neck sizing only can be done with bolt-guns where the cases are sorted carefully and only get fired out of one rifle...

Full length sizing bottleneck cases without any lubrication is a great way to get a case stuck in a sizing die, and even if you do get it out in one piece, it's probably trashed from all of the force it took to free it....

If you do not lube the inside of the neck the
resizer can pull the neck forward. If the mouth
of the case is pressed shut it is a blow-up
condition. That is the reason that a 8x57, if
it chambers, will likely blow a 30/06.
Good luck!

PJS,
you are, without a doubt, correct .. I have never used a dillon for 223/308, nor carbide dies for bottlenecks .. My only experience with the coated dies are 45colt and 10MM ... oh, and my 500 jeffe, but that was a "freebie" to have it tin coated, and I still lube those!

Lee says in his book that "clean" pistol cases need lubrication even with carbide dies, it's only "dirty" cases which don't need lubrication.Apparently firing residue provides enough lubrication with these dies. I have found this to be true of all coated pistol dies even the Redding Titanium carbide ones. In my experience the Hornady TiN coated dies need the least lubrication. I don't know how you could resize bottleneck rifle cases even in carbide dies without lubrication unless they had lots of residue on them and even then the risk of sticking would be quite high.

Back about twenty plus years ago, I had a bad experience with a can of IMR 4831. I had a case show some REAL bad pressure signs to the point where the M-700 extractor could not pull it out of the chamber. The bolt had to be pounded open with my fist. After pulling a few bullets from some of my reloaded cases, I and my G-smith found that the IMR 4831 powder had ball powder mixed in with it. For what ever reason, the ball powder settled to the bottom of my scale pan to where it wasn't readily noticable yet it poured out of a freshly opened can from the top. This was back during the days when Du Pont owned Remington/IMR. Since then I have not been a big fan of Remington or IMR.

Did anyone think to pull the bullets from the remaing rounds and check for wrong powder or heavy loads? After reading this I will be extra carefull reloading my 300 RUM. I have always taken Factory Ammo to Africa with me, but planned on taking reloads in July when I go. Now I'm rethinking that?

quote:

After reading this I will be extra carefull reloading my 300 RUM. I have always taken Factory Ammo to Africa with me, but planned on taking reloads in July when I go. Now I'm rethinking that?

I'd strongly recommend that this thread not sway that decision. It wouldn't keep me from taking handloads ever!

quote:

Originally posted by larrys01:
... I have always taken Factory Ammo to Africa with me, but planned on taking reloads in July when I go. Now I'm rethinking that?

Are you using Blue Dot Reduced Loads???

quote:

Are you using Blue Dot Reduced Loads???

No, Why are you?

Where's that emoticon with the knife stuck in it's back?

quote:

Originally posted by larrys01:

quote:

Are you using Blue Dot Reduced Loads???

No, Why are you?

Ahhhhhh - Nope!!!

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

After reading this I will be extra carefull reloading my 300 RUM. I have always taken Factory Ammo to Africa with me, but planned on taking reloads in July when I go. Now I'm rethinking that?

I'd strongly recommend that this thread not sway that decision. It wouldn't keep me from taking handloads ever!

I agree with Vapordog... I wouldn't hesitate in relying on my own handloads and neither should you, UNLESS you are the type the is trying to get a .300RUM to be as potent as a .338 Lapua... In which case, you had better be wearing a blast shield and a kevlar body suit... LoL....