I am loading for a new 35 Whelen using unfired brass sized in an RCBS full length die. I use 53.5 gr of IMR 4064 with a 250 Hornady Rnd nose. Primer is Fed large rifle (NOT mag). After shooting a round the brass is extremely hot to the touch coming out of the rifle (rem 7600). Any ideas why? The max load is listed at 55.0 gr. for this powder. I have never experienced thhis with any other cartridge before. Thanks.
Considering you just had a controlled explosion inside a brass tube,it's gonna be hot.Try shooting the rifle prone from your left shoulder and have a case land inside your shirt collar and you'll find out what hot really is.(Happened to me in Basic Training twenty five years ago and I can still smell the flesh burning ) Howard
If you're shooting it out of a pump gun (M7600), try leaving the action closed for a few seconds after firing, rather than immediately jacking the empty round out.
The barrel/action/bolt will act as a heat sink, absorbing some of the heat.
That's the reason that brass is so hot coming out of a semi-auto pistol, or an AR-15/M-16, etc. It is out of the gun before it loses any of it's heat.
An empty 223 case out of a bolt gun, shooting an identical load, will be much cooler than the same case ejected from an AR-15.
You are ejecting the brass before the heat can be absorbed by the barrel. An autoloader ejects even hotter brass. If you cycle a bolt gun quickly you will get hot brass. Ed
Coldbore hit it on the nose. I shot two BAR's in .300 Win mag for years ago that would eject brass to hot to handle. The same load in my Model 70 jacked as quickly as possible was easy to handle with not much noticable heat. It is hard to understand that the barrel absorbs that much heat but it does.
Posts: 2376 | Location: KY | Registered: 22 September 2004
Quote: If you're shooting it out of a pump gun (M7600), try leaving the action closed for a few seconds after firing, rather than immediately jacking the empty round out. The barrel/action/bolt will act as a heat sink, absorbing some of the heat.
That's the reason that brass is so hot coming out of a semi-auto pistol, or an AR-15/M-16, etc. It is out of the gun before it loses any of it's heat.
An empty 223 case out of a bolt gun, shooting an identical load, will be much cooler than the same case ejected from an AR-15.
I agree. I've seen this a lot with semi-autos, where the case is jerked right out of the chamber. But slower actions tend to produce cooler cases on extraction. I'd guess you are operating your pump action pretty fast.
I've had the same experience as you with exactly the same load and rifle. If I shoot the same load in my M700 Classic the case is not hot at all. With the M7600's the bolt partially opens as soon as it is fired which I think contributes to the situation as explained by the other posters.
Your load is safe...and a good one.
WN
Posts: 249 | Location: Northeast WI | Registered: 30 June 2003
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