Quote:
Originally Posted by Titegroups
Detonation my ***. A simple double charge im sure. A reloader with maybe a little too much experience, getting up there in years and not willing to admit a bit less sharp than when they were when they were younger and making an error when charging a case. No need for long theories on a non existant phenomenon. Titegroup has a very high energy content per volume and therefore leaves little room error when loading. May I reccomend trail boss at the other end of the spectrum, about as foolproof as one gets and I bet nobody ever experiences a detonation with it.
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I have to agree with this conclusion. Everything I have read indicates that it's actually rather difficult to get Smokeless powders to actually Detonate. Basically, modern smokeless powders are sort of a High Octane propellant with a designed in resistance to Detonation (or "knocking). However looking at the case capacity of the 500 Magnum reveals that it's almost 3.4cc. According to my Lee Dipper chart 17 grains of Titegroup would use up just about 1.5cc of that 3.4cc volume. So, there is plenty of room in the case for a double charge of Titegroup. With a fast burning powder like Titegroup that can result in a rapid rise to pressure to levels that exceed the strength of the chamber containing the cartridge. Technically, this isn't a Detonation event because odds are that powder was actually burning properly, however it was an Over Pressure Event that did an impressive job of blowing up a rather expensive firearm.
This is one reason why I still like to use a single stage press. It allows me to satisfy my OCD tendencies and actually look into a tray of charged cases before setting the bullets in place.