Quote:
Originally Posted by scooter123
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.
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I totally forgot about this thread until it was brought back from the dead...
YES, Scooter & Titegroup, smokeless powder (especially the faster ones or the single nitro-based slower ones; like the ones made for .50cal/20mm) ARE cap-sensitive (they
will detonate with the right frequency "punch" to start the detonation wave). I'm not sure how easy it is to do, but it can happen.
I owe this info to Jellybean as well...
I called my friend where I first read about the above facts, the book you want to look up is called:
New & Improved C-4
Author: Ragnar Benson
Publisher: Paladin Press
ISBN#: 0-87364-839-0
In that book the author says that the powder
itself (he specifically mentions Bullseye), with a cap to initiate it, makes an explosive equivalent in speed to military grade TNT.
After I heard about this, I often wondered if the guys who blew up smaller framed .357 revolvers with extremely light PPC loads of Bullseye, accidentally put together the "just right" set of circumstances to cause that powder to detonate???
It only makes sense that detonation actually occured in these cases because a couple of grains of Bullseye should never create enough pressure to explode a .357Mag. cylinder, should it?