Had an "OH S*&%#@ !"

jgh4445

jgh4445

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Had just discovered the best load for my 25-06 with 110 Accubonds and decided to see what I could work up with 85Grain Ballistic tips. Cute little buggers. The Nosler manual showed a max load of 57 gr of RL 19, a non-mag primer and a COAL of 3.090. It was the only load shown for 85 gr and RL 19. It even states it is the most accurate powder tested. I thought, no, I'm not gonna start at max, I'll reduce to 53 and work up. Worked up in .2 gr increments as is my habit and saw no pressure signs whatsoever. Got to 56 gr and fired, reloaded and fired again. This time the bolt seemed stuck. When I did get it opened, It only pulled out the bottom quarter inch of the brass including the rim. Primer was flattened. Didn't double charge cause this is about a 98% load. I weighed each charge on my digital Dillon. Must have not inspected the brass close enough. Maybe it was bad and I missed it. I acquired it in a trade and thought I had really looked closely at all of it. Oh well, now a trip to the smith to get the rest of the case out of the chamber and an old lesson reinforced...double check the brass and then check again. Ya'll be careful out there! Hodgdon's last hardback manual shows 57.3 as max for comparison. Glad I didn't start at max!
UPDATE: Got the case out of the chamber with no problem.
 
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Had just discovered the best load for my 25-06 with 110 Accubonds and decided to see what I could work up with 85Grain Ballistic tips. Cute little buggers. The Nosler manual showed a max load of 57 gr of RL 19, a non-mag primer and a COAL of 3.090. It was the only load shown for 85 gr and RL 19. It even states it is the most accurate powder tested. I thought, no, I'm not gonna start at max, I'll reduce to 53 and work up. Worked up in .2 gr increments as is my habit and saw no pressure signs whatsoever. Got to 56 gr and fired, reloaded and fired again. This time the bolt seemed stuck. When I did get it opened, It only pulled out the bottom quarter inch of the brass including the rim. Primer was flattened. Didn't double charge cause this is about a 98% load. I weighed each charge on my digital Dillon. Must have not inspected the brass close enough. Maybe it was bad and I missed it. I acquired it in a trade and thought I had really looked closely at all of it. Oh well, now a trip to the smith to get the rest of the case out of the chamber and an old lesson reinforced...double check the brass and then check again. Ya'll be careful out there! Hodgdon's last hardback manual shows 57.3 as max for comparison. Glad I didn't start at max!
UPDATE: Got the case out of the chamber with no problem.
 
I'm glad it wasn't any worse. Double glad you weren't injured.
My father loaded up some 22-250 ammo for a semi custom M70 of mine and the first one was way out of spec. Primer pocket is quite large on the case and the bolt took awhile to get open.
That can of powder went bye bye.
We were both there when the ammo was loaded, it was the right charge. Maybe the powder was too old.
 
How did you check? The easiest/cheapest way to check for insipent head seperation is to use a wire or straightened out paper clip with the tip sharpened and then bent at 90 degrees.

Put the clip in to the bottom of the case and then pull it back with the sharpened wired dragging the inside wall of the case, if the sharpened tip "catches"" while trying to withdraw the clip/wire, throw the case away.

Insert a 22 caliber rob from the breach end of the barrel/rifle. AT the muzzle attach a 270 or maybe even a 30-06 brass brush and drap it back through the bore. It won't hurt the barrel and every once and a while you get lucky and it brings the broken case along when it comes out.

RWT
 
head separation is often from the inside out. when in doubt, staighten a paper clip with a hook at the end. slide it up and down towards the bottom of the case. you should feel the problem before it gets that bad.
 
Didn't have one of those paper clip thingies...I do now. Thanks for the tip. Checked 'em all out and tried again at the range today. No problems. Thanks to all for the responses.
 
How are you adjusting your dies? You can cause case head separations if you have a maximum dimension chamber, and a minimum dimension sizing die. I had that problem with one 30-06 I own. If I adjusted my sizing die by setting it to touch the shell holder, then down a bit more so the press spung over center as per the instructions that came with the dies, I could never get more than 4 reloads with a case before I got a case head separation. A person should get at least ten reloads before the case mouth splits. Your cases should NEVER fail by the heads separating. You should adjust your dies as per the instructions in P.O Ackley's books, or by the instructions that come with the RCBS Precision Mic. This is assuming you are only shooting those cases out of one rifle. You set your die so the bolt just closes easily on a sized case. Don't size any more than that. If you are shooting the same cases/ammunition out of more than one rifle, then you MUST adjust your sizing die so the cases will fit in the rifle with the smallest chamber. This will compromise case life if they are shot in a rifle with a larger chamber. The best thing to do is to segregate your cases so they are only used in a specific rifle.
 
I suggest you take a few measurements of a "Normal" fired case; either a Factory load or one with new brass and see how your chamber compares to a Factory round of ammo. The .25-06 has a very bad habit of 'stretching' out pretty quickly; especially with anything close to max loadings. If you're only using one rifle, I'd invest in a neck sizing die and use that according to the instructions. Also, I've made it my personal habit NOT to use anybodys' give-a-ways. There's a reason they are getting rid of them and it usually isn't a good one. Brass just isn't that expensive even right now. I don't know how much your Gunsmith charged you to remove the rest of the case but if you figure in how much time and trouble you now have invested in that one case - well - it's likely to be pretty pricey!!!
 
By the way, be VERY careful where you buy your brass. I've seen dealers who would pick up range brass, even old overused stuff that was ready for the trash, put it in a tumbler, then sell it as once fired. For the same reason, when you have old, tired brass that has been shot gobs of times, don't just leave it on the ground after shooting it. Smash it absolutely flat first, so it is impossible to make it useable, then toss it in the trash or take it to some place that takes brass for recycling. Even old tired brass looks brand new after being run through a tumbler.
 
Any easy way to get the remainder of the brass case out of the chamber is to run a cleaning rod with a bore brush attached through the stuck case & pull back. It should come out really easy. Might save you a trip to the smith.
 
Thanks for all the replies. KKG, I have the sizing die set to only neck size. Davwingman, Got the case out with no problem.All my brass is segregated and the number of reloads recorded. I just didn't do a good job of checking the brass that I traded for. Lesson learned.
 
I have the sizing die set to only neck size.
Click to expand...

Been there,done that, and it causes a real problem.

Partial sizing with a full length die, will partially size the body.

The result is the case shoulder will be pushed forward, resulting in zero headspace (case head to datum point), or the round will not chamber at all. Not good when you're looking at something with teeth.

It's MUCH better to use a dedicated neck sizing die, which does not contact the body of the case.

If you continue with this procedure, at least run your finished rounds through the rifle, to insure that they will chamber easily.
 
Good point John. Neck sizing set on the way. Needed a new seater anyway 'cause the 75 and 85 grain need to be seated a bit differently than the 110 accubond. Ordering a neck sizing set kills two birds with one stone.
 
If this is a varmint and target rifle, neck sizing is OK, but if you are going to use this rifle for big game hunting, then you should be full length resizing to assure positive functioning. Full length resizing doesn't have to shove your case shoulder back so far that you are causing head separations after just a few reloads. The easiest way to adjust your full length resizing die is to buy an RCBS Precision Mic for 25-06, then adjust your die according to the instructions. Basically, you measure a case fired in that particular rifle in the Precision Mic. Then you adjust your sizing die so that a resized case measures .002 smaller than the fired dimension in your Precision Mic. Then, as long as you seat your bullets to the proper depth, you will have reloads that will always chamber in your rifle, but you will get excellent case life.
 
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