Thread: Guns blown, persons damaged- powder misadventures- examples

Just remember everything posted here is more ammunition for those who wish to stop us using firearms.......

We are humans we make mistakes, that is the nature of us.....some of us learn, some not so much......Darwin was onto something....

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

given powder in big container and told what it was....fella who gave it to me was my reloading mentor and used to buy 3-4 tins of same batch and put it in bigger container....

Broke one of the basic rules. Luckily, it didn't go bad.
Never use powder in a container you not 100% on and only have one powder out at a time when reloading.
I often had powder arrive with rifles I've brought, I've got no problem throwing it away having seen results of of it going wrong.

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Cousins cheap Brazilian 12 gauge single shot

Chamber blew out bottom and tore off most of inside wrist

Chamber was massively out of concentric to barrel exterior
Top of chamber three times as thick as bottom

POS shotgun

Originally Posted by gundoc

In my career as a gunsmith I got to see a great many examples of damage caused by poor handloading and sheer carelessness, buckled, bent, and blown guns, shattered stocks, and a surprising lack of bodily injury in most cases. The wrong powder in rifles, and double charges in pistols being the most common, all of which were completely avoidable with good loading practice. Being distracted by other people during setting up, or during the operation, gives good reason to do it by yourself with a clear head and no distractions.

Ive heard of people doing handloading and watching tv. Buggerd if I could concentrate doing that...

These stories are why I've given up trying to perfect my 12g lee 1oz slug loads. Published load data produces too much recoil for my shoulder, tried all the unpublished data and internet data opinions and recoil just gets worse and really sketchy. Probably sell the mold? 690 RB loads are less problematic and feel a lot safer.

I've got a good mate, who blew up, his custom made Fair 16ga shotgun, when the Mec Hydraulic auto loader, put in a double charge, he gave me the autoloader, and I have had it double charge on me, so it is packed away, and i just load 16ga on a sizemaster,
I know of a few others, who have destroyed rifles, one was a plugged barrel, with mud, and a 338 laupua that had bits scattered, for 10 m at local range, wrong powder.
I have had 17 hornet and 260 factory ammo, blow primers and stick, so even factory ammo can be to hot for sum firearms,
Like all tools, use them incorrectly, they are capable of inflicting a nasty scare, or injury.

As Gunsmith one tends to see some pretty odd things happen to good people. 300BLK fired in a 223, 308 fired in a 270(odly enough without much damage!),

Customer destroyed new rifle, by shooting someone elses reloads in it, someone stored a slower burning propellant in a fast burners tin....then used it to reload some ammo for a calibre that uses the faster stuff. (would have been catastrophic if done the other way around.)

Grand dads shitty and very inaccurate 270, turned out to be a 3006(customer brought "a 270" in as the projectiles was hitting the target side on, a few days later I got round to cleaning the barrel, recut the crown and bedded the rifle. After test firing I called him to collect, the rifle was shooting sub MOA at 100.

He was very surprized to be handed half a pack of 3006 ammo.

Originally Posted by Three O'Three

These stories are why I've given up trying to perfect my 12g lee 1oz slug loads. Published load data produces too much recoil for my shoulder, tried all the unpublished data and internet data opinions and recoil just gets worse and really sketchy. Probably sell the mold? 690 RB loads are less problematic and feel a lot safer.

Only the one shotgun? Checked the forcing cone and choke for compatibility with the slug? The 1oz slug in theory shouldn't have any more boot than the equivalent 1oz shot load - but I know it doesn't quite work like that. Mate was wanting to shoot slugs out of one of his guns, and felt it booted like a pissed off clydesdale. Gunny told him not to use that gun with slugs, barrel not compatible...

Originally Posted by Three O'Three

These stories are why I've given up trying to perfect my 12g lee 1oz slug loads. Published load data produces too much recoil for my shoulder, tried all the unpublished data and internet data opinions and recoil just gets worse and really sketchy. Probably sell the mold? 690 RB loads are less problematic and feel a lot safer.

did you try taking off wad petals and filling base of your slug with hard silicon...leaving everything else the same as equivilent shot load???/