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Had my first issue with reloads

1K views 28 replies 11 participants last post by  19trax95 
#1 ·
Well today at the range I had my first issue with one of my reloads. It was a 45 acp in my 1911. I fired 3 of the 5 that I loaded in the mag, and the 4th one was no recoil and quiet. So obviously recognizing a malfunction I cleared the gun and was able to see the back side of a bullet in the barrel from the open slide. When in was clearing it, all the un-burnt powder came out of the action, and the case had a good primer strike. So I'm not exactly sure what happened to cause this, but it seemed just like a case with no powder charge.

And before anyone says it, yes, it definitely had a correct powder charge. I know this for a fact because I double check every single case in my reload process. First check is when I drop the powder I look in to make sure it's in there. Then the second check is as I pick it up to press the bullet in, I look inside to again make sure the powder is in there and looks uniform as far as how much it filled the cased compared to the others.

Any one have any ideas as to what might have cause this? Bad primer maybe? I use cci primers.
 
#2 ·
Well today at the range I had my first issue with one of my reloads. It was a 45 acp in my 1911. I fired 3 of the 5 that I loaded in the mag, and the 4th one was no recoil and quiet. So obviously recognizing a malfunction I cleared the gun and was able to see the back side of a bullet in the barrel from the open slide. When in was clearing it, all the un-burnt powder came out of the action, and the case had a good primer strike. So I'm not exactly sure what happened to cause this, but it seemed just like a case with no powder charge.

And before anyone says it, yes, it definitely had a correct powder charge. I know this for a fact because I double check every single case in my reload process. First check is when I drop the powder I look in to make sure it's in there. Then the second check is as I pick it up to press the bullet in, I look inside to again make sure the powder is in there and looks uniform as far as how much it filled the cased compared to the others.

Any one have any ideas as to what might have cause this? Bad primer maybe? I use cci primers.
You check your ammo far better than I do, and I have had only one squib in almost 30 years of cartridge reloading.
 
#12 ·
I can't agree with blaming this on a high primer. The bullet and powder charge were both driven into the barrel by the primer discharge. For some reason the powder failed to ignite.[/QUOTE
I agree that the primer went off. It threw me when he said it was quiet. If the bullet is part way down the barrel, the primer definitely went off. Either the powder is damp, case was damp etc, or if he removed his primers before putting it in tumbling media. A small piece of media may have blocked the spark from getting to the powder, but was still able to move the bullet. We definitely need more info, but I agree that the primer went off!
 
#8 ·
Well today at the range I had my first issue with one of my reloads. It was a 45 acp in my 1911. I fired 3 of the 5 that I loaded in the mag, and the 4th one was no recoil and quiet. So obviously recognizing a malfunction I cleared the gun and was able to see the back side of a bullet in the barrel from the open slide. When in was clearing it, all the un-burnt powder came out of the action, and the case had a good primer strike. So I'm not exactly sure what happened to cause this, but it seemed just like a case with no powder charge.

And before anyone says it, yes, it definitely had a correct powder charge. I know this for a fact because I double check every single case in my reload process. First check is when I drop the powder I look in to make sure it's in there. Then the second check is as I pick it up to press the bullet in, I look inside to again make sure the powder is in there and looks uniform as far as how much it filled the cased compared to the others.

Any one have any ideas as to what might have cause this? Bad primer maybe? I use cci primers.
It sounds like a bad primer. Be very careful that you are storing them in an area that can't pick up moisture including humidity
 
#10 ·
I don't lube my pistol brass. Here is my setup and my routine.

Rock chucker press with Lee dies. Rcbs hand priming tool.

I decap and size the brass first then dry tumble it to clean it up. When I take it out if the tumbler, I check over each case to make sure it's the right caliber and it is in good shape.

Then I prime the cases and arrange them in my loading tray, primer up so I can see which ones are primed and which aren't.

Next I bell the cases and charge with powder and they go into the second loading tray open end up obviously and when I have them all in there, I check to make sure they all have a uniform powder charge.

After that, I press the bullets in, checking for powder on each one I pick up right before I set the bullet on the case.

Finally I inspect the finished round for damage or other abnormalities, and measure the OAL. If every 5th round, just to be sure it isn't changing at all. Then they go into my boxes for storage or the range.

I store my primers in an ammo can with some decicant in there. And the powder is sealed in its container.

And to note, of the 300 i shot today, this was the only one that was bad. The rest were of the same batch made one day ago, and all were fine.
 
#11 ·
I don't lube my pistol brass. Here is my setup and my routine.

Rock chucker press with Lee dies. Rcbs hand priming tool.

I decap and size the brass first then dry tumble it to clean it up. When I take it out if the tumbler, I check over each case to make sure it's the right caliber and it is in good shape.

Then I prime the cases and arrange them in my loading tray, primer up so I can see which ones are primed and which aren't.

Next I bell the cases and charge with powder and they go into the second loading tray open end up obviously and when I have them all in there, I check to make sure they all have a uniform powder charge.

After that, I press the bullets in, checking for powder on each one I pick up right before I set the bullet on the case.

Finally I inspect the finished round for damage or other abnormalities, and measure the OAL. If every 5th round, just to be sure it isn't changing at all. Then they go into my boxes for storage or the range.

I store my primers in an ammo can with some decicant in there. And the powder is sealed in its container.

And to note, of the 300 i shot today, this was the only one that was bad. The rest were of the same batch made one day ago, and all were fine.
You sound like a very careful reloader.
 
#13 ·
Yeah I have seen a barrel get budged and cracked from reloads and I don't want that to happen so I use caution. It doesn't take long to check the stuff so I do it.

Now the tumbling media in the primer hole is a good chance now that I think about it.

The bullet was just barely in the rifling it tapped out fairly easy with a dowel. But was definitely in the rifling as it had the marks on the bullet.
 
#16 ·
Why did the bullet come out of the case if no ignition?
Something doesn't add up.
 
#17 ·
The primer can go off, but if a piece of tumbling media is in the hole, it blocks it from igniting the powder. He said in his procedures, that he decaps the cases before putting it in the tumbling media. When I was taught to reload, I was advised against this, for this reason. It is very easy to miss this tiny blockage.
 
#20 ·
This would make using a SS press even more painful, but on my RL550, for types of reloading in which I tumble again after sizing & decapping, I use a universal decapping die in position 1 just to make sure the flash hole is clear.

If you're decapping and sizing before tumbling (i.e. resizing dirty brass), I'd say "you're doing it wrong". Tumble first, then size/decap and proceed with the other steps. If you're tumbling, sizing/decapping, then tumbling again, I'd say you're going a little overboard with the tumbling. Once (before sizing/decapping) should suffice.
 
#21 ·
The O.P. never established that the primer had detonated. Just that it had been struck.
O.P.: Do you have dial calipers? What is the cartridge overall length?
What is the diameter at the mouth of your 'crimped' cartridges.
Because, it sound to me more like the round was too long and is getting lodged in the lands (beyond the chamber). Then, because the gun was not cleanly in battery or a primer was not seated properly, there was a misfire. When the round was ejected, the bullet stayed in the lands (possible because the case mouth diameter was too wide and there was no crimp or maybe just because it was jammed into the lands).
 
#22 ·
H
If the primer popped the bullet out, then it popped the obstruction out and the powder would have ignited. I'm not buying this.
How long do y
The O.P. never established that the primer had detonated. Just that it had been struck.
O.P.: Do you have dial calipers? What is the cartridge overall length?
What is the diameter at the mouth of your 'crimped' cartridges.
Because, it sound to me more like the round was too long and is getting lodged in the lands (beyond the chamber). Then, because the gun was not cleanly in battery or a primer was not seated properly, there was a misfire. When the round was ejected, the bullet stayed in the lands (possible because the case mouth diameter was too wide and there was no crimp or maybe just because it was jammed into the lands).
I think the reason people are assuming the primer detonated, is because the bullet was part way down the barrel. I have seen loads where there was no powder and the primer will send the bullet part way down the barrel. The primer actually gets the bullet moving with or without powder. When a bullet is fired with no powder, or if the powder in this case doesn't ignite, the shot does sound quiet compared to a normal round.
 
#23 ·
Ok. As long as you are saying there was a pop. You can inspect the primer pocket (and primer) when you deprime the case.
 
#24 ·
The primer must have detonated. And like I mentioned there was powder in it because it spilled out when I racked the slide.

My OAL is 1.26" they are all the same and all worked great except this one round. They all plunk test fine. I can get exact measurements of the crimp if need be.
 
#25 ·
In our experiments developing loads for the .375 Socom, we had a similar Kaboom. The bullet was gone, lots of unburned powder dumped into the magazine and action and the front of the case was ruptured. After long examination, t6hree of us found the anvil within the primer was installed backwards which obstructed the flash hole.

The primer was installed correctly but I dug the anvil out of the primer pocket myself. It was in the pocket backwards and effectively blocked the touch hole. It was obvious that the explosive event occurred outside of the chamber.

Some of the powder must have ignited to cause the case rupture, but most was unburned.

Conclusion......defective primer. Remedy.......... when flipping the primers before putting them in the press, visually inspect for reversed anvil. Chances of that happening again are very remote.

Flash
 
#28 ·
I have had an identical experience with 45acp. If I recall correctly the load was a very slow powder (AA#9) and a 230 gr. bullet. It was a compressed load that I was playing with. It went pop and didn't cycle, I dropped the mag and gently cycled the slide. The case still had some chunks of compressed powder in it and the bullet was stuck about an inch into the bore.

I know that #9 likes to have a good crimp when I use it in 44 mag, and figured that evidently I couldn't achieve that in 45.

So I blamed it on this not being a good combination and quit playing with it.
But I've always wondered how a primer goes off with enough force to push a bullet into the bore and not ignite the powder.

OP, what load were you working with?
 
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