Anyone else had this happen?

Stonecrusher

Stonecrusher

Active Member
Another first for me recently. I was starting to work with my 1958 Winchester M94 in 30-30 and loaded a few rounds up to see if it had promise.

At the range I fired ten rounds of the Lee 311-90 1R over 5.0 grns Unique to get some Ben's Red distributed through the barrel. Then I had 5 rounds of Lyman 311041 over 25.0 grns H-4895. Both loads stayed under 2" at fifty yds with groups about 8" apart but let me know that an aperature sight is in my future.

The cartridges came out of the box and were fired then went back in the box so when I went to load them I just wiped them off and gave a cursory inspection. During the sizing I thought I heard something rattle in one of the cases and found this gas check.

Gas checks were made by me out of .014" Amerimax in my homemade checkmaker and crimp on snugly. I have been using these for the past several years with no problems. Am still trying to figure out how it came off the base of the bullet when it the seating depth had it in the neck of the case. I have used quite a lot of them in 30-06 with the check below the case neck and have never had any problems. I could see one of these coming off and staying in the case.

Pics of the critter below. The hole is from the decapping pin of course. Only thing out of the ordinary I could see is that there is a little half moon about .015" deep on one side from where I didn't move the strip over far enough when puching the checks. Is it possible that this caused a leak path allowing the gas to get under the check and blow it off?

Sorry for crappy pics.

Check Base.JPG Check Inside.JPG
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
New one to me, too. Haven't shot all that many aluminum checks, though, maybe only a couple hundred.
 
3

35 shooter

Well-Known Member
What surprises me is that it stayed in the case and didn't get blown out the bbl.That's the first i've ever heard of that happening, although i have heard reports of a check stuck in the bbl. before, but that was with the old Lyman checks that didn't crimp on.

I've shot thousands of homemade al .014" checks. Some were extruded on one side because the material was too thick for the checkmaker in that cal., and others had the little divet you spoke of on one side,which is normal for some of the checkmakers per cal. and material thickness.....never had a problem with any of it.

I guess it could happen if the divet side didn't cover the base of the bullet on that side enough to crimp on, or allow blow by?
Still....surprised it stayed in the case.

Just glad to hear nothing major happened to you or the gun and your ok!!
 
Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
That is new to me !
I've shot a " bazillion " .014 Al , .30 cal. gas checks.
Never a problem.

Ben
 
Stonecrusher

Stonecrusher

Active Member
If it's weird, it will happen to me.

I have never heard of it either. I am sure the checks weren't doubled up. That is residue inside the check. It apparently was inside the case during at least part of the burn. How it came off while trapped int the neck amazes me.

There was no damage of any kind. All five rounds even went in the group.
 
RicinYakima

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
I'm betting on quicksylver's answer. When I ran an accuracy test on Al vs Cu vs guilding metal checks, there were several of the AL checks stuck together. Because I was weight sorting bullets before and after checked & lube, they were found by the electric scale. My though is also that there were two and the bottom one fell into the case upon seating.
 
Stonecrusher

Stonecrusher

Active Member
I suppose it is possible I had two doubled up, but I don't see how. The checks won't fit inside each other and I install the checks and size in a push thru sizer nose first then lube in my Lyman 450. Never had one come off before, that I know of. The bullets that I have recovered from the berm still have the checks attached unless they hit the dirt at an extreme angle and you could see where they were pulled off from the dirt dragging on one side.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
fiver said:
the aluminum.
a round shank.
Click to expand...

My thoughts as well. That one sprung going through the neck and fell off in the powder charge. With no pressure differential on either side of the check, it just rattled around inside the case and let all the powder blow out. The rush of burning powder going out behind the bullet doesn't always flush the case out like some may think. Suppressors are an education in case evacuation, or lack thereof.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
sucked in neck dents is also proof of it.
the 54R round is famous for creating those.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
when you fire the round the case expanded open.
the check 'fell off' into the case and the boolit flew out the barrel.
[it wasn't on the shank very well to begin with]
 
F

freebullet

Guest
One other theory....

I've pushed some checks off in the star when the lube had to much pressure on it. Hydraulic pressure can do it.

Had some boogery pan lubed 357's push themselves out of the cases a little once. It seemed like the trapped lube was breaking the crimp and letting the bullets come up a bit.

Have had a floating seater get gunked up and re-extract the bullet just a little bit, messing up the coal.
 
Stonecrusher

Stonecrusher

Active Member
fiver said:
when you fire the round the case expanded open.
the check 'fell off' into the case and the boolit flew out the barrel.
[it wasn't on the shank very well to begin with]
Click to expand...
Got you. That is along the lines of what I was thinking of in regards to the little notch helping this to happen.
Never had it happen before.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
Proof of gas passing the bullet while it's still in the case neck. The dents are from gas making a u-turn at the mouth and pressurizing the neck from the chamber side. Lead washed out on the outside of the neck is also proof of that happening.
 
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