Ever wonder if....

[Brad]

Ever wonder if a primer can really move the bullet in a significant way?

My wife and I were at the range yesterday. She was shooting 38s in my GP100. The bullet is a Lee 158 swc. She got one that didn't have any powder. She is experienced enough to know to stop.




Yo can easily see that not only did the bullet escape the crimp it jammed tightly in the forcing cone. It required a brass rod and a few taps with a dead blow to get it out. You can see that the front band and part of the second band engaged the rifling.

Does a primer move the bullet? Uh, yeah, it sure does.

 

[Ian]

Had one of those recently myself in the AR-45. looked just about the same. Good for you your wife is savvy to malfunctions and didn't blow it up.

Two things I find interesting: Lube is still intact and the base looks like it's off-center in the forcing cone.

 

[fiver]

yep that's about as close as I come to slugging a barrel.
load shoot tap back out aaand throw the calipers on them.
yes I said calipers.
I don't care about 6 decimals to the right all I need to know is if my calipers say .400 on the squished part and .401 on the boolit that went in there.
if I got that I'm good.

 

[fiver]

you know that lube looks awful storebought..

 

[Brad]

Those are lubed with Tompson hard lube. You know, blue parrafin.

I hadn't noticed the off center. I will go back and look at the bullet again and see if the rifling marks show the same.

 

[Brad]

you know that lube looks awful storebought..

It is.

 

[Ian]

I have a hollow stick of that BA stuff, it would probably register a valid reading with my Lee hardness tester.

 

[Brad]

It requires heat to flow. Use too much heat in a Star and it goes everywhere. Just trust me on that one.

I may use it as a base for a future lube. Maybe mix that and CR and add a little oil or Vaseline.

 

[Ian]

Mix it with CR and add a LOT of Vaseline and a splash of that 90wt gear oil you have. Both of those lubes are very dry and hard, the Vaseline will soften it and help spread out the phase shift while the oil will give it some glide. A little beeswax addition probably wouldn't hurt, either. Whatever you do, don't add grease.

 

[Josh]

Well there is a catch to that, it is all depending on case volume, in most pistol cases it surely has the energy to move a bullet. I had a 416 Rigby with no powder, the primer didn't have the oomph to move a 450 gr cast bullet through the crimp. I think there is a lot determined by case volume.

 

[Brad]

Good point Josh.
I wonder what happens in a 30-30 or 308?
I am willing to bet this happens in pretty much any straight walled handgun cartridge.

 

[Josh]

I have had similar experience as you in straight wall cases, as for a 30-30 or 308 size case... ya think we could get Ben to pop one on purpose?

 

[fiver]

I have had 223's not move too much too.
the primer only has so much power, up close it's strong but weight and distance slow it's affects down a ton.
I think the shoulders on many of the cases block it's affect too.

actually that micro-wax stuff will soak up mineral oil and ester oils pretty well.
it was what I mixed with the GEL [ivory and mineral oil 1 to 3] in the initial trials, it soaked that stuff up like water and wanted more.
give a tsp of the AC ester oil a go, it should add about 6 miles of slide to the wax without making it too mushy.

 

[Ben]

Ever wonder if a primer can really move the bullet in a significant way?

My wife and I were at the range yesterday. She was shooting 38s in my GP100. The bullet is a Lee 158 swc. She got one that didn't have any powder. She is experienced enough to know to stop.


View attachment 1756
View attachment 1757
Yo can easily see that not only did the bullet escape the crimp it jammed tightly in the forcing cone. It required a brass rod and a few taps with a dead blow to get it out. You can see that the front band and part of the second band engaged the rifling.

Does a primer move the bullet? Uh, yeah, it sure does.

I'm sorry to say, I've had this very thing happen to me a couple of times.

Ben

 

[freebullet]

Had a 38spcl with Lee 140 swc not leave a 2" bbl with a win spp.
A colt 45acp w/5" bbl using Lee 200rf & tula lpp exited the bbl. Lee 125 2r will exit a 4" 9mm bbl with mag or small rifle primers. They all sound like a cap gun.

 

[9.3X62AL]

No wondering required here--I had a "powder-free" 25/20 WCF reload park a jacketed Speer 75 grain flatnose about 3" up-bore from the throat in my Marlin 1894CL, primer was a CCI 400. An iron-clad Main Street (expletives deleted) to dislodge that bullet, too.

 

[Brad]

Stuck bullets are so much better when they are cast lead.

 

[Paden]

Well there is a catch to that, it is all depending on case volume, in most pistol cases it surely has the energy to move a bullet. I had a 416 Rigby with no powder, the primer didn't have the oomph to move a 450 gr cast bullet through the crimp. I think there is a lot determined by case volume.

Good point Josh.
I wonder what happens in a 30-30 or 308?
I am willing to bet this happens in pretty much any straight walled handgun cartridge.

FWIW, a GM150M primer will move the .45 Colt 347 grain bullet in my avatar just far enough to firmly contact the lands...which in my gun leaves lots of bullet still in the throat.

 

[9.3X62AL]

Stuck bullets are so much better when they are cast lead.

Right you are......

 

[Brad]

I would prefer having bullet still in the throat. Tying up the gun prevents, or at least makes it harder to, fire another round with an obstruction.

Most people don't realize the power of a primer.