SmallCaliberCentral

Guys i have a few questions that reared there head on a recent hunting trip!!

A mate who has a total of five trips up his sleeve let me in on a few things

Could a reload with in the guide lines or very close too them, be fired from one new( or rifle in perfect working order) rifle and work.
Then the same load fired from another new ( or rifle in perfect working order) Rifle and BLOW IT UP ( I think not ) but as i have not yet reloaded could not give a 100 % answer?????


2. Could a load that was under loaded blow up a new ( or rifle in perfect working order) ???? ( again i thought not)

Thanks in advance

Mick....

aussiemick,

Regarding your first question, I highly doubt it. Having said that, every reloading manual I have (and they date back to 1972) suggests that you start at the lower powder levels and work up to the maximum for your particular firearm, watching for signs of excessive pressure.

Regarding your second question, the cause for firearm blow-ups has long been thought to be due to ammo loaded with very light powder levels. The theory goes like this:
When the cartridge is loaded with minimal powder, instead of a normal load which would nearly fill the case, the powder lies along the bottom of the case when the round is horizontal in the chamber of the firearm. When the primer is fired, the flame travels over the top of the powder, igniting it all at once instead of the powder burning progressively as it would in a normal load. The result of all of the powder being ignited at once is a high pressure spike which could blow up the gun.

Basically the answer to both is YES.
Gun #1 which the ammo was developed in might have a stronger action, smaller firing pin hole and long throat.
Take a hot load from that rifle and fire it in a gun with a weaker design, over sized firing pin hole and short throat and all sorts of nasty things can happen.
Will you blow up the gun? My guess (just a guess) Probably not in a 204. Even though it operates at high pressures most bolt actions are designed to withstand greater pressures per square inch. Now a thin sporter barrel in a larger volume case could more easily destroy the gun. I'm sure many will disagree with my guess and I would never even consider arguing the point.
Not to imply its a safe practice in a 204 or small capacity case. You might just pop a primer and weld it to the bolt face. You could just as easily encounter case head rupture/failure or separation. None of these things are things you want to even remotely set yourself up for. A shooter can be seriously hurt under these conditions without "blowing up the gun". 55.000 psi of burning gases in the face will leave you blind just for starters.

An important rule of reloading is never shoot someone elses reloads and do not give yours to someone else.
Yes, some people do share but you had better darn well trust that person and compare a lot of notes. Much much better to just follow the rule. If you want to try someone elses load just ask for the recipe and work up to it.

As for the second scenario I believe its termed instantaneous combustion or Over flash. WT nailed that answer perfectly. "Experimenting" in that arena can be very dangerous.

Thanks for the comments guys.

Yeah the second question i was un sure of.

But with the first question they would be loaded within the spec say per the reloading manual ( sierra for arguments sake)??

Any one else got an opion??

Thanks in advance Mick

The "high end" per spec in one rifle may not be a good load in a different rifle for the reasons given.

All rifles are different. There are many things to consider & shooting some one elses handloads in your rifle is something that should not be considered as Safe. You got some very good answers & advice to #1. Loaded length is a big concern unless you know both rifles chambers specs & have a very close jump to the lands in both. Pressure spikes can/do occur & bad things happen there as well.

#2 is exactly as WT described as well. It's called detonation & when powder detonates it explodes instead of burning throughout the charge to create pressure. Detonation is a baaaaad thing. Don't go below the book & be very careful when going over the top. You should also use a chronograph along with the other signs of pressure. When you start getting a reduction in fps per charge increase you may well have gone "over to the dark side". Please don't go there.

You've gotten some very good advice so Please Be Careful!!

Thanks guys thats what i was after some sure answers, but to say if i load with in the guide lines then try the same load in another rifle that i have in the same cal it should not blow up?
T
he discussion that we had was that i was going to start reloading and one of my Best mate s said that they would get me to do some for them( we have been friends 25 years ) so that takes care of the trust issue i was only going to load a pet load not a hot one or one at the maximum end i obviously will go by the manual ( do you guys have an opion on the best manual to get??) so if i load a pet load within the guide lines with in the manual i should be ok they are mainly rouns for ferals they are not for target shooting
Cheers Mick

Just to make sure you dont miss what they all were telling you, if you do end up doing some reloading for friends, make sure you keep their brass separate from your brass. There could be tiny differences from your gun to theirs that would make even a light load dangerous.

[quote="aussiemick"] ( do you guys have an opion on the best manual to get??)

Mick,

There are generally two types of reloading manuals. One type is produced by the companies that make the powder and the other is produced by the companies that manufacture the bullets. I usually buy the manuals produced by Sierra, Speer and Hornady because these are the bullets I use. They will have information for various brands of powder. The manuals produced by the powder companies are usually free and are also found on-line. Another option is (actually the 3rd type ) a reloading manual for a single caliber. This has data from most bullet makers and powder companies.

Ok aussiemick

If your determined to do this I suggest the Sierra manual. They seem a little more conservative, at least in 204. Less chance of hurting someone this way.
Before you load a thing read the "How To" section and have a working knowledge of everything written there.
Heed the warnings written there. Mistakes at the reloading bench can be deadly.

Thanks guys i think i will reload juat for me when i feel confident
Might have to let my mate load his own all sound a bit risky

Cheers Mick

heres a good example in my 22-250 i loaded right in the middle of hornadys load map for 50 gr. with varget it shot pretty decent in my rifle no pressure signs at all but would lock the bolt down on a differnt rifle of my buddys so we had to work up a load that his rifle liked and that was safer.